Do Democrats Get Religion?

The following article is a reprint from an op-ed piece in yesterday’s The Charleston Gazette newspaper written by Karl Priest, who also provided some content for the first AGC … article of the year. The article is posted with permission of the author.

Religion rules politics:

Democrats are seeking their own denomination

By Karl Priest, 12/31/2007

(Charleston, West Virginia) After the last Bush victory, Democrats think that the religious right is crucial to their success. However, evangelicals were not the main reason Kerry lost. Democrats would have won if they had not stirred up veterans and active-duty military personnel. Locally, the “Vets for Bush” group was founded by a Democrat and an Independent. They would have used “Vets against Kerry” signs had they not reasoned that passing motorists would mistake them as being pro-Kerry. Nationally, it is likely that most vets, like those in West Virginia, would classify themselves as Christians with various degrees of dedication. Had not Kerry brought them together their votes would have been distributed similar to the votes of nonvets. Many evangelicals are easily hoodwinked and a slick Democrat could have pulled enough of them over to seal a victory in 2004.

Democrats are now wisely featuring their newly found religion because this election will feature religion as never seen before. Religion has been a factor in previous presidential elections, sometimes more prominently (Kennedy and Carter, for example) than others. Currently, the religious views of the candidates are prominently featured in the media and this will continue until the final vote in 2008.

Only the willingly ignorant conservative Christian would be influenced by the pulpit positions of the Democrats. Of course, there are quite a few Christian conservatives who vote pocketbook over principle, hence the success of Clinton in two elections. The current Clinton is just a gender switch and there may be enough equivocating evangelicals to return her husband to office for a de facto eight-year term. Standing in her way is Obama.

No candidate would succeed from a church with a creed that said, “We are a congregation which is unashamedly white and unapologetically Christian. Our roots in the white religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are a European people, and remain true to our native land.” Replace “white” with “black” and “European” with “African” and you have the crux of Obama’s church statement. Racism applies to all skin shades. Enough said about the religious values of Democrats.

Republicans claim to be righteous.

Eliminating the obvious Democrat in Republican clothing — Giuliani — and eliminating McCain, who will only have a chance if Kerry returns, the three leading Republicans are all standing solidly on their religious convictions. Paul’s position on war (Iraq, Korea and Vietnam) is identical to the far left, so he will not be strongly supported by veterans. If Christians are educated on Mormon doctrine, there will be a sizable amount who will not vote for Romney. That leaves Huckabee, who already is waving a peace flag toward Democrats, much like Bush did to the consternation of conservatives. Baptist Huckabee will likely be the Republican version of Baptist Carter.

If “Christian Democrat” is an oxymoron, then “Compromiser Republican” is redundant.
Christians have settled for the “lesser evil” not thinking that the outcome is still “evil.” Conservatives have settled for candidates slightly less liberal than a Democrat. Both voting blocs want a winner even if he is 90 percent liberal compared to the 99 percent liberal Democrat. Republicans have controlled the White House and Congress long enough to have ended abortion and blocked the threat to traditional marriage. Republicans failed. Electing Republican pseudo-conservative has been almost a total waste of votes.

There is a candidate who is not the lesser evil, is 0 percent liberal, and will not compromise his beliefs.

Recently I heard Alan Keyes speak at a conference in Ohio. I witnessed this Catholic black man keep the 98 percent white, 100 percent evangelical audience enthralled. Keyes spoke for about 55 minutes without any notes. His brilliance and oratorical skills are second to none. Afterwards, he spent hours with the common folks who wanted to meet him and proved to be a very humble man.

Keyes has a Ph.D. from Harvard, has served as a college president, is knowledgeable of several foreign languages, and is the author of a number of books. He spent 11 years with the U.S. State Department in the U.S. Foreign Service and on the staff of the National Security Council. He was Reagan’s assistant secretary of state for international organizations and served as ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Most importantly, Keyes is unequivocally pro-life, pro-family and has not compromised in order to gain political advantage.

Everyone, even an ardent atheist, makes decisions based upon their individual religious point of view. The time has come for Christians, conservatives and blacks (not that there is a separation of the three categories) to take a stand for a man that is 100 percent conservative, black and Christian.

True religion demands nothing less.

Priest, of Poca (West Virginia), is a retired teacher and state coordinator of Exodus Mandate-West Virginia, a group that promotes Christian education and homeschooling.