Examining McCain's God and Country

No.

"Shouldn't we know more about McCain's higher being?"

NO! We should be grateful he doesn't talk about it much, and encourage more candidates to keep their faith to themselves.

BAN SHORTSELLING !!

The stock market is shooting downward. Naturally, everybody should be saddened. But NO, not everyone. Who are these people? Who are they who profit from this downturn. It's the SHORTSELLERS. The government should realize that shortselling DEFIES NATURAL SCIENCE. It is an ABNORMALITY. Nobody should be allowed to sell things that are not theirs.

THIS IS THE CANCER THAT IS PLAGUING the stock market. It defies science and anything that defies science is HARMFUL. We are now reaping the bad fruits which SHORTSELLING sowed.

When a house is burning, everybody should grieve. If you see somebody who's overjoyed, Im sure HE/SHE IS THE ARSONIST. Shortsellers are the only people who are overjoyed now.

For as long as the "arsonists" are at large, people's money are NOT safe. LOCK THEM (shortsellers) UP BEFORE MORE HOUSES WOULD BURN. For as long as they are around, our money will not be safe in the bank. LOCK THEM UP SOON OR THE FIRE WON'T STOP.

These bailouts cannot continue forever. These water hoses would soon dry up. Stop the fire from its source -- the SHORTSELLERS.

LET THEM BECOME USELESS (Taliban's rifles and land mines)

Obama was complaining why our military were air-raiding the vilages infested with Taliban and suggest that they do the raid by foot.

NO WONDER WE HAVE RISING AMERICAN CASUALTIES IN AFGHANISTAN. Obama and Bush should be held accountable for the rising American casualties.

More Americans could die in Afghanistan if Obama becomes president. Like George Bush, this man is an AMATEUR.

The life of an American soldier is more precious than a hundred taliban sympathizers.

The talibans' shoulder weapons and mines are useless in the face of an air-raid. LET THEM BECOME USELESS. Don't send foot soldiers. ONLY PLANES.

I am NOT a McCain supporter, but I would much prefer he stay where he is with religion. I don't care what he thinks about it as long as he keeps it out of my face and out of politics.

Meanwhile, Spidey seems to be morphing into a spammer.

Ditto Ashleybone.

Well put.

why? what's it to you? does it change his message? Does it change who he is or what he's done? I don't think so.
You said, referring to Lofton:"He doesn't just occasionally speak of God or faith or America's Christian promise; he never does."

I find that overwhelming offensive. this is my country too. There is a Jewish promise, and a Buddhist promise and a wiccan promise. America has the promise of all of us and although I am not voting for John McCain, if he holds this country as his higher power, more power to him. would that more of our politicians did, instead of trying to impose their religion on the rest of us.

Arminius- I notice of late spidey2 has become increasingly discombobulated and irrational. Perhaps too much election excitement?

Sparrow,

Perhaps one of the last good qualities McCain has left is his ability to leave religion alone. Yes, he still has his courage and iron determination. But he has lost his honor and reason. He has sold himself out to the right wing, and it shows in his face. It is really very sad to see this fighter fallen like that.

Yes, Spidey is all over the map lately. It's not like him to spam like that. I hope he's not finally going over the edge.

The only good thing about McCain is his reticence over religion. Religion, being irrational, is best left unmentioned. Most religious people know little about the origins and history of their faith; they just believe or pretend more likely that they believe.

I care....It is going to to take more man to fix this country.
McCain claims to be a Christian but he claims a lot if things that aren't true.
When a reported asked his favorite verse he could not name one. The reported suggested John 3:16, He had never heard of it. "The Bolin Report" states that McCain believes in evolution and wrote in his book that the story of Adam and Eve is a metephor...He suddenly became Baptist but claims he is not "born again" or has been Baptized. Yes I want to know who is his "higher power"
As a Christian and an American citizen I have the right to use my vote for someone who I feel is compatable with my morals....
McCain is not the one that does.
It is a shame that if Obama skin was a little lighter and he didn't have such a funny name he would win this election by a landslide.
Is judging a man by his name or skin color the way God tells us to judge men? No..... but then again Jesus had a funny name and darker skin too..I wonder if he could win an election?

I've said it before that once Obama become president, America is ready to burn. I liken it to the spraying of high octane gasoline over a certain house. Why?

First, his choice of judges will anger God. Surely he will put very liberal judges in our courthouses.

Second, he could antagonize many countries because of his trade protectionist tendencies. Democrats are very hard ball players in matters of trade. Good for America in the short term but it could backfire in the longer term.

Third, Democrat's foreign policy are idiotic. Look at how they treat Pakistan. He is not president yet but I can sense that Pakistan is already very wary about him.

Fourth, I believe that part of the reason we had many casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan is because of democrats' inputs about how to conduct the war. We've seen Obama complaining about air strike and suggest that we put foot soldiers. That's a VERY BAD strategy. That should be the job of Afghan soldiers. We've won the Afghan war easily thru air power side by side with very few Special Forces Operatives with the help of Afghan accomplices and ragtag Afghan freedom fighters.

Bush and Obama represents TWO BAD EXTREMES.

Bush is too accomodating to many people that he ends up being stupid. Obama stands on the other extreme.

McCain seems to be the man in the middle. He is the one who is proposing to bailout the people whose houses were foreclosed. That act would FIX the financial market meltdown from the BOTTOM TO UP and NOT from UP TO UP. He put sanity to the Georgian crisis when he stood firm very early against a dangerous aggressor. The list goes on.

Just an observation. Warren Buffet is one of the riches in America. Why is he not complaining that he is one of those who will be taxed heavily by Obama. McCain should look into how this man is paying his taxes. I can see a lot of acrobatics and magic here. The same acrobatics that's happening in Wall Street.

I was struck by the comment below from OrthodoxHeathen because that is very much the way we play it "down under". While our candidates attend church services for various occasions in acknowledgement of the Judeo-Christian basis for our society, in fact the inner spirituality of the politicians in not regarded as a public matter or discriminator in voting, and indeed there is a public bias against the over-influence of overt religion in political matters.

I may be biased being a "small government" guy but after perusing the various debates here I think our approach makes more sense. If we task government to administer its basic duties with care and competence, and then tell them to get as much out of the way of our lives once their basic tasks are under control, then we each have the space to choose whatever spiritual or moral code we wish to follow.

We elect leaders to do good by the people, within the scope of the mandate that we give them. As long as they do not interefere with our own right to worship in whatever way we choose (or not to worship as the case may be) it is broadly accepted that their own spiritual beliefs are at best tangential to their ability to carry out their elected duties.

spidey2"We've won the Afghan war easily thru air power side by side with very few Special Forces Operatives with the help of Afghan accomplices and ragtag Afghan freedom fighters."

Are you insane? Do you not read the newspapers, listen to what our generals are saying? Won that Afghan war? Are you perhaps referring to the Afghanistan of an alternate universe where gore won in 2000?

"Fourth, I believe that part of the reason we had many casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan is because of democrats' inputs about how to conduct the war. We've seen Obama complaining about air strike and suggest that we put foot soldiers."-spidey2

Well, if you aren't living in a parallel universe, you're certainly delusional. The democrats are at fault? Did you not know anything about Rumsfield- who didn't listen to his generals and decided we could fight a "leaner, meaner, hi-tech war", or perhaps you didn't hear about the fact that they then sent our soldiers to Iraq underequipped, undermanned and overextended. this was not the democrats, spidey- this was the republicans. As to what constitutes a good or a bad strategy, I assure you it is not strutting across the deck of an aircraft carrier dressed like the fighter pilot you never really were, and standing under a banner that says "Mission Accomplished" claim a victory that is still far from being accomplished.

i have no idea where you get your ideas or information from, spidey2, but you are so far beyond the pale that you truly have lost all sense and reason. as for what does or does not anger G-d- you are surely that last person who would know.

Truthfully, I have no idea why you even live in this country, you seem to despise it so much.

Sparrow,

The ignorance, hatred, and perhaps madness, of Spidey runs deep. He advocates bombing instead of troops, ignoring the fact that it is boots on the ground in Iraq that turned things around when we started mutual cooperation with the Sunni. (I hope it lasts - there are ominous signs that the Shi'ite government will dismantle it.) So Spidey just wants to toss bombs, and to hell with the collateral damage. I am sure he does not care how many Muslims die, because they are not Christian.

A few months ago, some of us almost pleaded with Spidey to seek professional help. But he continues his violence and hate driven cause. He seems to think that Christianity is defined as "Who would Jesus bomb?".

McCain is not the only American in the military to believe the following: this is a Christian nation, I was raised a Christian, therefore when I kill it must be an act of spreading Christianity. Christianity, democracy, capitalism and the flag are virtually equated.

He is not the only one by far.

What's more surprising is that so many of faith agree with and let others get away with such a weak and flawed faith.

That's pretty terrifying and not like any idea of Christianity Jesus would have envisioned. Certainly not any idea that non-Christians would want to live with. One thing you always know about pepole with that kind of "faith"- they always turn on their followers as well.

arminius- I'm not psychologist but even I can tell the difference between a religious fanatic and someone who has completely lost his way, and that is spidey2. His thinking is disorganized, it bears little relation to reality (we won in Afghanistan?). I have this sinking feeling we'll be reading about him in the news one of these days. And not in a good way.

My heart bleeds everytime I see our young soldiers walking on foot on the very hot mountainous deserts of Afghanistan. What makes it worse is they don't know who are the enemies. They look like lost ducks wandering on waterless fields. I just wish Sparrow and Arminius were the ones on those boots so they can see the stupidity of the campaign.

We're losing the war in Afghanistan now because we are just tiring the soldiers. This is a crazy world and our soldiers should not be wasting their energy on some stupid invisible enemies.

It should be the Talibans who should feel the pressure and be tired avoiding our unmanned aircraft, the Predators.

If the Talibans want to play hide and seek, they should be the ones who must tire hiding while our Predators are seeking for them. It's another story if we are the ones getting tired looking for people whom we can't even distinguish as enemies if they leave their weapons somewhere else.

You two are idiots. You should be the ones on foot scaling the hot mountains of Afghanistan. You would die of heatstroke even before you have the opportunity to pull your gun's triggger.

Evolution make people dumb. Have you noticed that?

spidey2: You wrote today:"We're losing the war in Afghanistan now because we are just tiring the soldiers. This is a crazy world and our soldiers should not be wasting their energy on some stupid invisible enemies."

Yesterday you wrote:"We've won the Afghan war easily thru air power side by side with very few Special Forces Operatives with the help of Afghan accomplices and ragtag Afghan freedom fighters."

These are 2 diametrically opposed statements. Then you go on to insist Obama is somehow at fault for all of this, all the while claiming to really feel for our soldiers. then your post descends into the most mindless gibberish about invisible enemies and tiring the taliban with our Predators- you can't string together 2 logical thoughts. And you think McCain is going to fix this how?

But arminius and I are idiots (in which case we've joined a long line of people you call idiots) and of course we don't care, and we should die of heatstroke. did you serve in the Armed forces, spidey? Because in addition to the many in my family who have, my nephew just came back from Iraq in August. So never doubt that I care and I care enough to want them home, safe and sound.

And as for you? You must be one lonely guy since it seems everyone else is an idiot and beneath your regard. fine with us- I'd be more afraid to have your "good" opinion, than your bad.

Sparrow4 wrote: "His thinking is disorganized, it bears little relation to reality"

I share your concern, but your further comment: (I have this sinking feeling we'll be reading about him in the news one of these days) propagates a stereotype of the mentally ill as being violent. That stereotype is both inaccurate and unfortunate, and it makes fear an unnecessary obstacle to getting effective treatment to many who desperately need it.

notsogreatscot:

Not trying to do that, but spidey2 makes very violent comments, and wishes death on strangers on a blog. someone with that much anger and rage in cyberspace is not going to be a meek little lamb in real life. All that anger comes from somewhere. Sure, some of us may be more assertive on a blog, we may say things we wouldn't say in polite company, we may vent about things we wouldn't dare to in real life. But spidey goes beyond that and his thinking is become much more disorganized than when I first encountered him over a month ago on the blogs.. I work for an organization that deals with PTSD and someone with his level of rage would cause us grave concerns. and having seen a good friend commit violent suicide when he could no longer control his anger and rage, it is my sincere belief that only those who take this kind of thing seriously will work to ensure that those who need help get it. I was the only one who worried about my friend before he committed suicide. everyone told me I was an alarmist. So mine was no flippant comment about the mentally ill. It's a very real concern I have about him.

As a contemporary of John McCain who was also shaped by the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, I can understand why he was able to draw on that powerful liturgy while in the Hanoi Hilton and why he was so struck by the "cross in the dirt" experience. "Thou shalt love the LOrd thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind...And thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.": Such words are hard to forget once you've been impressed by them. It is no wonder that he recognized in the guard the possibility of "the faith that unites and never divides."

What might be more fruitful than trying to understand McCain's "higher being" is to understand the enormous change that took place in the Episcopal Church during the 1970's which has led to the schism in the Church today. In this regard, National Cathedral - as the "church for the nation" - presents a challenge to the idea of a faith that unites and never divides.