Clinton's political religiosity

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Quote:

Nor will religious tensions arise only from the political right. Democrat Bernie Sanders, an admitted "socialist," stepped into the religious fray when he, too, chose to give a major speech at Liberty University, bastion of religious and political conservatism. Yet it is far more likely to be Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton who fuels the religious firestorm of the 2016 presidential debate from the political left. Though most American voters do not think of her in these terms, Clinton is among the most religiously outspoken politicians of our time. She entered public life inspired by a distinctly Methodist version of the "social gospel." This ideal shaped her politics while she was the First Lady of Arkansas, the First Lady of the United States, a U.S. Senator from New York, and the U.S. Secretary of State. In 2006, for example, she thought nothing of launching a faith-based attack on Republicans over the issue of immigration. "It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures," she scolded. "This bill would liberally criminalize the Good Samaritan--and probably even Jesus himself." She expressed her disappointment with John Kerry's loss to George W. Bush in 2004 by insisting, "No one can read the New Testament of our Bible without recognizing that Jesus had a lot more to say about how we treat the poor than most of the issues that were talked about in this election." More recently, she reversed her support for the Defense of Marriage Act--which her husband signed into law and which she once defended with biblical references--and became an outspoken champion of same sex marriage. The reason? "The guiding principles of my faith." She also described the typical woman seeking an abortion as doing so "based on her faith." This left-leaning, faith-based political vision is certain to slam into the right-leaning, faith-based politics of the Republican nominee. All that comes before and after that moment will make the 2016 presidential race something most Americans have least expected it to be: one of the most religious political contests in U.S. history.

Makes Sanders' universalist Judaism seem almost agnostic, Deist at worst.

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1XAEwKi