Sarah Palin attended a church in which their faith practices being overcome by the Holy Spirit. And the attacks continue.
The left is justifying general attacks and fear mongering about the Pentecostal faith because of the right's attacks against Obama's Rev. Wright - and his daring proclamations of "God Damn America", amongst other hate-filled speech against race and the US.
So, to the left, a faith is now fair game. That Pentecostals practice the "unusual" belief of being overcome by the Holy Spirit, and therefore we should fear that Sarah Palin would be overcome and embarrass herself by her practice of faith?
Oh - right - the same way that King David embarrassed himself:
To those who are attacking Palin because of her faith - STOP.
I know that the left is grasping at straws, but let's be clear. Practicing religion is different than filling hearts with hate towards a country. There is no comparison here. Trying to scare voters away from Palin because of her faith is a direct assault on the faith - period.
However, attacking an individual for claims of a white conspiracy, and who openly damns America in his church is NOT an attack on faith, but an attack on character of the individual, and the individuals who allow the hate speech to continue.
We live in a country where we are free to worship - there is no one church, no one right of passage. It is okay to not understand, but do not fear. All organized faiths believe or practice something different.
Catholics pray to saints, and kneel before statues of Christ. They even set up shrines to oil markings on the side of highways that may resemble Mary or Christ.
Pentecostals believe that they are overcome with the Holy Spirit, and worship through song and over the top convulsions and dance, and that speaking in tongues is the language unknown to any but God.
Baptists do not allow children into their faith, via baptism, until they are old enough to understand the significance of the baptism.
The list goes on and on... Each religion has it's oddity. And each stems from an understanding of the Holy Scriptures. To deny one as unholy is to deny all. They are all manifestations of the Scriptures, and all serve to work towards the Halleluyah - or living in continuous praise.
Let not your hearts be troubled by hate.
You are right.
ReplyDeleteWright wasn't practicing or expressing a religious belief. His was a controversy over racism.
People do seem to be threatened by Palin's church, and trying to make an issue of it.
I just posted on a great article by David Murrow who knows Palin as a friend and business aquaintence. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteHe said
"As far as her religious beliefs go, Sarah is your garden-variety evangelical Christian. She’s a woman of genuine faith, but not a zealot or weirdo. She has not hidden her faith during her term as governor, but neither has she worn it on her lapel."
http://thedailyblogster.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-friend-of-mine.html
Thanks for the acknowledgement, Jessi. "trying to make an issue of it" - but in doing so making blatant attacks at an entire faith. It is another attack/smear that is going to backfire big time. Some blogs are saying that we should compare the "kookiness" of Palin's pastor to Rev. Wright, because there is a guilt by association... however, as you and I pointed out, there is no hypocracy because one practices his faith and the other preaches racism and hate.
ReplyDeleteBob - Thanks for the link!