We Deserve Better than Faith Forum
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, ReligionHow is it, with all the issues facing this nation, the first time our two main presidential candidates appeared together in the same forum the topic was faith? Sure, a candidate’s faith is important because it’s informative, but have we really reached a point in American politics where courting religious believers with platitudes is deemed more important than, say, having a town hall meeting/debate about energy or the economy or our military engagements?
For all the attention Rick Warren’s forum received, did we the voters learn anything? Barack Obama supports Roe v. Wade and is going to dance around the issue of when life begins. John McCain is opposed to legalized abortion and is going to sound as hard-line as he can. Both men desperately want to be seen as not just men of faith but as Christians devoted to challenging/defeating evil.
I’m not one of those people who hyperventilates over perceived violations of the separation of church and state. I don’t mind at all that the candidates feel obliged to make faith part of their campaigns. What I do mind is that with the possibility of town-hall debates on the table, all the campaigns could give us before the conventions was a softball forum on faith, complete with predictable answers and time-worn stories.
Obama and McCain could give us one of the most substantive presidential campaigns in recent history. Instead, all we’re getting is carefully branded products.
This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:36 am
fwiw, I actually enjoyed Warren’s sit down with the candidates.
I didn’t like that the candidates didn’t appear together (other than a little photo op), and I look forward to actual debates on the issues, but there were some nice moments during the discussions.
I thought Obama did very well in what one could consider a somewhat hostile environment — Warren no doubt deserves credit for this.
I thought McCain came across as far more human then I’d seen him in a long while.
Furthermore, there was more than just religious topics during the discussion. You actually got to see something of the candidates you DON’T seeing during debates…and that’s OK.
But yes, let’s have some meaningful debates, too.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Amen, Alan. (No, seriously. I mean it. Amen.)
August 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am
THE HALL OF FAME
Oral Roberts
Jim & Tammy Bakker
Jimmy Swaggart
Peter Popoff
Mike Warnke
Robert Tilton
Frank Houston
John Paulk
Douglas Goodman
Kent Hovind
Ted Haggard
Paul Barnes
Lonnie Latham
Richard Roberts
Bishop Earl Paulk
Coy Privette
Phil Driscoll
Joe Barron
****************************
Will Rick Warren make it into the Hall of Fame? As a purported “pastor” and “spiritual leader” whose main focus is on “growth” and “money”… it’s just a matter of time.
Matthew 6
Agnostick
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August 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Unfortunately, this post is already getting buried by all the polling and byte-of-the-day frenzy, but here’s my two cents worth on this one…..
As usual, I line up pretty well with the “Annoying Independent.” Actually, Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Life” got me started down the “common ground, Centrist” path when I was struggling with separation of church and state issues a couple years ago. So I think he added some credibility to a “wedge issue” over the typical network talking head moderator.
But the divisive abortion “debate,” with the waffling attempts to moderate their position while patronizing “their base,” still left me with my frustrating question: Why doesn’t some candidate, in the spirit of a live-and-let-live Centrist, just say, “I have my personal belief which is no secret….I’ll be glad to share it in a different context….but I choose not to impose my belief on others on this issue. That’s not a critical function of the office I’m seeking. Next question…..”
Meanwhile, I suggest one change to your last paragraph……”Obama and McCain SHOULD give us….” substantive campaigns, but……is there any hope for that?