Posted on 07/10/2007 3:57:12 AM PDT by Kaslin
Some unknown author once said, "Everybody should believe in something; I believe I'll have another drink."
Democratic senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a less cynical and more substantive approach to faith in a recent interview with The New York Times. The quality and depth of one's relationship with God should be personal and beyond the judgment of others, unless one is running for president and chooses to talk about it as part of a campaign plan to win the election.
Democrats have been encouraged and coached by liberal evangelical Christian Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine to talk about their faith in an attempt to capture a small slice of the religious vote that has mostly gone to conservative Republicans in the last several election cycles.
In a Times' front-page story about Sen. Clinton's Methodist faith, there are pictures of her in Sunday school as a young girl, pictures of two ministers who "influenced Hillary Rodham on faith and social responsibility," and two pictures of her praying.
One of the ministers from her youth, Rev. Donald Jones, says of his messages then, "I wouldn't have focused so much on personal salvation. I would have focused more on social responsibility." In theological circles this is known as "works salvation," the notion that one can do enough good deeds to earn God's approval and enter Heaven. While James, the Apostle, writes "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20), he means that works done as a result of saving faith for the purpose of leading others to that same faith - not for the sole objective of improving one's own circumstances on earth - find approval in God's sight, while works that are separated from a saving faith message are, as the prophet Isaiah says about such human righteousness, like "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).
Even the Times suggests the destination of a strictly "social gospel": "Mrs. Clinton sometimes was a guest speaker at an adult Sunday school class, a class that some members complained normally resembled Rotary Club lectures because it often addressed nonreligious topics." To paraphrase James, if faith without works is dead, so also are works without faith.
Liberal faith, which is to say a faith that discounts the authority of Scripture in favor of a constantly evolving, poll-tested relevancy to modern concerns - such as the environment, what kind of SUV Jesus would drive, larger government programs and other "do-good" pursuits - ultimately morphs into societal and self-improvement efforts and jettisons the life-changing message of salvation, forgiveness of sins and a transformed life.
If the newspaper story is accurate, this is where Mrs. Clinton is on her faith: "In a brief quiz about her theological views, Mrs. Clinton said she believed in the resurrection of Jesus, though she described herself as less sure of the doctrine that being a Christian is the only way to salvation."
This is a politician speaking, not a person who believes in the central tenets of Christianity. The same book that tells of the Resurrection, also quotes Jesus as saying "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). One might ask, which the reporter did not, that if there are other ways to God than through Jesus, why did He bother to come to earth, allow Himself to be crucified and suffer rejection? He might have stayed in Heaven and told people about a spiritual GPS system that would get them there another way.
About the accuracy of Scripture, Sen. Clinton serves up theological mush: "The whole Bible gives you a glimpse of God and God's desire for a personal relationship (good, so far), but we can't possibly understand every way God is communicating with us. I've always felt that people who try to shoehorn in their cultural and social understandings of the time into the Bible might be actually missing the larger point."
That is precisely the point of liberal Christianity, to which Sen. Clinton subscribes.
Sen. Clinton is entitled to whatever faith she wants to practice, but when she uses it as an election tactic, she should not be allowed to alter classic Christian theology.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I think you hit the nail square on the top
"being a Christian" is not the way to salvation. She creates a strawman and knocks it down. Too bad that even Christians won't realize what she says is right. Join a thousand churches and you will not be saved.
Realizing that one is a hopeless sinner that needs a savior and that God gave his only Son to die on the cross for our sins and that believing on this brings us right again with God because of Jesus's blood is what saves us from eternal death.
She has a personal relationship with her father... satan.
LLS
“”In a brief quiz about her theological views, Mrs. Clinton said she believed in the resurrection of Jesus, though she described herself as less sure of the doctrine that being a Christian is the only way to salvation.”
Good ol’ Liberal cut-and-paste Christianity. Translated this means:
“I love to use Jesus’ name in campaign slogans, but other than that, it takes a village to make eternity.”
Hillary’s true faith and inspiration is in the holy writings of Saint Karl of Marx and the Blessed Frederic d’Engles. She takes her methodology from His Eminence Sol Alinsky.
Her goal is to be able to spread the tenets of her beliefs the same way that the honored missionaries Lenin, Stalin and Mao did.
When the Clintons moved to Chappaqua in 2000, there was considerable excitement among the town's ministers as to which congregation they would join. After all, most church-going, religious families, when they move to a new town, amoing the first things they do is to find a church. There are some 15 churches, of different denominations, all within a 5 mile radius of their home. Indeed, the First Congregational Church of Chappaqua is literally at the end of their street..Old House Lane...within walking distanct....the Baptist and RC churches are about one mile away, the Episcopal and Lutheran Churches about 1.5 miles...and the Methodist Church, their professed affiliation.. a staggering 2.3 miles distant from their home. One could probably drive door to door, even without the benefit of flashing lights and sirens, in about 4 minutes..give or take. Yet since they've moved in, neither Clinton has set one foot in any area church simply to worship on a Sunday. And it would be an easy thing to do. Most congregations have early, and shorter, services on Suny at 8am..usually a small attendence....15 or less..so it would be easy for them to drop in, worship..without being a distraction to the others in attendence, who would respect their privacy..But in 7 years..it hasn't happened once...
This from a woman who’s sold her soul.
It sounds utterly repulsive - but pray for her conversion. I am hoping that her conscience will somehow be pricked, especially about abortion.
I have to believe that when Mrs. Clinton goes before St. Pete to ask for entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, St. Pete will sort of laugh and say you’ve got to be kidding. What with all those you had murdered. Your infidelity and support for your husbands infidelity. Your thievery. Your Idol worship or should I say your wanting to be worshiped as an idol. Etc. Etc.
Hillarys faith? Ha ha ha, that’s a good one.
Then he had no business in the pulpit. He was/is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Yet since they've moved in, neither Clinton has set one foot in any area church simply to worship on a Sunday.
We can't be surprised at this. As a matter of fact you almost expected it.
When we see how the clintons live their lives, you know that there is no faith involved in the decisions they make. I tell my CCD students every year that understanding the importance of faith in their daily lives is vital for their well being and happiness. Once they have a faith that is engaged in every part of their life, the rest becomes easy.
Too bad the clintons haven't figured that out.
To get elected POTUS, Hillary Clinton would sell her soul to the Devil in Hell.
There are liberals who would read the above phrase and not see any negatives in it, but rather would adopt it proudly as an apt description of their faith.
Asking Hillery about her so-called “faith” is like asking Michael Corleone: “Do you renounce Satan?”
Chappaqua. An Indian word meaning “Land of Seperate Bedrooms”.
Your post visually illustrates my point.
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