Hume to Tiger: Convert to Christianity

This is shocking, bigoted, and disgusting. It is proof once and for all that FOXNews is not a legitimate news outlet. They are a propaganda channel. We fear for our democracy when have a major news outlet spouting bigotry:

On Monday night on the "O'Reilly Factor", Brit Hume had the chance to reiterate the personal advice he offered to Tiger Woods last Sunday morning: for a full recovery, the scandal plagued (and Buddhist) golfer should "turn to Christianity."

O'Reilly played a clip of Hume's comments, then asked him: "Was that proselytizing?"

"I don't think so," Hume said, and added that the content of Woods' character was "not what we thought it was."

Hume went on to reassert his belief that "Jesus Christ" offers something that Woods "badly needs."

"He needs something that Christianity especially provides and gives and offers, and that is redemption and forgiveness. I was really meaning to say in those comments yesterday more about Christianity than anything else...I think that Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs."

Buddhists should be offended:

Fox newsman Brit Hume is evangelizing to Tiger Woods - and upsetting some peaceful Buddhists along the way.

Hume, speaking on Fox News Sunday, said he wants the beleaguered golfer to convert to Christianity because he believes Buddhism leaves no place for the "redemption" Tiger needs.

"Whether he can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it's a tragic situation with him," Hume said.

"The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith," Hume continued. "He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith."

Hume said his message to Tiger would be, "Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'"

Buddhists were not happy with Hume's homily.

"I don't like to point out other's faults, but given the record, I would think Christians would show a little more humility about offering advice to the sexually wayward," wrote Barbara O'Brien on her Buddhism.about.com blog.

This from Andrew Sullivan:

An on-air message to Tiger Woods:

"The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger would, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

The pure sectarianism of this comment - its adoption of the once-secular stage of political journalism to insert a call for apostasy - is striking. It even seemed to catch Bill Kristol off-guard a little. But it has long been established that non-evangelical Christians have at best an auxiliary role in today's religiously defined GOP, and the slow morphing of Fox News into the 700 Club is not exactly new. What earthly reason do these pundits now have to prevent or stop it? Once you have abolished the distinction between secular and religious discourse, as they routinely insist on doing, their politics is their religion and their religion is their politics. And both are corrupted.