If you were hiring a body guard wouldn't you want the meanest, scariest son of a bitch you could find?

The movie "Pitch Black" had a relevant theme. A ship carrying regular passengers also contains a prisonor who is a cold-bloodied murderer. When the ship crash lands on a planet, suddenly the murderer goes from being worthless scum to the necessary and needed crazy murduring son of a bitch who can save the other passengers from an onslaught of murdering alien life forms.

Those 48% see the republicans as mean and crazy enough to do anything to protect them, not realizing tough talk hides stupidty and cowardice, and in the end is actually a greater source of danger then the purported enemy.

I would want a scary son of a bitch for a body-guard, but I would also like to know he would be sensible, discreet, rational and listen to and take direction. In other words not be a stupid crazy fuk like Bush who starts dumb ass wars for no sane reason.

Sure it sounds dumb, but it is on purpose.

When Bush invaded Iraq he was given false facts on the intelligence, right? And if this torture cover-up blows up, Bush can always state "I went with the facts I had, which were false. I was given false facts. I'm still a great guy, none of this is my fault."

What I wish Bush would say and which is closer to the "true facts" is, "Once we get our false facts all lined up and in order, we will communicate them to you as expeditiously as possible."

“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

According to the religious right monster, the full interpretation requires some explaining and really means, "Render onto God all that is Caesars - and oh by the way I am the Oh-fficial representive of God, fully charged to manage all of Caesars stuff on the behalf of God. Thank you very much".

This obviously self-serving and self-annointing interpretation precludes reflection. Maybe Jesus thought a persons material wealth and power isn't worth shit compared to what a persons real treasure is. Caesar obviously claimed dibs on all wealth and power in his field of vision. What does God claim, what does a person have that God has claimed his own? Political power? Republican voting record? Good stock portfolio? Rush Limbaugh pen set?

"These truth claims likewise are intended to be disseminated, evaluated, and seriously debated in the public arena, with the hope that those claims which have the most merit will be essentially influential upon all." - DeaconBlues

Disseminating, evaluating, and debating religious concepts in the public arena of religion is fine. (Even though debating beliefs can easily descend into the ridiculous) Disseminating, evaluating, and debating religious concepts in the public arena of politics is distasteful, if not disgusting. Do you really want to debate whether God is a Democrat or a Republican? Who does God love more Hillary or Giuliani? Does this work in sports to? How about God loves the Yankees because they won the most championships? Are the Patriots one of the most dominating teams ever because God favors Bill Belichick?

Yeah, there's the issue right there. And get this clear, because you are dense about this to an extreme. It’s not about your religion or faith - nobody is against your religious views just because they may not give a shit about them. We do not have to care about your religious views, we do not have to share them. We do have to share our political leaders.

Religions...

Are a mental disease. -- johnnyrandom

I no more can prove the existence of God then you can dis-prove it. I have watched debates between atheists and the religious and it is theater of the absurd. It's like arguing how far is up. I am not talking about proving a negative. You stated that before death and after life there is nothing. Can you prove this? Because nobody knows is not proof. There is general agreement about infinity such as numbers can go on "forever". But how do we know? Isn't it just not being able to get to the end or know the end that proves infinity? You are right though in that the "not knowing" leaves the door open to every kind of windbag, charlatan, hypcrite, liar and crook but it also leaves the door open for many people to something much greater than that.

Anyways I more believe being human is the mental disease. As you state just look at history, plenty of insanity there with and without religion. And if I look at my own life and all of the people around me, or the comments on this board, well it's the same story - a bunch of troubled human beings doing the best they can to rise above the disease.

That atheists are descriminated against is despicable, I don't know if returning the favor in kind helps though.

Hitler advocated Christianity, thus Christianity is bad? Y'know, he built the Autobahn. Should we scrap America's highway and freeway systems? He was also a vegetarian -- maybe we should get rid of all of them, too.

Schmuck. -- aeschylus

No one gave a shit about Romneys religion in massachusettes where he was governor, because gee whiz maybe in this great country religion is still a personal choice and you don't need to express your fukkin religion to apply for a job.

These guys have MADE IT AN ISSUE. THEY WANT THE LITMUS TEST, they know a significant part of their base NEEDS A LITMUS TEST. And it's all bullshit. The point is since you missed it is that being a Christian or "believing" in Christ does not automatically make you a good leader, or in any manner or shape all good.

Schmuck my ass.