[Aslowhiteguy]

does the pastor/priest/rev/rabi of your church preach politics? i've been listening to talk radio on & off today. they've been playin clips of sermons in different churches from different parts of the country, all relating to obama. some of the words spoken on the pulpit had to be beeped out on radio.<br><br>
the day my pastor starts preaching polticis in a way that is an attempt to influcence my vote, is the day i find another church. and i have to admit i was mildly shocked that clergy members use verbiage on the pulpit that has to be censored on talk radio.

 

[drgenie]

No, thank God, ours has more sense. He will talk about current events, like Katrina, or the tsunami, in a religious/spiritual sense, but he doesn't get involved in the election shit slinging or seem to voice a preference for any one person or party.

 

[Grizzly]

Heh. You didn't grow up in Quebec before what we called "The Quiet Revolution".<br><br>
The two major political parties were identified by colour, much like in the States, but actually in reverse.<br><br>
Parish priest gets up at the end of mass to exhort people to vote, and "Remember, heaven is blue...."

 

[OldBaldHippie]

nope, and I never heard that stuff growing up either...

 

[Hairy Trotter]

I attended a Baptist church in Texas for a while that had an (otherwise) moderate and humane minister who would sometimes diverge into politics. Not so much talk about particular candidates (which is dangerous for a church's tax exemption), but pretty points stuff on controversial issues. I often didn't agree, but then I often disagree with preachers.

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Southern Baptist, Catholic and most churches do in fact preach politics from the pulpit, even if they masquerade it a little better than some churches. Sermons against homosexuality, abortion, woman's place in relation to their husband, Sunday alcohol sales, lottery, gambling and a host of other political issues are often worked into sermons.<br><br>
Conservative Churches in Georgia often pass out flyers on how to vote and for which candidates.<br><br>
Obama's pastor is far from being outside the norm when preaching to his flock on things that are important to them.<br><br>
Why doesn't Sean Hannity put on some of the white preachers in the South during the Jim Crow era who preached against racial equality from their pulpit? The only big difference I see between white and black churches today is that for political expediency white churches rarely will bring up race publically although they will all whisper about it. Black churches will learn as their white counter parts have to say what pundits such as Sean Hannity and the good white folks want to hear while learning to whisper.

 

[jenna]

I've never heard politics preached in my Church. They teach compassion and helping the poor, but those are the teachings of Jesus...<br><br>
I really don't think Catholics would much care what a Priest wanted them to vote, anyway....

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Put a gay civil rights question on your State's Constitution for voter approval. It seemed to me every church in Georgia held sermons the weekend before we voted on gay marriage. I see churches of all faiths, including liberal one advocating various political stances mixed in with religion all the time. I listen to Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Hagee sometimes on Sunday's. There is no shortage of political discourse although I dare say the majority of attendees would deny any politics was talked about in their sermon.<br><br>
And I'm not condemning one church any more than the other. But I find politics keeps many parishoners inline with their church's preaching/teaching.

 

[ElDuderino]

I'm surprised that anyone is surprised that politics are discussed in places of worship.

 

[Aslowhiteguy]

when political issues overlap with Biblical teaching (divorce, abortion, etc) i can understand a sermon on the topic. it's part of the pastor's job to inform me what the Bible teaches about issues of the day. but when you endorse, oppose or even mention a particular candidate from the pulpit, IMO, you have crossed the line.

 

[ElDuderino]

But shouldn't the religious leader be discussing topics on the congregation's collective mind? Trying to make his/her teachings relevant to the topics at hand?

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Was there not a concerted effort by some of the members of the Catholic Church to opposed Kerry in the 2004 election over some of his beliefs? And he isn't the only politician I seem to remember being preached against by the late Cardinal O'Connor.<br><br>
And certain Southern Baptist Churches won't let former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter darken their doors.<br><br>
I've been a Southern Baptist all my life and it wasn't until 1976 or so when the conservatives seized the Church that politics became an integral part of most SBC Churches and we were instructed we must believe in certain dogma's. Let a local politican come out in favor of something the Church doesn't like politically (alcohol sales, gambling) and leaders at mega churches such as Rehoboath in Tucker and/or First Atlanta will beat their doors down to denounce the politican by name and indirectly influence their members how to vote in the election even though they will all swear the minister was just giving guidance about an issue of the day. The line between politics and religion from the pulpit gets very blurry.<br><br>
I miss my child hood church without all the politics.