SFG75
Well-Known Member
Just started this one tonight and I have to say that so far, I'm very impressed. I definitely learned more about Carter's baptist faith. While I knew of the obvious inclination towards baptism by immersion and having the faithful do it at an age of consent as opposed to birth, I didn't know that each church was "independent" in decision making and that relied more on lay people rather than the strong hand of a minister. Carter outlines his personal faith and belief system that has guided his life and then departs into the contemporary American political scene, where separation of church and state and fundamentalism, have been turned on their heads, at least in the opinion of Carter.
Carter calls republican fundamentalism out on its complicity in welcoming the economics of the rich man and forgetting entirely about Lazarus. This can be seen in regards to debates about tax policy and the "controversy" of taxing those who earn money from investments, as opposed to those who actually work for it like a pipefitter or social worker. I did find it quite interesting how Carter squared away the abortion controversy. Such a matter is black and white to those who are against it, and I entirely see their resolve on this matter. Carter believes that a religious person represetns more than just themselves, God, and the faithful. That person represents the non-faithful and as a result, if public opinion wants a detestable issue to go their way, then the religious politican should bow to that. I didn't find the abortion argument to be all that convincing, but no one's perfect.
The issue of rigid fundamentalism is the dominant theme of this book. The Southern Baptist Convention has taken a very interesting road with the rise of leaders who make famous yearly pronouncements about women submitting to their husbands and the like, which garners more than a few chuckles where I live. Carter and his wife have disavowed the rigidity of the Southern Baptist Convention and no longer associate themselves with the Convention's exclusive nature which is more about politics than religion in their views.
I am a little surprised that Carter didn't see the change coming in regards to his own church and politics. A lot of church members have felt ignored and while economic issues are important, so are social issues. I don't believe that Carter fully understands how people can vote on tax break for the wealthy republcians who are pro-life and who reflect the social values of voters and not see a contradiction. In reality, i's no different than a regular voter supporting a blue-blooded, Harvard alum democrat in all reality. Same stripe-just different melon. This is a good book and really shows the political depth and thinking of one of our more intelligent presidents.
Carter calls republican fundamentalism out on its complicity in welcoming the economics of the rich man and forgetting entirely about Lazarus. This can be seen in regards to debates about tax policy and the "controversy" of taxing those who earn money from investments, as opposed to those who actually work for it like a pipefitter or social worker. I did find it quite interesting how Carter squared away the abortion controversy. Such a matter is black and white to those who are against it, and I entirely see their resolve on this matter. Carter believes that a religious person represetns more than just themselves, God, and the faithful. That person represents the non-faithful and as a result, if public opinion wants a detestable issue to go their way, then the religious politican should bow to that. I didn't find the abortion argument to be all that convincing, but no one's perfect.
The issue of rigid fundamentalism is the dominant theme of this book. The Southern Baptist Convention has taken a very interesting road with the rise of leaders who make famous yearly pronouncements about women submitting to their husbands and the like, which garners more than a few chuckles where I live. Carter and his wife have disavowed the rigidity of the Southern Baptist Convention and no longer associate themselves with the Convention's exclusive nature which is more about politics than religion in their views.
I am a little surprised that Carter didn't see the change coming in regards to his own church and politics. A lot of church members have felt ignored and while economic issues are important, so are social issues. I don't believe that Carter fully understands how people can vote on tax break for the wealthy republcians who are pro-life and who reflect the social values of voters and not see a contradiction. In reality, i's no different than a regular voter supporting a blue-blooded, Harvard alum democrat in all reality. Same stripe-just different melon.
This is a good book and really shows the political depth and thinking of one of our more intelligent presidents.