Santorum Defends 'Phony Theology' Remarks, Doubles Down On Religious Critique Of Obam

[JoeChalupa]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1287475.html
A more congenial Rick Santorum doubled down on several controversial, and religiously laden, remarks in an interview Sunday morning on CBS's "Face the Nation," where he defended his recent claims that prenatal testing results in abortions, that federally provided education was "anachronistic," and that President Obama's policies are not "based on the Bible."

"I've repeatedly said I don't question the president's faith," Santorum told host Bob Schieffer, denying what some have said was a signal that Santorum had challenged the legitimacy of Obama's Christianity. "I've repeatedly said that I believe the president's Christian -- he says he's Christian. But I am talking about his worldview, the way he addresses problems in this country, and they're different than most people view it in America."

In a speech to Tea Party conservatives on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, Santorum had dismissed Obama's politics as being based in "some phony theology."

"It's not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs," Santorum said. "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology."

An incredulous Bob Schieffer began his interview with Santorum Sunday by asking, "What in the world were you thinking?"

"I was talking about the radical environmentalists," Santorum said, suggesting that they believe man should protect the earth, rather than "steward its resources." "I think that is a phony ideal. I don't believe that's what we're here to do ... We're not here to serve the earth. That is not the objective, man is the objective."

Earlier in the day on Saturday, Santorum had also said that health insurance plans shouldn't be required to cover prenatal testing, because that testing results in more abortions, as well as contending that government-run public education was "anachronistic."

"Free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done, because we cull the ranks of the disabled in our society," Santorum told the Ohio Christian Alliance conference.

Asked by Schieffer about his claims that prenatal testing leads to more abortions, Santorum insisted that this was "a fact."

"We're talking about specifically prenatal testing, and specifically amniocentesis, which is a procedure that actually creates a risk of having a miscarriage when you have it, and is done for the purposes of identifying maladies of a child in the womb. And in many cases -- and in fact in most cases -- most physicians recommend, if there is a problem, they recommend abortion," Santorum said.

Santorum had said that because of this trend, health insurance providers should not be forced to make the procedures available free of charge.

Santorum also told Schieffer that government-provided education was not working and that the process ought to be customizable, like buying a car.

"I'm saying that local communities and parents should be the ones in control over public education, certainly not the federal government, and I think the state governments have not done a particularly good job in public education, either," Santorum said.

Buying a car, by contrast he said, is "designed to meet the needs of a customer. Federally or state-run education is not designed to meet the needs of the customer."

Speaking earlier on ABC's "This Week" about Santorum's remarks, Obama campaign aide Robert Gibbs called his rhetoric "well over the line."

"I think it's time in our politics that we get rid of this mindset that if we disagree, we have to disqualify each other," Gibbs said.

"I think if you make comments like that, you make comments that are well over the line," he added. "I think the GOP race has been, in many cases, a race to the bottom."

~~Are the voters of America ready for this? Women. LGBT, people who are ready to drop Obama yet his rhetoric is giving them some serious doubts?

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Rick obviously doesn't read the bible.

Isaiah 24:4-6. The earth dries up and withers, the world languished and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth lies under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.

Jer. 2:7. I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and you made my inheritance detestable.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Rick obviously doesn't read the bible.

Isaiah 24:4-6. The earth dries up and withers, the world languished and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth lies under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.

Jer. 2:7. I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and you made my inheritance detestable.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Taking from the atheist thread, this is the issue with N American christianity. You can make up whatever you want from it because its accepted that the literal interpretation is not true. Its a compromise with what we know to be intellectually true that i personally find repugnant.

Rather than admits its bull lets just make up and fill in the gaps. Thats the American way. The ethic of Emerson bas ized to the extreme.

[ploto]

"It's not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs," Santorum said. "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology."

Is Santorum talking about himself here? So many of these supposed religious politicians are about as far from acting like Jesus as possible.

[Bill_Brasky]

Really, what does that say about America when this guy is being taken seriously as a presidential candidate?

[TeyshaBlue]

Really, what does that say about America when this guy is being taken seriously as a presidential candidate?

Religion's Idiocracy.

[clambake]

clutching my bible....i'm ready to go.

[jack sommerset]

God loves all of us, even haters that blog for the huffington post and their ignorant liberal mules such as joe joe carrying their one sided hate messages to the world. I will pray tonight that joe joe has a orginal thought and stops hating a particular group of people that some share his same beliefs on raising kids, religious and political beliefs.

God bless everyone

[clambake]

"submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of god"

[boutons_deux]

"hating a particular group of people that some share his same beliefs on raising kids, religious and political beliefs".

InSaneTorum is the hater, the exclusionist, the imposer of his extreme bull anti-Christian "reglion" and crap morals on others.

Pushing back just as hard isn't hatin, it's what Jesus would do.

[Jacob1983]

Obama is a convenient Christian. He acts like a Christian when it's convenient for him and when he can score brownie points with certain groups and voters. Personally, I think he's either an atheist or agnostic.

[cheguevara]

I take a convenient christian over a religious extremist 100 times out of 100.



Santorum compared this election to WWII and Obama to Hitler

"We're a hopeful people… We think, 'Well, you know it'll get better. Yeah, he's a nice guy. I mean, it won't be near as bad as what we think. This will be okay.' I mean, yeah, maybe he's not the best guy after a while, after a while you find out some things about this guy over in Europe who's not so good of a guy after all." CBS News reports Santorum then said Americans can't sit out the election just like they couldn't sit out the war. "So with the optimistic spirit of America, sometimes, sometimes it's not okay. It'll be harder for this generation to figure it out. There's no cataclysmic event."

[NewcastleKEG]

really, what does that say about america when this guy is being taken seriously as a presidential candidate?

*ding ding*

[greyforest]

president santorum would be the laughingstock of earth

[Jacob1983]

I would say universe. Aliens would probably laugh at Santorum.

[boutons_deux]

InSaneTorum doesn't talk about anything but social/religious points important to his freaky fringe base.

How about jobs? the economy? the 1% raping America?

[hater]

president santorum would be the laughingstock of earth

So he would just continue W presidency.

[JoeChalupa]

It will be interesting to see if social issues comes up in the debate tomorrow. Romney has not commented much and Santorum is really pushing it. Even Billy Graham's son couldn't get himself to say that Obama was a Christian on Morning Joe today. Unbelievable. I hope Santorum wins the debate and takes Michigan.

[clambake]

wouldn't be any social issues if chicks just put the aspirin between their knees.

stupid women!

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Obama is a convenient Christian. He acts like a Christian when it's convenient for him and when he can score brownie points with certain groups and voters. Personally, I think he's either an atheist or agnostic.

When Americans like you automatically dismiss anyone who's an atheist or agnostic (here comes some cop out that you weren't trying to disparage atheists when you were), that's how candidates need to start becoming "Convenient Christians" in order to win elections. That's the whole problem with this country, America is the one world power left that still thinks its leaders need to believe in god

[hater]

I take a convenient christian over a religious extremist 100 times out of 100.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

wouldn't be any social issues if chicks just put the aspirin between their knees.

stupid women!

[RandomGuy]

LOL @ Tea Party making GOP candidates say things that make them unelectable in general elections.

As if the reason moderates and independents hold their nose and vote for Democrats they don't like is because the GOP "isn't conservative enough".

[RandomGuy]

Obama is a convenient Christian. He acts like a Christian when it's convenient for him and when he can score brownie points with certain groups and voters. Personally, I think he's either an atheist or agnostic.

I don't think he is overly religious either.

Maybe it is time for an openly atheist candidate.

It would be funny watching the conservative right go apoplectic, with slobbering hatred and diatribes about the end of the world, the "book" of Revelation, etc, etc.