</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
isn't the point of christianity recruiting people to the flock and teaching them good graces such that they WILLINGLY accept God, rather than force feeding them an opinion...

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly @RW0105

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
-Last sentence could very well be used to describe many secularists(insert "non" before religious)

[/ QUOTE ]

More accurate with religious though. BTW--remember, not every Dem is a secularist and not every Repub is a Christian, regardless of presentation to the media or party. Think about it.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
It would be outrageous for anyone to claim as fact that they do know about any kind of divine intervention or dispute (as fact)any such claim like Robertson made as being invalid.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? Because he's a "man of God"? That's the exact crutch that he's helping people who won't question him to lean on--the fact that he's accepted as a "man of God" and that questioning him would be questioning God...so it shouldn't be done. In otherwords, that's abuse of his position of the church and if excommunication was still done in Protestant churches--Robertson should go first thing.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
In my opinion people of faith have just as much right to vote their conscience NO MATTER WHAT THE ISSUE as do secularists.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with that statement...that's exactly what I'm saying--VOTE your conscience and conviction...not what your church says to do--do it through your knowledge and understanding along with God's guidance through your personal relationship with him instead of what Falwell, Robertson, or Dobson happen to say on the news on a given night about a candidate. THAT is where I have a problem, when people blindly follow and vote unknowingly. If you know what you're voting for, then do so with conviction. If not--then don't follow a mantra that is going to affect your vote that some man tells you is the right thing to do. Also, if you're going to vote your conviction, don't try to influence others as to YOUR religious conviction, especially by less than Christian (read secular) means. It's a choice...not something to be forced upon you. That's why there's a lot of Christians that will be going to hell right now, because the faith they tout as having was forced on them and they do not have an actual relationship with God.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
One follow up question to what you just stated...do you agree that Pope John Paul II had a right to his actions when he attempted to influence then VA Governor Doug Wilder to grant clemency to Grundy native Roger Keith Coleman in '92?

[/ QUOTE ]

Your question is does he have a right to his actions--yes he has a right to his actions--we all do, that's what free will is all about. And there's a huge difference here BGJ--are you saying he "attempted to influence" or that he "plead on Coleman's behalf"? Attempting to influence means he started a political onslaught and went on TV &amp; radio, staunchly in opposition of the sentence. If he did that and tried to rally public opinion--I don't like it. Now if he merely met with Wilder, stated his request and his thoughts, I have no problem with it. You'll have to forgive me a lot of the details of what transpired, I'll be honest--I was 11 at the time and do not recall.