Posted by
jarhead on Friday, December 14, 2007 10:52:22 PM
Every time I get to the point that I start liking Mike Huckabee I come back to his religiosity. First and foremost is his ‘taking back America for Christ’ quote from an address to a Southern Baptist convention. To take it back you must necessarily take from, so my problem is from whom is he taking our nation?
While Mike is a Christian he is the Baptist version. He is not the Lutheran, Catholic or Mormon version. And beyond the Christianity thing is the fact that we do have folks here in this country who are not Christians and, oh by the way, a Constitution that will not tolerate government involving itself in such matters as taking back America for Christ. To those who say that he can separate his religion from his governing of the nation we must remember that his religiosity is faith based. He denies evolution based on that faith; this faith does not tolerate a conflict between fact and faith to be won by fact. And to those who would say that all of our presidents have been men of faith I must point out that while they may all have gone to church while in office I submit that they are also pragmatists who governed from the practical not from the tenets of their faith. An ordained minister is coming from a decidedly different place. So from whom is he taking our nation for Christ?
Consider that as a Baptist minister he must be so much more immersed in the fundamentals (no pun intended) of his faith and so much more committed to them that he cannot reasonably be expected not to fall back on this faith in his decision making. Take his positions on illegal immigrant children and his record of pardoning criminals. While the underlying desire to always believe that all human beings have the capacity for good if only given the chance and that we should all be willing to turn the other cheek, the big nasty world he would need to confront as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the worlds most powerful nation (and biggest target) is populated by lots of folks who never had nor never will have any desire to act or behave in a reasonable, humane or respectful manner towards their fellow human beings. Men like Adolf Hitler, Saddam and Osama are not folks we have to forgive and extend a second chance to; given that chance they will (or would) make every effort to repeat the sins of the past with the addition of lessons learned, not the least of which is that you can count on that second chance.
And further the following from an interview by Roger Simon on August 9th in Iowa: “I asked him if he is still a Baptist minister — many profiles of him say he “was” a Baptist minister — and he replied, “I am one.” Then he added with a smile: “They haven’t defrocked me.” So what is a Baptist Minister? Read on”
From the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, resolution with respect to illegal immigration:
RESOLVED, That we urge citizen Christians to follow the biblical principle of caring for the foreigners among us (Deuteronomy 24:17-22) and the command of Christ to be a neighbor to those in need of assistance (Luke 10:30-37), regardless of their racial or ethnic background, country of origin, or legal status; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage Christian churches to act redemptively and reach out to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of all immigrants, to start English classes on a massive scale, and to encourage them toward the path of legal status and/or citizenship; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists to make the most of the tremendous opportunity for evangelism and join our Master on His mission to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10) among the immigrant population to the end that these individuals might become both legal residents of the United States and loyal citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Sure seems to align with his policy of be nice to illegals and spend our tax dollars on their benefits. Not done yet-what follows is part of the process of ordination:
THE COVENANT AND CODE OF ETHICS
for Ministerial Leaders of American Baptist Churches
Having accepted God’s call to leadership in Christ’s Church, I covenant with God to serve Christ and the Church with, the help of the holy spirit, to deepen my obedience to the Two Great Commandments: to love the Lord our God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself.
In affirmation of this commitment, I will abide by the Code of Ethics of the Ministers Council of the American Baptist Churches and I will faithfully support its purposes and ideals. As further affirmation of my commitment, I covenant with my colleagues in ministry that we will hold one another accountable for fulfillment of all the public actions set forth in our Code of Ethics.
- I will hold in trust the traditions and practices of our American Baptist Churches; I will not accept a position in the American Baptist family unless I am in accord with those traditions and practices; nor will I use my influence to alienate my congregation/constituents or any part thereof from its relationship and support of the denomination. If my convictions change, I will resign my position.
- I will respect and recognize the variety of calls to ministry among my American Baptist colleagues, and other Christians.
- I will seek to support all colleagues in ministry by building constructive relationships wherever I serve, both with the staff where I work and with colleagues in neighboring churches.
- I will advocate adequate compensation for my profession. I will help lay persons and colleagues to understand that ministerial leaders should not expect or require fees for pastoral services from constituents they serve, when these constituents are helping pay their salaries.
- I will not seek personal favors or discounts on the basis of my ministerial status.
- I will maintain a disciplined ministry in such ways as keeping hours of prayers and devotion, endeavoring to maintain wholesome family relationships, sexual integrity, financial responsibility, regularly engaging in educational and recreational activities for ministerial and personal development. I will seek to maintain good health habits.
- I will recognize my primary obligation to the church or employing group to which I have been called, and will accept added responsibilities only if they do not interfere with the overall effectiveness of my ministry.
- I will personally and publicly support my colleagues who experience discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, age, marital status, national origin, physical impairment or disability.
- I will not proselytize from other Christian churches.
- I will, upon my resignation or retirement, sever my ministerial leadership relations with my former constituents, and will not make ministerial contacts in the field of another ministerial leader without his/her request and/or consent.
- I will hold in confidence and treat as confidential communication any information provided to me with the expectation of privacy. I will not disclose such information in private or public except when, in my practice of ministry, I am convinced that the sanctity of confidentiality is outweighed by my well-founded belief that life-threatening or substantial harm will be caused.
- I will not use my ministerial status, position or authority knowingly to abuse, misguide, negatively influence, manipulate, or take advantage of anyone, especially children.
- I will report all instances of abuse as required by law to the appropriate agency. In any case involving persons working in ABC ministry, I will also report the circumstances to the appropriate regional and/or national denominational representative.
- I will show my personal love for God as revealed in Jesus Christ in my life and ministry, as I strive together with my colleagues to preserve the dignity, maintain the discipline and promote the integrity of the vocation to which we have been called.
Signed_________________________________Date_________________________________
Amended 10/2004
My question to discerning voters, and to Mr. Huckabee, is should a conflict exist between his oath to his faith as an ordained minister conflict with the oath he must take as President-which will carry the day? I believe he must resign his ministry to be our President. To do otherwise puts him squarely at odds with the clear intent of the1st Amendment. That intent is that no religion shall have dominance in our political affairs and while our Presidents will always have some religious affiliation an ordained minister with sworn duties goes well beyond the commitment of a casual church goer.