DU Christians: Have you noticed any RNC activity at your churches?

[BurtWorm]

Anyone from a swing state here?

Has anyone heard of any of this kind of activity going on at local churches?

[msturgis524]

1. I've seen it in MN

My home church (methodist) has stayed out of it. My inlaws church (lutheran) in rural MN, thanks god every sunday for bringing George.

[BurtWorm]

4. There ya go! Swing state city!

Bastids! That just amazes me. So the pastor actually puffs up Bush from the pulpit? How are your inlaws going to vote?

[msturgis524]

23. They are voting rethug

There is no reasoning with them. They get their news from Rush. The sad thing is if they knew the truth they'd vote for Kerry. They are lower/middle class, pro-choice, against the war etc. They've just bought into the R-wing hate fest about dems in general. They're convinced if Kerry is elected the US will become communist.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

32. AGAINST THE WAR?! Do they not have any problem with the fact that shrubco

IS THE AUTHOR of this WAR??!!??!! :wtf:

[BurtWorm]

34. These are the people who HAVE to be woken up!

How do we do that? :wtf:

[mzmolly]

2. I worked for a Lutheran (ELCA) Church and was sent so many Right Wing

emails I decided to quit. I'm in MN, just outside the cities.

I guess the 'assumption' is that if your in Church, your voting for * :eyes:

Then I found a UCC church and they handed out anti-Bush pro-environment literature ... I knew then that I'd found home. Now if I'd only get up in time to attend. :P

[BurtWorm]

5. You mean the church itself hands this literature out?

Does the pastor make pitches for Kerry, out of curiosity? I mean is this standard operating procedure for churches to be involved in politics?

[mzmolly]

8. No. They had a table with literature for the taking ...

The Pastor would never officially endorse anyone. But, she prays for "economic justice" and the Family group leader is an out lesbian, so it's a given that they don't support Bush. The climate is very liberal.

In the parking lot, there are several liberal bumperstickers. Anti-War, Pro-Choice etc ...

[BurtWorm]

11. I've been to seders at a UU church in Brooklyn that is very similar

There should be a lot more churches like that. I was thinking after hearing the Bush/Our Lordies on CSPAN that one drawback to the decline in church membership in the US is that people in the left and center don't make weekly visits to a community where their sense of social justice is reinforced. Whereas the Our Lordies make weekly visits to communities that reinforce their smug self-righteousness.

:hi:

PS: Congrats on joining the 5-digit club!

[mzmolly]

18. Thanks BW. I seriously think we need a "Christian Left"

political movement to counter the crap on the Christian Right.

I totally agree with the CNN analysis, it seems to me that whether or not Churches officially endorse Bush they prop his policies making many feel unwelcome.

It keeps me from attending, that's for sure.

I was glad to find one that was "reasonable" Church in my area, I should get my arse their more often.

:hi:

Thanks for the congrats. I just about had a heart attack when I learned of my posting habits. :P

[goclark]

41. I l'd love a Christian Left

I wish we could say it another way because Christian RIGHT sounds like "it is the right thing to do."
Christian Left sounds like an after though.


Maybe we should be the REAL CHristians on the Left? :)

[wicket]

3. No, thankfully, but I am from Mass. so it's probably not a good example

[tanyev]

6. I go to a Lutheran church in Texas (LCMS)

No politics at all in my church, thank goodness. I suspect, being in Texas (Plano), that the majority of church members do support Shrub.

[BurtWorm]

7. Very interesting!

:hi:

[noonwitch]

9. Other than the usual fundies activities, no

We have a problem with fundies sneaking in and putting their tracts inside our newcomer/visitor packets. It's a big church that is open during the week because there is a bookstore, a coffee shop and activities every day and night. Also, every 12 step program there is meets there at least once a week. But they come in with tracts about the evils of the new age movement to try to discourage people from attending our church. We have yet to figure out who is doing it (not that we'd do anything to them, except pray for them and watch out for them to make sure they don't cause any trouble), but the ushers have to check the packets on Sunday morning to make sure there aren't any of their tracts in them.

I'm sure there is some group or church behind it, or else it's a wacky ex-member who is now a fundamentalist, and feels the need to point out the error of our ways.

Although our previous pastor (Marianne Williamson) was highly politically active, our new pastor is not going down that road. It's probably better that way-I didn't disagree with Marianne's politics, I just didn't think she should be endorsing candidates from the pulpit.

[luaneryder]

10. My Christian friends

in east TN report blatant campaigning for and endorsement of * in their churches by pastors and elders. Most of these are independent Southern Baptist congregations.

[Lars39]

21. Why do you think they are independent from the SB

convention?

[luaneryder]

24. I have no idea

that's the term they use to describe themselves.

[Lars39]

27. But they're still SB?

I have seen where congregations try to distance themselves from the SB convention's latest dictates, but usually it only lasts as long as that particular preacher is in the pulpit. :) Usually the congregation will still use the literature from the SB. At some point these folks need to take a good long look at SB planks and whether or not they want to be in a cult.

[luaneryder]

30. They're these little

congregations with a part time lay preacher. The preacher basically just reads out of the Bible to them. I've never seen any of their literature and frankly don't think they use any for there seems to be no organization. There is literally a tiny church every 5 miles just like the one 5 miles before it, all claiming to be SB, but independent of any convention. I've never lived anywhere like this before:)

[Lars39]

31. If they claim to be SB, they are.

I'd forgotten this point until I looked around some sites today: all SB churches are independent, ie they can sell the property, close down, or whatever they decide to do locally. Kinda keeps the big money folks off the hook for lawsuits, etc. Sometimes the only SB literature those itsy bitsy churches will have will be the Lottie Moon Offering envelopes and the generic SB program somebody'll type up Saturday night. :)

[joefree1]

12. We have a huge Pro Bush orgy

Right after we do a sacrifice to the Gods of War and release the Helldogs on the local homeless folk.

...oh, wait you said "DU Christians."

Sorry, never mind. :evilgrin:


Seating now available in the Smoking Section:
Politics, humor, death and the Devil - http://www.eDiablo.com

[AspenRose]

13. New Mexico in the house (swing state)

For every Bush bumper sticker I've seen, I've spotted a Kerry one.

I have also sat at social functions where everyone at my table was a democrat.

(We're methodist)

[H2O Man]

14. I'm not from an identified "swing state" ....

but I am from a conservative area in upstate New York. The local county board of supervisors rarely has had more than one democrat in my lifetime. However, in the church my family attends, the vote at this time will be over 90% for Kerry.

Many of my friends and neighbors are republicans. They feel betrayed by this administration. They know that Bush and Cheney do not share their values.

[BurtWorm]

15. That really is Good News

O8)

[H2O Man]

20. The church had a prayer meeting

one night last week. My wife is a deacon, my daughters are part of the children's chorus. The prayers were for all of the soldiers from every country that are involved in wars created by the blind and greedy rulers of nations. There were also prayers to open the eyes of those blind and greedy leaders, such as Bush, who are breaking God's laws on earth.

The message of the prophet Jesus, properly taught, challenges the immoral acts of kings and rulers such as Bush.

[The Zanti Regent]

16. Bunch of Los Angeles Churches and Temples have Bush signs on them.

What is so shocking is the number of Temples with Bush posters and signs!

[BurtWorm]

17. Where do they put them? On the front lawn?

Is it clear that the church or temple is "tolerating" the use of their property to advertise for a candidate?

[Emillereid]

19. A fellow came into our democratic headquarters yesterday and said

that his pastor is telling everyone to vote for Bushit! This is in California.

[BurtWorm]

22. I'd love to catch one in the act just to hear how they put it.

Do they claim that God commands Christians to vote for Bush?

[Mike L]

38. Of course, that violates tax law and should result in the church losing

its tax exempt status. No doubt that they would say they are being "persecuted" if someone tries to enforce the law.

[markus]

40. Not unless he or she does it in some official capacity

From the pulpit, during services, for example.

Out in the parking lot afterwards, he could probably get away with it.

He could probably park his car covered with Bush stickers in his reserved space up front.

There's a lot they can do without it being overt.

My catholic church has done things like invite the GOP congressional candidate to visit the parochial school, have all the kids make bumper stickers or signs, and then decorate the hall with them. Until the election is over.

The Bush portraits went up in my son's Faith Formation room (CCD or catechism for old fogies like me) in '00 the day after the election, even though it was in no way clear he was the winner.

And they are pushing the marriage amendment from the pulpit, I'm told. I wouldn't know. I've stopped going. I don't belong to Republican-influenced organizations, any more than I'd belong to a Union run by the mob.

My church in Detroit Lakes, MN used to reguarly hand out the Christian Coalition sheets at the back after mass during election years, but I can't speak for what they do now. You know the ones:

Candidate Eats Babies
Dem Yes
GOP No

[AngryOldDem]

25. No, because I spoke up early

I had a tract left on my car in August. I complained to the church the next week. The following weekend it was made clear that no political solicitation would be tolerated.

I have heard no "political" homilies from the pulpit, but my husband, who goes to a different church, has heard two -- and they were definitely not pro-Bush.

[Cheswick2.0]

26. No

not at all. It wouldn't fly here even though most of the congregation is republican.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

28. Yes

To be specific it wasn't RNC activity but Republican stuff never the less. When I was visiting my sister in eastern Washington my brother in law told me that our state's Republican candidate for Governer, Dino Rossi, visited their church during Mass. He was only there long enough to introduce himself and didn't stay for the whole service.

My brother in law said he didn't care for bringing politics into a church service plus if Rossi was going to visit he should have stayed for the whole mass.

[Justpat]

29. No way

I'm a Quaker. RNC types are afraid of us. Too independent. Too
inclined to think for ourselves.

[Philostopher]

33. Interestingly enough, the same minister who ran me out

of what had been, at one time, a fairly progressive Church of Christ down in southern Ohio (it usually depended on the minister, and the last two who'd been there before this guy were social-justice types) with his Reagan-kissing 'God bless our political leaders' tripe ... has shut his fat ugly yap, this year. My mother (a lifelong Dem) says she hasn't heard anything so far this year that was nearly as offensive as the stuff the jerk said back in the late eighties that disgusted both me and my late father so badly.

But Ohio is as deeply divided as any state, and I think when push comes to shove, he likes having a fat collection plate and getting regular raises to spouting his politics from the pulpit. God bless greed as a motivator -- it makes the church more tolerable for my mother, who relies heavily on the church as a social organ since my father died.

[eleanor]

35. Colorado - I think

we're still a swing state! My congregation is mostly left of center (70% pro-choice), but a great many seniors are blindly "patriotic" and will vote R because they think that supports our troops. That is the same generation that does everything their doctor says (no offense). The activists in our church (30-60) are much more pro-Kerry. We will also be distributing Sojourner's literature the weeks right before the election.

[Mike L]

36. Down South the line is "Vote Your Values".

They announce when a big bus is going to be in town and encourage church members to go and check it out. It's the Vote Your Values Tour. I don't know if the bus has Republican campaign literature. I assume it does.

[GOPNotForMe]

37. Nothing official.

But my church (Methodist in Orlando) definitely leans right. My mom was so excited when she went a few weeks ago because she FINALLY saw someone else with a K/E bumper sticker. I am very sure there are other K/E people there; they just prefer to keep quiet about it. Minister's a total right-wing blowhard. Ugh. (Retiring soon, thank you Jesus)

[lefty_WOHM]

39. Lutheran (ELCA) in PA

None here, from either side. I am an assisting minister in the church, and one of my duties is to write & offer the prayers. We have been given explicit instructions not to let our own political views infect our prayers (this has always been the case--not just this year). I always pray for God's guidance to those involved in conflict to bring an end to it. I think in 2000 I was AM right before the election. I just prayed for wisdom to make the "right" choice. I'm sure people of both sides thought I meant them, LOL. What I really, really, really want to do is to pray, "Please, God, let GWB lose!!"

Anyway, our pastors do not politick from the pulpit. But the sermons of late have been on helping the downtrodden, how being rich on earth doesn't help you in heaven, etc. Verrrrry in-ter-es-ting.