It's Sunday: Do You Know Where Your Swing Voters Are?

As some on DU know, I'm a "http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2561309">gay Pentecostal" (lapsed on the latter part, but paid up in advance on churchgoing for at least another 12 years).

For many voters in truly vital purplish swing states this year, Sunday church is almost an all-day affair. The influence that the Sunday sermons have on these voters' thinking cannot be underscored enough (not to mention the socializing and meals that take place in between Sunday services).

I could expound on a number of nuances, but here is a bedrock meme you can expect to hear increasingly from the GOP and their allies in the pulpits: "we want a President we can be proud to pray for each day."

If your worldview is confined to a blue state with predominantly "upscale" Christian denominations, maybe the power of this meme is lost on you. It goes right to the core of teachings that overlap among the more prominent Protestant denominations in the aforementioned vital purplish swing states.

To illustrate how sermons will be crafted, two short New Testament stories will suffice. The first is the story of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_the_Evangelist">St. Philip the Evangelist and the http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=philip+ethiopian+eunuch&spell=1">Ethiopian Eunuch.

"Here was a learn-ed man," I can hear my old pastor intone, pausing for effect. "Here was a man entrusted to advise the QuEEn of Eth-EE-op-EE-yah!"

Lowering his voice: "Here was a man who was not fully a ma-yan, even, but a YOO-nuk. Yet even he understood the truth of what he heard from Philip. That simple deed of planting that simple seed in a receptive man's heart brought God's blessings upon a new kingdom, hallelujah!"

I can see him dabbing his forehead with his handkerchief, pausing before moving on.

"Oh, but friends, let us turn now to the story of poor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrippa_II">King Agrippa. Turn in your Bibles with me to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=acts+26+king+james+version">Acts 26, where Paul finds himself in a position much like we find ourselves in sometimes, brothers and sister. Paul is standing before a powerful man, the leader of his country, and he must decide how to behave. Though he tries to make his case to King Agrippa, the poor, foolish king ends with this line: 'http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=paul+agrippa+almost+thou+persuadest+me+to+be+a+christian">Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian'."

I can see him pausing for effect, then repeating: "Mmm, mmm, mmm. ALMOST thou persuadest me - ALMOST - to be a Christian."

"Friends, in the past few weeks leading up to this Tuesday, we have seen how Pontius Pilate washed his hands. We have seen how Pharisees and Saducees taunted and mocked. We have seen how the early church *fathers* struggled against unbelievers. I don't know about you, but I believe that to live my faith, I must vote for the candidate who will make me *proud* to pray for my President each night. Can I get a hallelujuah?"

Here endeth the sermon.

- Dave

"Jesus Save Me ... from your followers."

It was on a pickup truck with HRC stickers, etc., and the young guy driving it and I had a nice discussion about how the area could be ripe to help flip WV back into the blue column.

- Dave

Buncha lazy, NFL watchin' secular humanists!

:rofl:

- Dave

That could have turned off Agrippa, as it does me.

See the http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2529514">OP and #9.

St. Peter was "onto" Paul, apparently.

- Dave