Posted on 08/27/2006 10:20:17 AM PDT by dukeman
MIAMI -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a weekly religious journal that God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws" and made other comments that have drawn criticism in recent days.
The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected to political office politicians will "legislate sin," citing abortion and gay marriage as two examples in an interview published Thursday.
Harris made the comments in the Florida Baptist Witness, the weekly journal of the Florida Baptist State Convention. The publication interviewed political candidates, asking them questions about religion and their positions on issues.
Separation of church and state is "a lie we have been told," Harris said in the interview, adding that separating religion and politics is "wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."
"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," Harris added.
Among those critical of the comments were U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, and State Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton. Both are Jewish.
Wasserman Schultz told the Orlando Sentinel that she was "disgusted" by the comments, and Slosberg demanded an apology.
Republicans also criticized Harris, calling the comments offensive and not representative of the party.
"Congresswoman Harris encourages Americans from all walks of life and faith to participate in our government," said a brief statement from Harris' campaign, responding to the criticism. "She continues to be an unwavering advocate of religious rights and freedoms."
Harris' opponents in the Sept. 5 GOP Senate primary also gave interviews to the Florida Baptist Witness but made more general statements on their faith.
The interview also included Harris' reasons for running and response to issues like stem cell research, the Terri Schiavo case and other topics.
You are wasting your time with some of the posters on FR that will never admit anything Harris says is wrong. Why they worship her is beyond me when the folks that know her best cannot stand her and don't think her comments help any Republican running in Florida.
It is crucial that she win that nomination.
Her bigoted and outrageous comments will ensure she does not. She is now branded an extreme fundamentalist and has lost the moderate conservatives.
If I was in Fla I wouln't vote for her. If I want the Taliban, I'll go to the Midle East.
Seperation of State and church only works if atheists, agnostics stop pushing their views on others who dont share it.
Since they dont, they hide behind a secular state when Christians push back.
Harris is spot on with her comments.
There is no more conservative person on this earth than Ben Stein. He is a Jewish attorney, educated at Yale's Law school. By all rights, he should be a flaming liberal, yet he espouses every single principle of conservatism. I do take issue with Catherine's viewpoint that only Christians can prevent the embracing of the culture of sin.
The Costitution of the United States of America says she is wrong. Read it someday (Article IV and Amendment I).
Why they worship her is beyond me when the folks that know her best cannot stand her and don't think her comments help any Republican running in Florida.
That is very true. She has cemented her political tomb.
How about this? "Are you saying, Congesswoman Harris, that electing a Jew to Congress or the Senate is promoting sin?" Or how about this? "Congresswoman Harris, are you advocating an amendment to remove Article VI, Section 3 from the Constitution?" Or maybe this"? "Mrs. Harris, if elected will you refuse to work with Jewish Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) since you believe he promotes sin?" You don't suppose she might get hit with one of those?
What if she had used the term "Godly candidates" instead of Christians?
Would that have pacified all the anti-Christian bigots?
I already know the answer ....
You got that right. Harris is a loose cannon who gives ammunition to conservative detractors.
Mother Nature is not happy with Harris' outrageous statements. She is sending Ernesto to Florida for a little talk with Katherine!
In the context of a theological discussion it is accurate and okay. In the context of getting yourself elected, it is imprudent. She could have said something like "Judeo-Christian moral principles...."
Perhaps. But it might have pissed off all the anti-Jewish bigots.
People often use Christian for Judeo-Christian. Morally the two are inseparable.
The distinction is not between Christian and Other, it is between people of faith and people of anti-faith. Issues like this are thus not always great for soundbites, and are usually covered in religion journals, where the distinctions can be drawn. But anyone using their brain knows Harris isn't talking about favoring 'Christians' like Clinton or excluding Jews, et al. That's CLEARLY not the point.
Would she go to a synagogue and say the same thing?
She should. The 10 Commandments are in the Old Testament.
I agree with her. I wish we had someone who could say things like that and was also electable.
So you think getting up in front of the Rabbi and the congregation and telling them that electing anyone but Christians to office is promoting sin will go over well?
Harris is clearly going out of her way to exclude Jews .... ????
You are dealing in hypotheticals.
You have no idea what she would say in front of a rabbi, you are making it up.
Give it up, it is a very liberal way of debating.
Her point was the avocation of sin, and she's right. Her Christianity puts her on the side of the Torah, where the lefts religion of Political Correctness puts them in opposition of the Torah.
Political Correctness is 100% left wing. It's 100% anti-Commandments. It's 100% anti-Torah.
At least she's on their side.
Yes.
"If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin. They can legislate sin." They apparently being everyone else.
Rep. Harris is out to destroy Rep. Harris, and she's making a remarkably good job of it. Her assertion that only her brand of Christianity is correct and that it deserves favored treatment is ludicrous.
Her claim was anyone other than a Christian is an advocate of sin. And she's stupid for saying so. And in a little over four months she'll be back home in Florida wondering what to do with the rest of her life now that her political career is over.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.