Bill Clinton - Born Again Christian?

[hexola]

Sort of a flip idea...but what if? What if Clinton comes out as born again Christian following his surgery? Certainly believable. Clinton would be able to unleash his powers on a totally different audience. The moralists on the right might suddenly see some comfort in the left. (Like "they learned their lesson") And, this would save Kerry from having to pander too much.

The GOP has managed to pull off being both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice at the same time. Perhaps we need to try this "both sides now" approach?

[BlackVelvetElvis]

1. I though Clinton was a born again Christian.

Am I wrong?
He just doesn't shove it in everyone's face.

[blackcat77]

5. According to his book, he's born-again.

So am I, for that matter. Not every born-again believer is a fundie nutcase.

[stray cat]

2. I think he already was.

nt

[partygirl]

3. Ha

don't bet on it. The fundies aren't going to listen to Clinton--it wouldn't matter if he dressed in sack cloth and fasted all the time. And put ashes on his head.

They hate him. End of Story.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

7. I'm always leery of the term born again Christian

I think Bill Clinton has a deep abiding faith, suffers through trials just like the rest of us but he doesn't need to put a tag line on it to convince anyone of his beliefs.

Isn't it better to try to live your beliefs than to just name them? BoyGeorge plays the "born again" card every chance he gets but never seems to get bogged down with details of actually putting it into practice. IMNTBHO - Bushie gives all "born agains" a really bad name - they should be really pissed with him, revoke his membership card, dunk him in the river again or sumthin'. He just isn't getting it.

Is "born again" more valid than "I am a Christian." To me it isn't. Anymore than saying that I'm a Christian, Catholic, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, agnostic, atheists, etc. One title no better or less than the other to each individual. Think we all just have to decide what works for us and quit trying to pander to a crowd with a title. Just my two cents.

[hexola]

12. How about "A Crisis of Faith..."

Clinton could come out a make statement redoubling his faith and pledge to testify reguarly in some fasion. Not too heavy, but allows him to re-define his role in democratic politics...

[Democrat 4 Ever]

16. I don't think he needs to re-define anything

If it ain't broken you don't fix it.

I am convinced that if Clinton could have run again he would have won in a landslide. (That statement alone is enough to give repugs nightmares for decades. Repeat it loudly and often.)

While some people are all so fired up about changing the Constitution every which way - gay marriages, foreign born candidates (Arwnuld just gives me the shivers - can't see him as head dog catcher much less a governur or prewzedent.) - let's lobby for an amendment to allow really popular past presidents to serve more than two terms. Of course, they would have to be a Democrat, know how to cut a deficit and keep us out of invading other countries on a whim. I mean, as long as the repugs thinking the document needs a little fine tuning...let's go for the gold.

[doni_georgia]

4. Clinton already is a born-again Christian - term is an oxymoron in Baptist

circles. Born again technically means that you have accepted Christ as your savior. In order to be a member of a Southern Baptist church, you have to walk down that isle, proclaim Jesus as savior, and then get baptized; therefore, Bill Clinton is a born again, since he is a Southern Baptist.

[Eric J in MN]

19. That would be a redundant-term, not an oxymoron (nt)

nt

[whistle]

6. For some strange reason, it seems that being born again as a...

..Christian pushes a person to the far right just like as a Muslim "jihad" which is the individual struggle that a person has to come close to Allah turns that person into a fanatical fundamentalist determined to convert all other brothers to Islam or kill them!

Bill Clinton has been in my estimation and also from reading parts of his new book, an agnostic with Christan influence. To be "born again" he'll not only have to take a public vow, but will have to continually prove his devotion to Jesus Christ my tithing to his church, giving public testimony, witnessing and yes even bringing new converts to the flock.

Somehow I can't see Bill Clinton doing all of that. Shrub gets away with it by violating the separation of church and state doctrine as many other RW republicans do. That was not what I have come to understand was Jesus' instructions who said "do good work" and love thy neighbor. I think the best role model for that has been Jimmy Carter. Just my take on it for what it's worth.

[Spangle]

9. On a 1 on 1 bases

How would we know he doens't bring new converts to church. This doesn't mean going door to door. But by living ones life and helping others to understanding. Not beating them to understanding. That would happen in 1 on 1 conseling. And generaly, it just happens, because it's the "Right" mommment for it to happen.

I'm not saying Clinton does this. What I am saying is that is how it is suppose to work. The way people care on now, is very prideful about the whole deal. Like gun fighters putting a mark on their gun, if you know what I mean.

The Clinton I see in public seems more "born again" then those who publicly shouted it from the roof tops. He is compasionite. He works hard at helping the down trouden(sp), how ever ya spell it.

[hexola]

10. Good point...

I know the reality of "born again" carries no political assignment...but the politics of it would be inescapable.

Not sure how far he would go publicly - but I see your point - perhaps it would be a bit of a charade.

I like the Carter comparison. More religion could make Clinton a bit more "Carter-ly" - I guess that would be a good thing...

[whistle]

17. I admit that I was a bit hard on Clinton, I really wouldn't know...

...how many conversions he has made and I am certain that it would be the quality of that "born again" conversion that has meaning rather than quantity. And, afterall, it is not important how the seed grows, only hthat the seed hits fertile ground, The rest is between God and the person who has found God. I would sooner follow Bill Clinton's example of faith and philosophy (I hesitate on the Big Dawg's behavior) than that of Schrub's, Cheney's, Ashcroft's, DeLay's, or Ronnie Reagan's which I don't think had any connection to being born again, but a lot of people thought he had. These men were and are hypocrites. Was character assassination and lying one of Jesus's commandments and teachings? However, Carter is a man of his word and I admire what he has done in the last 24 years.

[lgardengate]

13. My Family is RW and i was raised in a verry RW church...

Jesus didn't say "do good work". He said to do to others as we want them to do to us,love thy neighabor as yourself,and love God with all your heart,mind,and strength.He said all other comandments were wraped up in in these.He also said he did not come to destroy the law.

I still believe but i no longer go to church as often.Clinton does say he is a christian but dosen't really live that way.I can't fault him for it because sometimes i don't either.

[EEgrad2003]

8. He is a Christian

Not all Christians are religious fanatics. Most fanatics use Christianity as a way of exerting control and are thereby not truly "practicing what they preach". They are using the exact same excuses as those who used "manifest destiny" and "divine right" in the past. Problem is, people have become so sheep-like, where they don't challenge this false prophets who talk of Jesus, and call all Muslim terrorist or how killing is wrong, but push a war against a sovereign nation. Sad thing is, those who do question these hypocrites are seen as either traitors to the country or non-believers.

[hexola]

11. Well - Somebody better do it...

In my neck of the woods the Churches are playing a huge role in solidifying Bush support...

Where the hell is Sharpton?

[lgardengate]

14. you gotta be kidding. Conservative Christians will Never listen

to Sharpton.

[EEgrad2003]

15. And why is that?

I mean, he's no less believes in God like they do? Is it his actions? He's NOT perfect, but he believes in God. He more for peace and equality than a Jerry Falwell type may be. But yet, no one even challanges this. the refer to Sharpton as a "wanna be" Jesse Jackson, and granted they may even trivialize too many things and fight some of the wrong fights, but their actions seem more comparable to the actions of Jesus than a Falwell.

[whistle]

18. It's racism....but the GOP will not use that term so they use....

..."states' rights" — a code word for resistance to black advances clearly understood by white Southern voters. Other code words that you hear Bush and GOP use are: "crime in the streets", "welfare queens" and "tax and spend liberals". Bush uses the word "quota" repeatedly in his speaches and white know exactly what that refers to. By peppering every speech, every interview, every press conference with words like these the racist white vote is crystalized by fear in Bush's favor.

As ststed in a piece a few years ago: Blacks recognize such code words for what they are: racism.

<link> http://www.ferris.edu/isar/Institut/CCC/stpete012799.htm

We need to expose these racist politicians for their immoral exploitation of these fears. Most recent example is Zell Miller's move into the GOP camp.

<snip>
What the GOP Can Learn from the KKK
by Osha Gray Davidson

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0106-07.htm

[EEgrad2003]

21. Exactly

Blatant rascism is frowned upon in America. Everyone things that the KKK are a bunch of wackos except members of the KKK. So now, these people use these code words and phrases to confuse and fool people. Christian Conservatives and the Religious Right are usually a bunch of hypocrites anyway.

[Tomee450]

20. I thought

all Christians were born again. I am a born again Christian and very much a liberal. It is my understanding that to be born again you have rejected your old sinful life and accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour. Being born again does not make a person a right winger at all. I think the fundamentalists have caused the phrase born again to have a negative connotation for some people.

[DemBones DemBones]

22. Lots of us believe we were born right the first time.

;-)

Seriously, the idea of being "born again" is a relatively new one and not accepted by all Christians. Many of us were baptized as infants and raised within a Christian church. Baptism is a sort of rebirth and represents freedom from sin, but I never heard the phrase "born again" until the early seventies, although I was familiar enough with the concept of religious and mystical experiences.