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bigtree

(85,920 posts)
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:23 AM Jan 2012

Santorum slammed by Jewish groups as "religiously exclusionist" for 'Jesus' remark

01/07/2012 18:37

US Republican presidential candidate criticized as "religiously exclusionist" for saying, "We always need a Jesus candidate."

BOSTON – Jewish groups slammed Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Friday for telling listeners of a Boston radio show that “we always need a Jesus guy” in the campaign.

Santorum, formerly a Pennsylvania senator and the second-place winner of the Iowa caucus, made the remark Thursday after being asked about a listener’s comment that “we don’t need a Jesus guy this election. We need an economics guy this election.”

Santorum continued, “Do you stand up and say, ‘God bless America?’ Do you mean it? Are you just saying it? The idea that we don’t need someone with a moral compass, is that what we’ve come to? Is that what the Republican party is? No, it isn’t.”

The candidate, who then went on to campaign in New Hampshire, which will hold its first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday, reportedly repeated the conversation later in the day, relating that he had said, “We always need a Jesus candidate.”

Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman told The Jerusalem Post that Santorum’s remarks were “totally inappropriate. It’s crossing the line. It says to Jews, to Muslims, to Buddhists, to non-believers, you’re not part of this country.”


read: http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=252595

26 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Santorum slammed by Jewish groups as "religiously exclusionist" for 'Jesus' remark (Original Post) bigtree Jan 2012 OP
Umm.. I thought Jesus was Jewish? Fumesucker Jan 2012 #1
I don't think their religion gives Jesus the prominence Christians do bigtree Jan 2012 #7
I'm not ignorant, I was making a joke.. Fumesucker Jan 2012 #11
I'm mostly ignorant about religion bigtree Jan 2012 #12
One of the main reasons a lot of atheists are knowledgeable about religion is.. Fumesucker Jan 2012 #13
People can't do it for you, you have to do it for yourself. Kurmudgeon Jan 2012 #25
Yes, but he wasn't Christian. boppers Jan 2012 #8
One of Washington's most corrupt politicians (during his tenure) oh08dem Jan 2012 #2
I was thinking the same thing when he said that... PCIntern Jan 2012 #3
Wait, srsly? boppers Jan 2012 #9
That's a fact... PCIntern Jan 2012 #10
I wonder if Jesus would have attended a Bat Mitzvah? Fumesucker Jan 2012 #14
Jesus would have attended a rave. boppers Jan 2012 #15
Probably not at that time in Jewish history. COLGATE4 Jan 2012 #24
So, yeah.... boppers Jan 2012 #16
This will be an interesting thread to watch. Behind the Aegis Jan 2012 #4
You're not kidding... PCIntern Jan 2012 #6
Stem cell lesbian arab/jew children would be more messy. boppers Jan 2012 #17
This message was self-deleted by its author bigtree Jan 2012 #5
Wanting it both ways. no_hypocrisy Jan 2012 #18
True for SOME Jews, but PCIntern Jan 2012 #19
that's an interesting point bigtree Jan 2012 #20
I'm just wondering why this point hasn't been made Chemisse Jan 2012 #21
a jesus candidate? what the fuck is that? madrchsod Jan 2012 #22
"You're not part of this country" CanonRay Jan 2012 #23
This isn't surprising... Santorum believes that man's law should be rewritten to follow god's law justiceischeap Jan 2012 #26

bigtree

(85,920 posts)
7. I don't think their religion gives Jesus the prominence Christians do
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:37 AM
Jan 2012

. . .or even the belief that Christians invest in the man. It's mostly about whether you need Jesus' sacrifice to atone for sins or if you can just appeal to (God) directly. At any rate, it's about different beliefs and the apparent exclusion of the others that Santorum's elevation and promotion of Jesus (Christianity) suggests.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
11. I'm not ignorant, I was making a joke..
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:47 AM
Jan 2012

That's why I put the on my post..

Indeed, I'm a member of the group in the USA that has the highest score on a test of general religious knowledge.

http://www.pewforum.org/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey-Who-Knows-What-About-Religion.aspx

bigtree

(85,920 posts)
12. I'm mostly ignorant about religion
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:54 AM
Jan 2012

I think the best I can do is acknowledge that there are lots and lots of religions and religious beliefs.

Your joke was a perfect opportunity to try and make the distinction and apply that understanding to the inference Santorum was making. It's probably best to take your responses on my threads seriously.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
13. One of the main reasons a lot of atheists are knowledgeable about religion is..
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:09 AM
Jan 2012

That many of us did a lot of soul searching and learning before we rejected religion as implausible and some of us even tried multiple religions in our quest for truth.

The impetus for a lot of atheists deconverting is that they have questions that no religious person can give a good answer for, "it's a mystery" just isn't intellectually satisfying to most of us.

 

Kurmudgeon

(1,751 posts)
25. People can't do it for you, you have to do it for yourself.
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 01:29 PM
Jan 2012

I find Christ's Testimony believable, so I believe.
I can't do that for you, no one can. Each person is responsible for what they each decide to believe or disbelieve.
You have to go the source, asking a "person" isn't sufficient.

PCIntern

(25,347 posts)
3. I was thinking the same thing when he said that...
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:31 AM
Jan 2012

as a Jew, I react poorly when someone says to me, knowing that I'm a Yid: "...so that was your come-to-Jesus moment." I want to say to them, "Actually, the two greatest carpenters of all time were Jewish: Jesus and Norm Abrams of This Old House, and right now, I don't need anything built, so I won't be calling either of them."

Two of my employees are hyper-religious Baptists, and I'm very very careful around them although their sects' dogmas prohibited them from attending my kid's Bat Mitzvah, since they're not allowed in' heathen' houses of worship which don't believe in Jesus as the Christ. But i'm the one who has to be careful, right?

I DO have a little fun around Xmas time, saying that Jesus was circumcised on New Years Day and stuff like that. Petty and childish, but WTH...

PCIntern

(25,347 posts)
10. That's a fact...
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 07:44 AM
Jan 2012

they came up with the most ridiculous excuses...and then later confessed. They're nice people, really, but just couldn't do it. I did NOT take it personally, BTW.

COLGATE4

(14,732 posts)
24. Probably not at that time in Jewish history.
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 11:13 AM
Jan 2012

The female equivalent to a Bar Mitzvah was unknown at that time, and I doubt he would have approved of it.

boppers

(16,588 posts)
16. So, yeah....
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:18 AM
Jan 2012

People who cannot, or do not, read the religious texts they quote? Yeah, they make me cranky.

Even worse?

Christians have *hundreds* of translations. They don't have a decent argument and commentary in the books yet, they're still shooting each other over it.

boppers

(16,588 posts)
17. Stem cell lesbian arab/jew children would be more messy.
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:21 AM
Jan 2012

...If the real thing wasn't already so messed up.

Response to bigtree (Original post)

no_hypocrisy

(45,786 posts)
18. Wanting it both ways.
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:27 AM
Jan 2012

You have the "Jewish vote" that can ride shotgun with the biggest, baddest conservative, religiously fundamentalist (read, bigoted) republican as long as s/he is stalwartly devoted to Israel. Throw in Jesus as an equation, the vote is suddenly lost. The vote doesn't want to go to democrats but can't stay with republicans when they do Jesus talk.

PCIntern

(25,347 posts)
19. True for SOME Jews, but
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:30 AM
Jan 2012

most adhere to the famous line about us:

Jews live like WASPS, but vote like Puerto Ricans

the vast majority of us are not fooled by this stuff spewed by the RW. We KNOW why they 'support' Israel and what they REALLY think of us.

Chemisse

(30,793 posts)
21. I'm just wondering why this point hasn't been made
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:39 AM
Jan 2012

About every other RW fundie candidate who spouts out about his religion as though it is the one and only in this country.

They should all be called on this exclusionary crap.

madrchsod

(58,162 posts)
22. a jesus candidate? what the fuck is that?
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 08:42 AM
Jan 2012

would that be a kind`a guy who`s mother was an outcast in her village for being preggers and not married? the same guy who grew up watching the 1% and the their lackeys demand more and more taxes? the same guy who watched children die because of starvation and disease? the guy with the help of a few friends challenged the might of the roman empire and the corrupt jewish priests? then to get rid of this trouble maker they decide to kill him?

wow rickie i did`t know you were a jesus kind of guy...remember the beatitudes? better go back and read the entire first few books of the new testament.

CanonRay

(14,038 posts)
23. "You're not part of this country"
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 10:00 AM
Jan 2012

Which is exactly how Rick Santorum and his followers feel about the rest of us non-Christians.

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
26. This isn't surprising... Santorum believes that man's law should be rewritten to follow god's law
Sun Jan 8, 2012, 01:42 PM
Jan 2012

Never mind that not all Christians (or Catholics) can agree on the interpretation of the bible (just look at all the different versions of the bible). While railing against sharia law he wants to institute... a Christian version of sharia law and historically, we can see how well that has turned out for fundamentalist Middle Eastern countries.

As a lesbian, I don't want the country I live in that follows Santorum's version of god's law. As a woman, I don't want to live in a country that follows Santorum's version of god's law. As a "mystic" atheist, I don't want to live in a country that follows Santorum's version of god's law. As an American, I don't want to live in a country that follow's any persons version of god's law because I know I won't be represented as a lesbian, as a woman or as a non-believer.

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