Posted in Religion, Those Kooky Conservatives!, Wisconsin Politics

Good luck getting the Catholic vote, Mark!

   April 30, 2009

As reported by Michael Horne, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann is a parishoner at Christ Church, Pewaukee, which is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Additionally, Neumann serves on the board of Hope Christian Schools. Now in and of itself, those facts aren’t really shocking, but here’s the kicker: the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod also includes a biography of Neumann on its website, a website that also includes this interesting piece of Q&A:

“Q. What is the official stand of the WELS about who is the antichrist. Our pastor says it is the Pope.”

“A. Our doctrinal position is that the Roman papacy has exposed itself and is to be recognized as the Antichrist.”

So I’m wondering….does Mark Neumann believe the Pope is the antichrist? Further, if Neumann does believe the Pope is the antichrist, how does he feel about all those Catholics in Wisconsin? Is Neumann ready to write off the Catholic vote in Wisconsin, or will he try to distance himself from the views of his Synod simply to make himself more electable?

EDIT: Post edited to include a source link to the Q&A on the WELS website.

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11 thoughts on “Good luck getting the Catholic vote, Mark!”

  1. Nice job taking something out of context to make a sensational display. At least Horne gave links to the source document. Since you’re a theologist now, please explain what was said there.

    Are you willing to stake your reputation on this post?

  2. Cindy, I’ve added a link to the actual source material; that was an oversight on my part, but thanks for pointing it out.

    As to your comment, what am I taking out of context? “Our doctrinal position is that the Roman papacy has exposed itself and is to be recognized as the Antichrist” seems pretty straightforward to me.

    Further, this Statement on the Antichrist seems to make it clear where WELS stands on the issue:

    Therefore on the basis of a renewed study of the pertinent Scriptures we reaffirm the statement of the Lutheran Confessions, that “the Pope is the very Antichrist” (cf. Section II), especially since he anathematizes the doctrine of the justification by faith alone and sets himself up as the infallible head of the Church.

    Cindy, if I’m confused or have misinterpreted what I’ve read, then by all means correct me. I don’t profess to be an expert on the issue of religion, especially the Lutheran faith, but the comments I’ve cited seem pretty unambiguous.

  3. Zach’s correct. The pope has been called an anti-christ by other christians through-out the history of christianity. A simple cross check on Wiki can confirm this. I hope you retract your attack on Zach, Cindy.

  4. Oh Zach…I went to a WELS school from 1-10th grade and was baptised and confirmed in a WELS church and look at how nice I am. 😉

  7. How is this any different than the Catholic church’s claim that it is the only church established by Christ and that if you are not a member, you are not a valid Christian. But I don’t have any problem voting for Cathloic candidates who are active in their churches. I don’t hold Russ Feingold accountable for Judiasm’s belief that Jesus was a false prophet, etc.

    And you are taking the WELS comment out of context because you do not show their definition of an anti-christ:
    “There are two points which by themselves are enough to make the pope an antichrist. First, he makes himself God when he takes to himself the right to make divine laws binding on the church. It is a sin to eat meat on Friday. Then it isn’t. Priests are denied marriage, a gift of God. The list goes on and on. Here the pope denies the authority of God the Father. Second, he curses anyone who believe the most important teaching of the Bible, forgiveness of sins by grace alone by faith alone. He denies the essence of the work of Christ, God the Son. These two teachings make the pope an antichrist.”

    But more importantly, what is your point? So there are many differences between religions and denominations. How is this valid to an electing someone for Govenor???

  8. If you look at recent Catholic social teaching, Neumann’s political positions are probably closest to what the Catholic Church teaches and prioritizes, which is not saying much at all. All three of the major probable candidates (Doyle, Neumann, Walker), in my opinion, are seriously problematic, and if it is Doyle vs. Neumann or Walker I will be doing a write-in vote, either John Huebscher or Tony Staskunas.

  10. Thanks Zach. That was so very kind of you to say.

    Actually, I was raised going to a WELS church and school but I decided not to be part of WELS once I was able to make my own decisions.

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