British Expatriate Network

8) Do you think the US is now being split between that of faith and those as the media would have you believe, want to screw everything in sight??

Seems that they are naming those folk of faith as Repulican and everyone else as Democrates just based on morals (that seem to come from the Old testment).

This worries me alot When does this become an extremists faith that is taken over, similar to the Muslims etc.

I tend to believe that most folks tend to be in the middle. They know whats wrong and right, but it keeps being taken over by some media group.

What does everyone else feel. Maybe its because I come from UK, where we tend to be abit more tolerant of other peoples believes.

The thing is, the blue collar middle American who believed they were voting for "a man of faith" is the same person the Republicans are screwing. They may have supposedly voted to stop gay marriage and abortion but what they're getting is reduced social security benefits, no way to file for bankrupcy if they're hit by astronomical medical bills and less job security.

I wonder if they'll realize in four years that gay marriage wouldn't have hurt them very much and that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned, even though the Republicans control everything now.

"Folk of Faith" appears to be a code phrase meaning xenophobic reactionary right-wing homophobic white folk. With strictly edited bits of the bible, ie all that stuff about mixing meat and milk in Leviticus means no to cheeseburgers so we can safely ignore that bit of the Bible but the bit about men laying together is still fresh and relevant.

Also the bit in the OT about thou shall have no gods before me is fresh to unless your a catholic and you get to say a few hail marys or as the new pope would have it * heil marys* :) :) :) to mary the mother

I think people are starting to catch on - albeit 6 months too late. evil Its interesting how chimpy tries to disassociate himself with it - "your faith, no its a personal thing not a political one...and the filibuster....nah, its not a religious thing...we just want an up or down vote..." while all of his religious right surrogates keep beating the Christian oppression drum.

Would you mind pointing this verse out for me? I am very much a "new covenant" Christian and I am tired of all the reliance on Old Testament law. It is, to use an internet term, "OT". There are plenty of verses in the bible which prove this.

Oh and if I could, I would most definitely vote Democrat, regardless of their religious angle, anything to keep that idiot out of power. Unfortunately he will reach his expiry date rather than be voted out.

To answer the thread's initial question, I think if the Yanks had a Paddy Pantsdown type character, as long as he avoided such a reputation, he would quickly establish a third party which the political system so desperately needs. I think there are plenty of middle of the road people who just don't want to sway one way or another. I mean, look at the last election, 200-250 million people didn't vote for Bush. I know a lot of those are under voting age but you get my point.

Not having a Bible to hand, isn't there something about not mixing meat and dairy products? And not eating shrimp either. Funny how those bits of the Bible don't seem to matter anymore.

There are bits of the bible telling you that you have been freed from those rituals - that's part of the Good News.

But E17's selectivity appears goes much deeper than common perceptions. His beliefs are not orthodox.

Is he a heretic? Cool. We need more of them.

Freed from those rituals? So bottoms are okay... or is that a ritual we haven't been freed from yet?

/not very Good News if it's still all about killing people.

It's about love, VRB.

E17 will have to speak for himself, but I get the impression that he may be some kind of schismatic mormon.

Then tell that to Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps and the other wonderful examples of Fundamentalist Nominally Christian preachers who appear to have the ear of our President and easy access to corridors of power. Every time I see those people Margaret Atwell gets scarier. Living under Old Testament law, say goodbye to any pretense at gender equality, watch women lose control of their own bodies like that 13 year old in Florida, and anyone who dares to point out the flaws in these gentlemen's arguments, one is deemed a liberal traitor who would like to indulge with sodomy with Saddam Hussein and invited to leave the country since we hate some freedoms or something. Liberal - what, is this the new Communism? Will some brave senator tell us that he personally has a list of known liberals?

/not seeing a whole lot of love from any fundies lately. Pick a religion, they all have fundies.

Oh dear, VRB, where is the spirit of discernment? Those kind of "christians" are exactly what Jesus preached against in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6, first few verses).

True, and as I've noted before, perhaps Christians like you should go tell that to Christians like Falwell et al; because the distinction is increasingly being lost on those of us safely in the reality based world.