Another thing to note: 2002 serves as an important date in Palin’s career. This is the year when she ran for lieutenant governor. It is also the year she left her Assemblies of God church in Wasilla for a less controversial non-denominational church and the year her husband dropped his Independence Party registration. Some of the things that are invoked as reasons to hold out hope for the Palins are either already long gone, or they were dropped easily for the sake of making Palin more viable as a statewide candidate. Now that she has reached the national stage, what else will she drop to accommodate herself to the demands of a McCain administration?I’ve noticed that, too. It seemed like in 2002, Palin and family suddenly got very serious about cutting out some of the odder deadwood in their lives. My question is, why? The Independence Party thing I can understand – when you’re running in Republican elections, I’m sure it helps if the whole family is Republican – but switching churches strikes me as odd. I had previously been unaware that running as an evangelical was a detriment in Republican circles. Perhaps Palin’s former church was too hot for the Alaskan Republican contingent? I’d be very curious to hear what prompted the change, which I haven’t seen so far in any of the coverage – especially considering the roll that her former church apparently played in her election as mayor of Wasillia.
As a side note, watching Larison lose his mind in real time over the whole Palin thing has been very entertaining.
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This is purely anecdotal, but candidates moving up in the world often move to churches some distance away from where they live, to spread out the people who will feel compelled to vote for them. So much cynicism, you only have to make the drive once a week! I've actually known a politician who attended multiple churches each Sunday, something I still regret not finding a way to share with his many fellow parishioners. Maybe not surprising that he's back in private practice now.
Anyway, none of this should get Palin off the hook with regard to answering these questions.
candidates moving up in the world often move to churches some distance away from where they live
There is also the phenomenon that as people (not just candidates) "move up in the world" in a socio-economic sense, they sometimes switch from a denomination that is regarded as "lower-class" to another that is regarded as "higher-class." (Baptist to Presbyterian, Presbyterian to Episcopalian, etc.)
During his career as an Air Force officer, my father knew men who had been sergeants who then were commissioned as officers, who felt that it was appropriate to move from the Presbyterian Church to the Episcopal Church -- the Episcopalians being the Church of the upper middle class.
I don't know whether the Wasilla Bible Church has a higher social standing than the Pentecostals, but something like that might be in play here.
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