I posted a diary just yesterday morning on the topic of false suggestions that Bernie Sanders is an atheist, and now I see a Washington Post blog is purporting that Bernie Sanders doesn't believe in God.
Really, how hard is it for Washington Post writers to do factchecking?
This Sanders quote was published in Vermont's largest newspaper daily, the Burlington Free Press, on Sept 19, 2015. Apparently it was published in USA Today, too. Here is the USA Today link, which took me all of 3 seconds to find:
Sanders doesn’t generally speak about his own religious views. He said he’s proud to be Jewish, and though he’s “not much into” organized religion, he wouldn’t be doing what he is today if he were not “spiritual.”
“I believe that there is a connection between all living things, and that my belief in God requires me to do all that I can to follow the ‘Golden Rule,’ to do unto others and as I would have them do unto me,” he said. “As a public servant, it requires me to do all that I can to ensure that every person lives with dignity and security.”
1:12 PM PT: gramofsam1 points out in the comments that the Washington Post piece has now been updated. It now includes the USA Today reference I pointed out above. The writer refers to Sanders's remark as an "oblique" reference to believing in God. Whatever. They also changed the title of the post to refer to the "first non-religious president" rather than the "first agnostic president." Maybe this diary or my email to the Washington Post writer did the trick?? Anyway, I'm calling this a victory!
A later update: Reflecting on some of the comments in this diary by Frederick Clarkson and others, I agree that the Washington Post's "correction" is pretty pathetic. The correction was written reluctantly - diminishing Sanders's statement by calling it an "oblique" reference to believing in God, and saying:
This appears to be the closest he's come to outlining whatever religiosity he claims.
That bit is totally moving goalposts - apparently now it's not sufficient that Sanders states that he believes in God
and that he describes exactly how he thinks that belief requires him to act. More "religiosity" is now required.
The article also still contains, up top, way above the inserted quote of Sanders's, the weasel words that Sanders "has been described by some as agnostic."
And the article also still contains the writer's supposition that Sanders "dodged" Jimmy Kimmel's "do you believe in God" question. But Kimmel didn't simply ask if Sanders believed in God, he started the question by saying that Sanders was "culturally Jewish" but doesn't "feel religious," then asked if he believed in God, and then embellished the question further by asking whether Sanders thought Americans cared about whether he believes in God. Sanders chose to respond by saying "Well, you know, I am who I am" and saying that his spirituality leads him to care about helping folks who are suffering, and he then made an ecumenical comment, pointing out that it's not just his own religion, Judaism, which is about trying to help folks - giving the example of Pope Francis. The audience applauded. The show moved on. There's no way to know if Sanders didn't directly answer the question about God because he didn't want to, or because he thought he had a more important point to make, or because he didn't get around to it, or some combination. Yet the article continues to call this a "dodge," even in the face of evidence that Sanders has stated as recently as a month ago that he believes in God.
And finally, the new title of the article, as many folks have pointed out, ignores history in order to continue in its original vein: to paint Sanders as an odd duck.
If you haven't checked it out, please see this diary about a community member who could use some help. Recommending it will help, too. Thanks!