Bristol Palin: Abstinence Is Realistic

gmac0961 »

Wed May 06, 2009 2:40 pm Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

Great message, but I think the messenger leaves a lot to be desired. Given her record and previous statements, I think most will see her as disingenuous,at best, or hypocritical, at worst. Add to it her and her parent's noteriety, and it's easy to see this being sen as a political show or career move.

Interesting note: although she has said she wish she had waited to become a mother, I haven't heard her say she wish she had not had sex.

Bristol Palin: Best Option is Abstinence

gmac0961 »

Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:35 am Agree: 6   Disagree: 0

I really wish Bristol would just get off the stage and raise her baby in peace and quiet. I am not judging her on a personal level, but she is not the right person to be an advocate against teen pregnancy.

I work in a public high school with young people everyday. The "do as I say, not as I did" tactic will only work if you have some gut-wrenching horror stories to back you up. In here case, she:

Speaks glowingly about the joys of being a mother while telling others its not for them.
Practiced neither abstinence or birth control while extolling its virtues.

The real problem I see here is that non-Christians are just going to look and see another Christian hypocrite preaching at them. I know some will say I am being judgemental here, but I'm not. All I am saying is that the Palins need to realize Bristol is not a proper advocate in this area.

'Why Believe in a God?' Ads to Hit U.S. Buses

gmac0961 »

Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:24 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

I think a more appropriate song to think of here would be John Lennon's "Imagine". I got out of church and away from the Christian walk for a while in my life. I can tell you that the problem is, most people like to imagine that we would all live in peace and harmony without fighting over God if we had no religion. The flaw in this line of reasoning is that the atheistic societies of our world have faired no better, if not worse.

On the other hand, just imagine for a minute that there is no God and therefore, no real standard for "good" or "evil". At this point, anything really goes because right and wrong are all up to ME to decide. In this world, you can't tell me anything from rape to oppression to mass murder is wrong. That line of reasoning, unfortunately, creates a world that is like the one we have today.

The mistake we Christians need to correct is this humanistic concept that we are the problem, rather than the solution.

Obama Attracting More Evangelical Voters

gmac0961 »

Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:22 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

holito8 wrote:
Christian do not labor in vain when we labor for God. Just because men have a capacity to lie does not mean you do not take them for their word. Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay.

I completely agree. My point is that the politics of our country is not the labor of the Lord. Citizens do need to vote their conscience, but I think it is a mistake to ascribe a higher set of morals to one party or the other.

Obama Attracting More Evangelical Voters

gmac0961 »

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:33 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

I think anyone who feels that either of these candidates is pure and holy needs to do a little reality check. Both are politicians and have engaged in lies and half truths to get elected. To call one pleasing to God and another evil is just being selective in our judgements. Politics is about compromise and all politicians compromise when they think the time is right. Once in office, both will compromise as they see fit. This is why trying to judge our political system by the law of God is ultimately in vain.

Poll: Most Brits Would Vote Obama

gmac0961 »

Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:59 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

While it's true we don't want other countries selecting our leaders, I do think we should not dismiss polls like this out of hand. If we want cooperation from other countries, it's at least worth considering how they view our elected officials. Unfortunately for McCain, I think on the international level, belonging to the same party as Bush is going to make it impossible for people from other countries to separate the two of them. It appears that Obama will have a built in advantage in the effort to win friends and influence people abroad. That has got to be considered as a point in his favor.

Obama Attracting More Evangelical Voters

gmac0961 »

Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:48 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

I think that what's going on here is that people are coming to the same realization: Neither one of these candidates is a perfect candidate from a Christian perspective. Also, I am not convinced that McCain's courting of the Christian vote isn't just pandering. The Christian vote has been suckered by the ant-gay marriage and anti-abortion line into backing an administration that really hasn't helped us on those fronts.

Bottom line: I am not convinced either one of these tickets is more "Christian" than the other. I think this poll reflects the fact that alot of others feel the same.

Survey: Most Americans Believe God Uniquely Blessed U.S.

gmac0961 »

Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:32 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

America has been, I believe, uniquely belssed in the world. We have been given a great land and great opportunities.

However, we need to remember:
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

Palin: Pray U.S. Plan in Iraq is God's Plan

gmac0961 »

Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:06 pm Agree: 4   Disagree: 0

I think it is appropriate to have people pray for God's will to be done.
However, I do have to take exception with the statement:
"Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God," she said.
I think trying to frame the Iraq war as a task assigned to us from God is a stretch to stay the least.

Obama's 'Rock Star' Status Not Enough for Conservative Voters

gmac0961 »

Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:25 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

I think what this really shows is that both candidates have their liabilities and are failing to inspire a majority of the people.

The only people who seem to be unswerving in their devotion to McCain are the partisans who are convinced that all Dems are the spawn of Satan anyway.

As for Obama, he has the Dems in his corner becuase he is their candidate. However, I also feel he has gathered so much interest only because people do want a change from our leadership in DC, even if they aren't convinced Obama is the answer.

My main concern is that we are going to have another contested election where we have no clear cut winner with a majority. Either one would be preferable to a repeat of the 2000 fiasco.

Bottom line: This country needs a strong leader who can unite the various factions of our country, and neither of these two look like the one we need.

Christian Leader Not Excited about 'President Obama'

gmac0961 »

Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:48 am Agree: 4   Disagree: 0

The problem with this election is that neither Obama or McCain is a no-brainer choice from a Christian perspective, regardless of what the conservative right wants to think. If you look at their records, both have plenty of personal and professional baggage to carry.

I think the one thing that I don't get is why people are keying in on the gay marriage & abortion issues when the president's duties affect the military and foreign affairs in a much more direct and meaningful way. This is an issue for legislators more than executives which is the job of the President.

The fact is: we have had an anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion President for 8 years. Gay marriage is now sanctioned in places it never was before and abortion is as available as ever. Before you jump, I'm not blaming President Bush at all for these trends, just trying to draw a conclusion as to how much a President can impact those issues.

McCain Rejects Pastor's Endorsement

gmac0961 »

Fri May 23, 2008 10:04 am Agree: 5   Disagree: 0

Sadly, this is all just politics. Putting aside whether you agree with Hagee and Parsley for a minute:

The truth is, if McCain cared at all about the truth, he would have researched these guys before courting them. Instead, he sought them out only for the votes they could bring. And the sad fact is, he would have never repudiated anything they said had it not become a political liability. (and before you say it, yes, the same goes for Obama and Wright).

This is why churches and pastors need to stay out of the political arena. Yes, we as Christians should vote our conscience as the Lord leads, but that isn't the same as engaging in political games. In the political arena, the truth is only what supports your cause. The church should focus on leading people to Christ. The better we do at that, the better our country and our leadership will become as a result.

Christians Launch Campaign against Global Warming Hype

gmac0961 »

Fri May 16, 2008 4:49 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

I had some previous comments, but they have disappeared from the post, so:

I, for one, am not sure either way on global warming. Everyone says there is no concensus among the scientific community, then proceeds to state their unequivocal belief in their side. If the climatologist cannot agree, why is it unreasonable, or even unbiblical as this group seems to be inferring, to be on the fence or have the opposite view? It seems to be boiling down to a matter of belief, which is why I stated earlier that it seems that this is more a politically based movement than a scientific point of view.

Televangelist John Hagee Apologizes to Catholics

gmac0961 »

Wed May 14, 2008 5:19 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

Let me say up front that my comments have absolutely nothing to do with Hagee being right or wrong about the Catholic church. You can issue in your own mind and heart.

What galls me here is this is just another example of what is wrong with the church entering politics today. Rev Hagee has been raining verbal fire and brimstone on the Catholics for years. Now that his views are becoming a possible Republican liability, he suddenly understands Catholics and wants to be buddies with them. Huh?? He did some studying and now figures they aren't so bad after all???

Miley Cyrus Photo Flap Prompts Calls for Action Against Harmful Media Messages

gmac0961 »

Thu May 01, 2008 1:38 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

I agree that the parent's should be blamed, but I also blame the magazine for resorting to this to sell magzaines. I know thay are trying to make a living, but all adults need to set the example and this is a terrible example to set.

I guess I am pretty cynical where celebrities are concerned. I belive almost all of them will do or say anything that gets their name in print or on the TV. So my question becomes: Did Vanity Fair and the Cyrus family knowingly create this flap for publicity's sake?

Ex-Obama Pastor Tells NAACP He's Descriptive, Not Divisive

gmac0961 »

Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:38 am Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

Unfortunately, for all his schooling in the Word, the Rev has totally missed the point. He is falling into the same trap as all preachers (the Robertsons, Falwells and Hagees included) who want to grind political axes from the pulpit. They fail to understand some basics:

1. We don't have racial problems in this world, we have a spiritual problem. Racism is just a manifestation of the hate and fear in the heart of the lost. Take race out of the equation and people quickly find another reason the hate and kill. It cannot be fixed except by the love of God and the salvation of Christ. Besides, look around the world.

2. You can't fix politics by political means. That's why Jesus didn't talk politics. He understood that you get the people right and the politics take care of themselves. Sadly, many churches bang the political drum for change and leave the salvation to last.

I just hope we can learn from Christ instead of using Him to our own ends.

Survey: Are Churches Doing Enough to Help the Poor?

gmac0961 »

Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:40 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

The reality is some churches do and some don't. Although it should be otherwise, the "church" is not one entity worldwide, so to say the church doesn't do enough is painting with too broad a brush.

One of the reasons, I think, that churches have fallen short in this area is the increase of public assistance. They basically have vacated their responsibility in favor of the government. You can see this in the many churches calling for greater public assistance from the government rather than taking up the cause on their own. The weakness of government assistance is that it has become a right financed by money taken from taxpayers who may not even want their money to go to the poor. This is not nearly as effective as a gift of love, as is charity from the church.

Pope Says Clergy Abuse Scandal Sometimes 'Badly Handled'

gmac0961 »

Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:58 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

From the article:

George said that the consequences of the clergy abuse scandal "and of its being sometimes very badly handled by bishops makes both the personal faith of some Catholics and the public life of the church herself more problematic."

Benedict agreed with that assessment.

"Responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the president of your episcopal conference has indicated, it was sometimes very badly handled," he said.


I'd like to nominate Pope Benedict for Understatement of the Year!!

Petraeus: Iraq Security Better, but Fragile

gmac0961 »

Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:30 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

Just to be clear, I am a retired vet with a son doing his second tour in the MIddle East. I was against the Iraq invasion from the start because of the very quicksand we now find ourselves mired in. I'm no military genius, but there were many voices, Colin Powell among them, who warned us not to do this and I agreed then and now.

The real problem with Iraq is the fact that we don't control the outcome. In this article, Rep Skelton touches on the key point. Military success does not equal political success. In war, you normally have an objective that is within your control, such as the conquest of a given territory. This is different. No matter what we do militarily, we cannot control what the Iraqis do with their own government, unless we were to try and establish a puppet regime, which would be the worst disaster.

This is why I am very aggravated by McCain's calls for "Victory" and "Let them win!". It sounds great from a military standpoint, but this isn't an entirely military situation and doesn't really point the way to our ending our involvement in Iraq.

Simply put: At this point in time, we don't know what real victory looks like.

Where Do Preaching and Culture Meet?

gmac0961 »

Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:12 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

I don't necessarily agree that we live in an atheist society. Most people profess a belief in God, although what they think of as God varies alot (which is, of course, part of the problem). I think the main problem is that the Church makes a good case for why you should care about Jesus after you die, but not a great case for why living before the Lord is truly a better, happier existence in this life. The world has the idea that we are all repressed and just dying for some fornication if only God would look the other way for a while, Our task is to show them that way is destruction and we DO NOT long for these things, as they think we do.

We need to get back to why it is better to live the Christian way. For example, we have huge problems with violence in this world. Go to the Sermon on the Mount and you will see how Jesus' way solves that problem. There are 1000 more examples, but that is just the first.

Be clear, I am not saying water down any of the Gospel and tell people it will all be angels and white light. Just make the case that the Gospel is as relevant to this earth as it is to the next.