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cbayer

(146,218 posts)
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:00 AM Sep 2012

Republicans Use Religion as a Political Tool

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-mccarthy/republicans-use-religion-as-a-tool_b_1862375.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012


John W. McCarthy
Chairman, College Democrats at The Catholic University of America

The Republican Right has taken a break from their busy schedule of cutting services to poor people to tackle another hard hitting issue: The Democratic Platform didn't originally mention God once. Listen, I know we are working on building-up an economy and restoring a social safety net but this is important stuff. Thank God for the Republican Party! If they weren't spending their time combing through party platforms, I don't know how'd get by!

Republicans believe that life is a numbers game. We are only as religious as the amount of times we can fit God into a sentence. The bigger the American flag outside your house, the more American you are! You really want to support the troops? How about a nice yellow magnetic ribbon (Made in China) to throw on the back of your SUV? It's clear that the Republican Party focuses on quantity, not quality.

Let's dust off our Bibles and remember that as Jesus spoke to the multitudes at the Sermon on the Mount he reminded us, "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." That's right: Jesus didn't want us to simply write about the faith -- he wanted us to live the faith.

Republicans have been calling a lot of "Lord! Lord!" but it appears they really haven't given Christianity a shot. They've crafted a political rhetoric to take their political agenda and force-feed it to Faithful America. They do an awful lot of talking about values, God (the American one), faith, religion, big cars, guns, rugged individualism, bootstraps, righteous wars, freedom and touching stories about Sunday morning mass with their family. They'll tell you that Jesus died for America -- and ONLY America. They talk a good game, but it doesn't line up with the overarching teachings of any major religion.

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Freddie

(9,232 posts)
1. That brown-skinned man who wants us to help the poor and healthcare for all
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:07 AM
Sep 2012

You mean Jesus, right?
They wear Christianity on their sleeves and have no idea what the words of Jesus really mean.

Arkansas Granny

(31,483 posts)
2. I want to ask some of the religious nutters that I meet
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:15 AM
Sep 2012

if Jesus charged a copay to heal the sick or if he drug tested the multitude before he divvied up the loaves and fishes.


cbayer

(146,218 posts)
3. By *nutters*, do you mean fundamentalists or extremists?
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:18 AM
Sep 2012

Because you will find some religious people around this group, but I don't think they are nutters.

Arkansas Granny

(31,483 posts)
8. I was referring to the extreme RW holier than thou kind that we encounter
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:26 AM
Sep 2012

on a regular basis here in the bible belt.

Berlin Expat

(946 posts)
4. The Christian fundamenalists
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:19 AM
Sep 2012

have Republican Jesus.

The one who wants to kill the poor, bomb every country that isn't 'Murica, and gives tax cuts to the rich.

Oddly, and I suspect the fundamentalists have no logical explanation for it, Republican Jesus stands in rather sharp contrast to Gospel Jesus, especially on issues such as the poor, pacifism, and overall views of the rich.

Republican Jesus drove the poor out of the Temple, cursing them for their poverty, recommend the use of tactical nuclear weapons, and once was heard to say, "Blessed are the wealthy, for theirs is not only the Kingdom of Heaven, but of Earth as well, and ye shall kiss their asses (and even wipe it for them!)."

As far as I'm concerned, Christian fundamentalists are not actually Christians. Their overall theology is much closer to Satanism, as advocated by the late Anton LaVey, and even he didn't go quite as far as the evangelicals do.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
6. I think you may have evangelicals and fundamentalists confused,
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:21 AM
Sep 2012

as other here can probably explain much better than I.

We have quite a few members that participate in this board who identify as evangelicals and their beliefs don't mirror what you describe here.

OTOH, I think the rightwing christian fundamentalists are pretty well described by you here.

Berlin Expat

(946 posts)
7. And you would be
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:25 AM
Sep 2012

correct; admittedly, for me the terms "evangelical" and "Christian Fundamentalist" are somewhat synonymous, but there is a distinction, and I have edited my original post accordingly.

My late father always used the rather generic (and pejorative) term, "Holy Rollers" or "skypilots".

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
10. I was duly corrected in this very group, but used to use them interchangeably as well.
Sat Sep 8, 2012, 11:37 AM
Sep 2012

Welcome to the Religion group, Berlin Expat.

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