McCain's "Judeo-Christian Values" References Troubling

Boston Globe:

On a frozen winter evening at a Town Hall meeting in a school in the Manchester, N.H., suburbs, John McCain expressed surprise and irritation with an intelligence report downplaying the threat of Iran's nuclear program.

At the end of a long list of reasons to be suspicious of the Iranians, McCain declared: "And they sure don't share our Judeo-Christian values."

It seemed at the time to be an odd thing to say about a Muslim country. After all, even if there were no nuclear program, no oil, and no rabble-rousing president, Iran still wouldn't have Judeo-Christian values. And it's troubling to wonder if that alone would be a reason for suspicion.

Read the whole story: Boston Globe

Comments

[research]

07:54 PM on 08/23/2008

Fake Christians!

No Jesus Gospels for them,

Just revelations and the old testament!

[dadw5boys]

10:46 AM on 08/20/2008

Are Cristians so dumb as not to see a setup like the Saddleback event was?

Mc Cain has never spoken that well !!!!!!!!!

It is obvious the Cindy's MONEY IS AT WORK HERE !!!!!!!!!!!!

[genseric13]

10:42 AM on 08/20/2008

The new polls are in today. McCain has a 5 point lead. Obama should stick to reading speeches other people write rather then actually answering questions from American citizens.

[Doofus]

12:44 PM on 08/20/2008

Rasmussen: Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows Barack Obama attracting 45% of the vote while John McCain earns 42%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 46%...

[Doofus]

01:16 PM on 08/20/2008

Zogby: Released: August 20, 2008

Reuters/Zogby Poll: McCain Makes a Move, Takes 5-Point Lead Over Obama

Obama loses ground among Dems, women, Catholics & even younger voters

UTICA, New York – As Russian tanks rolled into the Republic of Georgia and the presidential candidates met over the weekend in the first joint issues forum of the fall campaign, the latest polling includes drama almost as compelling - Republican John McCain has taken a five-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama in the race for President, the latest Reuters/Zogby telephone survey shows.

McCain leads Obama by a 46% to 41% margin.

And McCain not only enjoys a five-point edge in a two-way race against Obama, but also in a four-way contest including liberal independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr, the poll reveals. In the four-way contest, McCain wins 44% support, Obama 39%, Barr 3% and Nader 2%. ...

[shelobo]

09:42 AM on 08/20/2008

Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits wrote that "Judaism is Judaism because it REJECTS Christianity, and Christianity rejects Judaism" while erasing continuities between them and other religions, especially other monotheistic faiths.Then theres Jewish theologian-novelist Arthur A. Cohen who questioned the theological appropriateness of the term and suggests that it was essentially an invention of American politics. I agree with Cohens suggestion.I seriously doubt McCain UNDERSTANDS the term when he so casually uses it to impress the confused Christians /Jews. Religion really should NEVER have been brought into the POLITICAL arena during this election, but it was and by ANTI-OBAMIANS ,when they tried to convince American VOTERS that Obama was a Muslim..heres a link to understanding a little more about this 'Judeo-Christian 'term and its use by POLITICANS ...http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=188

[Doofus]

04:33 PM on 08/20/2008

If judaism & christianity disagree on some precepts, are they 'rejecting' one another?

Obviously, politicians ought to steer clear of religious matters, taking the example
set by JFK to heart for example. But McCain is a deeply ignorant fellow, so what
would you expect? Either that, or he's out to con a few (million) voters.

The term Judeo-Christianity first appeared around 1900. Quite likely an invention
of protestant theologians. It was later taken up by American politicos as a way of
conflating American religiosity into a single more or less uniform lump.

[edwarvir]

09:21 AM on 08/20/2008

People living in glass houses should not throw stone.
It was not very christian like to throw Carol under the bus

[Triciann]

09:20 AM on 08/20/2008

I have found that only in the USA is the difference between Christianity and Judaism ignored. It's a huge difference. Jews do not believe that Jesus was the son of God and whereas in most countries the teachings of Christ, and hence the New Testament are seen as central to the Christian religion, this is not the case in America where much more emphasis is placed on the Old Testament which sets out the history, culture and religious beliefs of Jews. There are important ideas in the New Testament which differ significantly with the Old Testament.

I point this out not to cause division between Jew and Christian but to suggest that the idea of Judeo-Christian values as unique is somewhat delusional. There are values which are shared by Muslims and Christians, Muslims and Jews. Other religions also have certain shared values with Judaism and Christianity. McCain seems to be setting Jew and Christian against the rest of humanity.

[Doofus]

12:39 PM on 08/20/2008

There are historical reasons why protestant churches rely more on old testament scripture than the catholic church does. That's where judeo-christianity comes from. In the protestant view, the 'holy land' was not populated by jews, rather by pre-christians (like Charlton Heston & Debra Paget).

US culture has embraced an inclusive judeo-christianity as part of our world view. If it
happens that islam is excluded, that is in large part because modern islam generally
& vigorously rejects christian & jewish beliefs. Does it have to be this way? No, it doesn't.
This 'people of the book' notion could still work out, under the right circumstances.
Muslims *and* jews agree that Jesus was not divine, so there is still hope.

[helonias]

09:19 AM on 08/20/2008

A lying adulterer rich man who is not getting into the kingdom of heaven talking about Judeo-Christian Values

Now thats rich

[truegreen]

09:05 AM on 08/20/2008

McCain the adulterer and war criminal.

[SEQUOIABISON]

08:28 AM on 08/20/2008

I would assume the first criteria for preaching Judeo-Christian values is to have Judeo-Christian values, otherwise this is known as hypocrisy.

Publicly divorcing and humiliating your first wife disqualifies McCain from promoting moral values. Endorsing war instead of diplomacy does not resemble Christian values either.

Obama/Clark

For a return to sanity in government.

[Scott1560]

08:58 AM on 08/20/2008

Take the blinders off. With the exception of Goldwater, all of our candidates have played the Jesus ticket and Obama is no exception. And, of course, none of them practice strict Christian values depending upon the church you belong to and your personal beliefs & perceptions of the Bible.

Best to ignore the religious stuff because most of it is just another tool to swing voters.

[comacoma]

09:19 AM on 08/20/2008

"just another tool to swing voters"

Your comment is missing the words "poorly informed and willfully incurious". Please re-post and insert this phrase between "swing" and "voters".

[Puller58]

08:10 AM on 08/20/2008

McCain's handlers are trying to follow the Reagan playbook. Reagan was no Christian Bible thumper, but he played it like one of his movie roles. McCain's problem is that he's no actor, and can't quite convey sincerity. Only the true believers will buy it.

[goldnchyl]

08:50 AM on 08/20/2008

McBelieve is quite an actor, actually. How good of an actor? You be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lhomInJ7Pc&feature=related

Judging from his performance on Saturday night, he's been taking lessons.

[sparkandy]

07:47 AM on 08/20/2008

Oh, yeah. We need more 'Judeo Christian' values, since, along with Islam, these two religions have caused and still cause more misery than any other human institution in the history of the world.

[wanj]

07:29 AM on 08/20/2008

This looney scares me! He IS Bush on steroids but yet people continue to buy his BS!

[megacephalus]

06:42 AM on 08/20/2008

Sorry, but it's way past time to stop being blindly 'P.C.' and work to help ALL M sl ms relocate to a land where they'll feel culturally 'at home' without having to destroy the post-enlightenment West and the values we've fought for for many centuries!

[decibelJONES]

09:40 AM on 08/20/2008

Huh?!?
Did you just suggest RELOCATING all Muslims?
Slow down bub.

[adnmoh1]

09:54 AM on 08/20/2008

f u

[jubo]

06:02 AM on 08/20/2008

Indeed, it smacks of Armageddon banter.

[StillAmused]

04:02 AM on 08/20/2008

Someone tap the old boy on the shoulder... he's off the hook.