Sunday, February 11, 2018

One can take office by a declaration under penalty of perjury to uphold the Constitution and laws of the land. Bible not required. Those who want it, can have it. That's what religious freedom is about.

The First Amendment also posits freedom FROM religion.

Do as you choose as long as it hurts nobody else, but keep your biases to self and family. Do not presume to attempt to impose them on others not wanting them. Not wanting a single thing to do with your mythologies and quirks. Dunces and bigots may fail to understand and appreciate that, usually having little study of European post-Reformation history.

E.g., Candy Sina, at caucus, reported by Sorensen at Bluestem Prairie.

Such a Sina understanding of freedom is mainly at fault for getting between people who are on common ground on economic needs and issues with ability to see flaws in a status quo and to aim to fix a better world. Allowing callous cynics to gin up such nonsense to separate people one from another so that the common good can be laid waste for the benefit and whims of a wealthy few is a fault that needs to be quelled. Ignorance is not bliss.

Also, "Candy?"

Keith Ellison who is of the Islamic faith took his oath of Congress on Jefferson's Q'ran. Why would anyone have a problem with that? It is Ellison's concern, not Sina's. Ellison was free to place his hand on a phone book, were that his choice. There would be sense to that. If the oath is really to properly serve the people, it lists them.

____________UPDATE____________
A quick web search found this link stating:

For 10 years, she [Candy Sina] has been serving as a City Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a 2 million member organization that supports our nation’s strongest ally in the Middle East.

Candy is also Vice President of the North Metro Republican Women.

Candy and her husband Dave have been active members of Living Word Christian Center for over 30 years.

Candy is active with Grandma Grizzlies – an organization countering the invasion of preditorial [sic] and family threatening legislation and education.

[italics emphasis added] That is Mac Hammond's cash cow. Key link. Other representative links, here and here. Prosperity gospel. Mac Hammond's been milking that cash cow for over 30 years, per Candy's bio notes. Wow.

Trying Bing for a change for a websearch, this lead item in the return list:

Dealing with less prosperity, Mac Hammond's church cuts back - By Jon Tevlin, Star Tribune - February 17, 2008 — 11:19pm

Is the "Prosperity Gospel" facing a recession? With donations dwindling, Mac Hammond, the high-flying pastor of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, says his private jet is for sale.

This comes amid an investigation by the U.S. Senate into some of Hammond's contemporaries -- including one who leads a church where Hammond serves on the board -- and allegations that some ministers may have improperly solicited funds for presidential candidate Mike Huckabee during a conference at which Hammond spoke.

Living Word has also cut its hourlong TV show on Sunday mornings in half to save money, according to the Rev. Brian Sullivan, spokesman for the church.

Living Word has fallen $40,000 to $70,000 short of its weekly budget in recent months.

"We publicly acknowledge we are going through some financial challenges, and we're just adjusting our budget to reflect that and to live within our means," said Sullivan. "I think it's going to be an austere budget year for us.

"Is that a product of recession, or is that a product of maybe some bad publicity in the church in general? We speculate it's a combination of things," he said.

I've always viewed Hammond's Prosperty Gospel as prosperity for Hammond, the gospel for the congregation. With that "$40,000 to $70,000 short of its weekly budget" back then, has Big Mac's prosperity rebounded, and with a shortfall like that what do you guess the weekly take in total is? It is almost enough to make you want to think you're getting a calling . . .

One born every minute.