At the Saddleback Faith Inquisition, err, Forum, both McCain and Obama were asked, "Who are the three wisest people that you know, and that you would rely on heavily in your administration?"

Obama:

His Wife
His Grandmother
Too many valid perspectives to limit to three

McCain:

General Petraeus
John Lewis
Meg Whitman

Fair enough and true to form, Obama was truthful and tactful; McCain was truthful and shooting from the lip.

The contrast in approach and thought process aside . . . Meg Whitman? The General and John Lewis were typical examples of McCain's pandering/bolstering version of straight-talk. No real surprises there – though Mr. Lewis may disagree. But Whitman? Really? OK, I'll play along.

I saw Barack Obama and John McCain on TV last night with Rev. Warren at his Saddleback Church.  It was an interesting program, and I was glad to see Senator Obama appearing before an audience, most of whose members presumably will vote against him.  It shows that Obama does not want to write off segments of the population where he might not be popular, and that he plans on being the president of all the American people.  Of course, all new presidents make that claim, but most (George W. Bush being the most obvious example) don’t mean it.

Just wondering whatever happened to church and state

I did not get a chance yet to watch the debate at Saddleback church besides some clips on CNN afterwards.  However even without seeing the show I can imagine that a few questions of religious faith came up.

As a person who is moderately politically aware and neither a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, or part of any other organized religion it has always struck me...where is my place in politics?

This is my first diary entry and more of a question than a statement.  I know that in America we pay lip service to the idea of seperation of Church and State but when the vast majority of Americans believe in God and congregations hold such a high degree of influence...where is my place in politics?

If I was running for President or any other political office I would not have a chance no matter what my policy positions were.  Forget being black, forget being to young or to old, part of the wrong gender, or all those other minor barrriers to political success...what do you do when you can't get on television like McCain and Obama and tell people you believe in God?

I hope most Americans know and realize that one of the hallmarks of the EVIL Iranian theocracy is that every presidential hopeful has to go before the grand Ayatollah and answer questions regarding his faith in order to secure the cleric's blessing.

I hope the irony of it doesn't get lost on my American friends.

Debate? At a church? Anyone heard of the First Amendment?

Steve and I have been close since childhood. We shared a bedroom all the years we lived with our parents. We lived together one year in college. We email multiple times every day. We visit each other as often as possible. However, we are 150 miles apart, have busy lives, and with gas prices at $4/gallon the visits are more rare.

And now there is a new problem - I'm just plain scared to visit him.

Below is the letter I just sent to my brother and his family.

I am aware of diaries about the attempted mass murder of liberals in Tennessee. I am aware that the murderer was an intellectual of sorts who read such great savants as O'Reilly, Hannity, and Savage.

This is my first diary post here, though I am a long time reader and sometime commenter.  I thought this would be good place to tell this story.

Outing, as I would assume most people here know, is forcing someone out of the closet, i.e. showing them to be gay. It is most often done when the person ia in some position of power and the person has either done something that has not advanced gay rights OR more usually hurt the gay community at the same time the person is gay themselves.

I am obviously writing this as 1 gay man's view and voice and no way do I represent nor wish to nor would ever hope to represent anything then just little old me.

<more after the break>

This is one of those news items where the lede makes you want to scroll up and confirm the date is not April 1st.

A church in Oklahoma regrets to inform the teenagers coming to its youth faith conference that it won't be giving away that assault rifle after all.

Let me try to piece this together: Church Retreat. Kids. Assault Rifle.

I shit you not.

When George W Bush introduced his plan to use federal funds to back faith-based programs, I was outraged, as were many other firm believers in separation of church and state.

Obama's plan, on the other hand, does what Bush's plan pretended to do.  It strengthens the partnership between church and community, to help faith-based programs combat social ills like poverty.  And most importantly, Obama's plan WILL NOT give federal money to any program that has the intention to proselytize, or will use religion as a basis to hire or not hire someone.

In a press release today (July 2), the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty responded to Obama's speech on faith-based initiatives.

No matter which side of this you are on, you probably think you know what the BJC said. Jump the fold to see if you're right.

See

http://www.cbsnews.com/...
I am not sure what Obama said to the Evangelicals, but here is what he should have said:  

Gay Marriage:  You may not agree with it and the scripture does prohibit it, however, there should not be a law against it as some demand.  Consider, if gay marriage is a sin, Man has the option to chose sin.  If God wanted to prohibit sin, He would have not placed the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.  Certainly, He would not have placed it in the "midst" of the garden, where it was readily accessible, but perhaps would have placed it in the back somewhere, where it could not be happened upon by an inquiring mind.  Instead He put the tree in the midst and relied on Adam and Eve to chose to obey.  

I am saddened by the news that's unravelling right now, that Sen. Obama has decided to resign his Church that has become his sanctuary and home for more than two decades. The decision is, as the senator himself said, a "personal" and "sad" one. At the constitutioal level, he has his right to do so.

His action, the Senator maintains, is not a denouncement of the former Church and, in fact, the official response from the Church itself is quite reasonable, that it's also saddened by the decision and prayed for Sen. Obama and his family

His principal reasons, as cited by Obama:

- Media onslaught on members - sick and shut in getting calls

- Distraction to business of church

- Controversial statements

- He did not want to subject his church to the same rigors as a political campaign - did not think it was fair to them

He didn't throw anyone under the bus.

He wished his church well and indicated that he hoped that when they find their next church home that they will be able to do what they desire to do in church - worship God.

He moved on to comments regarding the R&B Committee rulings.

There is nothing as good in America as a Whiteman that speaks the truth, even when it will not benefit him directly and temporarily.  That is not only a man and a true Christian, but also a true American soldier for the war that brings genuine racial reconciliation to America.  

Bill O’Reilly, Geraldine Ferrero, and other Catholic are mad at him and are calling for his head from the church.  If half of White Americans were as bold as Pfleger in the areas of fairness and truth, racism would have long been removed from the fabric of our great nation.  Instead, we pretend to act like racism is long dead and forgotten.  Are the Clintons and Fox News not playing the race card to make Obama look un-presidential?  Even at a time when McClellan is claiming that Bush and the White house made him lie, racist O’Reilly and Ferrero are still focusing on Obama’s Church instead of questioning the Republicans and McCain’s dream of continuing this Bush agenda.

Admittedly, that title isn't mine.  The "news" today is all about the latest "Revelation" about Barack Obama's church, featuring video of a guest preacher at Trinity.  This time, a Catholic priest who has defended Jeremiah Wright is speaking out to say that Hillary Clinton is crying because "a black man stole my show."

This sermon was delivered Sunday, and is conveniently taking news time away from the shocking and dramatic words in Scott McClellan's new book.

More...

I am a big fan of the Ed Shultz show; mainly because it's one of the few outlets of progressive info I can get on radio/during the day (especially when the cable news shows are "acting up")here in NY.

Shultz gives a male, western, progressive viewpoint, with a forceful, animated, republican style delivery, to good ratings. That's a postive to many. He's also been a strong supporter of Barack Obama.

But today, at the beginning of his show (broadcast 12pm here in NYC) Ed Shultz just played right into the Corporate medias hand.

He started his show on Fri, by eviscerating the latest alleged/burgeoning Obama "Pastor Disaster", Father Flagler, who said some not so kind (but some feel honest) things about HRC, and her sense of "white-Clinton" entitlement at Trinity this past Sunday.Ok. That's understandable.

But now Shultz wants Obama to leave Trinity?

Who is Ed Shultz to tell Obama where to go to church?  He should know better! If the MSM media, is not sure what to make of this story yet (they've been relatively reserved in light of Hagee's pastor disaster,and Clinton's recent assassination comments). Why would Ed Shultz give it legitimacy by asking Obama "to leave Trinity Church"?