Like every weekend. Jindal just a few weeks ago came to my small town to speak on a Sunday morning at a local Baptist Church. From the Baton Rouge Advocate see this article that goes into this.
What is not noted in the article is that Jindal also has a secular event in the area planned to go along with it.
I have no complaints. For decades we in rural north Louisiana hardly saw a Governor or for that matter any elected State wide official.
Bobby is also in way acknowledging loyalty here. The biggest defenders against the anti Catholic Know nothing ad campaign that the Louisiana Democrat party ran just in North Louisiana against him were NORTH LOUISIANA EVANGELICALS , FUNDAMENTALIST,AND PENTECOSTALS.
They were disgusted by it.
Not only did they find the anti Catholic theme being played out of bounds they were very much were offended that people thought they were such bigoted yahoos that it would work.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Catholic Governor Jindal Worships a Lot With North Louisiana Protestants
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As an Opinionated Protestant who doesn't think the Reformation is over, I'm not a big fan of Jindal speaking in Protestant churches, although likely for quite different reasons than the desperate last ditch effort by the LA Dems to stir up controversy in 2007.
Jindal's speaking in non-Catholic churches has apparently been ongoing since shortly after his election to Congress in early 2004. (I was at a church where he spoke at not long after that.) The idea is that Jindal lost to Blanco in 2003 by not running as well in N. LA as a Republican normally would and that he needed to show what he had in common with many voters north of I-10.
Unfortunately some probably still consider Jindal to be a foreigner even though he was born and raised in BR. No doubt you are familiar with the anecdote that in the 03 runoff rednecks were faced with the dilemma of voting for a woman or a "foreigner." Also witness the hypocritical insistence on the part of many liberals of emphasizing what Jindal's given name is, but crying foul when Obama's full name is noted.
What Jindal seems to do with many if not all of these visits is take to the pulpit and give his testimony of how he was converted from Hinduism to Christianity. He converted to some form of evangelicalism and later to Roman Catholicism while at Brown. He of course omits his having later crossed the Tiber etc. when giving his testimony at these churches.
Because I relocated to SE LA from Central LA just before the ads started running, I didn't see them. But from what I gathered the Dems attempted to point out the inconsistency of Jindal's earlier Catholic apologetic writings (he apparently wasn't contemplating a future in politics when he wrote those!) and his attempt (by omission at best) to appear as one with non Catholic groups, some of whom would generally be considered anti-Catholic. From what I heard about them, the ads were a poorly executed hatchet job. But they were destined to be a flop no matter how well executed. (I did vote for Jindal in 2007 in case you were wondering.)
I am much more at odds with the leaders of these churches than I am with Jindal, especially if they consider the Roman Catholic Church to be a false church, which I would imagine that most do. If the Advocate article is any indication, some may see the visits as a way to bring in visitors who otherwise may never darken their door.
If I were to run for political office do you think I as a non- Catholic would be allowed to speak during Mass about my testimony or any other subject for that matter?
Jindal does appear to be sincere in his faith, especially compared with most politicians. I am not of the opinion that he simply converted from Hinduism to be more palatable to American voters as some of his detractors have suggested. If I recall correctly, in 2003 it was reported that Blanco said "we got out Catholiced by a Hindu." Given his writings for Catholic publications in the 1990's, I think Jindal is likely more of an informed and sincere Catholic than the vast majority of RC's in Louisiana.
(Incidentally I would actually consider myself closer to Roman Catholicism than Oneness Pentecostalism but that's definitely a subject for another time and place. At least we can agree on the Trinity!)
Of course with my views on this subject I know I appear as a chirping sectary to most Catholics and non Catholics alike. Most in both camps would be hard pressed to explain what the key issues in the Reformation were and why Catholics and Protestants remain divided.
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