DAVIVMAN it seems you're more interested in defending Catholicism than you are interested in the perfidies of Newt Gringrich.

His hypocrisies are greater than just the lying he does inside your religion.

I must press the issue - it isn't today's hypocrisy, yesterday's or tomorrow's, it's the ongoing and even predictable hypocrisy of this man which I find most disgusting.

He is making a fool out of everybody who forgives him for it, time and time again.

I never say Newt is an immoral man, he is an amoral man. The morality he presents to people is what he perceive morality to be in other people ... he's faking it. He knows it's important to you, so he puts on a show that fills in your simplistic requirements then demands you go out and defend him.

he is making a sucker out of you, and you're praising him for it.

Eezmamata, your comment doesn't address what I was saying. I wasn't advocating any kind of a plan to alter the level of hypocrisy in society. I was merely pointing out that the existence of hypocrisy is immaterial to the evaluation of the worthiness of opinion of the hypocrite.

For example, let’s say that Joe advocates and preaches to the world that stealing is wrong. Joe also happens to be a giant car thief. Is the actual wrongness of stealing in any way affected by the fact that Joe doesn't live up to his own standards? Of course not, the wrongness of stealing is completely independent of the behavior of Joe.

So when people deride the value of the principals of Catholicism by pointing out that a supposed advocate like Newt is not very good at practicing it, they have in fact not really said anything about the value of the principals of Catholicism.

Why would any American want any person in our goverment that wants a religion directly or indirectly in our government?

Newt is as unelectable as Hillary or Palin.

The GOP is unlead, uninspired, adrift in a sea of maladroit has-beens and wannabes.

If they don't get their act together soon, they'll have lost all momentum going into 2012 and the tide will turn back as surely as it turned towards them in '10.

Seriously though, virtually all people are hypocrites. Those that think they are not are usually the biggest ones. Instead of focusing on how poorly people follow their own ideologies, let's restrict our arguments to the worthiness of the ideologies themselves.

Sorry, but that's just not a useful tact to take in these matters. The level of hypocrisy informs us as to the level of trust.

Your plan does nothing to lower the level of hypocrisy, it promotes it.

Can we trust someone like Newt, who's hypocrisy is chronic, and not just acute?

It also speaks to how he feels about his supporters. Obviously they are too stupid to know he's lying, or such sheep that they'll just take it without question.

Here, bend over and let Newt give you some hypocrisy.

Newt Gingrich is just a typical politican, nothing more, nothing less. His deplorable conduct is just about what I expect of a politican no matter what party they belong to.
Having said that Newt, like most right wingers is against what he calls the welfare state.
What he doesn't understand is welfare is what keeps the minorities in the ghettos and keeps them from driving through white neighborhoods shooting white people. Also our social programs that people like him want to gut are just a mere pittance, far less than the crumbs that drop from the masters table that Christ spoke of.
In summation I detest people like Newt Gingrich. I detest him because he makes sure him and his political cronies have free medical care, plenty of money, a big salary plus all they can steal, and a big pension when they are done feeding at the trough and retire. I detest the right wingers because they give the military plenty of money and the poor of all races to fight in their church and government sponsored wars.
In closing if there were a God, which there is not, and if there were a hell Newt Gingrich and his fellow politicans would be place in the deepest bowels of it by a God of Justice to rot forever for their injustice to their fellow man.

I am a Catholic. No way will he get my vote. I would be willing to bet that most of us Catholics see him as using the title of being a Catholic as means to promote his type of weird political beliefs. I am a pro life Democrat that can view America's problems as more than a single issue. We can promote the rights of the unborn by raising awareness,education,strong middle class, ending poverty, increasing health care benefit for all Americans,feeding an clothing the homeless,support all types of education and a strong faith in God. Making the rich richer is not the answer and neither is the GOP.

he has the merit at least of displaying and at most effecting, the attention of his audience.

let us endeavour first, to ascertain his objective on this point?

Newt's Christianity, no matter what version, is "dead in the water":

There was and never will be any bodily resurrections i.e. No Easter, no Christianity----

Excellent article and how true.
http://blogs.trb.com/news/opinion/chanlowe/blog/2011/03/chan_lowe_newt_gingrich_candid.html

Farnaz, perhaps you don't think that someone chosen to rule by God breaking his commandments is hypocritical, but I do.

Posted by: edbyronadams
_____________________________
Judging prophets is above my pay grade. Evaluating Newt is below it, but what the heck. :0

Isn't it fun to point out hypocrisy in other people? Doesn't it make you feel good inside, knowing that you are definitely better than that dirty old hypocrite? I know I feel better making fun of hypocrites that make fun of other hypocrites that make fun of those first hypocrites.

Seriously though, virtually all people are hypocrites. Those that think they are not are usually the biggest ones. Instead of focusing on how poorly people follow their own ideologies, let's restrict our arguments to the worthiness of the ideologies themselves.

Farnaz, perhaps you don't think that someone chosen to rule by God breaking his commandments is hypocritical, but I do.

Newt Gingrich continues to damage conservatives and their causes. His personal hypocrisy has been evident for thirty years. Now he's playing the penitent to bilk the pious fools.

Hypocritical - check.

Sanctimonious - check.

Treating women like used kleenex - check.

Yup, Newt fits right into the Catholic church!

"I have not sat down with hypocrites. With men of evil I do not mingle.

--David"

He must have stood the entire time after sending Uriah to his death.

Posted by: edbyronadams
--------------------------------
Why?

"I have not sat down with hypocrites. With men of evil I do not mingle.

--David"

He must have stood the entire time after sending Uriah to his death.

The cloak of religion, the last refuge of a scoundrel.

'And they should read Susan's Sept. 6 column before not voting for Romney for the wrong reason:'

No danger of that - I only need to look at the respective political party of each candidate in question ;^)

Aside from that, the likelihood of getting a truly secular, non-religious candidate for POTUS is just about zero....and there are none in the line up for 2012.

Very interesting artical and all should read it that will vote in 2012. The G.O.P. should take this artical as a guide also before they chose their 2012 candidate since their poor choices of late.
-------------------------------------------
And they should read Susan's Sept. 6 column before not voting for Romney for the wrong reason:

Dissecting presidential theology not an American tradition
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/spirited_atheist/2010/09/dissecting_presidential_theology_not_an_american_tradition.html

Very interesting artical and all should read it that will vote in 2012. The G.O.P. should take this artical as a guide also before they chose their 2012 candidate since their poor choices of late.

Why oh why do I waste my time reading Susan Jacoby... She is clueless about Catholicism and it's teachings as are many others (some of whom even "claim" to BE Catholic). I won't respond to the article since it is just an anti-Catholic, anti-Conservative rant. However, I'll merely point out that Ms. Jacoby needs to hire a proof reader before submitting her work to the Washington "Com"Post or at least run spell check. Note paragraphs 4 and 7. Were you up against a hard deadline ma'am?

...the church hierarchy's POSITINS on abortion, gay rights, and sex education. (paragraph 4)

..the man who defeated communism in Poland, Gingrich IGHT well consider that although Poland remains more Catholic than the other, (paragraph 7)

I greatly resent your calling Nute Grinch immoral. He is not immoral, he is amoral.

BTW, my understanding is that hypocrisy is a minor sin. It doesn't make the cardinal list at all.

Posted by: edbyronadams | March 2, 2011 12:10 PM
---------------------
I have not sat down with hypocrites. With men of evil I do not mingle.

--David

Newt's conversion goes hand in hand with his antisemitism, which the peerless Telnaes cartooned not long ago.

That he remains a public figure says much about the level of American discourse.
--------------------
Moving on, we have the Supremes protecting the right of the WEstboro Baptists to demonstrate at the funerals of dead soldiers.

Free speech junkydom suggests that the Supremes would have no problem with demonstrations outside Baptist churches nation wide. I recommend they be organized by gay bikers, carrying signs of gay Jesus holding hands with a dazzling Israelite boy of about twenty, with both awash in pink satin with silk brocade. (Consult Pope Benedict's fashion designer.)

Jes' suggestin', Constitutionally speaking.

I'm just crazy about Newt's newfound Catholicism. All he need add is the hair shirt and scourge, and his penitential goals will soon be complete. His emulation of fellow rightwing Catholics on the Supreme Court is quite touching!

If he would just leave the rest of us alone with his naked late-in-the-day political ambitions, he could better indulge in some simple self-flagellation in a nearby coat closet - begging his dead wife's forgiveness for dumping her before she was cold in her bed.

Catholicism and S&M have long had a close relationship.....

Speaking of politicians who make personal lives part of their platform, there a column today by Ruth Marcus about President Obama's little contribution to the hot issues of the week -- the demonstrations in Libya and Wisconsin.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030105489.html

Seeing as he ran on his biography including a boyhood in Indonesia and getting his political experience as a community organizer in Chicago (125 miles from Madison WI), you'd think these should be issues he'd be WELL suited to deal with.

Edbyronadams,

I don't how great of a sin hypocrisy is. What matters is the nakedly political way Gingrich is using his "religious faith," whether sinful or not.

Also, Ms. Jacoby clearly stated that she doesn't make politicians' personal lives an issue unless they make personal life choices an issue first. Newt is fair game in my book.

Sorry I meant this:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm

Oh and this is a lie:
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/spirited_atheist/2011/02/eye_of_newt_gingrich_focuses_on_faith_as_presidential_wannabee.html
This cannot be proven by the words of the Lord Jesus or any of the Apostles.

That being said, Susan great article and finally the truth of Gingrich's hypocricy on display! I pray Gingrich does indeed get saved.

It is sickening to read people equate Christianity with Catholicism. The two are not the same. The last time I looked in my bible I couldn't find where the Lord Jesus needed a representitive on earth. Jesus is Lord of every believer and His death and resurrection has made it possible for every believer to go boldly before the throne of grace without the need of a "priest" or "pope."
Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If you need a priest or pope you have not understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ and need to reject what you have been taught and learn the truth. Open your Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the truth. Newt Gingrich is believing a lie and he is going to be sorely disappointed on judgment day. And will probably curse his 3rd wife.

Just what we need another nightmare looking to happen in the White House

There is no god.

Susan, you need to come back from your book tour and stop writing about has-been topics like Newt Gingrich.

His polling support is about half that of Huckabee, Romney and Palin, despite his extremely high name recognition.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/146300/huckabee-palin-romney-tie-lead-gop-preferences.aspx

A much better column would be why we shouldn't expect Obamacare to do the same to the federal budget that Romneycare has in Massachusetts; or how he's going to run a campaign on "state doing health care is good, federal is unconstitutional."

The "get out of jail free" card is one of the strongest in a Christian's deck. Alas, Buddhism doesn't possess that trick.

I do find it amusing though that it is fair game to nitpick the religious tenets of conservatives while to pick at the incongruity of religion and liberal politicians is considered bad form. Another anomaly is to misconstrue the non establishment clause of the Constitution as meaning that politicians or officeholders should not mention or campaign on religious themes but it is okay to attack them on the same grounds.

BTW, my understanding is that hypocrisy is a minor sin. It doesn't make the cardinal list at all.