Koran should be flushed

Well, this is odd. I stop in on one of my rare visits to the Religion Forum, and I see this thread back near the top of the list.

That is all. Carry on.

Pssst...Joe posted that back in February of 2006.

Why is it not a surprise?

Ticomaya wrote:

Why is it not a surprise?

Why is it not a surprise that a community where this kind of bigotry was demonstrated massively went for McCain over Obama? That's a rhetorical question, right?

Joe, you may disagree with Koran and Believe in Bible as much as you want.

The problem here is not that the Rev. thought that Koran was filled with false information and Bible was superior in it's teachings. I think it is wrong that he decided to put up that sign, knowing that some people will read and their feelings will get hurt.

The problem here is not that the Rev. thought that Koran was filled with false information and Bible was superior in it's teachings. I think it is wrong that he decided to put up that sign, knowing that some people will read and their feelings will get hurt.

Not a rhetorical question at all. It appears as if you are attributing to the community the bigotry expressed by an individual in the community. You are painting with a broad brush, which is really a bad idea.

Adopting that line of thinking, one might just as easily conclude the radical racist fanaticism of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright must be attributed to all members of his community -- and it's no surprise at all that those radical racists voted for Obama, is it?

Same here. Of course McCain is no bigot, and nor are most of his voters. But bigots will definitely have voted for McCain rather than Obama. (White bigots, anyway.) So that's your question answered.

Now re your first point, is the Reverend a representative of his community in respect of the views he espoused? You're right, it's never good to paint with a broad brush. And not living there, I have no way to know for sure. But do you think he isn't? Do you think that rural, white, conservative Christian heartland constituencies who tend to vote 2:1 for Republican candidates, as this county is, would largely dissent from the Reverend's views?

I have no way to know for sure, no, but no, I dont think so. I'm guessing it's not coincidental that someone who had just recently moved into the county was the one complaining. I think there are many people with the Reverend's views, period. And yes, to me the election results reinforce that impression.

Not so much that this county voted for McCain by 2:1; as Mismi pointed out, there can be many reasons why a community veers right. But while equally conservative-voting counties across the country, including much of the non-Appalachian parts of North Carolina, did show a significant shift of votes toward Obama, the white, rural counties of Appalachia and the Ozarks showed no such shift at all or even moved to McCain. Rutherford county, in the Appalachian foothills, was one of them. What would your first few random guesses be why this was so?

Huh? I'm not sure you did answer my question.

I can surmise that one of your first few random guesses is because Rutherford County, NC, and the white, rural counties of Appalachia and the Ozarks, are loaded with white, hillbilly bigots who think the Koran should be flushed.

That's fine. They likely think Holland is loaded with short painters with their fingers stuck in dikes.

It is called common courtesy to other fellow American's feelings. I am having a huge problem behind the reasoning of that Church Leader who thought one day "Let's put that sign up there"
Don't Church Goers and Church Leaders have anything better to do than spread Hatred? Why can't they post something positive, inspiring instead of negative, insulting message up there?

And yes, As far as I know Bible does not teach to Flush anything down the toilet.
Quite the opposite I believe.
Love your neighbor as yourself, or, in the original Hebrew: Ve-ahavta le-reiacha kamocha (Leviticus 19:18) Love your neighbor as yourself, or, in the original Hebrew: Ve-ahavta le-reiacha kamocha (Leviticus 19:18)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 NIV

Do you still insist it did not go against the teachings of Bible?

Ticomaya wrote:

I can surmise that one of your first few random guesses is because Rutherford County, NC, and the white, rural counties of Appalachia and the Ozarks, are loaded with white, hillbilly bigots who think the Koran should be flushed.

That's fine. They likely think Holland is loaded with short painters with their fingers stuck in dikes.

I at least tried answering your questions, however unsatisfactory my attempt may have been to you.

Why didn't you attempt an answer of mine? This one:

"But while equally conservative-voting counties across the country, including much of the non-Appalachian parts of North Carolina, did show a significant shift of votes toward Obama, the white, rural counties of Appalachia and the Ozarks showed no such shift at all or even moved to McCain. [..] What would your first few random guesses be why this was so?"

I realise that any suggestion that bigotry may have been at work to a significant extent among this or that group of voters opting for McCain is politically incorrect to conservative standards, and provokes instant repudiation. And that this goes as well for those constituencies that actually moved against the tide to vote more for McCain than they'd even done for Bush, even as the rest of the country shifted in the direction of Obama - it's still considered outrageous to guess bigotry might be at work there. Hell, sometimes it seems that any suggestion that bigotry still exists to any significant extent in America seems to be distasteful to most conservatives here.

But when it comes to offering explanations what may have been at work among voters in the Appalachians and Ozarks (and possibly whites in the Deep South, I'd have to delve into state-by-state exit poll data for that), I haven't really seen any conservative here attempt an answer. These communities moved to McCain even as whites elsewhere - including equallly staunchly conservative white communities elsewhere - moved to Obama. What would your guesses of why be?