I suspect that Michelle Bachmann will not get the GOP presidential nomination but the attempt to slam her as anti-Catholic because of her membership in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is pure politics.
To be sure, WELS - as an institution - takes a rather harsh view of the Papacy. But it's not clear to me that most congregants take much heed of that or that, to the extent they do, that church doctrine concerning the papacy translates into any particular attitude about Catholics that affects one's relationship with people and groups that are Catholic. My brother-in-law, for example, is a member of WELS. You'll have a hard time finding a better guy.
I might be more impressed by the matter if so many Democrats weren't perfectly willing to absolve Democrats of belonging to churches with what they consider to be objectionable doctrine. For example, the Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is intrinsically disordered and that abortion is murder. Yet Democrats seem perfectly able to understand that a politician - such as Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi or John Kerry - may belong to the Church and not share those views. Barack Obama belonged to a church headed by a race baiting, conspiracy mongering nut who he claimed was some form of father figure and transformational influence in his life, yet his supporters were perfectly able to distinguish the President from Reverend Wright.
In fact, when it comes to Democrats criticizing others for being anti-Catholic, recognition of a certain degree of irony is in order. Many on the left believe that being pro-life is to be "anti-woman" or that opposing same sex marriage is bigotry. These are, of course, attacks on faithful Catholics in a way that WELS rejection of the papacy is not. In other words, the left wants to hang Bachmann for being an anti-Catholic bigot for belonging to a church that takes a theological position she has repudiated, while it argues that Catholics who follow the teaching of the Church are immoral.
If that doesn't persuade you that the criticism of Bachmann for her former membership in WELS is cynical political posturing, please direct me to the criticism of Democratic politicians who belong to the WELS. We needn't go far to find one. How about Ron Kind (D-Wis.)?
9 comments:
Unfortunately, Bachmann's reaction was even worse.
IIRC she has been a non-denom Christian for quite some time, but she never formally quit WELS.
The sudden "I'm outta there" response was just plain dumb.
It's amazing that people try to make an issue out Lutherans following Luthers teaching.
And your prior attempts to slam Obama for his relationship with Reverend Wright were merely apolitical observations, I suppose.
Comparing Rev. Wright with Martin Luther can only be done in ignorance.
Did I miss Ron Kind's speeches where he claimed God told him to do something?
Thanks for your comments on the silliness of this whole thing. I've said my thoughts as well as my blog:
http://bibleimmersion.blogspot.com/2011/07/michele-bachmann-and-antichrist-fiasco.html
"To be sure, WELS - as an institution - takes a rather harsh view of the Papacy. But it's not clear to me that most congregants take much heed of that..."
If WELS has an official policy regarding the papacy, and its members rarely "take much heed of that", then would not these members be WINO'S (WELS in name only)? Would not these members in direct conflict with with a core principle?
At present, it doesn't matter who gets into office because they only do what their campaign financiers want them to do.
European immigrants, both Catholic and Protestant, came to this country to escape the tyranny of European government. The final escape was the American revolution that freed it from its last bonds with Britain. It would seem reasonable that people who knew Luther’s teaching and lived in Europe may have had good reasons to think that the Pope may be the anti-Christ.
It's obvious that the European model of Corporate and Union control is also in financial trouble here as it is in Europe. It's not surprising that the liberal or socialist press is starting to blame US Republicans or Tea Party members for the terrible, murderous terror attacks in Norway. I believe it is a desperate attempt to discredit the good people in the US in order for them to maintain power.
While I do not share the view that the Pope is the anti-Christ predicted to rise, I think people here are justified in their efforts to make sure we do things different and better then they do in Europe.
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