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How religion guides Palin
The Chicago Tribune ^ | September 6, 2008 | Manya A. Brachear

Posted on 11/27/2008 11:57:45 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin promised to lead the nation with a "servant's heart," evangelical Christians immediately recognized her as one of their own.

Whether before an audience of ministry students or on a national stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, the 44-year-old Palin speaks fluently about her faith, striking chords with phrases that evoke Christian virtue. Palin has called on people to pray for the cooperation necessary to build a natural gas pipeline across Alaska, labeled the U.S. mission in Iraq a "task that is from God" and argued that students should be taught the creation account from Genesis in public schools.

In a race where both presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain, have tried to court religious voting blocs, Palin's introduction to the Republican ticket adds another dimension.

Just as McCain's politics are largely shaped by his experience as a prisoner of war and Obama's by his embrace of his racial identity, Palin's approach has been shaped by her relationship with God. Palin sees her government work as paling in comparison to a greater mission.

"I can do my job there in developing our natural resources and doing things like getting the roads paved and making sure our troopers have their cop cars and their uniforms and their guns, and making sure our public schools are funded," she said in June to ministry students at her former church. "But really, all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: christians; election; elections; evangelicals; faith; gop; moralabsolutes; palin; palinandgod; republicans; sarahpalin
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin promised to lead the nation with a "servant's heart," evangelical Christians immediately recognized her as one of their own.

And democrats, loving authority, were thrown into immediate confusion.

21 posted on 11/27/2008 12:42:04 PM PST by skeeter (Its Barry's fault)
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To: F15Eagle

exactly....and TD Jakes, Joel Hunter, etc etc.


22 posted on 11/27/2008 12:43:52 PM PST by spacejunkie01
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well, for whatever reason, I heard it more in the context of Servant Leadership, as popularized by Robert Greenleaf in his 1970 book. However the concepts have been taught, and lived, for thousands of years, including of course by Jesus.

In approximately 600 B.C., the Chinese sage Lao Tzu wrote The Tao Te Ching, a strategic treatise on servant leadership:

In approximately 600 B.C., the Chinese sage Lao Tzu wrote The Tao Te Ching, a strategic treatise on servant leadership:

The greatest leader forgets himself

And attends to the development of others.

Good leaders support excellent workers.

Great leaders support the bottom ten percent.

Great leaders know that

The diamond in the rough

Is always found “in the rough.”

Read into this whatever you will, but I for one am thankful today that we have Sarah Palin.


23 posted on 11/27/2008 12:50:43 PM PST by bigbob
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To: MrB
One of the reasons the left hates SP is that she can BE IS genuine. Libs can’t be genuine about what they believe or they’d never get elected.
24 posted on 11/27/2008 1:22:32 PM PST by B4Ranch (Forbidden subject on FR.com--> "How should people respond to a government of looters? ")
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To: Guenevere

...because you have “spiritual” ears...
I pray that God will open the spiritual eyes & ears of all those in this great country.


25 posted on 11/27/2008 2:02:00 PM PST by FES0844 (FES0844)
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To: bigbob

1 Kings 3:8-10 (New International Version)

8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.


26 posted on 11/27/2008 3:11:28 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It seems that the Governor is guided by God and the word of God.

NOT by “religion”.


27 posted on 11/27/2008 5:23:00 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There’s another reason for me to be thankful today...we got to know Sarah Palin this year. What a breath of fresh air she brings to stale old American politics as usual. Judging by how much the Washington elite and MSM hate her...she is just my kind of conservative. Favorite Sarah quote “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not why the ship was built.” Sarah is out of the safe harbor of Alaska...she has 4 years to sail, get more experience and take Washington by storm. For President or Vice President, she will be spectacular. They more “they” hate her, the more we love her.


28 posted on 11/27/2008 5:59:02 PM PST by TheConservativeParty ("Those guys are jerks!" Saracuda)
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To: Cicero

Ugggh! I just returned from the family Thanksgiving dinner, where I was inundated with MSM lies about Palin. They were screaming about how she thinks Africa is a country and how she doesn’t even read newspapers, blah blah blah.

It’s good to get back on Free Republic.


29 posted on 11/27/2008 6:03:03 PM PST by keats5 ("I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing."- Rudy)
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To: MrB; Texas Eagle

“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made.”
Jean Giraudoux


30 posted on 11/27/2008 6:37:14 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Barack Obama: In Error and arrogant -- he's errogant!)
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To: rlmorel; 2ndDivisionVet; 4woodenboats; acapesket; AFPhys; Amityschild; aynrandfan; backhoe; ...

Palin Pingers

Great picture posted by RlMorel. It just makes me want to laugh.

This a great article that chronicles Palin's religious life (although it was published in September

New also is a Palin radio show that will be going on (in the legacy of Ronald Reagan it seems [didn't know that] so here is to sign up to get updates of when Palin will be on

Here is an very interesting view about why the media hates Palin (a very what the... moment, but funny none the less.)

Another why the media hates Palin moment, though this one is serious.

"I'm donating as much money as I can to her campaign, just to keep her in my newscast every night."~Olberman... Wow theory about why Palin is being kept in the news, because they (the MSM) want her to represent the GOP in the public eye.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope your having a good one. One last thing to mention, Palin campaigns in GA for Saxby. I usually don't mention that many appearances (unless huge), but I have a reason. There wouldn't happen to be anyone in North GA who would be willing to give a carless college student a ride to ATL to see? : /

31 posted on 11/27/2008 7:30:05 PM PST by Toki ("Palin Pingers" Freepmail Liberity Rocks or me to get on the list today!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
From the article:

“When she talks about using up our non-renewable resources, drilling on the North Slope and building the pipeline, it's almost with glee because in a sense it doesn't matter,” said Nancy Hardesty, a professor of religion at Clemson University in South Carolina. “All her brand of Christians may be gone before those things run out. It tends to lessen a long-term view.”

This has to be one the most ignorant, inane and down-right hateful statements I have seen. This so-called “Professor of Religion” needs to leave her ivory tower and talk to a few Christians to find out what they really believe, not what her biases are about them.

32 posted on 11/27/2008 8:34:49 PM PST by Tenth Gen
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To: Piers-the-Ploughman

33 posted on 11/27/2008 8:52:43 PM PST by timestax ( CNNLIES)
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To: Deo volente

I didn’t see it as all that respectful. The whole quoting the professor about how she was “almost gleeful” about “using up” the oil because she doesn’t have a long-range view thanks to her theology...that’s the sort of thing the skeptic makes hay out of.

And it’s the typical BS that comes when secularists try to describe what the poor deluded knuckle draggers believe.

I wasn’t impressed.


34 posted on 11/27/2008 9:01:11 PM PST by WillRain ("Might have been the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.")
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To: timestax

35 posted on 11/27/2008 9:10:12 PM PST by timestax ( CNNLIES)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Considering my own political activism (FReeping included), started reading the Book Of Daniel. Since Daniel was a politician, his story of imprisonment with the lions is telling. Daniel 6:23 - ...And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he TRUSTED in his God.

I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to stop fighting. I’m hoping Governor Palin is also reading Daniel 6:23.


36 posted on 11/27/2008 9:55:32 PM PST by AmericanGirlRising (The cow is in the ditch. We know how it got there. Now help me get it out!)
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To: timestax

bump


37 posted on 11/28/2008 6:49:56 AM PST by timestax ( CNNLIES)
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To: keats5

I hope you stood your own against them. I know it is tempting to avoid conflict and debates you know you cant win. but somewhere along that same line is where evil and lies triumph while good men do nothing.


38 posted on 11/28/2008 8:42:00 AM PST by se_ohio_young_conservative (PURGE the Palin Haters)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Palin has called on people to pray for the cooperation necessary to build a natural gas pipeline across Alaska, labeled the U.S. mission in Iraq a "task that is from God" and argued that students should be taught the creation account from Genesis in public schools.

That is a complete and willful distortion of her words. She has never advocated that the creation account be taught in schools. She is on the record as stating her belief in evolution and her belief that "science should be taught in science class." Her father is a former science teacher and an amateur naturalist (he showed off his 10,000 year old fossil to Harry Smith of CBS).

She didn't declare that the war in Iraq was "God's will" -- she asked them to pray that we were doing God's will. In other words, as Lincoln once said, we should not presume that God is on our side, but we should pray that we are on God's side. Big huge difference.

This article is another attempt to pigeon hole Palin as a religious extremist who can not appeal to a broader base. It's nonsense.

She actually avoided pressing for social conservative issues in Alaska -- in accordance to the libertarian bent of the Alaskan citizenry.

39 posted on 11/28/2008 10:55:24 AM PST by GipperGal
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To: se_ohio_young_conservative

I did stand up for Sarah. I’m not shy, but I am not a very large, nor a very loud person, and my in-laws yell right over me. Fortunately, my dear hubby has a set of lungs without compare, and he defended Sarah quite well.


40 posted on 11/28/2008 3:19:00 PM PST by keats5 ("I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing."- Rudy)
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