Despite her Bible mangling, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presents herself as a "devout Catholic," and was kissing the ring of Pope Benedict in Washington last week, no doubt honoring him as "Your Holiness." But in the April 21 Time, she recommends the Dalai Lama to be in Time's Top 100 (most influential people, and he's also "His Holiness." How many gods does Pelosi worship? Devout Catholics worship one God. Tibetan Buddhists worship a multiplicity of gods. Pelosi wrote:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes himself as a "simple monk," but he represents so much more to so many. He is a source of spiritual refuge, and has used his position to promote wisdom, compassion and nonviolence as a solution to world conflicts.
That's certainly the title that the Dalai Lama uses, but that doesn't mean everyone in public life does. In fact, Dan Rather also recommended the Tibetan monk for the Person of the Year honors in the December 17, 2007 issue without the honorific:
The environment is the defining issue of our time. But if the list must be confined to a one-person nomination, the Dalai Lama -- for his contributions to peace, spirituality, philosophy, and science, as well as his nonviolent efforts on behalf of freedom from oppression for his people.
Is Pelosi's defense going to be she's just more spiritual than Dan Rather? At best, Pelosi's promiscuous definitions of holiness just show she's more of a shallow politician than a devout Christian.
[Correction appended: I originally wrote Rather recommended the Dalai Lama for the Time 100, not Person of the Year.]
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
Pelosi is a CINO, in fact
April 25, 2008 - 12:03 ET by taterPelosi is a CINO, in fact it would be much better if she didn't mention herself and being Catholic in the same sentence.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
Speaking of being a CINO...
April 28, 2008 - 10:10 ET by nitpicker"Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?" - James 4:11-12
The footnote in the section of the New American Bible reads: "Slander of a fellow Christian does not break just one commandment but makes mockery of the authority of law in general and therefore of God."
Tim, it's more of the same
April 25, 2008 - 12:13 ET by Ken ShepherdTim, it's more of the same from Pelosi. She's tried very hard to cast herself as a moderately liberal Catholic girl from Baltimore (her hometown) rather than a far-left secular liberal from San Fran. It's pretty nauseating.
Pelosi
April 25, 2008 - 12:27 ET by iveseenitallPelosi is a RICH girl. It's the only reason an airhead like her is where she is. Sickening and sad that our Congress ( Democrats and Republicans) is so full of airheads, ignoramuses, crooks, murderers, "liberals", RINOS, and the like. Talk about ancient Rome---We, today,are in the same deep soup.
NEVER, NEVER trust a "liberal"
Post-modern Pelosi
April 25, 2008 - 12:19 ET by Ken ShepherdTim,
Pelosi would be comfortable at the postmodern megachurch run by Rob Bell. That minister referred to the Dalai Lama as "His Holiness" recently. Suffice to say, that's a no-no for evangelical Christians, since we believe God alone is intrinsically holy and what's more that the Dalai Lama promulgates a false, Christless gospel, something Bell would do well to avoid endorsing implicitly with the "holiness" honorific.
Quasi Christianity
April 25, 2008 - 12:31 ET by GothampcThere are many quasi-Christians in the world today. It's sad that the faith is being diluted. Rob Bell, Rick Warren, even Billy Graham (who in his last NYC appearance had the Clintons sitting on the front row and "joked" that Hillary would make a great POTUS) all are compromising the message of Jesus Christ.
Addition
April 25, 2008 - 15:23 ET by River CityI think Joel Osteen should be added to your list of squishy Christians. He is an excellent speaker and very photogenic (read: 'nice looking') but still squishy on the Bible.
"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Hillary Clinton, 6-28-04 San Francisco
quasi-Christians Indeed
April 26, 2008 - 00:36 ET by man_from_outer_spaceLooks like President Bush has also called the Dalai Lama "His Holiness" (three times) and "Your Holiness" (once). Don't you just hate all of these quasi-Christians out there. It just makes me so bitter. source link: http://www.whitehous...
I've heard..
April 25, 2008 - 18:41 ET by celatorI've heard that Mzz Pelosi has recently asked her staff to address her as "Her Holiness, Queen Of All The Realm." Not sure if that is true. I thought Hillary had that title. I'll check on it and let you know.
As a more serious note, I have read that Hillary once had a rule when she was co-president: No military person working at the White house at the time could address her, or even look at her, when they passed her by in the hallways. THAT one I think is true.
"Dereliction of Duty"
April 25, 2008 - 18:49 ET by River CityBuzz Patterson mentions something about how the military were treated in the White house during HRH Hillary's reign in his book "Dereliction of Duty". It is an excellent book.
"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Hillary Clinton, 6-28-04 San Francisco
Nancy is dissing the first commandment
April 25, 2008 - 12:42 ET by Ole_SargeHey, even this Catholic girl knows that Nancy is a CINO (love that term!!!)
I think she smoked too much "wacky weed" and drank too much of the California "Cool-aide" that she killed more than a few brain cells. Other wise she might remeber the difference.
She belongs on the trash heap of history.
It's the New Age religion
April 25, 2008 - 12:42 ET by mattmIt's the New Age religion of everything and nothing characterized by the false statement that "all roads lead to God."
"Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'" - John 14:6
A LA Carte
April 25, 2008 - 15:26 ET by River CityYou are right. So many preach the "all roads lead to god" mantra. This leads to cafeteria-style religion. It gives you the ability to choose pieces of different religions a la carte and make up your own.
"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Hillary Clinton, 6-28-04 San Francisco
Jesus is the original guru
April 25, 2008 - 16:38 ET by Old EuropeJesus was the first and only real incarnation of God. All other religions are poor rip-offs of Jesus' teachings. Buddha and Dalai Lama are both false prophets. It's a pointless religion denying God that claims that you can be divine without God. Not to mention that both Buddha and the Dalai Lama say the same things that Jesus used to teach: Forgiveness, love and mercy. Mohammed was another false prophet who denied Jesus. And Islam is just a distorted version of the Bible. Ultimately, only Christianity is the only original religion. Jesus is the only way to God and the truth. All others are just Satan's seducers who were planted to lead Christians astray, no matter how harmless the Dalai Lama appears.
2 things
April 25, 2008 - 16:38 ET by johnGfirst, Buddhism isn't a religion.
second, I don't see how admiring the ideals that the Dalai Lama stands for is a bad thing. peace, compassion, and nonviolence i would think are good beliefs.
Buddhism isn' a religion?!
April 25, 2008 - 22:21 ET by Old EuropeBuddhism isn' a religion?! Of course it is. Ask Richard Gere. Ask all those people who knock Jesus but instead worship the Dalai Lama who's just a poor Jesus rip-off and human. There is only salvation through Jesus. But of course Pelosi doesn't really take her faith seriously if she has any and calls the Dalai "holy." No, he's human and deserves no worship. He leads people astray from Jesus, like all false prophets.
Unserious about religion
April 26, 2008 - 18:26 ET by bargal20Funny how everyone just conveniently skips over the fact that Christ's warrior George W. Bush has repeatedly referred to the Dalai Lama as "His Holiness" and "Your Holiness".
I guess it's okay if a republican does it, right?
All I Can Say Is I'm Not A Christian
April 25, 2008 - 22:50 ET by The7SticksSince I am a secular Jew, I don't believe in Hell, or that Christianity is the one true religion. As far as I'm concerned, I could care less about most religions, especially Islam since I would be beheaded the minute I whipped out a Maxim magazine, let alone a Playboy. I could care less that Pelosi is a true Catholic or not, because I don't think that ultimately matters. How she screws up the congress matters, but not the religious issues.
What matters is that most religious leaders, including the Pope and the Dali Lama, are out to unite their people to promote family values, fidelity, love for your neighbor, and such. I'm somewhat flabbergast that no one has realized how brave the Dali Lama is to be venturing out in the open while his people in Tibet are in a plight by the Communist army of China. As far as they are concerned, the Chinese government is on the lookout for the Dali Lama because they claim he's a terrorist. That's kind of fresh of them to say since I have yet to see Tibetan monks strap dirty bombs on themselves and blow themselves up in front of hundreds of women and children. Where's the outrage over that, huh?
Rich girl?
April 27, 2008 - 14:43 ET by man_from_outer_spaceWhat do you have against the rich, comrade?
Um...
April 28, 2008 - 09:48 ET by nitpicker" I have listened carefully to the Dalai Lama and am convinced he is a man of peace who reflects the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans. I urge the government of the People's Republic of China to address the root causes of unrest in Tibet by opening a genuine dialogue with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, aimed at granting greater autonomy." - John McCain, April 10, 2008
And here's a twofer...
April 28, 2008 - 10:21 ET by nitpicker"Nearly two decades have passed since the Dalai Lama was welcomed to the White House for the very first time. Members of both of our political parties and world leaders have seen His Holiness as a man of faith and sincerity and peace. He's won the respect and affection of the American people -- and America has earned his respect and affection, as well.
"As a nation, we are humbled to know that a young boy in Tibet -- as a young boy in Tibet, His Holiness kept a model of the Statue of Liberty at his bedside. Years later, on his first visit to America, he went to Battery Park in New York City so he could see the real thing up close. On his first trip to Washington, he walked through the Jefferson Memorial -- a monument to the man whose words launched a revolution that still inspires men and women across the world. Jefferson counted as one of America's greatest blessings the freedom of worship." - George W. Bush, October 17, 2007
Not only does Bush push xenophobic/Christianist buttons by calling the Dalai Lama by the title Ms. Manners would have recommended, he even goes on to say our nation is "humbled" by the actions of a small boy in Tibet. Let the carnage begin!