Posted on 09/28/2007 10:40:28 AM PDT by Fred
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani visits with local residents during a brief presidential campaign stop, Thursday, September 27, 2007 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Michael A. Mariant Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani visits with local residents during a brief presidential campaign stop, Thursday, September 27, 2007 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani compared the scrutiny of his personal life marked by three marriages to the biblical story of how Jesus dealt with an adulterous woman.
In an interview posted online Friday, Giuliani was questioned about his family and told the Christian Broadcasting Network, "I think there are some people that are very judgmental."
Giuliani has a daughter who indicated support for Democrat Barack Obama and a son who said he didn't speak to his father for some time. Giuliani's messy divorce from their mother, Donna Hanover, was waged publicly while Giuliani was mayor of New York.
"I'm guided very, very often about, 'Don't judge others, lest you be judged,'" Giuliani told CBN interviewer David Brody. "I'm guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, 'He that hasn't sinned, cast the first stone,' and everybody disappeared.
"It seems like nowadays in America, we have people that think they could've passed that test," he said. "And I don't think anybody could've passed that test but Jesus."
In the New Testament story, related in the Gospel of John, Jesus does not actually hold stones. The Pharisees bring Jesus a woman charged with adultery, reminding him the punishment for adultery is stoning. They are testing Jesus in an effort to charge him with breaking the law.
The Gospel reads: "But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'
"... And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders."
Giuliani has insisted his family relationships are private. In 1968, he married his cousin, Regina Peruggi. They divorced 14 years later, and Giuliani obtained an annulment from the Catholic Church on the grounds that as second cousins, they should have received a dispensation to marry.
Giuliani married Hanover in 1984 and they divorced in 2002. He has been married to Judith Nathan since 2003.
Likewise, he says his faith is private, although he evokes his Catholic upbringing on the campaign trail.
He told CBN he believes in God and prays to Jesus for guidance and help.
"I have very, very strong views on religion that come about from having wanted to be a priest when I was younger, having studied theology for four years in college," he said. "It's an area I know really, really well academically.
"... And my personal view of it is I need God's help for everything, and I probably feel that the most when I'm in crisis and under pressure, like Sept. 11, when I was dealing with prostate cancer, or (when) I'm trying to explain death to people, which unfortunately I've had to do so often.
"So it's a very, very important part of my life," he said. "But I think in a democracy and in a government like ours, my religion is my way of looking at God, and other people have other ways of doing it, and some people don't believe in God. I think that's unfortunate. I think their life would be a lot fuller if they did, but they have that right."
Giuliani also addressed a cell phone call he took from his wife, Judith, last week during his speech to the National Rifle Association, an important appearance because Giuliani clashed with the group when he argued for tougher gun control as mayor of New York.
"And quite honestly, since Sept. 11, most of the time when we get on a plane, we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other," he said.
"Sometimes if I'm in the middle of a very, very sensitive meeting, I don't take the call right then; I wait. But I thought it would be kind of nice if I took it at that point, and I'd done that before in engagements, and I didn't realize it would create any kind of controversy," he said.
When you're in a hole, stop digging.
Jesus said to her “Go and sin no more.” He didn’t say “Go and be a role model for an entire nation.”
Rudy is way beyond CINO!
I thought this was a satire article!
“I’m guided very, very often about, ‘Don’t judge others, lest you be judged,’” Giuliani told CBN interviewer David Brody. “I’m guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, ‘He that hasn’t sinned, cast the first stone,’ and everybody disappeared.”
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Sir, I think that one got worn out back in the nineties. I like Rudy, but let’s not deceive ourselves. I think of his personal life as a Florentine soap opera without the poison and daggers.
Memo to Rudy:
When you're in a hole, stop digging.
That was my thought as well....
Rudy’s right.
The Bible is full of whores, murderers, liars, & deceivers that were used or changed by God for his purpose. There are very very few ‘squeaky clean’ characters in the Bible.
It’s time for these holier-than-thou zealots to back off.
LOL! Good on ya, Bishop Tobin!
It’s time for these holier-than-thou zealots to back off.
I'd personally like to see less Biblical pontificating from the Biblically illiterate.
Rudy needs to stop copying Hillary’s notes.
Even Clinton had enough class and dignity not to play that card.
Rudy is trying to hide behind some cherry-picked scriptures.
The other moral of the scripture that he chose (and did not choose to talk about), and how appropriate for Rudy, was ‘go and sin no more’.
Rudy is not right, neither in his personal life, nor his public life.
He is a supporter of infanticide, gay rights, and taking away our gun rights to name a few.
Rudy needs to get his own house in order before he trys to use the Holy Bible to protect is un-holy life.
Oh no he didn’t!
I like Rudy, but I can’t support him for President.
Yes, the Bible passage that every liberal knows and quotes, after taking it out of context.
Character matters. It mattered with Bill Clinton in 1992 and it matters with this morally-devoid RINO inj 2008.
Here are few more verses Giuliani might want to consider:
Leviticus 18:22
Romans 1:24-28
Exodus 21:22-23
1 Corinthians 6:8-10
How many actually 'went and sinned no more'?????
David, Solomon, all kinds of characters strayed after their initial 'come to Jesus' moments.
I'd personally like to see less Biblical pontificating from the Biblically illiterate.
I've read the Bible front to back - it's full of flawed figures. Don't project the story of Jesus onto everything else in the Bible - nobody else was near as perfect.
I've been encouraging my adult Sunday school class to see how many examples of Scripture-Abuse they can catch from presidential candidates (both sides) during the next year. That often creates an excellent situation to educate people about what the Bible REALLY says.
And the fact that these candidates (on both sides) are all bumbling along trying show they know something about the Bible tells you the value of the Christian vote. Otherwise why would they bother? Who are they trying to impress? God and the Pope certainly don't vote.
And of course the only people you ever hear cite the "don't judge" passage are the ones who want to remain in their sin. By their fruits you will know them...
Pulling out all the stops. Again, he’s a male version of Hitlery.
Doesn’t the story of the adulterous woman continue with Jesus saying something akin to, “...now go and sin no more”?
All of which repented (and were redeemed) by God, which Giuliani obvious hasn't done.
Character matters. It mattered in the case of Bill Clinton and certain matters with this RINO. If a man can't stay faithful to his wife, there is no reason to believe he is going to keep his campaign promises.
***I’d personally like to see less Biblical pontificating from the Biblically illiterate***
Its amazing how many pastors are Biblically illiterate. Clinton was able to get liberal pastors to provide cover for him during the Monica saga. Many pastors will provide cover for Giuliani?
And scripture taken out of context. The Bible commands believers to judge, just not hypocritically.
Jesus supported the death penalty for adultery. He only made the comments to the pharisees because they were trying to trap Him into a premature conflict with the Roman government, which had banned the death penalty for adultery.
Giuliani is distorting the Bible like every liberal does.
“Thou shalt not grovel, nor shalt thou sucketh.” Leviticracks Chapt. 2, subsection viii.
The point is that you shouldn't judge a man based on his past. If you judge him at all, you base it on his present. 'Judge not lest ye be judged.' God is the ultimate judge.
Rudy's a sinner, so are you.
Have a policy disagreement, but don't judge the man.
rudy knows NO shame...........
What about for homosexuality?
How does the Bible deal with adulterous men who dump their wives with no remorse, for the latest, suck up, social climbing squeeze, Rooty?
Jesus lived by and fully supported the Mosaic Law, which did call for the death penalty for homosexuality.
A lifetime of terrible decisions, broken vows, and poor impulse control is a valid reason to write off a candidate.
That isn’t the point.
You can’t use the bible to protect yourself when you have not made the committment to walk away from your sinful behaviors as the Jesus commands in the bible.
Yes there are failures, but they made the committment.
Nothing about Rudy’s life, like Bill Clinton’s would lead anyone to believe that he has made that committment, much less repented.
He (and the reporter) need to keep reading down to verse 11 - “...go, and sin no more.”
...Don't project the story of Jesus onto everything else in the Bible...
You may have read it... but you clearly didn't understand it.
"Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!" (ESV)
Another victory for hippy-dippy '60s theology/philosophy.
Rudy Giuliani has admitted to being a sinner.
And having admitted that he is lapsed in many ways, he states the BECAUSE of his flaws, it makes him at once a more human personality, and at the same time, exposed to enough of the consequenses of that behavior, to recognize and correct them in the future.
It is not as if he repeats the same transgressions over and over. Some people do, after all, learn something from their sum total of experiences. And from these, comes some sort of wisdom and perspective.
Is it the right kind of wisdom and perspective? You judge.
and in related news.
Paris Hilton went to Africa in order to help feed the starving Chinese of Ruewanda.
The bottom line.
We have to judge every candidates' character since one of them will be the next president. That doesn't mean we're condemning anyone to hell.
If I had unlimited time, I'd go story-by-story with you and point out the flaws in the characters. Typically the reason there is a story at all is to teach a lesson. You rarely have a 'story' when everything is hunky-dory.
I guess I do not understand the Bible if I'm supposed to 'be like Jesus' and therefore support Mosaic law which calls for the death penalty for adulterers and homosexuals. Mosaic law more closely aligns with Islamic shariah law than current Christianity.
I think it's more a case of getting caught up in the "glamour" and power. Then again, there are a lot of liberal clergymen.
I don't see any learned wisdom here, I see a man who wants what he wants right now, devil take the consequences.
This is consistent with his authoritarian positions on such matters as gun control . . . .
Matthew 5:17Jesus "revealed its ultimate meaning (cf.: Mt 5:33) and redeemed the transgressions against it (cf. Heb 9:15)."CCC 592"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
That most certainly isn't the point of the passage. The passage commands believers to judge and warn others not to make the same mistakes they did.
One's past is relevant if one hasn't repented and continues to sin. And, it's relevant in regard to whether one has the character to be trusted to keep his word. Giuliani lacks the character to be trusted, especially given his liberal record.
Then he would certainly know that Jesus told the sinner to "Go forth and sin no more." Sorry Rudy, you have studied much but have learned very little.
You don't understand certain behavior was forbidden by God at a time believers were living in a separate culture from unbelievers and the death penalty was commanded to eliminate such behavior?
I think we can gather from those commands that God considers homosexuality and adultery to be abominable acts.
Did you make the same point about Clinton when he was running as a "new" Democrat back in 1992 and making all sort of campaign promises he didn't keep?
When someone with a liberal record is trying to pass himself off as a conservative, whether he can be trusted is relevant. His unfaithfulness to his former wife while in office is reason to believe he can't be trusted.
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