BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Meetup Inc//RemoteApi//EN VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-ORIGINAL-URL:http://deism.meetup.com/103/calendar/8732913/ical/Stone's+Th row+From+Theocracy:+Politics\,+Religion\,+ X-WR-CALNAME:Events - Stone's Throw From Theocracy: Politics\, Religion\, BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Stone's Throw From Theocracy: Politics\, Religion\, & Our Next Pres ident DESCRIPTION:Pittsburgh Secular Freethinkers\n\nThe November Presidential El ection is close...and as freethinkers\, we should take into consideration h ow each candidates' religious views shape their politics and behavior.\n\nB oth McCain and Obama have made appeals to their Christianity. McCain's appe al lies largely with the conservative religious right\, as well to some oth erwise liberal/Democratic voters\, such as Catholics. Obama attracts more l iberal voters who relate their faith to social justice.\n\nIt's risky enoug h being a Catholic and running for President\, let alone a Jew or Muslim or *gasp* a nonbeliever.\n\nAs if McCain's pro-military aggression\, anti-gay marriage\, anti-abortion\, and other views weren't concerning enough to se cularists\, Sarah Palin's involvement with Pentecostalism\, her clearly lit eralist interpretation of the Bible\, and downright scary rhetoric connecti ng the Iraq War and drilling for oil in Alaska with "God's will" make me af raid we are only a stone's throw from theocracy. And I mean "stone's throw" in every sense the Old Testament phrase implies.\n\nI have uploaded a Word document with Secular Humanism Online News' September newsletter. The firs t article\, "The Danger of the Religious Right in this Presidential Electio n" By Edward Tabash is the most relevant\, though the entire newsletter tou ches on political issues. Click on this link\, which will open the Word doc ument:\nhttp://files.meetup.com/325715/Secular%20Humanism%20Online%20News.d oc\nor go to the "Files" section of the group's site (on the lefthand side of the page).\n\nThere are also several articles you may want to look at.\n \nSam Harris' concerns in Newsweek that Sarah Palin is more religiously ext reme & anti-intellectual than Bush\nhttp://www.newsweek.com/id/160080/page/ 1\n\nHow Palin's church has shaped her politics (watch the video of her spe aking at her old church on this site - it's scary):\nhttp://www.huffingtonp ost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html\n\nSalon.com - D emocrats try to rally moderate evangelicals for Obama:\nhttp://www.salon.co m/news/feature/2008/08/15/barack_obama_evangelicals/index.html\n\nObama spe aks on how Christianity has shaped his political views:\nhttp://obama.senat e.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/\n\nFinally\, here are some quotes to c onsider:\n\nAs one blogster put it (taken from the Salon.com article)\, "Do we really need a presidential campaign based on out-Jesusing the other sid e?"\n\nFrom Obama's speech\, why he won't outlaw abortion:\n"...we live in a pluralistic society\, that I can't impose my own religious views on anoth er\, that I was running to be the U.S. Senator of Illinois and not the Mini ster of Illinois."\n\nAlso from Obama's speech\, as he recognizes the impor tance of faith to the American populace:\n"And if we're going to do that th en we first need to understand that Americans are a religious people. 90 pe rcent of us believe in God\, 70 percent affiliate themselves with an organi zed religion\, 38 percent call themselves committed Christians\, and substa ntially more people in America believe in angels than they do in evolution. "\n\nPittsburgh\, PA 15201 - USA\n\nWednesday\, October 8 at 7:00 PM\n\nPh oto: http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/e/7/7/event_787799.jpeg \n\nAttending: 17\n\nDetails: http://deism.meetup.com/103/calendar/8732913/ LAST-MODIFIED:20081113T000859Z UID:event_8732913@meetup.com CLASS:PUBLIC CREATED:20080911T000944Z DTSTAMP:20091220T221411Z DTSTART:20081008T230000Z DTEND:20081009T010000Z GEO:40.55;-80.04 URL:http://deism.meetup.com/103/calendar/8732913/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR