I honestly don't get what is so scary to the Huckabee crowd about gay marriage that they want to amend the constitution to prevent it. What's the threat?

I would like to know when and where this speech took place. I think it sounds as though he was talking to a predominantly christian audience...just wonder if that is the case and that detail was left out. Does anyone know? I would say it appears to have been last night, but I would like clarification. Thanks!

I would also like to see a transcript of EXACTLY what was said and a context. I am curious as to what all his plans included and how that unfolded!

Wow. Separation of church and state. By the way which of god standards are wegoing to use? Stoning?

So is Mike making a veiled inference of sola scriptura?

Who is he accusing of trying "to change the word of the living God?"

He just can't resist speaking in code. Evidently, they speak the same language in SC, just a little slower.

My gosh..that was the scariest thing I ever read on MSNBC.

"God's Standards"....and so I guess that means the rest of us are wanting Satan's standards.

Does this guy creep anyone else out?  Like I see a Puritan society with women sporting Scarlet A's.
AAAHHH

alrighty then, and who's religion and who's bible will be the new guiding light for our nations constitution....I'm thinking huckster is thinking it should be his version...while we are at it why not get rid of any other pesky parts of the constitution, say the one about seperation of church and state...beware the religious right, they want to boss you around

What a nutjob. Will he next call for an amendment to outlaw buddhism, judaism, atheism, etc?  Will his entire cabinet be pulled from pulpits across the country?  Even worse, will he pack the courts with even more incompetent jurist/Jesus-freaks? Haven't we had enough of this road, having the leader of the free world believing he was given the job by God, not by the people that voted for him?  Get a grip, folks.  Keep your religion out of our government.  That's how it was designed, for the protection of both church and state.

Who's god is he speaking of??? Well, of course it must be my own god, the greatest god ever! What other god could he possible be referring to?

The first book to say murder was wrong was the Bible.  Without the foundation of this Book.  Our current constitution and laws wouldn't be the way they are.  Huckabee is the type of leader that will lead all Americans well.  You don't have to be an evangelical to see that Huckabee would be a great leader for us all regardless of our religion.

Come join this Blog if you belive that Mitt Romney is a Flip Flopper please come on over and post your thoughts, this Blog is Only for comments on Mitt Romney being a Flip Flopper.

http://www.mittromneyflipflopper.blogspot.com/

I can just imagine how Huckabee is going to get trashed for taking a stand like this . . . yet he's right.  It's time to take a stand.  Constitutional amendments are needed to protect the lives of the unborn and the weakest among us and the stability of the family.  We can be a great country again if we remember that greatness comes from goodness.  It will take someone like Huckabee leading these efforts to achieve them.  I am thankful we have the opportunity to vote for a leader who says what he believes.

Change the Constitution to be brought within religious standards?!

Huckabee just eliminated himself as a viable general election candidate with that terrifying reactionary declaration.

Even friggin' Brownback took a moment at a debate to point out that theocracy was a bad idea in the midst of his dogmatic rhetoric.

Huckabee, on the other hand, doesn't even offer the slightest pretense that he knows what country he's living in.

This should be the final evidence that Huckabee has no business running this country.

Case closed.

Ok..I've calmed down from reading it and now I hope Huck gets the GOP nod.....its the ONLY way to ensure Hillary or Obama are a landslide into the Whitehouse.

Throw these comments out in national debates and television ads..and you are sure to freak some people out.  

Huckabee is a nut job and I thought President Bush was bad until this guy came along. I agree with everyone above that there needs to remain a clear seperation of church and state and Huckabee can crawl back in the same hole from whence he came.

Nowhere in the Constitution will you find Separation of Church and State.  The reason for this is that our founding fathers did not believe in it.  But they by no means wanted the United States to be a Theocracy.  Many people throw around Separation of Church and State without realizing that it came from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson, not from our Constitution.

What's wrong with having religious zealots run a government?  Seems to be working well in Iran.

OMG, I never thought I would hear that.  We must stop this man!

I'm a Republican, and a conservative one at that, but this line of discussion scares me a LOT.  

I fail to understand this intolerant streak in religions generally, and in the fundamentalist ones in particular, that seem to require everyone to think their way or they aren't safe to practice their own beliefs.  Maybe someone can explain that to me, but to date no one has even tried very hard.

If this truly reflects his thinking, and is not just a case of playing to the house, then I have my doubts about Gov. Huckabee's qualifications to be President, or any other office under our Constitution.

Absent some clarification (one that makes real sense and isn't spin), this conservative, Republican, constitutionalist will not be voting for the Gentleman from Arkansas in November, or at any other time.

As an Evangelical who has studied the Bible and theology, it begs the question: if you are going to amend the Constitution on those things because of the bible, why not foreign policy as well? I mean, the Bible does make it clear to love those who hate you and bless those who persecute you. So by biblical standards we should not have invaded other countries in response to 9/11. Those who live by the sword die by it. Mr. Huckabee, at least be consistent.

the media is the media is the media'
we worship at the alter
of hysteria...
         yada yada

I'm a Christian - and I have NO intention of voting for Mike Huckabee!

God wouldn't want me to - for many reasons.

I like Huke, but when a politician seeks to amend the Constitution to make it comply with God's Law, it scares the liven hell out of me.  Remember John Anderson, ran as an independant years ago as a liberal.  He wanted the same thing.  Christ said to render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's.  The Constitution is part of Ceasar's world, not the world of God.

Oh my gosh.  I am a very relgious person, but this kind of talk is part of what scares me about Huckabee.  Regardless of whether or not the constitution mentions the separation of church and state, the founding fathers came to this country to escape a place where religion ruled the government.  I know God exists and is concerned about our well being, but Huckabee is trying to force his brand of Christianity on the world.  What makes him think that he has all the answers?  Does he think he is the Moses of America?  I'm sorry, but his recent record and life does not add up to someone who is a godsend for our country.  The Bible says "by their fruits ye shall know them".  Huckabee's fruits (acts) do not show me someone I can trust as a leader.

If they really want to amend the Constitution, then OK, but then women and homosexuals should't have to pay taxes anymore.

Go for it, zealots!

For those commenting on "separation of church and state" - do some research. It's not in the Constitution. Neither was it intended to be (when you do find its origin) as those that use it as a way of keeping the church from having a say in politics.

You don't get it. Huckabee will be the Republican nominee. Huckabee is the true racist (his "illegal immigration plan" are code words for it's okay to hate all Hispanics and deport them all) and the true misogynist running for president ("God's standards" are a male hetero god's standards). The only way to beat him (Nixon's southern and west strategy 1968 redux) is an Obama/Hilary ticket to reveal this racist/misogynist (masking as hypocrite preacher - yeah, right 'welcome the stranger' as a core Christina value?) for what he is and out these continuing demons of American history and current society!

If Huckabee is the nominee, and I can't imagine he will be, he will continue to whittle the Republican down to just the religious zealots. As a reformed, former Republican, I am now, not just a Democrat, but an energetic Democrat. If this continues, we will be down to two parites...the zealots, and everybody else. Many more moderate conservatives will leave the Republican party.

Sean T, go read a frickin history book and get an education.  Hammurabi's Code was the firs tto outline crimes, and defined murder as a crime hundreds of years before the Bible.  US law is based on English Common Law, which in turn is based on English tribal law which predates the arrival of Judaism and Christianity in the region by centuries.

Christianity is not a prerequisite for the law, nor is religion necessary for freedom and American Democracy.  Something the Republican candiates (and sadly far too many odf their blind and ignorant followers) should figure out.

"I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God ..."
--M. Huckabee, are you talking out the same 'word of the living God'?  Because it seems pretty easy for Churches, institutions, believers and non-believers alike to change.

1) I thought GOP wanted less federal decisions and more state decisions

2) Didn't we go down the path of amending the constitution for a social issue before (alcohol)?  And what was the result? Oh yeah, it was repelled.

3) what if my religious views/understanding of "Gods standards" are different than his?  Does he get to force his religion on me?  

is this guy kidding,or has thew US reversed 220 years of history.the writers of the constitution specifically wrote that the US will not recognize any religion,but that we as individuals have the right to.
let us not fall into the same trap that got us Bush for 8 years.Pleeeeze

Nowhere in the Constitution will you find Separation of Church and State.  The reason for this is that our founding fathers did not believe in it.  But they by no means wanted the United States to be a Theocracy.  Many people throw around Separation of Church and State without realizing that it came from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson, not from our Constitution.
David, Virginia (Sent Tuesday, January 15, 2008 11:56 AM)

-------------
9 people in DC disagree with what you say...they are the 9 Justices of the US Supreme Court through prior court decisions, i.e., precedent, clearly defining that the constitution does, indeed, provide for a separation of church and state, even thought he specific words are not used...it's inherent in the 1st Amendment.  I'm a lawyer, and former legislative aid, and current court employee, so don't make comments that you clearly know nothing about.  

Well, God says that you are either for Him or against Him.  This is a choice we make.  There is not middle ground.  There is no way that you can serparate your belief with your job.  It is the core of who you are.  So, to tell Huckabee to keep his faith out of it is rediculous.

At least Huckabee is upfront with what he believes and doesn't hide it.

You ought to check what these other polititians belive because that is how they are going to run this country.

Mike Huckabee for President!

I have been a Christian all my life, went to parochial schools. I was taught to embrace all religions and, there is no correct religion. I realize our country has been a majority of Judeo-Christians, but to judge someone else's belief and push your own as the the only one is scarey. Never have I witnessed such religious bigotry from Huckabee.

Rob in Boston is right!  Look at Iran, is that what we want?

Umm, Biblically speaking the man takes a wife as his property. The marriage vows of today are a new societal/religious invention. They aren't Biblical tradition at all.

So, since the Bible also says that women should never cut their hair, will Huckabee amend the Constitution to require that too?

By the way, I tried to ask this question before on another page, but it was never posted. I really would like to know some respectful opinions, and this page seems like a good place to ask, considering the subject...

I consider myself prolife.  I am against abortion in the majority of cases.  However, I believe that there are some cases where, after careful consideration, abortion should be allowed.  here are the scenarios:

1. conception due to incest or rape
2. the mother would die if the baby were born/carried to term
3. The fetus has no chance of surviving birth (for example, a friend of mine was 5 months pregnant when she learned that her baby had no amniotic fluid, thus his lungs would not develop.  There was zero chance of survival.  She WANTED that baby, but had to face the heart-wrenching choice of aborting the fetus or letting it abort naturally.  Either way, it would die, it was just a consideration of when and how big... and the devastating posibility that the unborn child was already suffering.
4. Doctors determine that the child will be born with such severe disabilities as to render its life incredibly traumatizing and severely painful (I am NOT talking about manageable disabilities like Down Syndrome, I am only referring to truly painful, disfunctioning disabilities).

My question is, for those of you who think that abortions should NEVER be allowed, how do you handle these situations?  I think it would be very difficult to create legislation that allows for exceptions, should Roe v. Wade be overturned.  Obviously reasons 2-4 could be determined by a doctor or medical team.  Perhaps this could be legislated: abortions are forbidden except when a team of medical specialists determine one of those reasons... but then what about #1?  For many women, rape is worse than death.  Some may be able to handle the trauma of carrying such a fetus to term, followed by adoption or something, but for others it might be so devasting/traumatizing that it could cost them their very sanity- which could also hurt the baby.  Rape/Incest are already hard to prove in court.  It is estimated that 1 in 9 women are raped (and that only includes those who report it).  How much harder would it be for those REAL vicitms, when others start claiming rape because their one night stand turned into an unwanted pregnancy?  

Don't get me wrong.  I am totally against abortions for selfish reasons: sleeping around, pregnancy isn't convenient right now, never wanting kids, slipping up on your birth control, one night stand, drunken "mistake", don't want the weight gain/stretch marks, whatever.  I think people (both the man and the woman) need to grow up and take responsibility for their actions, or better yet, keep their pants on.  I think if a unwanted child is conceived it should be born and given up for adoption to some of the thousands of couples out there who desperately want children, but can't conceive.

I just don't know how you can force someone in one of these more rare circumstances to carry a baby when one of the listed results above could occur. That would be punishing both victims- the unborn baby, and the living, breathing, INNOCENT mother.

Please share your thoughts.  I respectfully want to know.

Gee...a baptist minister Christian Reconstructionist presidential candidate that wants to change the constitution to meet God's standards, as he interprets them...and that is shocking, why? Huckabee as president would be the most dangerous thing that could ever happen to this country.  He'd be worse than Bush if that's even possible.

Mitt Romney a "flip-flopper"?  I sure hope so.

When someone changes their mind or gains more knowledge on a subject to the point where their position on the matter changes, it is not called flip-flopping; it is called maturing. It is part of the political process to re-examine your position on important issues over your tenure and decide whether earlier positions are tenable or even justified any more. On the day Benjamin Franklin signed The Constitution he made this speech:

Mr. President, I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve. But I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men indeed as well as most sects in religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error. But though many private persons think almost as highly of their own infallibility as of that of their sect, few express it so naturally as a certain French lady, who in a dispute with her sister, said, "I don't know how it happens, Sister, but I meet with nobody but myself, that's always in the right."

Robert or RJ from UT and the other Mormon bashers deem themselves to be "always in the right" and we have seen how silly and maniacal their rantings are.  Mitt Romney is the one I would trust my country and the welfare of my family to.  And, if he changes his mind on an issue, I also trust that he will do so because he gained greater insight and knowledge on the subject and will work for our greater good in implementing his agenda.

<i>The first book to say murder was wrong was the Bible.</i>

Can you cite your source for this assertion, please? I've never heard this, and quite frankly, do not believe it in the absence of some form of proof.

Of course, even if it is true, this in no way means that our constitution is or should be based on God's law / the Bible / whatever. After all, murder is a state crime, and the Constitution doesn't mention murder anywhere that I'm aware of.

Amy B Portland, ME (Sent Tuesday, January 15, 2008 11:37 AM)
A marriage amendment would be the least of it.
How about required school prayer? (to the one true living God of course) The Non Christian little children will just have to wait in the hallway during morning devotions.
How about an amendment to require Elected officials and public servants pass a religious litmus test to insure that their faith is acceptable? We certainly can't have non or wrong believers serving GOD'S Constitution.
Hey, I know! How about we call a Constitutional Convention and just re-write it wholesale.
The United States can be Born Again as a true Theocracy!

You were right Sinclair.
Here it comes.
Wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.

This man is clearly insane and totally incapable of leading a religiously diverse country.  Whose God is he talking about?  Clearly not mine.  Imagine what sort of SOCTUS candidates he would nominate??  God help us all!!  I hope he wins the GOP nomination.  That will guarentee Obama or Clinton a landslide victory and massive gains for the Dems in congress.  Go Huck!!

For those of us who have watched Huckabee with a skeptical eye since he weighed into this fight, his latest remarks about amending the Constitution in accordance with "God's standards" say it all.  This guy is scarey.  I must admit, I have even entertained the idea that he entered this race not because he thought he could win it, but to hurt the run of Mitt Romney by splitting the votes of the Christians enough to give Giuliani or McCain a better chance to win the nomination.  I can guarantee that, if Giuliani or McCain get the Republican nomination, the Democrats will gain the White House

PLEASE LET HUCKABILLY BE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE.  I THINK AMERICANS WOULD FINALLY WAKE UP AND SEE WHERE THE CHRISTIAN COALITION OF INTOLERANCE HAS BROUGHT US THE LAST 8 YEARS.  

OBAMA 08!!!!  

Will we be banning shrimp?  After all G-d says we shouldn't eat it.

The Ten Commandments were far from the first laws to ban murder. Most scholars date Exodus as being written in the 13th Century BC. Oldest known laws against murder are from Urukagina, a ruler of Mesopotamia, whose judicial code is dated to the 24th century BC (and is, incidentally, the first known use of the word "freedom" in a legal system). Several other mideast legal codes barring murder also predate the Ten Commandments.
And if the Founding Fathers did NOT believe in Separation of Church and State, why did a Founding Father (Thomas Jefferson) spell it out in his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, making such a separation part of Virginia's state Constitution?

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do -- to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."


Should the Constitution be amended to be in 'God's standards'?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1544

.

I remember a day when Mike Huckabee was on Bill maher's TV show.  Huckabee said at the time that marriage should be about a couple who loves each other unconditionally, and that it was the unconditional love that gives stability and a sense of purpose to a person's life.  I guess he believes that only straight people should have that stability and sense of purpose

I got the sense that Huckabee has integrity, which seems to be lacking in some of the other candidates. His being so overtly religious, and so wanting to mesh his religion with his politics bothered me some, but I was wondering if I could deal with that. Well, with his statements about amending the Constitution, he has definitely lost my vote. I don't mind if my president is religious. I do mind if he tries to force his religion on me.

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