Election '08
Page 2
Oct. 25 to Nov. 4, 2008

Click here for earlier stories.

Good advice from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program Update -- for Election Day Eve
 [11-3-08]

VOTE

If you have not done so already, exercise your stewardship of your citizenship and vote on November 4.  

PRAY

Be afraid! Be very afraid!!

According to Robert Gagnon, Obama will wage war on Christianity!!!
[11-4-08]

Robert Gagnon, Associate Professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, has just issued (as of November 3) an essay warning us all of “Obama’s Coming War on Historic Christianity over Homosexual Practice and Abortion.”

He begins:

If Obama is elected President this Tuesday he will make it a priority of his administration to pass legislation that will make war against Christians and persons of other religious convictions who believe that homosexual practice and abortion are immoral acts. Persecution will take many forms, as indicated by actions that have already taken place in parts of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe:

---  Compulsory indoctrination of our children in schools (kindergarten up), as also of ourselves in the workplace, that abortion and especially homosexual practice are moral and civil "rights" ...

---  Job discrimination, termination, and the imposition of fines on people who express contrary views toward homosexual practice ...

---  Forced subsidization of abortion and homosexual unions through taxes.

---  Forced offering of goods and services that directly advance and promote homosexual practice and abortion, irrespective of the degree to which the conscience of the provider may be violated. This includes, but is not limited to, adoption services and foster parenting, health care providers and counselors, justices of the peace, those who provide wedding services, the legal profession, print shops, and indeed all businesses with employees.

And there’s more. Lots, lots more.

It’s sad.

Saritha Prabhu of the Nashville Tennesseean gets inside the heads of some of the plays in the presidential rase, to tell us what they’re really thinking today.

It’s pretty funny. And bipartisan.

Three samples:

Sarah Palin: "I can't wait for all this to be over. Do you know how hard it is to stand and dis Barack Obama all day while wearing 5-inch killer heels? These heels have given me sciatica, and I'll soon be billing Alaskan taxpayers for my medical treatment.”

Barack Obama: "Wow, what a ride it's been, and I'm almost to the finish line. Got to be careful as president, though. No leeway to screw up, none whatsoever, or else people will say, 'See? That's what happens when you elect a black president.' Hmmm, what I'd give now for a good cigarette.”

Piper Palin, Malia and Sasha Obama: "Why are grown-ups crazy?''

The rest of the story >>

Are you suffering from Elective Compulsive Disorder? Can’t get enough of the campaign? Planning to watch all night Tuesday night? Do you need more more more??

Well, here's one more item that may help.

~~~~~~~

How Running a Campaign Is Like Building a Megachurch

Slate magazine offers a provocative slant on the way this campaign has been running.

The author (whose name is Bishop, no less) begins:

This isn't a partisan observation. Both George Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama adopted the basic organizing techniques that many ministers have been using since the 1970s to grow their churches to stupendous size. And why not? They work.

The megachurch was built on an idea born in India by an American missionary. Donald McGavran spent half a century overseas, and he used much of that time to discover the way churches could convert large numbers of people to Christianity. McGavran observed that converts didn't come to the church one by one. They came in groups. And those groups were socially coherent—castes, villages, or families. The key to church growth wasn't in bringing individuals to Christianity but in converting groups, peoples. And these groups would come if they were appealed to as a "homogenous unit."

The essay concludes:

Politicians have been packaging image from the beginning: McKinley sitting on the front porch, Truman speaking from the back of a train, Madison Avenue selling a new Nixon. In the end, however, the message was the same: "Vote for me." Campaigns today are doing something different. They attempt to manage behavior by creating a social environment that encourages people to vote for themselves. The most important message a campaign has to convey is one of flattery, that the candidate is "just like us."

Self-government, however, is the opposite of self-love. Democracy is about meeting and coming to terms with people who look, talk, believe, and think differently from us. Government might work better if that democratic exercise began for voters during the campaign rather than the day after inauguration.

The full article >>

Be Not Afraid
[10-31-08]

Jim Wallis of Sojourners offers this bit of pre-election advice, in the face of increasing efforts from the Right “ to stir the fears of the electorate that ‘he’ [Obama, of course] is not really like ‘them.’ ”

He says also:

Regardless of whether one favors Obama or McCain, this development should be of concern to all Americans, and especially people of faith. There is now a new spiritual dimension to this election, and it is decidedly evil. Christians believe that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear...” (1 John 4:18.) There are, of course, good and decent motivations to vote either way in this election. Strong people of faith will be marking different boxes on Election Day, but for people of faith there will be a spiritual decision to be made as well. Will we put our trust in the power of fear or hope?

So says Elizabeth Dole, defending her seat in the Senate in a TV ad that calls her challenger, Kay Hagan (who has taught Sunday school in her church) Godless and accuses her (falsely, need we add?) of associating with a group called Godless Americans PAC.

So now, kids – be scared of your Sunday school teacher!

The report from Campbell Brown of CNN >>

ACORN Fights Back Against Voter Suppression
Releases 30-Second Ad, Announces Lawsuits

On Oct. 29, ACORN released its first-ever 30-second ad on voter suppression, calling on Sen. John McCain to put an end to these tactics. ACORN also announced lawsuits intended to combat a series of attempts at voter suppression.  Click here >>

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If the GOP had listened to ACORN's advice, the mortgage industry wouldn't be in meltdown

Voter fraud? No, the real problem is voter suppression – but it’s not getting the attention.
[10-29-08]

David Morris, vice president of the Institute for local Self-Reliance, which is based in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., writes about this in today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune.

It’s worth reading, to put some of the flap over ACORN and voter registration into perspective. Voter fraud has been rarer than getting killed by lightning, he says. “An analysis of the 2004 presidential election in Ohio revealed a voter fraud rate of 0.00004 percent.”

The real problem, says Moarris, is “election fraud – voter suppression by election officials and state governments – is widespread and validated.” He cites the New York Times’ investigative report that "tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law." And that doesn’t include “efforts by state officials and private parties to discourage, intimidate or challenge eligible voters.”

More on voting concerns

We’ve all heard quite a lot lately about people who want to “raise taxes and redistribute wealth.”

Well, Dr. William (Beau) Weston, who teaches sociology at Presbyterian-related Centre College in Kentucky, has offered one of the most concise clarifications of this question that I’ve seen.

Here it is, from his creatively titled blog, “gruntledcenter”

All Taxes Redistribute Wealth – That's What They Are For

There has been some very foolish talk on the campaign trail lately that one side is bad because they want to use taxes to redistribute wealth. This is silly – all taxes redistribute wealth. They take from everyone to serve the common good. We all pay taxes so we can all have roads and schools and mail and security and thousands of other common goods. Some of our taxes go to individuals for their individual needs, such as school loans or medicare payments. Even the small fraction of Americans receiving straight-up welfare in order to take better care of their kids are serving the common good. The Earned Income Tax Credit is better than old-fashioned welfare because it only goes to people who are working, and only goes to working people who do not make quite enough to take care of their kids.

Rich people get back less money in services because they need them less, and poor people get more because they need them more. That is just. That improves the common good.

See it on Weston’s blog >>

We received this note (within a couple hours of posting this item)  from the Rev. Herb Valentine, Moderator of the 203^rd General Assembly, and a strong Witherspoon member:

You should send the Weston tax observation to Obama and Biden.  Perhaps you  should consider sending it to McCain and Palin -- they could use an update on the purpose of taxes.

With election one week away, PC(USA) releases voting rights and election reform report

‘Lift Every Voice’ sent to members of Congress, election officials

by Jerry L. Van Marter
Presbyterian News Service
[posted here 10-27-08]

LOUISVILLE — October 27, 2008 --- Adding its voice to the widespread public concern for possible voter disenfranchisement, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) today (Oct. 27) released a report entitled, Lift Every Voice: Democracy, Voting Rights, and Electoral Reform.

The report — which includes the full text of a policy statement adopted by the 218th General Assembly of the PC(USA) in June in San Jose, CA — is being sent to all members of the U.S. Congress, as well as to state election officials and congregations in state capitals that are most likely to contain church members involved in the electoral process.

[WebWeaver's note:  This document is available online, as a 32-page PDF document, at http://www.pcusa.org/acswp/pdf/votingrights.pdf ]

The report expresses concern for the historically low rate of voting in the United States and proposes a range of reforms designed to spur greater voter turnout. “Low voter participation in U.S. elections weakens the health of American democracy," says the study.

The report’s recommendations seek to “increase voter participation,” “to ensure equality and fairness,” “to provide for greater accountability,” and “to renew and broaden democratic practice.” 

Specifically, as summarized in a cover letter by the Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the resolution calls for:

“Through such statements, the General Assembly speaks to both the church itself and to the larger society in line with the Reformed Christian tradition of public responsibility described in the document,” said ACSWP Coordinator Christian Iosso.

“The democratic — small d — ethos of our Church pervades this document,’ Parsons states in his cover letter. “Our church is named for presbyters, or elders, elected by congregations to serve on governing councils. Our democratic ethos, in other words, is part of our own life as a body of Christians at every level.”

The 217th General Assembly in 2006 voiced continuing concern over the confused 2000 presidential voting in Florida, including voting machine errors and the implementation of the Voting Rights Act.

The Assembly authorized a study and the ACSWP assembled a team that included three political scientists, three lawyers, two ethicists, a pastor, an educator, and one former election official. Their report, Lift Every Voice, was approved by this year’s Assembly.

The report states: “Accountability is demanded of every political figure in the Bible story. Because of sin in human personal and social life, transparency and the enforcement of principles of equality and liberty are required as a condition of a fair common life. Both citizens and officials are accountable for their custody of the democratic-representative process. To deny anyone a fair vote is a sin.

“Reinhold Niebuhr’s aphorism that ‘[human] capacity for justice makes democracy possible but [human] capacity for injustice makes democracy necessary’ is a fair summary of the possibilities of our political life as we strive to make it as participatory, just and accountable as possible.”

The full text of Lift Every Voice  is posted on the ACSWP Web site. Questions and comments can be directed to Iosso by email by phone at (800) 728-7228, ext. 5814; or to ACSWP Associate Belinda Curry by email or by phone at (800) 728-7228, ext. 5813.

The full text of the cover letter to Members of Congress accompanying the report, dated Oct. 27:

Dear Senators and Representatives:

We enclose a copy of the resolution, Lift Every Voice: Democracy, Voting Rights, and Electoral Reform, adopted this year by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s General Assembly in San Jose, California. This booklet, including its cover, is also available online. We are sharing it with State election commissions and particularly with the congregations of our church located in every state capital.

We send it to you on the eve of our general election, understanding that you and your staffs will be campaigning hard right up to Election Day. This resolution is not simply for this November 4: it is for the full enfranchisement of U.S. citizens, a larger and longer-term task that we hope you will steadily support. At this moment, we want to show our own support for that vision and encourage all elected officials to honor that franchise for all citizens. And for those of religious faith, we want to indicate at this key time that thoughtful Christians have reflected prayerfully on the issues of politics that particularly face you and your staff.

This resolution includes a summary of Reformed Christian teaching on faith and politics and a Biblical grounding for that teaching. It refers back to a longer policy developed in 1983 and other statements of the General Assembly: we have addressed the government since 1787! Thus its study section has an adult education purpose, as do all church policy statements, as well as an awareness of the Civil Rights struggle behind so much good election law.

Thus this resolution encourages the Senate and the House of Representatives to make the election process as welcoming and participatory as possible. This is a timely concern in many places. The resolution makes practical recommendations so that faith and practice can go together. There are also some elements for longer-term study that could improve our system technologically as well as legislatively. 

This dire warning has just been posted by the Rev. John Shuck on his Shuck and Jive blog.

Thus predict the Christians. The lovers of Christian truth and right belief are at it hot and heavy on the eve of the election. They are predicting apocalyptic doom if Barack Obama becomes president.Terrorist strikes on four American cities. Russia rolling into Eastern Europe. Israel hit by a nuclear bomb. Gay marriage in every state. The end of the Boy Scouts. All are plausible scenarios if Democrat Barack Obama is elected president, according to a new addition to the campaign conversation called "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America," produced by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family Action.

[From your WebWeaver:  The "Letter from 2012" is a PDF document running to 16 pages -- mostly telling of the terrible things that will happen to the "Christian values" that Focus on the Family is striving to uphold.]

The end of the Boy Scouts? This is one of their dire predictions, should Obama (who, according to them, is not a real Christian) be elected. Get this:

    • A 6-3 liberal majority Supreme Court that results in rulings like one making gay marriage the law of the land and another forcing the Boy Scouts to "hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in tents with young boys." (In the imagined scenario, The Boy Scouts choose to disband rather than obey).

There you have it. Christians witnessing to the truth of the gospel. Fortunately, there really are folks out there who do claim Christian identity but have a different view. These are Christians who when they actually read the Bible and the gospels find in there a call to do justice and relieve poverty. This is in today's Johnson City Press:

At a time when more than 37 million Americans are in poverty, including many who are newly poor and paying keen attention, spiritual leaders are encouraging the young to vote and urging voters to select candidates who will fight poverty.

“I feel more momentum, energy and focus on poverty than I have in churches in three decades or more,” said Jim Wallis, chief executive officer of Sojourners social justice ministries in Washington.

“Partly, it’s a new generation. Baby boomers are becoming church leaders and speaking to a new generation that wants their lives to make a difference. It’s a new altar call, if you will,” he said.

A question for beginners:

Which of these two organizations, Focus on the Family or Sojourners is more faithful to the gospel?

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PVJ's Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, PVJ's Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Shuck’s new "Religion for Life" website

Long-time and stimulating blogger John Shuck, a Presbyterian minister currently serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tenn., writes about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and lightening up.

Click here for his blog posts.

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Got more blogs to recommend?