What's with all the religious rhetoric in politics?

[CTLawGuy]

http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/10780387.htm

This article is about a S.D. House bill that would repeal the Death Penalty being voted down.

I'll post some of the arguments in the article
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"The measure's main sponsor, Rep. Gerald Lange, D-Madison, said it makes no sense for people to oppose abortion but support execution. Those who consider themselves pro-life should respect life from conception through natural death, he said.

Lange said such decisions on vengeance should be left to God.

"The master 2005 years ago said revenge is not for us. It is for the Father in heaven," Lange said."
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"Lnge and other opponents of the death penalty said that while the Old Testament called for executing criminals, Jesus never endorsed the death penalty.

"A life for a life is Old Testament," Lange said."
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Note, this is a DEMOCRATIC politician arguing against the Death Penalty.

I find it remarkable. I'm from CT and even the REPUBLICANS don't use so much religious rhetoric.

Is this common in the "Heartland"?

[Maraya1969]

1. Maybe they are using that type of rhetoric so they can sling

it back in the faces of the hypocritical "Bush religion" Perhaps the end justifies the means.

[CTLawGuy]

3. maybe

but do you know whether its common to do this?

I remember seeing a 2002 debate between then-senator Tim Hutchinson and now-senator Mark Pryor in Arkansas. Every other word out of their mouths were "Jesus," "God," "bible".

It was kinda freightening.

[illflem]

2. 'Let me take the speck

out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye"

[frankly_fedup2]

4. I don't know about the Heartland; however, religion and politics . . .

will always have a small thread separating them from each other.

Hitler used the Catholic Church and had Pope Pius XII pretty much sell his soul to the Devil. They called Pius "Hitler's Pope."

Hitler succeeded because he used religion with politics . . . much like what is sitting in the White House as we speak.

His Nazi soldiers wore a belt buckle that had the Nazi Motto on it. It said . . . "Gott mit uns" or "God with us"

We have "In God We Trust" on our money . . . hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Hitler said there was his "Public Religion" and his "Private Religion."

Sound like anyone we know?????

[grumpy old fart]

5. Yep, we continue to tumble to a thocracy....but tell that to the sheeple..

they don't understand that the hate spewing preacher in their fundie church on Sunday is no different than the Mullahs they ridicule....

[Colorado Blue]

6. Ah - wasn't Jesus BORN 2005 years ago? If so he was

one precocious baby. To have been declaiming on vengeance and all from the cradle I mean:)

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. I've lived in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

And it certainly wasn't common then. But I've been in NC for 15 years, and things might have changed.

It think it's cultural expectations. In the NE, the expectation is that your religion is your business, and mine is my business. Don't ask, don't tell. In much of the midwest, the expectation is that you don't talk about it because it's just plain rude. In the south, the expectation is that you wear your faith on your sleeve -- besides, if you don't talk about it you might be mistaken for that low-class trash that the rest of the country thinks all southerners are.

I'm frankly surprised to see that coming from SD, but not surprised to hear it coming from a Dem. It's not a bad tactic to frame arguments that way in a state that regularly goes red.

[kwassa]

8. The Catholic church opposes the death penalty, but conservative

Catholics do not.

Liberal Catholics use contraception, and don't support the death penalty. Neither side is following the Vatican, exactly.

[StClone]

9. I started a post about Religion in media and politics

Religion is hot now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1550342&mesg_id=1550342