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Al’s Take on the Religious Right

Christianity Today January 6, 2009

The drama between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Colemen continues as Franken won the ballot recount for a Minnesota senate seat by 225 votes.

It’s not official, but so far, it looks like Franken may win this round. Franken has an entire chapter in his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them entitled “Thank God for Jerry Falwell,” referring to the late pastor who co-founded the Moral Majority.

Franken refers to Ann Coulter’s book Slander where Coulter writes “The Religious Right,” is the “boogeyman” for the left. Franken writes that “if Coulter doesn’t think the religious right exists, she should really get out more. I’ve been to Christian Coalition events, and there are a lot of people there . . . The point is, they’re big and they’re growing.”

After his book was published, Steve Waldman of Beliefnet asked Franken what was wrong with the Religious Right.

They sometimes forget we don’t live in a theocracy. They can be in the public square and express their opinion but to expect other people to alter their behavior to say that, for example, that homosexuality is immoral because it says so in the Bible…I mean it also says you can’t eat pork. I don’t see a lot of orthodox Jews saying people who eat pork shouldn’t be allowed to get insurance benefits.

I mean there’s stuff in the Bible how about how to sell your daughter. They kind of are pretty selective about what is important and what isn’t. I think slavery is ok in the Bible. It’s stupid! It’s like the dumbest thing that they want to proscribe other people’s behavior based on their belief.

In other words, Franken won’t be singing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”

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