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Links on R&P from around the web
Gospel According to Joe
posted on November 1, 2012For The American Spectator, George Neumayr analyzes Joe Biden’s beliefs about the relationship between faith and politics, comparing the vice president’s views to the actions of the Obama administration. Neumayr finds both positions to be hypocritical. He writes, “According to Biden, religion doesn’t belong in politics, but it is okay to insert politics into religion.”
Read at The American Spectator
Looking for an Undecided Voter? Check the Pulpit
posted on November 1, 2012While only four percent of all likely voters remain undecided, 22 percent of Protestant pastors have not yet chosen a candidate, reports Daniel Burke at Religion News Service. Burke considers the various explanations for this large percentage. Kenneth Swetland, a senior professor of ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachussets, stated, “Pastors are very sensitive to criticism, If I had a hunch, it would be that they are not undecided. They just aren’t declaring who they are going to vote for.”
The Alan Dershowitz Syndrome
posted on November 1, 2012At Tablet, Lee Smith considers the endorsements of Jewish leaders for President Obama. While many of the leaders were outspoken critics of Obama’s policies towards Israel, Smith believes that their endorsements are based on the idea that doing so will help the Jewish state in the long run: “[The] old guard seems to believe that while Obama isn’t great for Israel, backing him is good for the health of the [Democratic] party and the Jewish state.”
Sistine Chapel Ceiling at 500: The Vatican’s Dilemma
posted on November 1, 2012Alan Johnston of the BBC reviews the debate over whether or not to limit the number of visitors to the Sistine Chapel, 500 years after the completion of Michelangelo’s frescoes. Some believe that the horde of tourists is degrading the art: “[The] room has become a victim of its own fame and magnificence,” writes Johnston.
The Making of Mitt Romney: A Look At His Faith Journey
posted on October 31, 2012At CNN, Jessica Ravitz chronicles Mitt Romney’s evolving role in the Mormon Church and how he has dealt with his religious beliefs during his presidential bid. During this election, Romney has attempted to liken himself to John F. Kennedy. Kennedy “was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president,” Romney said. “Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion.” Romney has tried to keep his beliefs off the campaign trail, saying that, “no candidate should become the spokesman for his faith,” declaring that if he was elected president, he would “serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest.”
Short Shrift in a Long Campaign
posted on October 31, 2012The editors of The Christian Century write that while there has been a lot of talk of the middle class, poverty has rarely been discussed. Also despite the huge amount of media attention that gun violence and gun control has received, especially following two recent mass shootings, the issue has not come up in the presidential race. “Gun violence, our neighbors in poverty, a planet in peril—these are large, disturbing topics that are risky to talk about. It is a failure of democratic politics when candidates don’t even try.”
The Jews of Cuyahoga County
posted on October 31, 2012At The New York Times, Roger Cohen writes about the complicated choice that some Jews in Ohio will have to make Election Day. While many are reluctant to support President Obama, due to what some in the Jewish community see as his questionable support of Israel, they are also reluctant to support Josh Mandel, a Republican Jew running for Senate, due to his conservative social beliefs. Some believe they “know exactly what Romney and Mandel represent: an obscurantist and invasive threat to their rights in the name of a God whose wishes these men presume to know.” While others, including Robert Goldberg, a former chairman of United Jewish Communities, believe that “The president has no sympathy for Israel. His sympathy is for the Muslim world he knew as a child.”
Hajj: Time for Muslim Reflection
posted on October 31, 2012At The Washington Post, Arsalan Iftikhar profiles this year’s Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which millions Muslims come from all over the world to make each year. Iftikhar explains that the most basic message of the Hajj is complete equality. People of all backgrounds come together to wear the same clothes and pray the same prayers. “As over 1.57 billion Muslims around the world celebrate the completion of the 2012 pilgrimage in Mecca, let us take a minute to remember those who are less fortunate than us; including an injured Pakistani schoolgirl and millions of innocent civilians in Syria who are dying needlessly around the world,” Iftikhar reflects.
Mitt Romney in 2011: ‘We Cannot Afford’ Federal Disaster Relief
posted on October 31, 2012At The Atlantic, Garance Franke-Ruta analyzes a transcript from a 2011 Republican presidential primary debate in which Mitt Romney stated that, in regards to disaster relief, “We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts.” However, in the wake of the mass devastation of Hurricane Sandy, a spokesperson for the Romney campaign said, “Romney wants to ensure states … have the resources and assistance they need to cope with natural disasters.”
Mitt’s Bid: Would His Loss Crush Mormon Backers?
posted on October 31, 2012At The Salt Lake Tribune, Thomas Burr profiles a group of devout Mormons who believe that Mitt Romney’s presidential bid signifies more than politics. Burr reports that Candace Salima, a Republican and Mormon, “says a Romney loss would be painful for more than just Mormons, but notes the sting may hurt most for the faithful who believe the U.S. Constitution is divinely inspired.” Burr also writes that some Mormons believe that Mitt Romney’s presidency could help to fufill the belief that Mormons will play a major role in saving the world.