Bachmann: Misinformed or Lying?

Last updated on: May 9, 2013 at 6:22 am by Faithful Democrats

Bachmann: Misinformed or Lying? 2013-05-09T06:22:52-06:00 Faithful Democrats

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Michele Bachmann denied last night that her church believes the Catholic

papacy is the Antichrist. She was either
misinformed or, well, lying.

Michele Bachmann, candidate for Congress in Minnesota's
6th district, denied last night that her church believes the Catholic
papacy is the Antichrist. She was either
misinformed or, well, lying.

The revelation first appeared here at FaithfulDemocrats.com
last week and made it yesterday into the Minneapolis Star Tribune. That her denomination holds such a belief is
not in serious dispute; as we reported, the church's doctrines are posted on
its website for all to see. But
Bachmann, using her pastor as her source, still denied it. One reason might be that her district is 30
percent Catholic.

In a televised debate last night, WCCO's Pat Kessler asked
the following:

"We'll start with Senator Bachmann. Religion and politics.
That has crept into this campaign over and over and over again. The
Minneapolis-based Star Tribune reports today, Senator, that the church you
belong to is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod which, it
says, regards the Roman Catholic Pope as the Antichrist. Is this true? Do you
share the views of your church? And, why should any Catholic in the 6th
District vote for you if it is true?"

Bachmann's response:

"That's a false statement that was made, and I spoke with my
pastor earlier today about that as well, and he was absolutely appalled that
someone would put that out. It's abhorrent, religious bigotry. I love
Catholics, I'm a Christian, and my church does not believe that the Pope is
the Antichrist. That's absolutely false. And again, I think it's abhorrent, and
I welcome and have as part of our family many Catholic members as well. And so
I'm very grateful my pastor has come out and been very clear on this matter,
and I think it's patently absurd and it's a false statement."

So let's get this straight: Bachmann attacks those who read
from her church's website and calls them bigoted for pointing out what the website says. Where's the bigotry?

If Bachmann would step up to the plate and call her church's
doctrines religiously bigoted, we'd applaud her in a heartbeat and move
on. But that's not what she's
doing. She's just denying a plain fact.

Now, her pastor may well have misled her on this. I mean, he has to know what the church's positions are, but she might not. Still, can't Bachmann just look on her own
denomination's website? It's right
there.

Perhaps a reporter would consider reading Bachmann the actual text from
her church's website — including the part that says congregations have to
accept these doctrines or admit they're not really Lutherans — so she has to
give a real answer as to whether she rejects
her denomination's teaching or accepts it.
Misrepresenting the nature of that teaching when the truth is
politically inconvenient is not a real answer.

A reporter might also consider calling the WELS office. That place will likely be staffed with true believers who have less sympathy for a straying, politically embattled congregant than a pastor would.

Late update: The local network that asked Bachmann about this issue is now speculating that her "non-answer" in last night's debate could prove very costly among Catholic voters. See the video on the right-hand side, though it may be moved from the home page soon.

Featured Writers

Previous Post

October 28, 2006

The 10 Top Reasons for Christians to Vote Democratic

Next Post

October 29, 2006 Interview with Barack Obama

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Us About Us Action Center Advertise Ask a Theologian Ask a Theologian Blogs Books Campaign Blog Candidate Spotlights Commentary Donate Facebook Featured Writers Fellows Fellows From the Pulpit General Information Hillary Clinton Interfaith Blog Latest Media Center Media Center Media Center MyBlog MyBlog News Newsflash Newsflashes Our Team Reader Blogs RSS Sermon of the Week Shop Social Networking Static Items Support Talking Points Test blogs The Basics Theology Uncategorized YouTube

Select a Month November 2020 October 2020 February 2020 August 2019 July 2018 July 2017 March 2017 February 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 January 2006 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: John is the only Gospel that records Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE