This is interesting. ABC was criticized in the last Democratic debate asking questions that pertained to Barack Obama's associations and character instead of pure "issues". So the question is: Are these valid questions? Is it important that voters know and care about a candidate's character and core beliefs, or are all these questions just distractions away from the issues? Here's one Opinion on that topic: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/...08/04/25/the_distractions_of_obamas_character
One's character and core beliefs will guide how they respond to future issues beyond what is happening today. These are truely important items that need to be understood. Jamie
On a similar front.... This is another area that the separation between church and state clouds things. There is a difference between someone's beliefs/morality/core values and his/her religion.. if they in fact have a religion. So would people people feel the same way about two candidates with the exact same platform if one was a Catholic and one was an atheist?
I don't base my judgments of core beliefs on which religion someone is, just what they stand for and what their moral compass uses to give them direction. For example.. Jimmy Carter is a very devout Christian but I wouldn't follow him down the street. I consider him one of the worst Presidents we've had in years, including the current resident. OK.. yeah he got the peace accord while he was in office, and that lasted what 5 years? He in turn left us with the Iran Hostage incident and the screwed up rescue attempt. He gave us outrageous interest rates and run away inflation. Ran the economy right into the ground. Now he's off play kissy face with Hamas. Even the rabbits don't like him. So I'm looking at how people view the world a lot more than how thick their glasses are. Jamie
I think you raise an excellent point and is a bit more probative than the original question & requires one to look deeper than the "face value" of a person. The problem with judging someone because of a particular affiliation that they may have and ignoring other aspects of that persons true moral fiber is that you never allow yourself to meet the true person. You see the wrapping paper, but have no real knowledge what is actually inside the box. You end up making surface judgments and conclusions about the person based upon assumptions and speculation. For example, a person can call themselves a "Christian" and attend a service every day of their lives, but that does not make them a christian. There are millions of christians in name only. Without taking the time to peel back the wrapping paper to see what is actually inside, you really have no clue as to what's on the inside that drives that person. So as to your ultimate question regarding 2 people with the same platform and having 2 different stances on religion, I'd ignore the religious label and look for the persons true inner moral compass. You sometimes cannot find it no matter how hard you look, but I wouldn't use the labels that they have chosen as my guide. Michelle
