How do Repubs reconcile their religion with their politics ?

[kentuck]

Republicans for years have courted the Christian voters. As they go to church this Sunday, will they talk about Jesus or about George Dubya? Will they talk about feeding the poor and caring for the least amongst us or will they talk about cutting food stamps and welfare for the poor? Will they talk about peace in the Middle East or will they talk about how we should win the war in Iraq? Will they talk about compassion and love for our enemies or will they talk about torture? How do they reconcile all these political beliefs of the Republican Party with their religion which supposedly is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ?

[afdip]

1. it helps that reason and rationality are not their strong suits . . . .

[salinen]

2. Or, to put it plainly

"Hey you Morons, stop being Idiots"

[Erika]

3. Will they talk about Christ's Golden Rule

or continue their support for W's pre-emptive strike policy?

To me, they have painted themselves into a corner.

[baldguy]

4. When their politics conflicts with their religion -

They rewrite their religion.

[rfranklin]

5. They contort the Bible to fit their personal agenda and predelictions...

This has been true of the human race throughout history.

Don't want to feel guilty about your fellow humans suffering? Well, God made them poor and afflicted because they are unworthy. They are somehow inherently undeserving.

You, on the other hand, inherited wealth and got that legacy placement at Yale because God chose you who are pure of heart and deserve to receive His bounty.

I cheated you out of your fair wages and you are too stupid to do anything about it so that proves that God loves me and despises you.

See how simple it is?

[orpupilofnature57]

6. Christianity teaches personal Culpability, not Ambiguous Logic

[Double T]

7. President 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition'.........

is duplicity personified, and so it is for the rest of his followers in the republican and conservative parties.

[charlyvi]

8. They don't. Their religion IS their politics.....

there's nothing to reconcile.

[NoQuarter]

10. We Have A Winner!

nt

[Solly Mack]

9. When God is on your side against the heathen horde how could your

politics possibly contradict your religion?

There's nothing to reconcile.

They're right. God agrees. Case closed.

[BootinUp]

11. The more fundamental congregations

talk about preventing persecution of Christians around the world, to feel better about their support for the war.

They say that judging others is good and righteous, as long as you judge in the way you would want to be judged (they apparently are qualified to judge).

They take out of context and completely misinterpret the bible's teachings to fit their political agenda.

[Bill McBlueState]

12. easily

When your sacred text is so full of ambiguities and outright contradictions, you can selectively quote it to justify pretty much anything.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

13. You know...I've been to a couple of RW churches for

special events and you might be surprised that they were talking a lot about the poor, etc.

The politics was more discussed here and there afterwards. And I think it is talked about at work and at home but maybe in more of a veiled way..an indirect way... in the actual church.

So I think they way the reconcile it is by pretty much acting like good Christians in church, but then thinking that they need the "tough love" approach to politics. That is the rationalization.

[Yupster]

17. The disconnect that many DU'ers have with fundies is

like the original poster they equate cutting food stamps with not feeding the poor. Then this poster notes when he goes to a fundie church there is much talk of the poor.

There is much more than talk too.

You will find fundies adopting children in huge numbers compared to the general population, you'll find them volunteering at the local food banks and crisis pregnancy centers and organizing food drives for the poor and Christmas drives and Thanksgiving drives and whatever other charitable causes you can think of.

However, they see that their biblical command is to help the poor.

They do not see their charge as lobbying the government so it will help the poor.

You see, Jesus in his parables made it clear it is each person's responsibility to help those less fortunate. When the Good Samaritan passed the wounded traveller, he did not notify the local Centurian that there was a hurt man. He helped him himself, and then left his own personal money at the Inn to pay for his care.

Jesus didn't lead marches on Caeseria to increase the bread dole even though Rome had the most advanced social welfare system around.

On the contrary, Jesus pretty much ignored the earthly government as immaterial to a good moral life. It was something to be ignored and if that wasn't possible, then tolerated.

So, when a DU'er complains that a fundie says he wants to help the poor but then votes for tax cuts, he's seeing hypocricy which is completely lost on the fundie who may be doing incredible charitable work day and night, so he doesn't see the two items as linked.

On the other hand the fundie will hear the DU'er argue to increase government programs for the poor even if it means higher taxes.

That connection of helping the poor through government is already a tenuous link with a fundie, but then if the DU'er follows by saying the higher taxes should not fall on himself, but only onto others (the rich), then the fundie sees that as turning Jesus' teachings completely upside down where instead of each individual charged to personally help the poor, it becomes what Jesus hated most, the hypocrisy of saying you all need to help the poor, but not us.

It's a true disconnect of thought.

[Erika]

19. My rich GOP friend loves to talk about how she helps the

poor and W's tax breaks "allow" her to do that. Of course, her and her husband wouldn't consider giving raises to their employees to keep them from needing government services in one way or another, or keep her from taking advantage of "government services" for the development of her preemie grandchild. It's the same concept as Wal-Mart claiming to be so wonderful for the community contributions they make while handing out government assistance forms for those applying for jobs with Wal-Mart.

[Yupster]

20. That's the disconnect all right

We think they're hypocrits for wanting to help the poor, but not wanting the government to spend money to do it.

They think we're hypocrits for wanting to have the government spend more money to help the poor as long as taxes are raised on other people, not us.

[Tsiyu]

21. Interesting choice of words

I have never read a DUer's post which said, "Only the rich should pay more taxes."

In fact, I have read posts where DUers would be happy to pay more taxes if it means the soldier in Iraq has the proper body armor, or that an inner city child gets decent books in the school library.

Jesus may have left government to government in his time, but he would certainly not frown upon a government which helped the weakest among us. The society God supposedly set up for the recently enslaved Israelites had plenty of protections and safety nets for the poor. Debts were to be forgiven every seven years, people shouldn't charge usury, etc.

It is certainly clear from the alleged early commands of God that he intended for society to care for the orphan and the widow and the elderly. How you can say that Jesus - the supposed Son of God - would not want a government which did so for the people it governs is beyond me.

Any Repuke who thinks that Jesus would want them to bomb Iraqi babies or to let Katrina victims drown and die from government neglect has NEVER READ THE GOSPELS.

Jesus didn't force anyone to hear him give a sermon. They came in droves of their own accord, because they were living under a harsh rule very similar to our present American one. They needed hope, and he provided it. Rather than calling the poor and hungry "worthless" and "lazy" he said that the poor were "blessed" and he fed them.

To claim that he would then be poorly disposed to a society that cared for the poor and hungry as a matter of law makes a mockery of God's own earliest laws, and makes null and void everything Christ taught about our purpose on earth.

Your post makes me very sad for you...and reinforces why I am no longer a Christian.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

14. You know...I've been to a couple of RW churches for

special events and you might be surprised that they were talking a lot about the poor, etc.

The politics was more discussed here and there afterwards. And I think it is talked about at work and at home but maybe in more of a veiled way..an indirect way... in the actual church.

So I think they way the reconcile it is by pretty much acting like good Christians in church, but then thinking that they need the "tough love" approach to politics. That is the rationalization.

[kentuck]

15. And Pat Robertson calling for assassinations?

How very "Christian" ??????

[BootinUp]

16. Thats where some of the old testament

comes in.

[triguy46]

18. My party of 3 rant...

IMHO....
There are 3 wings of the repugs, and they are all pulling apart due to their obsession with their own little world.

1. Fundies: This is the wacky relgious zealot arm that will only be satisfied with the criminalization of abortion, closing public schools, mandatory church attendance and prayer. They are condescended to by the other two wings, who say the words, pretend to be born again, then go back home, light a cigar and drink single malt scotch.

2. Neo cons: Total world domination. Nuff said. but kowtow to the fundies as necessary, much better at this charade than group 3.

3. Old line, big business: Whats good for GM is good for the US kind of guys, the country club, east coast, episcopalian, Ivy league, boarding school, noblese oblige. They understand and are afraid of 2, but havn't a frickin clue about the fundies.

So in answer, lets deal with the fundies. There is no reconciliation necessary, because they believe in a god that has been created in their image, who believe that Jesus would pack a handgun. their favorite image of Christ is the "angry Christ" upturning the tables of the money changers in the temple. They use this to explain that in fact Jesus is a manly man, in the mold of ahnold. They believe that their god curses nonbelievers and that anything bad that happens is god's punishment.

Reconcilation? no way.

[WinkyDink]

22. THIS is the essential question.

I will NEVER know how "Christians" reconcile their supposed faith with their voting Republican.
And I have plenty in my family and in-laws.

ETA: If these people see their charge as just meaning taking personal responsibility to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, then why can't they also JUST NOT VOTE? "Do no harm." Are they THAT STUPID not to know that their vote EXACERBATES the very conditions their personal charity then tries to ameliorate?

Do they also not realize that "government" IS THEM, but just writ large?
And if Democratic, then writ more equitably?

[DanCa]

23. Simple the repugs dont worship Jesus but the worship some type of

xena like tv god who governs the provinces of war, riches, madness, and embryos.