Obama & McCain in Faith Forum for Christian Voters

Last night, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain were interviewed at the Saddleback Church by Sr. Pastor Rick Warren (author of A Purpose Driven Life) on CNN. The Christian evangelical audience was treated to two hour long one-on-one interviews of the two presidential nominees by the pastor of the church. Both candidates were more or less asked the same questions and were given as much time as necessary to respond.

The event was moderated by Rick Warren, the author of the best-selling "The Purpose Driven Life" and one of the country's most prominent evangelical preachers. Warren, a Southern Baptist, referred to both McCain and Obama as friends in his introductions. "They both care deeply about America," Warren said. "They're both patriots."

The evening was painted as a portrait of contrast: where Obama was thoughtful, humble, and measured in his responses; McCain was direct, arrogant, and very definitive. Obama delivered shades of gray and nuance. McCain was simplistic, very black-and-white in his responses.
The candidates were asked questions in the following areas:

• Greatest Moral Failing (Personal & United States)
  
  • Obama response: He expounded on his selfishness and concern for self during his youth (personal) and the government's tendency to forget the least of us (US).
    
  • McCain reponse: The failure of his first marriage (personal) and Americans haven't done enough to serve others (US).
    
  
  
• Faith in Jesus
  
  • Obama response: He talked about leaning on the wisdom of Jesus and using his faith to help make decisions.
    
  • McCain reponse: When he was a POW in Viet Nam, apparently one of the guards was a Christian; he cited two examples of this guard demonstrating their shared faith.
    
  
  
• Three Wisest People for Advise
  
  • Obama response: Obama chose his wife, Michelle; his grandmother; and a group of politicians that included former senator Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia, and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).
    
  • McCain reponse: McCain chose named General David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq; Meg Whitman, a campaign adviser; and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), an Obama supporter whom McCain praised for his courage during the civil rights movement.
    
  
  
• Definition of Marriage
  
  • Obama response: Union between a man and a woman, but agrees with the states' right to create civil unions for same-sex couples. "I can afford those civil rights to others even if I don't have ... that view."
    
  • McCain reponse: Union between a man and a woman... PERIOD!
    
  
  
• Stance on Abortion
  
  • Obama response: Pro-choice, not pro-abortion. He offered probably his most nuanced answer to this question, where he believes that work should be done to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortion.
    
  • McCain reponse: Pro-life, believes that life begins at conception... "I will be a pro-life president."
    
  
  
• Use of Stem Cell Research
  
  • Obama response: Supports stem cell research using embryonic cells that are slated to be destroyed, but favors finding other "less controversial" methods, as well.
    
  • McCain reponse: Although, he believes life begins at conception, he supports the use of embryonic cells for stem cell research... confusion?
    
  
  
• How to Deal with Evil
  
  • Obama response: He believes that evil can be found everywhere and it must be understood before it can be confronted. Once again, he balanced evil in Dafur with evil that is found right here in the United States!
    
  • McCain reponse: He fell into "stump speech mode" and only talked about bringing Osama bin Laden to justice (even if it takes him to the gates of Hell) as if that is the ONLY EVIL in the world - but this did lead to the biggest applause line of the evening.
    
  
  
• What Supreme Court Justices Should Not Have Selected
  
  • Obama response: Clarence Thomas ("I don't think he was a strong enough jurist or a legal thinker at the time for that. I profoundly disagree with his interpretation of the Constitution."), Antonin Scalia (because he doesn't agree with his politics), but he had praise for Chief Justice John Roberts.
    
  • McCain reponse: He rattled off the four liberal justices (Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, and Stephens) without much explanation... went into a short diatribe about legislating from the Bench (old Republican sound bite).
    

Read the CNN.com coverage about the about Faith Forum here and here.

Read the Jack Cafferty review, from CNN.com, of John McCain's performance here.

Read the Washington Post article about the Faith Forum here.

Andrew Sullivan did a live blog of the Obama and McCain interviews.

plez sez: this was easily the most thought provoking and revealing look at the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees for president. neither candidate dodged the questions, but both candidates varied greatly in the way that they approached answering the questions. and i feel, both offered a keen insight into the way they would approach issues that will undoubtedly crop up during their administration.

Obama was thoughtful, measured, deliberate, and quite humble in his approach. he didn't rely on cliche', didn't go after sound bites. his answers were well-thought and analytical... and in many cases, he offered both sides of an issue for consideration.

on the other hand, McCain played directly to the markedly conservative audience and leaned heavily on sound bite answers to questions. a number of his answer were so short, that the moderator had time to ask him additional questions that he did not ask of Obama.

i watched the program with plezWife; we both came away with the same assessment: Barack Obama is far and away the best person for leading this country forward, because his lack of jingoism and extreme arrogance allows him the ability to think through issues without promulgating and playing petty politics with serious issues. in stark contrast, McCain's performance was chilling in his hardline views, short snappy answers, and total lack of introspection. at no point during the entire hour interview, did john mccain once stop and take a long hard look at himself, humble himself, and then offer a thought-provoking response (i.e. his greatest moral failing was that his first marriage came to an end - he offered no thoughts as to why, nor did he even take part of the responsibility for it... as he put it, the marriage came to an end... PERIOD).

more than ever, the united states would be creating a GRAVE ERROR by voting john mccain into the white house. he exhibited the same "cowboy attitude" that precipitated the 5-year war in iraq, he leaned on the same "evil button" as george w. bush (terrorism, al-qaeda, and osama bin laden), and provided little or no insight into how he thinks. the thought of a mccain administration following 8 years of george w. bush SCARES ME!

plezWorld feels that anyone who thinks that john mccain will improve the united states is delusional. VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA... the world depends on it!

What is Sin?

With the dawn will come Good Friday, to some, the beginning of the most sacred three days in Christianity. Actually, the whole notion of Christianity hinges on Easter and the notion that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day to sit at the right hand of God.

But if the notion of sin no longer exists, will that portend the end of religion, as we know it? Between Two Worlds poses a similar question, "[A]s Easter approaches, some pastors and theologians worry: How can Christians celebrate Jesus' atonement for their sins and the promise of eternal life in his resurrection if they don't recognize themselves as sinners?"

Friday's edition of USA Today had an article that asked this question: is the "notion of sin" lost? plezWorld ain't at church every Sunday, but I have spent a great of time in church and was raised "knowing" that Jesus was nailed to the cross for me and my sinful ways. But now that I think about it... when is the last time that I considered a thought or action of mine to be a sin?



I'm still thinking...



And when you think about all the bad things that people do to each other with impunity and with the seeming loss of morality in this world, one has to wonder whatever happened to that little governor within us that said "thou shall not sin"? What about the Seven Deadly Sins: greed, lust, gluttony, and the rest of them? Is greed still a sin?

The USA Today article continues:

Take it from Pope Benedict XVI. He says the modern world "is losing the notion of sin." And not just personal sins such as greed, lust or the rest of the infamous Seven Deadlies, but social sins, too, such as polluting the planet or allowing injustice to flourish.

Pope Benedict, in his prayers last week, said, "People who trust in themselves and in their own merits are, as it were, blinded by their own 'I,' and their hearts harden in sin. On the other hand, those who recognize themselves as weak and sinful entrust themselves to God, and from him obtain grace and forgiveness."

Since the old sins aren't quite as deadly anymore... are there some new sins that we need to be concerned about? The article answers that question, too... Ellison Research conducted a poll in August 2007 and released the following results for the percentage of Americans who felt an action or thought was a sin:

Adultery: 81%

Racism: 74%

Using "hard" drugs, such as cocaine, LSD: 65%

Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change: 63%

Having an abortion: 56%

Homosexual activity or sex: 52%

Not reporting some income on your tax returns: 52%

Reading or watching pornography: 50%

Gossip: 47%

Swearing: 46%

Sex before marriage: 45%

Homosexual thoughts: 44%

Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to: 43%

Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment: 41%

Smoking marijuana: 41%

Getting drunk: 41%

Gambling: 30%

Not attending church or religious services regularly: 18%

Drinking any alcohol: 14%

Read the entire USA Today article here.


plez sez: based on this updated list... from top to bottom, i'm a sinner! there's a lot more stuff that i've done on the list, than stuff i haven't done on the list (and i can't have an abortion!)... i would suggest that you not stand too close to me if you don't want to get struck by lightning! *smile*

just curious... do you believe in sin? do you believe in hell? how many sins on the list above have you committed?



plezWorld loves art, especially old oil paintings, so i was intrigued by the imagery that was invoked by the picture that was chosen for this post.

picture description(from the Britain Tate exhibit): Satan, Sin, and Death from Milton's "Paradise Lost" by William Hogarth circa 1735-40 - Sin intervenes between the armed figures of Satan and Death as they prepare to fight at the gates of Hell. She is shown at the point of revealing to Satan that she is both his daughter and a former lover, and that the skeletal figure of Death is the offspring of their incestuous relationship.

[Sin] is pictured as if trapped and imprisoned by the many-headed tentacles that wrap themselves around her torso and writhe from her waist; furthermore, her expression and her gestures are tender and imploring, rather than malicious or manipulative. [Hogarth fuses] a feminised iconography of sentiment with a sublime and grotesque imagery of hell-fire, violence and monstrous masculinity.

Zeitgeist - The Movie

plez sez: "Zeitgeist" comes in at just under 2 hours; this movie questions the basis of Christianity, the controversy surrounding September 11, 2001 (9/11), the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Income Tax, and history of profiteering from war. If you cannot watch this movie with an open mind and natural skepticism, then I recommend that you do not watch!

This is MORE POWERFUL than Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

After watching this video, I have begun to re-think everything that I have learned about anything. EVERYTHING!

hat tip: The Free Slave and Wandering the Ether