another republican hypocrite using god to pander to the people. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas went on the air with televangelist James Robison and declared that our current economic malaise is God's will and he's putting us through this to bring us back to Biblical principles. http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2011/06/perry_economic_crisis_is_gods.php
I think god is angry that perry keeps using his name but isn't donating enough Perry's church giving falls below average Since 2000, governor has donated half a percent to religious groups AUSTIN â Gov. Rick Perry has never been shy about putting his faith on display, from speeches at prayer breakfasts to his 2005 signing of abortion restrictions into law at a church school's gym to inviting the nation's governors to a prayer meeting at Reliant Stadium that some are calling "Prayer-a-palooza." But when it comes time to giving, the governor doesn't come close to the biblical guidance of tithing. From 2000, when Perry became governor, through 2009, he earned a total of $2.68 million, according to his tax records. Of that amount, he gave about half a percent to churches and religious organizations, or $14,243. By comparison, Americans averaged gifts of nearly 1.2 percent of their income to churches and religious groups from 2004 to 2008, according to Empty Tomb Inc., an Illinois-based research firm specializing in U.S. church-giving trends. "He's going to have a hard time with this. While that may be acceptable for someone who does not aspire to leadership, evangelicals get very concerned when their leaders don't walk the talk," said Michael Lindsay, incoming president of Gordon College and author of Faith in the Halls of Power. Perry declined an interview request by the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News to discuss his views on prayer, personal religious observance and charitable giving. "He never talks about his faith," Perry spokesman Mark Miner said. In a prepared statement, deputy press secretary Catherine Frazier said: "Governor Perry agrees tithing is important and what he has given to the church should not be discounted. Additionally, tithing is only one aspect of a person's faith, and the personal decision of each family. "Governor Perry has followed his words with action regarding his own faith, having taken many opportunities to stand up for people of faith and promote values important to the church, including signing legislation that protects religious expression, protects unborn life and promotes adoption." Presidential bid? Perry's leading role in organizing a national day of prayer and fasting on Aug. 6 in Houston is taking the governor's Christian faith further into the public square. And it opens him up to closer scrutiny, particularly since he is considering a presidential run and has scheduled the prayer gathering one week before the Iowa Republican straw poll. Perry's Reliant Stadium prayer gathering "just automatically raises deep questions for thoughtful citizens about what is he up to?" said the Rev. William K. McElvaney, a retired Dallas-area United Methodist minister and professor emeritus of preaching and worship at Southern Methodist University. People serve their faith in many ways, he emphasized, adding that a person of Perry's means could contribute significantly - if he wanted. "I can forgive him for that if he were really strong on public policy from a faith standpoint," McElvaney said. "If his public policy really showed care and support for our children and single mothers and aging people and all the most vulnerable people .... that Jesus Christ was most concerned about. "If he would encourage public policy in that direction, then I would be less interested in how much he gives, although I wouldn't say it's totally irrelevant," he said. "The influence comes through the public policy issues, and when that doesn't square with one's faith, then, yeah, it ought to raise some very deep questions for the public." No housing expenses The Internal Revenue Service keeps taxpayer donations by income groups. The most recent tax year for which those statistics are available is 2008. Perry fell into the $200,000 to $500,000 adjusted gross income bracket that year. Perry's family income is somewhat distorted because taxpayers cover his housing expenses, including utilities and food - leaving him with more disposable income than others in his income bracket. The average cash charitable contribution from U.S. taxpayers in his income bracket was $6,529. Perry gave $2,998 in cash to charity in 2008 - not including a pay raise from the Legislature that his staff said he would donate to charity instead of keeping. The governor's pay jumped from $115,000 to $150,000 after legislative action in 2007. In the 2008 tax year, he gave $34,988 to charity from that pay raise - $9,996 each to March of Dimes; Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (where his wife is a $65,000-a-year consultant), and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation; and $5,000 to the Mansion Restoration project. The following year, the amount of money that went to charity from his raise dropped to $20,000. Below-average giving Perry has said he grew up a United Methodist and has previously affiliated with Tarrytown United Methodist Church. But he regularly attends Lake Hills Church, Frazier said, where he started going not long after he and his family moved out to West Austin in the wake of the fire at the Governor's Mansion and ongoing restoration project. Perry did not report any contribution to Lake Hills in 2009. The largest church contribution during Perry's stint as governor came in 2008 when he gave Lake Hills $2,850 from an adjusted gross income of $277,667. Looking at Perry's giving to churches since becoming governor in 2000, it falls below the national average of 1.2 percent recorded by Empty Tomb between 2004-2008. In 2008, Vice President Joe Biden, a Roman Catholic, faced criticism when his tax records for the past decade showed he gave an average of $369 or 0.2 percent of his yearly income to charities. Voters expect politicians to keep up a cultural duty to be philanthropic, said Lindsay, based on a standard of shared, community responsibility. As a self-described, committed Christian, Perry is expected to espouse the same biblical instruction to tithe regularly and give generously for charitable causes as peers in the evangelical community. "It suggests that at least in terms of financial giving," Linsday said, "biblical teachings don't seem to weigh very heavily on the governor's action." Staff writer Peggy Fikac contributed to this report. Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/new/7607414.html#ixzz1PT38cPOa
Stupid move. This is not the 1920's with Billy Sunday. I do not take issue with the fact that the US has lost it's course, which it has, but I don't want the revival tent coming out of DC or anywhere else government is involved.
I find it odd that your critique of religion and religious establishments has never included our current presidents church, which he attended for decades, and the teachings of their pastor- Reverend Jerimiah Wright. As I'm sure you're aware, Wright has many teachings that make most any Republican's beliefs seem rather moderate and benign. For example, Jerimiah Wright's claim that September 11th attacks were acts of god, or that America was being punished by god for it's treatment of black people. Why is it that your scathing critique of religion is only ever aimed at white republicans. Why have you never even so much as mentioned Obama's reverend of 20 years, despite the fact that his claims are far more absurd than any claim made by a republican regarding faith. One might get the impression that you are biased and partial...
pay attention: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201670&highlight=obama+superstition
Yep, that thread was about Obama's suggestion that people pray, not about the teachings of the church where he was a member for 20 years, the teachings of jeramiah wright. Why have you not authored countless threads on that given the "wealth" of the material? Why do you not critique the mainline churches: Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic which lean overwhelmingly left? Why do you not critique any of the deranged and barbaric practices advocated in the Islamic religion? No, you seem to be solely interested in the critique of the religion of conservatives, not the (same) religious beliefs of the mainline christian churches which lean overwhelmingly left, or islam... just conservatives. Why is that?
obama hasnt belonged to that church for two years dumass. besides rev write is no more crazy than half the preachers in america. you arent very bright. ask jem, a catholic, how much i have spared the catholic church.
Of course, Obama had to withdraw membership from the church when it came out what kind of bat shit craziness was preached in it. He had to for his public image. Rev Wright makes most evangelical preachers look comatose. Yet, you never critique Obama's 20 year membership in such a deranged organization, even by church standards! No, you give Obama (and most democrats) a free pass. They get protected. You just USE religion as a means to criticize republicans. It shows how biased and intellectually bankrupt your childish little crusade is.
=============== Good question/excellant question.,Art Interesting discussion, because the USA is actually many states/regions, so blessings or non blessedness maybe quite complex????? Some , [certainly not all ,but some] reasons USA is blessed is somewhat unusual- He that witholdeth the corn the people curse him; but blessings are on the head of him who selleth it.Prov11;26KJV Checked a good volume[July] corn chart-theyre selling corn . ====================================
Just throw the church stuff out. We don't care! it's you 'family value' nit-wits who try to 'out-Christian' each other. I criticize all the dumba$$e$ who think religion matters in this day and age.