Sarah Palin's Progress

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After Jimmy Carters 2nd term (Mr Obama) the majority of the American people, which are conservative in nature, will be ready for a strong, Ronald Reagan-like figure. Mrs Palin will be ready to fill that role.

Kevin of IL 3:15PM November 10, 2008

I supported Obama, but I wish Mrs. Palin the best. I really hope, though it sounds childishly optimistic, that McCain and Palin can work with Obama and that our country can stop being so divided.

Paul of SC 5:19PM November 07, 2008

Yes, Gov Palin can belt out a speech written for her, but does she have the where with all to WRITE a national speech on the issues? No.
She's beautiful, but America needs genius-intelligence. We're tired of leadership as entertainment. Yes, we need inspiration, but we need substance and direction too.
Mainly I don't like Palin because she repeated falsehoods incessantly until the press had to pound her to stop. Added to that she hippocratically labeled others socialist while she raised taxes on oil companies and refunded the surplus to Alaskans (isn't that socialism, raising taxes on one group for the benefit of others?). She screeched about cutting out earmarks while she'd just finished requesting the most earmark $$ per person than any other state. She said no to the bridge to nowhere, but kept the money and built a road to nowhere.
I trust what the McCain aids are warning us about her.

Karen of FL 10:21PM November 06, 2008

McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was as unfair to her as it was tohis own campaign. While she may or may not be a god governor she came across much of the time as both a trained GOP mynah bird and a total dingbat. People tended to zero in on her appearance as a "naughty librarian" which was further fueled by the release of photos of her in short skirts and other non-professional attire. Most of these were a total disaster for her political image.

Ray of AZ 7:54PM November 06, 2008

Did we ever find out who exactly were the sources of these rumors about Sarah Palin? "McCain insiders" could be anyone, including non-McCain insiders with an axe to grind. All of these rumors are petty and silly to me. It seems to me, people will say anything to belittle and mock you if you don't have the same idealogy as them. What happened to basic decency and respect. Why does Sarah Palin have to be bufooned to satisfy the people who resent her for being a strong women with definite opinions that are conservative. To me, that is the message the media is trying to send to anyone who dare step out and not be one of them. We all learned as children the pain of ridicule. Some call what took place this election "satire", I call it riducule of the worst kind, and if we really want "change" it has got to start with respect.

P. Wimberly of LA 6:17PM November 06, 2008

Every human being is given the capacity to believe whatever they are willing to stretch their minds to comprehend. Everyone subscribes to a "religion" whether it is based strictly in the belief of a worldly self that one day will one day expire forever and the logic of a Godless evolution, or whether it is based in the faith of a God that never fails us even when we think He has, who doesn't condemn us with fear for being one of His children that makes mistakes at times, and who promises that we will never die in spirit as long as we try the very best we can to follow Him - all because of His love for us.
Reading scripture has nothing to do with comprehending Gods meaning, and this meaning is what people need now more than ever before. If the world is "messed up" it is not due to a lack of belief in God it is due to a lack of faith in God. A propagation of understanding based on love and the principles of Gods truths and acceptance without the controlling devices of spiritual fear derived from logical realism and closed hearts.
There would be no knowledge of science to improve the quality of life without Gods working through the minds of those He has given the gifts to accomplish this purpose.
It is Gods will when we are to die but it is also His will for us to pursue His purpose for our lives before that time comes. There is nothing hypocritical or judgmental involved, being transparent however is necessary.
It is Gods will for people to find their own way, but not without help and support from people that have already found what He wants everyone to have. The process is based in spirit, love, and understanding. It is not based in fear, and the freedom to choose ones path must be inherent.
I will pray for you my friend, not because we disagree or because I believe I'm right or wrong about anything but simply because my faith tells me it is something that is the right thing to do everyone - flawed or not.
Gods Peace to you and to our country and world as we move forward-
Randy

Randy of IL 3:47PM November 06, 2008

Being introduced to the fundamentals of faith and Christianity at a young age is very important but not without also providing them with an atmosphere of Christian love and understanding that allows them to experience what they are learning. We all eventually must make our own decisions about our faith and life in general. Reason and intelligence have no direct correlation with control and manipulation unless something is purposely withheld. Teaching our children that everything in this world can be explained through intellectual reasoning will force them into state of thoughtlessness when they encounter all in this life that has been proven to be unexplainable through human logic.
Most religions are based on various documented facts and therefore not mere philosophy. Matters of faith and beliefs associated with religion are philosophy. For some, faith can be a complicated matter because it involves trusting and believing completely in something that can't be literally observed or objectively proven - only felt as another human sense which is purely known to exist without question.
To understand the philosophy of faith and to find its meaning one must be willing to let go of what they assume they already know and trust in something they hope to be true but believe not to be possible. It's the only way to clarify any confusion one might have with faith. Some of the world’s most brilliant men put aside their intellect to find a faith in Christ that meant everything to them. But you don't have to be brilliant to receive the gift of faith from God, in fact many who are intellectual struggle to obtain it because of a fear of letting go of worldly logic - even though they have nothing to lose by trying they feel they must remain in complete control - which is the one thing God wants a person to trust with Him. Faith in Christ is not complicated or confusing when someone is ready to let go, faith creates the opposite of narrow mindedness, and faith promotes the progression of reason and peace instead of hindering it regardless of a world that is filled with numerous ideals - all that is needed is to let go.
God won't try and push His will onto anyone, nor will He encourage someone else to. People don't need Gods love to obtain worldly success but He loves them more than they know whether they feel they need or want His love or not. People can believe in and care for themselves and others without having a relationship with God, He doesn't force anything on people but He is still always there and always ready to give a person His love.
People only know the history of faith/religion based on their interpretation of what they perceive to be true, and this perception is limited by the knowledge they have obtained and the experiences that they have personally been exposed to.

Randy of IL 3:45PM November 06, 2008

With regard to addiction, the term is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life. A person can develop a compulsive addiction to almost anything, and yes, it's not uncommon for a person with an addictive personality to trade one addiction for another, however, having an "addiction" to closely following the principles of a just and loving type of God wouldn't create harmful consequences and therefore wouldn't fit the definition of addiction for any individual.
The harmful and negative consequences arise when an addiction to the earthly aspects of life causes people of faith to stumble and walk both sides of the street at times. This causes others to become confused and judgmental about a persons faith in God. Harmful consequences also arise when a persons interpretation of God includes fear without forgiveness, perfection without sin, a love that is conditional, and a belief that achieving grace and a place in heaven is something we must (or can) earn instead of only a gift given to us by God..
If youth are growing away from organized religion because they have seen what it has done to the world then the organized religions that your research speaks of are to blame not God, and not the inherent desire for our youth to seek God and to live in/with the type of Christian faith that can change our world.
I agree that the concept of God is very powerful, powerful enough to change anyone's life for the good. Radical idealism holds that all we have is ideas in our minds and our task with these ideas should be to try and figure out and understand what is going on with them in our minds and the minds of others. Knowledge based in idealism is created only by our minds of which we can't use to resolve disagreements with because there is nothing to actually observe. But this argument doesn't work because becoming aware of the reality of God has nothing to do with the level of intellect a person may have, nor is there any lack for a reason to desire an understanding of something out there greater than ourselves...The philosophy of logic will always struggle to acknowledge that the gift and power of faith is not created by our minds.
Regarding evangelical idealism/terrorism - With the gift of faith in Christ there isn't a fear of the unknown. We are given free will to be responsible for our actions and though there self inflicted consequences that we are to learn from after committing sin, when we humbly ask Christ to forgive us for these sins we are completely forgiven them - there are no repercussions that God imposes for not controlling natural human emotions, we are very human and God knows it.

Randy of IL 3:43PM November 06, 2008

The harmful and negative consequences arise when an addiction to the earthly aspects of life causes people of faith to stumble and walk both sides of the street at times. This causes others to become confused and judgmental about a persons faith in God. Harmful consequences also arise when a persons interpretation of God includes fear without forgiveness, perfection without sin, a love that is conditional, and a belief that achieving grace and a place in heaven is something we must (or can) earn instead of only a gift given to us by God..
If youth are growing away from organized religion because they have seen what it has done to the world then the organized religions that your research speaks of are to blame not God, and not the inherent desire for our youth to seek God and to live in/with the type of Christian faith that can change our world.
I agree that the concept of God is very powerful, powerful enough to change anyone's life for the good. Radical idealism holds that all we have is ideas in our minds and our task with these ideas should be to try and figure out and understand what is going on with them in our minds and the minds of others. Knowledge based in idealism is created only by our minds of which we can't use to resolve disagreements with because there is nothing to actually observe. But this argument doesn't work because becoming aware of the reality of God has nothing to do with the level of intellect a person may have, nor is there any lack for a reason to desire an understanding of something out there greater than ourselves...The philosophy of logic will always struggle to acknowledge that the gift and power of faith is not created by our minds.
Regarding evangelical idealism/terrorism - With the gift of faith in Christ there isn't a fear of the unknown. We are given free will to be responsible for our actions and though there self inflicted consequences that we are to learn from after committing sin, when we humbly ask Christ to forgive us for these sins we are completely forgiven them - there are no repercussions that God imposes for not controlling natural human emotions, we are very human and God knows it.
Being introduced to the fundamentals of faith and Christianity at a young age is very important but not without also providing them with an atmosphere of Christian love and understanding that allows them to experience what they are learning. We all eventually must make our own decisions about our faith and life in general. Reason and intelligence have no direct correlation with control and manipulation unless something is purposely withheld. Teaching our children that everything in this world can be explained through intellectual reasoning will force them into state of thoughtlessness when they encounter all in this life that has been proven to be unexplainable through human logic.
Continued...

Randy of IL 3:39PM November 06, 2008

In Response
If there is faith in God then principles do in fact always begin with God regardless of your interpretation of what God is
Each person is given free will to believe in what their view of God is or isn't, or even if a God exists at all.
Christian faith does not teach us to "fear" a God that strikes His people down each time they sin against His principles. God knew that a sinful nature had become unavoidably ingrained in all of us long ago. Just as a loving and responsible father hurts terribly for their own children each and every time they have to teach them right from wrong by allowing them to learn through experiencing a difficult lesson or by teaching them through some form of punishment God was hurting terribly for His children also.
A loving and responsible father wants teach his children by setting an example that they can identify with, an example that proves his love and willingness to sacrifice for them in hopes that they will develop a desire to learn from his example and want to model themselves after him because of his love for them, God wanted to set this example for His children.
So God gave His children an example that they could identify with by coming to earth and living here through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus provided the example that proved Gods enormous love and His willingness to sacrifice greatly for His children. Not only did God provide the perfect example for all of us to learn from and want to model ourselves after, but because He sacrificed Himself for His children and their sins through the death of His son He also provided a way for us to overcome our sin and not live in fear when we fail to learn the lessons of right and wrong that He wants us to know and to follow for our own good because of His love for us.
Regarding George Bush/substance and trading addictions
Where does anyone obtain the substance that helps to create the balance and meaning for their life? Developing substance is necessary for us to acquire an understanding of who we are. Whether that substance evolves from only practical life experiences (both positive and negative) without having any reliance on a faith in God, or from those life experiences combined with some level of reliance on a spiritual relationship with God.
With regard to addiction, the term is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life. A person can develop a compulsive addiction to almost anything, and yes, it's not uncommon for a person with an addictive personality to trade one addiction for another, however, having an "addiction" to closely following the principles of a just and loving type of God wouldn't create harmful consequences and therefore wouldn't fit the definition of addiction for any individual.
Continued...

Randy of IL 3:37PM November 06, 2008