World Magazine: Romney speech good but not persuasive (UPDATE: RON PAUL PLANT FOOLS WORLDMAG?)
I've always looked to World Magazine as a credible voice for mainstream evangelical thought. Their assessment of the much ballyhooed Romney faith speech?
Romney speech may not sway votersWorld's reporter also quotes a conservative atheist with her nose out of joint (no word whether she's single, Allahpundit, but she's very moral) and a fellow leaning on a sign that proclaims "JOSEPH [Smith] LIED". Let's just say they weren't getting any objective analyst points, if you know what I mean.
...But for the average Joes, many of whom said it did reinforce Romney’s morality, the speech didn’t necessarily sway votes, even though they mostly agreed it was good, even presidential sounding. Rabbi Peter Tarlow, of the Texas A&M Hillel Foundation, said he thought Romney “stood up for the importance of giving equal footing for all faiths in America,” though he remains undecided about who he is supporting in 2008. Scott Talbert, pastor of McDade Baptist Church in McDade, Texas, said he thought Romney “has got a real moral compass.” He added that “what he said was often right — like about how we’ve taken this idea of separation of church and state out of control,” but he’s not won over mainly because it’s hard for him not to support Mike Huckabee, a fellow Southern Baptist and former pastor.
Now, I don't know whether a prickly atheist, a rabbi, a Baptist preacher, and an anti-Mormon zealot really make up a collection of "average joes". I kinda hope not. It sounds like the setup to a joke that could get me sent to sensitivity training if I told it at work. What it does tell me: the folks at World sure weren't ready to admit being swept into the Rapture by Mitt's words.
And yes, I totally wouldn't be posting this but for the recent unpleasantness.
UPDATE: When it comes to the "conservative, moral atheist" mentioned in the article, astute JYB commenter Ninjapirate smells well-fertilized foliage:
Jenna Tomlinson, who chairs AARP — Atheists and Agnostics for Ron Paul — at Texas A&M University, said the speech was insulting: “Short version of the speech? ‘I’m Mormon, but at least I’m not an atheist,’ ” she said. “As an atheist and a conservative who considers herself very moral, I was pretty offended that he didn’t talk about the contributions of atheists to America and their right to not believe in any god.”And Ninjapirate follows up:Yeah, that’s right up Allah’s alley.
Allah’s out of luck, there isn’t anyone who has a name even close to “Jenna Tomlinson” associated with Texas A&M.I'm posting this update without even bothering to check Ninjapirate's facts, becauseDo a people search for Tomlinson. https://services.tamu.edu/directory-search/
They don’t make their student organizations public for some reason, so I can’t check to see if “Atheists and Agnostics for Ron Paul” even exists. It doesn’t on google. http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/online
A: "Ninjapirate" is a really cool name, and
B: "Conservative, very moral atheist?" Come on. This is obviously some guttersnipe the Paul campaign dressed up and sent to the Romney speech with the promise of medical marijuana or an epic broadsword for her World of Warcraft Dark Elf.
P.S.: I kid.
P.P.S.: Seriously, though, World ought to look into this.