NonMetro
NonMetro's JournalWhat If Billy Graham Had Been Invited To Address Congress?
I know: he was never a head of state, and was never officially the leader of all Protestants. However, at the height of his career, he was the most highly visible Protestant, known worldwide, and respected by most Protestants, and even many Catholics!
So, what if a Protestant speaker of the house had invited him to address the congress of the United States, and threw in a triumphal parade for him thought the streets of the Capitol? How would that have looked to people of other religions in this country? Would Catholics just be totally cool with that? No big deal? What would people of other faiths think? Would they not think their government favored Protestants? Would they not suspect a Protestant speaker to have been up to something, that he had no agenda in doing this? What would they think of Billy Graham proselytizing from the podium of the congress, with the Supreme Court sitting in the front row?
Would those who objected to any of this, or to anything Rev. Graham said, be called Protestant haters? Would people protest and say Rev. Graham was just expressing his views, nothing more, nobody is compelled to listen, and let's not make too much of this?
Pope Francis, Atheists, Defenders Of The Cross, And GOP Politics?
The first time I said I did not feel the Pope should not have been invited to speak before congress, someone immediately called me a "Pope hater". Some of you may have had similar experiences. So, why is this?
Well, when John Boehner invited the Pope, he knew such things would happen. He knew that if anyone said anything remotely critical of the Pope, the defenders of the faith would immediately rise up to defend his holiness - and he was right. Only atheists and agnostics are free to discuss the Pope - but only among themselves. Why? Because if defenders of the faith see this, they will immediately be compelled to jump in and denounce whatever is being said, and they know they can count on people of other denominations, and even other religions, to condemn these non-believers, too.
But in this particular case, people of other religions are not much better off. As long as the profusely express their admiration and affection for the Pope, they will probably be safe, but if they don't preface whatever they say with affection for the pope, they will be attacked by the defenders of the faith, too.
John Boehner knew this, too, when he invited the Pope to speak before his Republican Congress. Now, as we have seen, two political controversies have already arisen: One is over the Pope's defense of "traditional marriage", and the other over his statement to protect life "at every stage of development." These are both high profile causes of the Republican Party, and John Boehner knew this, too.
So tell me: Why did John Boehner invite the Pope to speak before the Congress of the United States - with front row seats reserved for the Supreme Court?
The GOP Attack On Planned Parenthood Got Me Signed Up!
I was looking in here to see what people were saying about that, and I found the discussions interesting and often insightful. So, glad to be here, and I hope to be able to make positive contributions.
BTW, what does (nt) mean?
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