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wPuri sermonis amator |
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Politics and Pop Culture.
And occasionally informative, amusing, or bizzare non sequiturs.
Matt's in charge here, others can post.
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wMonday, September 29, 2003 |
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Candidates and Religion
I learned this weekend that Howard Dean switched from Episcopalianism to Congregationalism because his local Episcopal church opposed building a bike path around Lake Champlain. Easy enough to understand - I've heard Dean mention before that his faith is of a personal nature and not dependant upon sectarian doctrine. Heck, his wife's Jewish and they raised the kids Jewish.
More complex is Wes Clark's switch from Southern Baptist to Catholicism. I've read a few times that he switched during Vietnam (although no reason was given) and I've seen elsewhere that his wife is Catholic and he converted for her. Again, easy enough to understand, especially if he wasn't too engrossed in the theological differences between the two. But the differences are pretty stark, even for the casual theologian.
One of the fundamental differences between Protestantism and Catholicism is the latter's belief in the intercession of the Saints. When I was a child I'd pray to Jesus, or through my sister (who, dying before she could know sin, is technically a non-canonized Saint), or through the Apostle Matthew (the only literate Apostle, the nerd of the early disciples).
I'm reading Clark's book now, and gaining an appreciation of the fellow you don't see on TV. And Wes Clark prays through St. Michael.
posted by
Matthew Carroll-Schmidt at 4:43 PM
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