The strange origins of the GOP ideology that rejects caring for the poor

[babylonsister]

https://thinkprogress.org/bad-theology-conservative-benefits-1d42ef90b387

Jack Jenkins
Senior Religion Reporter at ThinkProgress.
Jun 9
The strange origins of the GOP ideology that rejects caring for the poor
No, that’s not what Jesus says.



The ongoing Capitol Hill brawl over health care and budget cuts is getting Biblical.

In recent months, GOP lawmakers have taken to spouting Christian scripture to defend conservative fiscal policy and their effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The first example came from Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who argued in early March that Jesus would support his criticism of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, as aspect of health care reform that extended insurance coverage to additional low-income Americans.

“Just like Jesus said, ‘The poor will always be with us,’” Marshall told Stat News, quoting the Bible. “There is a group of people that just don’t want health care and aren’t going to take care of themselves.”

He added that “morally, spiritually, socially,” some poor and homeless people “just don’t want health care.”

Marshall’s comments triggered a flurry of criticism from several sources, including more progressive faith writers who chided him for rebuking the traditional Christian instruction to help the poor regardless of their personal choices. The newly elected congressman eventually walked back his remarks a few days later.


“Just like Jesus said, ‘The poor will always be with us…There is a group of people that just don’t want health care and aren’t going to take care of themselves.”


But it wasn’t long before another lawmaker spouted a similar argument in a policy debate. Later that month, Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) attempted to use scripture to justify increasing work requirements for unemployed adults who use food stamps. When a representative from a Jewish anti-hunger advocacy group cited a passage from Leviticus to argue that poor people who receive benefits should not be judged by constrictive work requirements, Arrington fired back with a line from the New Testament.


“Scripture tells us in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3:10…‘for even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: if a man will not work, he shall not eat,’” Arrington said. “And then he goes on to say ‘we hear that some among you are idle’ … I think it’s a reasonable expectation that we have work requirements.”


These statements from Arrington and Marshall are rooted in the same religious idea: that the poor and sick — or at least a subset thereof — supposedly deserve their plight, and healthy and more financially secure Americans shouldn’t be forced to care for them.

This theology has incensed many progressive Christians of late, but it didn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of a decades-long campaign by conservative lawmakers, intellectuals, and theologians to craft a theology that rejects longstanding Christian understandings of society’s needy. As debates over the budget and health care continue to escalate, it’s worth investigating the strange origins of the belief system being preached from GOP podiums.

more...

https://thinkprogress.org/bad-theology-conservative-benefits-1d42ef90b387

[beachbum bob]

1. conservatives ALWAYS view "the poor" as being minorites undeserving of assistance as they are too

lazy.....always been based on skin color

[crazylikafox]

2. Great read. Thanks for posting. Bookmarked.

[DURHAM D]

3. Good read. Thanks for posting. nt

[dalton99a]

4. Great article.

It's a keeper

[Freethinker65]

5. Reminds me of Rumsfeld's use of "fungible"

[Wounded Bear]

6. Those pesky 2 Thessalonians...

who knew a couple of Greek guys could cause such a furor.

[bhikkhu]

7. The biggest unfounded assumption there is that "the poor" don't work

I've known a lot of poor people, and most of them work their asses off just to stay above water. While battling depression, all sorts of unfortunate circumstances, things they can't overcome themselves, but mostly jobs that should pay better. There is no excuse to have "structural poverty" in one of the wealthiest nations on earth, in an era, realistically, of historic abundance.

Of course, lazy poor do exist, but much of the time even that has some cause and effect to it, things beyond their control or immediate ability to overcome.

[Boomerproud]

11. Your point is well taken. I work with poor people who work 10-12 hours a day

and have to support their large families. BTW, you don't hear the phrase "idle rich" much these days do you.

[J_William_Ryan]

8. The contempt

far too many on the right have for the Framers’ mandate that church and state remain separate renders conservative dogma as dangerous as it is failed and wrongheaded.

[X_Digger]

9. Christians rejecting christian principles? Not novel, but excellent analysis. k&r. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

10. Jeff Sharlets book "The Family' is essential reading

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family:_The_Secret_Fundamentalism_at_the_Heart_of_American_Power

This cancerous "Christian" interlretation of modern politics is very dangerous and destructive.

[ucrdem]

12. It always comes back to I got mine so I deserve it.

I've seen a lot of variations on the theme going back to elect and reprobate from the 16th century which still comes up a lot. Sad.

[Wounded Bear]

14. Obviously, if God gave it to me I deserve it...

"Christian" logic for the genetically gifted.

[safeinOhio]

13. The gospel according to

John Galt.

[smirkymonkey]

15. American Calvinism.

Particularly the notion of predestination (if you are born rich, it's because you deserve it, and vice versa) and faith alone (not merit) is enough to guarantee you a place in heaven (therefore you can be as much as a shithead on earth as you want, as long as you have faith you will be saved - no pesky need for guilt about how you treat others.)