Are you having trouble keeping up with the religiosity of the presidential candidates? Don’t worry. Beliefnet.com has a tongue-in-cheek “God-o-Meter” to help you keep track. It assigns a zero-to-10 rating (with a low score considered “secularist” and a high score a “theocrat”) based on such measures as the rate of God-talk and its effectiveness. “Saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn’t guarantee a high rating,” the Web site explains.
As of Wednesday, the candidate with the highest score (nine) was a Democrat — Barack Obama. Two other Democrats — Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton — and three Republicans — John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney — had the next highest score (eight). Sam Brownback and several other candidates scored a seven. The candidate with the lowest rating (three) was Democrat Chris Dodd.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- SolDevVB on Open thread 11/24
- Phantom on Open thread 11/24
- sursum on Open thread 11/24
- SolDevVB on Open thread 11/24
- donndublin on Open thread 11/24
- DavidB on Open thread 11/24
- DavidB on Open thread 11/24
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/24
- KSGolfnut on Whose ‘unchecked spending’?
- outlander on Open thread 11/24
57 Comments
Bush, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin all believed in god too, but that doesn’t make them a qualified candidate. So why does all this talk about god belief really matter in an election? Would Fred Phelps be a better leader because he believes in god whereas Rep. Pete Stark doesn’t?
The Democratic party needs to figure out how to knock off the Corporotista, Hillary Clinton.
The grassroots and the national party need to pressure the seven dwarves to get the hell out of the way so that an Obama or an Edwards can emerge or team up to take her down.
The last thing we need is a President that comes with a pre-loaded set of negatives for the reich-wing (some of them well-earned) to seize upon.
Enough with the dynasties and the Washington insiders.
Which is worse for America: bush or terrorists?
Posted by: i’d say bush
Which is best for the terrorists: Bush or Bin Laden
Bush, other Muslims just hate Bin Laden but they don’t hate him enough to want to blow up some Americans.
You mean Brownback failed to score a perfect 10? Now, what sin did he commit? :)
Now I know there is MSM bias.
Huckabee is an ordained Baptist Minister for pete’s sake.
They planned 911, the Cole Attack etc. long before Bush.
Terrorists just want to kill our way of life………….period.
They planned 911, the Cole Attack etc. long before Bush.
Terrorists just want to kill our way of life………….period.
Posted by: it’s your choice
YOU’RE AN IDIOT TO BELIEVE THAT NEO-CON CRAP.
THEY DON’T LIKE US BECAUSE WE ARE FREE AND OUR WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL AND WE DRIVE NICE CARS AND WE HAVE A NICE HIGHWAY SYSTEN… ETC.
YEAH RIGHT.
THEY WANT TO KILL US BECAUSE FOR DECADES WE HAVE GONE INTO THEIR COUNTRIES AND KILLED THEM.
WE PROPPED UP VICIOUS DICTATORS WHO HAD DEATH SQUADS SUPPLIED BY US.
GOD, YOU CONS ARE A DUMB BUNCH OF PEOPLE.
Now I know there is MSM bias.Huckabee is an ordained Baptist Minister for pete’s sake.Posted by: Kansas
GOD YOU ARE REALLY DUMB.
A RECENT POLL SHOWED THAT THE “MEDIA BIAS” IN THIS COUNTRY IS OVER 60% CONSERTIVE AND RIGHT WING .
NOT THAT THE ABOVE STORY HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH MSM BIAS.
“Beliefnet.com has a tongue-in-cheek “God-o-Meter””
“tongue-in-cheek”
GET IT ??
IT’S A JOKE.
HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU SPEND IN THE MILITARY ?
NO WONDER OUR COUNTRY IS SO SCREWED UP.
The Republicans have always argued that they are the party of God and that God only endorses Republicans. But I think God would endorse Obama over any Republican.
Yet another Liberal troll.
Let’s not hear any more whining from the Left about trolls.
The place is rampant with Liberal Trolls now.
What do you want a bet that the Religious Right Nutcase Club will soon come around and support Rudy? Despite the fact that they are griping and bitching, I bet they will. They are used to being treated like a prison bitch by the GOP who only shows up to them at election time and talk about “family values” and then ignore them the rest of the year! So now we will see if they really will support a two timing liar that has been divorced 3 times, dresses in drag, marches in gay parades and supports abortion on demand and gay rights. My bet is that they will because with these people, it was never about “God” or “Jesus” but their own bloody political agenda.
Chuckle… Well, glad to see that some libs got religion. The God-o-meter says so.
And Heaven knows we need all the help that we can get down here in this fallen world.
May God continue to bless the USA.
I heard that 70% of all statistics are made up on the spot!
I guess we’ll have to wait and see there Kev. Place your bets now…
hey, “you suck” (now there’s a brilliant nic) -
Do you mind STOPPING THE SCREAMING?
Thanks. You may proceed with the idiocy.
On the other hand, the all caps is a certain a quick indication I can safely scroll on over and miss nothing . . .
The man who whines about people making rules on the blog lays down a few of his own.
The man who remains superciliously above complaining about trolls complains about a troll.
Yup, he’s a RepubliCON.
OMG, do you think values boy has a dictionary to look up the word “irony”?
Heheheheheh. Pot, meet kettle.
“Piety minus religion is condescension, and it must be something Dawkins believes in. He didn’t sound like he was pretending when asked about the main difference between believers and atheists: “Well,” he said. “We’re bright.”
God help us all if Dawkins and his cohorts are the best hope for our future. Perhaps he should consider adopting the Christian virtue of humility into his world of unbelief.”
Jesus WEPT!!!! Does he not understand that the “we’re bright” crap is what we hear from christianists and dominionists every day???????
All those christianists who think their god is the only god, and the only correct god, need to take a look at how irritating that is to those of us who dont share your beliefs.
Perhaps it is the dominionist christians who need to understand humility?
Because calling humility a “christian” virtue is just as damn insulting as saying “we’re bright”. What, only christians have humility?
Do you think the values shill even understands how ironic it is for him to say such things?
Probably not. Irony is not a christian thing…
“God help us all if Dawkins and his cohorts are the best hope for our future.”
I think that should read “god help us all if values boy and his cohorts, the right reverends terry, joe and fred, are the best hope for our future”.
I’ll tell ya what, you just cant make this stuff UP!
WE editors, I’ve changed my mind. PLEASE dont pull values boy’s weekly shilling for the republican christianists.
I cant think of a BETTER illustration of the dangers of a dominionist, christianist, theocracy.
Take a look at him, and you can see the face of theocracy staring back. Would you want him in charge of your life?
Sorry, Cap’n, Hillary will be the candidate and the next president. Her brilliant campaign manager, Mark J. Penn, in his new book _Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes_ outlines the winning strategies that will put her in the White House (he is not overtly making this claim but it is easy to read between the lines).
Penn has the electorate so finely sliced and diced that he will be able to put together a 10 vote margin of victory for Hillary. Get this, Penn is interested in evangelical Hispanics – he believes they were the main force behind the Bush win in ‘04.
Be on the look out for a Hillary who will soon simultaneously be speaking in tongues and Spanlish.
Ummm Folks?? Beliefnet.com is to Credible Web Sites what SNL News is to Real News. It is an attempt to portray with humor, that which has been portrayed with far too much seriousness. Dont get all shook up over the “God-O-Meter” – It is just a Joke!
By the way, Obama scores higher than all the rest because when he attends or participates in a mostly black worship experience, he is doing so without being phony about his participation. If you have doubts about that, try attending a service at one of Wichita’s predominantly black congregations -
Well Obama should be the highest on the God Meter.
Afterall, Obama said earlier this week that HE will establish HIS Kingdom on Earth.
“If you have doubts about that, try attending a service at one of Wichita’s predominantly black congregations”
Sorry Sugar. They dont like gay people much and have spent their precious resources trying to deny us OUR civil rights. Hypocrisy anyone?
I wont be attending anytime soon…
“They dont like gay people much and have spent their precious resources trying to deny us OUR civil rights.”
It is true that black churchs tend to be very conservative, but their members consistently vote democratic. It is an interesting paradox, or hypocrisy.
Well Steven, voting democratic in kansas isnt exactly taking a big stand on human or civil rights.
Remember, in the kansas legislature, more REPUBLICANS voted AGAINST the hate amendment than democrats…
Waiting on the sebelius lovers in 3..2..1….
One of the signs of mental illness is being hyper-religious.
The minute I hear someone tell me constantly about how much they love God and how they serve Jesus, I cover my back because I know there is a knife somewhere waiting to be used. Then I check my pockets for my money!
Capn:
You never cease to amaze.
ANY THREATS TO LITIGATE? NO. ANY THREATS TO RUN “YOU SUCK” OFF? NO. ANY THREATS TO RUN TO THE EDITORS? NO.
IN SHORT, ANY THREATS TO USE THE TACTICS THE SELF-APPOINTED HIGH PRIESTS OF THE BLOG ROUTINELY THREATED TO DO?
NO.
ALL CAPS GETTING ANNOYING YET? ABSOLUTELY.
“Get it” yet? I doubt it, but hope springs eternal. And feel free to butt out.
“One of the signs of mental illness is being hyper-religious.”-indy
The cleveland shoot sure seems to be religious. He worshipped marilyn manson. Was this the religion you had in mind indy?
Coon’s troubles seemed to come to a breaking point this week. Students said Monday’s fight was over God — Coon told his classmates he didn’t believe in God and instead worshipped rocker Marilyn Manson
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301065,00.html
Yes I love the site, thanks Phil!
I guess I am not getting what Cap’n has done this fine morning to earn the irritation of GMC.
No wait, it is something the Cap’n hasn’t done.
I am sure glad that conservatives are always consistent. Like in those instances we’ve seen here where those most against state help, are some of the same people who had accepted this help.
“Like in those instances we’ve seen here where those most against state help, are some of the same people who had accepted this help.”
Heh Steven. They dont just “accept this help”.
They BRAG about it!
Now I know there is MSM bias.
Huckabee is an ordained Baptist Minister for pete’s sake.
Posted by: Kansas
Just because someone is an ordained minister does not necessarily make them Godly. Are you offended because Huckabee was not rated a full 10 because he is a Baptist or because of the ordained minister part?
rfl – anything could be made into a religion. I think the reason for the hyper-religious being a sign of mental illness is pertaining the depths a person is willing to take their religion.
But, usually, in the mental illness world the hyper-religious ones tend to claim to follow Jesus.
Well hell, Ted Haggard is ordained too. Do you think he’s godly?
hehehehehheheheeh…..
Isnt phred phelps ordained too?
hehehehehheehehheehhe……
Indy,
Well as soon as the Jesus Freaks start killing people let me know. Otherwise, I’ll reserve judgment.
If you want, we can go down the list of all the school shooters, which one was the hyper-christian?
“Well as soon as the Jesus Freaks start killing people let me know. Otherwise, I’ll reserve judgment.”
The men who killed Matthew Shepard were self described christians.
So were the men who killed James Byrd.
And Gwen Araujo…
And the hits could go on. But, one’s too many and a hundred wouldnt be enough to convince the christianists.
…and wasnt Tim McVeigh a self described chrisitan?
great farmgrrl here, time to start making stuff up…c-ya!
Now how can that be? How are the liberals going to twist this one around?
They have been attacking the long dead moral majority, now the far right Christian Co.., and how terrible it is.
Eeee Gads! How are you going to combine religion with politics on the left?
Now that the holier-than-thou rollers are on the left, what’s a lib to do?
Maybe it will roll with the punches like the war.
First for the war,then against it.Then for the quick withdrawal,then against it.And finally for the war at least until 2013. (It’s A-OK for liberals to kill innocent Iraqi people until that time).
Let’s all join hands (libs) and sing our first religious song:
Kum-Ba-Ya, my lord, Kum-Ba-Ya!
Christians killing people? It’s Christian George Bush who aided in the slaughter of a million Iraqis. It’s a fundy Christian who runs Blackwater that kills civilians at random. There’s a Catholic bishop in Africa telling people that condoms spread AIDS. When Christians stop killing people someone inform me.
When Christians stop killing people someone inform me.When Muslims stop killing people someone inform me.When Jews stop killing people someone inform me.When Hindu’s stop killing people someone inform me.When Buddists stop killing people someone inform me.
I thought bush had broken the God-o-meter! Must have gotten it recalibrated.
Merle Haggard is voting for Hillary:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/merlehaggardsfightinside
YES, KFG McVeigh WAS a professed Christian (Christian Identity, I believe — but HE called himself Christian) Of course, so do the Aryan Brotherhood, and the KKK…
“”"”If you have doubts about that, try attending a service at one of Wichita’s predominantly black congregations”
Sorry Sugar. They dont like gay people much and have spent their precious resources trying to deny us OUR civil rights. Hypocrisy anyone?
I wont be attending anytime soon…”"”"
It is not just the black church that does not care for homosexuality. The black community in general as well as most Hispanics do not like it for the most part. A black that is gay will tell you that. Lesbianism is more acceptable.
“”"By the way, Obama scores higher than all the rest because when he attends or participates in a mostly black worship experience, he is doing so without being phony about his participation. If you have doubts about that, try attending a service at one of Wichita’s predominantly black congregations -”"”
Me and my wife have always attended black churches. We attend Elizabeth Baptist in Atlanta now. White churches bore the crap outta me. Black churches rock!
Kev.. Why would the gay issue keep you from attending a predominantly black congregation, to get an understanding of what it is that makes Obama attaractive to them??
OK Kev… that explains my previous question… I think…
Study of gay brothers may find clues about sexualityBy Robert Mitchum | Tribune staff reporter
August 12, 2007
In Gregg Mierow’s family, there were six boys, brothers who grew into two groups as they reached maturity: Three are gay, and three are straight.
“It seems innate to me,” Mierow, who works in advertising and as a yoga teacher in Chicago, said of his homosexuality. “It doesn’t seem like there’s any choice involved, and it seemed very clear even when we were very young.”
Mierow stumbled upon a chance to help prove that hunch at the Northalsted Market Days festival four years ago. Spotting a banner reading, “Wanted! Gay Men with a Gay Brother,” he stopped by the booth and volunteered for what he thought would be little more than a survey. Instead, Mierow found himself part of the Molecular Genetic Study of Sexual Orientation — the most extensive study yet to search for a genetic basis for homosexuality — embarked upon by a team of Chicago researchers from local universities.
The scientists hope that by gathering DNA samples from 1,000 sets of gay brothers like the Mierows they will be able to find genetic linkages smaller studies failed to detect. They’ll be recruiting brothers again at the Halsted Street festival this weekend.
The results may ignite controversy, the researchers acknowledge, both by providing ammunition in the raging cultural war over homosexuality and by raising fears about ethically questionable applications like genetic profiling and prenatal testing.
But, they argue, the research is essential to our biological understanding of sexual behavior.
“If there are genetic contributions to sexual orientation, they will not remain hidden forever — the march of genetic science can’t be stopped,” said Timothy F. Murphy, bioethicist adviser to the study. “It’s not a question of whether we should or should not do this research, it’s that we make sure we’re prepared to protect people from insidious uses of this science.”
Although the question of whether homosexuality is a choice remains a hot topic for pundits, scientists are largely in agreement that sexual orientation is at least partially determined by biology.
Studies that compare identical and fraternal twins for the frequency of a particular behavioral trait have consistently suggested there are both genetic and environmental causes of homosexuality. Identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, show a higher chance of both being gay compared with fraternal twins, who typically share the same family environment but only half their genetic code.
Researchers also have found physical traits that correlate with homosexuality, from the relative size of certain brain areas associated with sexual behavior to seemingly irrelevant characteristics like hair whorl direction and finger-length ratios.
Inspired by the accumulating circumstantial evidence of genetic factors, researchers in the early ’90s began trying to narrow down the wide expanse of DNA to a few promising regions. By comparing the genetic codes of gay brothers, who also share 50 percent of their genes, a “linkage study” tries to detect areas that show up in both men at a frequency higher than chance, suggesting one or more genes in that region might be linked to sexual orientation.
In 1993, geneticist Dean Hamer announced his group had found such a region on the X chromosome, which males inherit from their mothers. But the number of brother pairs used in the study was small and subsequent studies failed to replicate Hamer’s findings, throwing the result into question.
“In complex gene scenarios, people figured out that you need a larger sample size in order to get reasonable statistical power,” said Dr. Alan Sanders, a psychiatrist at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and the leader of the current study.
To increase the chances of finding genetic areas associated with homosexuality, Sanders proposed assembling almost 10 times the sibling pairs of previous studies. The project received funding in 2001 and began recruiting subjects at gay pride festivals, through gay-oriented publications and on the Internet.
So far the Chicago researchers have obtained blood or saliva DNA samples and survey data from more than 600 brother sets, with several hundred other volunteers in the process of submitting one or the other. Sanders hopes to publish his findings from the first wave of DNA samples in a scientific journal sometime next year.
Sanders cautioned a linkage study can single out only regions of the genetic code, not individual genes.
“One of the advantages of linkage studies is that we don’t have to know those things ahead of time,” Sanders said. “It’s a big advantage here because we don’t know about the biology of sexual orientation yet, so we can find the genes first and then study the biology.”
At this point, the researchers do not know what types of genes they may find; they could be related to hormones, sexual development or a completely unexpected system.
“The genes would probably be doing their work by affecting sexual differentiation of the brain during prenatal life,” said J. Michael Bailey, a Northwestern University psychology professor involved with the project. “But what scientists are increasingly appreciating is that genes can affect a trait in ways you could never have guessed.”The hunt for specific genes that affect sexual orientation may take several years, but the implications of this eventual finding are being fiercely debated already.
“I think this kind of research receives a lot more criticism and attention because people often think it has profound implications for social and moral decisions,” Bailey said. “This is a controversial area. Even though it fascinates people, it scares people from the research end.”
Researchers involved with the project believe finding a genetic linkage will help settle arguments over whether homosexuality is a choice or an innate trait. “A lot of times people we talk to see this research as providing evidence for something they may [have] already had a notion for, that sexual orientation is influenced by pretty early events out of their control,” said Sanders.
Sanders also suggested that as proof of biological predisposition grows, so too does acceptance and tolerance of homosexuals. A Gallup poll conducted in May indicated 42 percent of the surveyed population believe homosexuality is biologically determined — the highest percentage witnessed in 30 years of polling.
Study volunteer Jason Palmer of Chicago said he hopes evidence of a biological source for homosexuality would change people’s opinions on sexual orientation.
“Our strongest opponents are the religious right, many of whom feel that God does not make mistakes,” Palmer said. “So if it’s a genetic factor and proven, perhaps many of them will find an acceptance for homosexuals.”
But some outside observers worry about how proof of a genetic component to homosexuality might be used politically and even medically.
“If you do research on any human behaviors that would allow us either to treat the behavior or to prevent it altogether by prenatal testing, you have got to ask yourself serious questions about societal context in which this type of research takes place,” said Udo Schuklenk, a professor of philosophy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Critics fear identifying a biological component will lead to prenatal testing and perhaps even treatments for homosexuality. While both Sanders and Bailey expressed doubt about the scientific feasibility or public demand for such applications, Schuklenk suggested they were not considering the worldwide implications.
“I understand why U.S. gays want to know why gay people are gay and understand where they are coming from — there are legal reasons, and the agenda is progressive within the context of the U.S.,” said Schuklenk. “What worries me is that they show a complete disregard of repercussions of research on the international scale, for gay people in societies where civil rights are not as well-protected.”
Mierow said he considered the potential negative ramifications when he volunteered for the study but trusted that changing social views on homosexuality will intervene.
“I hope that by the time science gets to the point [of prenatal testing], society would have progressed enough to not have those feelings,” Mierow said. “I feel like I have more trust in science. It seems like a lot of the bigotry is coming out of religion.”
“People who say that, ‘We shouldn’t know X because knowing X is dangerous,’ to me those are the dangerous people,” Bailey added. “They have provided no good evidence that knowing things is risky; ignorance is what messes us up.”
For now, these discussions will remain largely theoretical until the results of Sanders’ study, as well as others in progress around the country, begin to be released.
As Bailey noted, the results won’t just add to knowledge about the roots of homosexuality, they may also answer more general questions about gender and sexuality.
“Knowing what causes sexual orientation is important scientifically,” he said. “It’s an important aspect of who we are and will provide knowledge about the development of gender, how men and women differ from each other.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-gaygene_bd12aug12,0,5101766.story?page=2
I am offended that you post about gays and lesbo’s. Very much a liberal cause, but we are not re-writing the bible in support. Muslims kill homo’s. Consider yourself warned.
In Romans 1:26-27 Paul is very specific, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.”
Good Night; Good Luck; and God Bless; Whatever you conceive God to be!!
Blessings all!!
Why do you have to be the only poster to announce goodnight?
You act like this is your personal blog.
“Obama has highest rating on God-o-Meter”. Yeah right. Looks like the liberals and trying to parade another lie. Obama wants kindergarteners to learn about homosexuality and he ranks highest in God-o-meter. What next, he is being considered for sainthood?
If they are taught about homosexuality early, they may recognize the Mark Foley types quicker!