Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite's hatred and bigotry
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, the (thankfully) former President of the Chicago Theological Seminary, is promoting a religious litmus test for Presidential candidates and revealing her deep bigotry towards people who don't share the same faith as she does. Her latest post on the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog should put her comfortably in the company of other bigots like David Duke and Louis Farrakhan. Maybe that's overstating it a bit... Duke and Farakhan have an audience (however small) that takes them seriously while nearly no one knows who Thistlethwaite is or cares what she thinks.She starts off this week's post with...
"Wives be subject to your husbands, as unto the Lord." So says the Christian scriptures in Ephesians, 5:22. What I would like to know, first of all, is who is going to have the final authority as Vice-President if Sarah Palin is elected, Palin or her husband? In fact, I think the first order of business with Palin is to ask her to give the same kind of speech that was demanded of John F. Kennedy re his Catholicism. Kennedy said he would obey the Constitution over the Pope. Will Palin obey the Constitution over her husband?
Palin, the presumptive Republican vice-presidential candidate, belongs to an Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. Members of the Assemblies of God believe that the Bible in its entirety is verbally inspired by God, is the revelation of God to humanity and is "the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct." That means, in a literal reading of scripture, that the authority in the Palin family rests with her husband.
The "evangelical base" who are reported to be so "energized" by Palin's nomination as vice-president need to ante up here. Do they believe in the literal word of scripture or not? And if they believe in the literal word of scripture, then they need to demand that the we vet not only Sarah Palin, but more importantly, her husband, Todd Palin. Todd, by the way, works for British Petroleum.
Thistlethwaite's post, however, reflects the type of bigotry that should be rejected by people of all faiths.
Some people have rightfully questioned Palin's level of experience but she does have a track record of leadership (however small). It is completely fair to examine what role her faith plays in the decisions she makes as a leader and it is completely fair to wonder if, in her time as a Mayor or as a Governor, there ever been a question or a concern about her husband's role in her decision making? I searched the internet thoroughly this morning and amid the rumors circulating out there, I couldn't find a single example of her husband exercising any authority over his wife in their personal or public lives. None. Since Thistlethwaite doesn't cite any examples, I'm assuming she doesn't know of any examples either... and this is where she crosses the line into bigotry.
Without reason or reference, Thistlethwaite is applying her biased interpretation of Palin's faith and using it as a litmus test that the public should use to evaluate her qualifications. By her own admission, Thistlethwaite has aligned herself with the same anti-Catholic bigots of the 60's who, without merit, unfairly questioned Kennedy's allegiance to the constitution.
I encourage you to read Thistlethwaite's whole post. It is clear reflection of an angry person who has been swallowed up by her own hatred and bigotry.
4 Comments:
commented by 
David, 6:50 PM
David, 6:50 PM
Now there are apparently three people who care.
I don't know about "hatred"--but bigoted-- yeah.
I would add "unhinged."
It shows a slightly larger vocabulary and avoids profanity, but otherwise it could be a post on any number of extremist hard left sites.
No concern for facts, no comprehension of either the person she writes about or her beliefs.
Just an unhinged, angry, demonizing and fearful rant.
An embittered small town mayor, clinging to her religion- and several of REALLY BIG guns.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
BOOO!
I don't know about "hatred"--but bigoted-- yeah.
I would add "unhinged."
It shows a slightly larger vocabulary and avoids profanity, but otherwise it could be a post on any number of extremist hard left sites.
No concern for facts, no comprehension of either the person she writes about or her beliefs.
Just an unhinged, angry, demonizing and fearful rant.
An embittered small town mayor, clinging to her religion- and several of REALLY BIG guns.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
BOOO!
Not holding my breath for a similar discertation on Catholic Joe Biden's comments that life begins at conception, but that killing that life is an acceptable choice that he's comfortable with.
Ditto Nancy Pelosi's comments that the Catholic church doesn't really know when life begins.
Ditto X10 Obama and his support of infanticide in Chicago as a state Senator.
Hypocrits.
Ditto Nancy Pelosi's comments that the Catholic church doesn't really know when life begins.
Ditto X10 Obama and his support of infanticide in Chicago as a state Senator.
Hypocrits.
Susan Thistlethwaite is certainly not doing any favors to the UCC she serves. She actually sounds the same or worse than the far-left VICIOUS blogs trying to destroy this fine woman, with lies. Susan says the same things as the hatefilled, bitter and angry feelings about Palin I've seen on the blogs, and elsewhere.
Funny thing though -- it seems as though the more Palin is trashed, the stronger she gets, and the more support she receives. Shucks - an 80% approval rating in her home state, regarding her service as Governor? I'm feeling that the left, including Miss Susan, are bitterly angry, and just plain don't know what to do. Their "messiah" certainly has not been the same since the primaries. The young people I know who were once psyched about Obama, say that "he scares me and I don't know why." Hillary supporters I know are voting for McCain, partially because they hated the way the media treated Hillary during the primaries, and how they are going after Palin now.
Fact is, Palin is a breath of fresh air to conservatives, and she has awakened the conservative base. Could it be that a sleeping giant has awakened? I haven't seen this much excitement and support in the Republican Party since Reagan.
Those bent on trashing Palin, are shooting themselves in the foot. This is going to backfire, most certainly. Pity.
Funny thing though -- it seems as though the more Palin is trashed, the stronger she gets, and the more support she receives. Shucks - an 80% approval rating in her home state, regarding her service as Governor? I'm feeling that the left, including Miss Susan, are bitterly angry, and just plain don't know what to do. Their "messiah" certainly has not been the same since the primaries. The young people I know who were once psyched about Obama, say that "he scares me and I don't know why." Hillary supporters I know are voting for McCain, partially because they hated the way the media treated Hillary during the primaries, and how they are going after Palin now.
Fact is, Palin is a breath of fresh air to conservatives, and she has awakened the conservative base. Could it be that a sleeping giant has awakened? I haven't seen this much excitement and support in the Republican Party since Reagan.
Those bent on trashing Palin, are shooting themselves in the foot. This is going to backfire, most certainly. Pity.
Except you, apparently. :)