If we follow the stereotypes, then the right wing - the Republicans, the Christians, the "religious right" often base their beliefs on the Bible. They believe God is the ultimate authority, and it is their duty to enact laws and support policies in line with Biblical teachings.
(I know there are plenty of Christians and religious people who are democrats, but go with me on this for a second.)
Generally speaking - why do the religious right say that gay marriage and abortion are wrong. "Because God said so in the Bible."
I have been reading extensively in the scriptures recently and one things really struck me:
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT ARE NOT THE CHAMPIONS OF THE POOR?!?
I mean seriously? There are hundreds of passages instructing man to care for the poor, look out for the interests of others, sell all they have and give it to the poor, etc...
A quick Google search showed list after list: List #1, List#2, List #3, List #4 etc...
Here are a few of my favorite:
Deuteronomy 15:11 - I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Psalms 82:3,4 -Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy.
Proverbs 14:31 - He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Zechariah 7:10 - And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor.
Matthew 25:40 - Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mark 10:21 - Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.
The story of the Good Samaritan alone ought to be enough! There is a reason I left the Republican Party to be an independent. How can the base of a party say that they are anchored in the Bible and God's teachings, yet ignore the poor.
The Christians should be the champions of the poor. No one should be more charitable because Christians see it as their religious duty - they can't get into heaven without helping the poor!
I don't know where the disconnect happened, but it is disgraceful. The poor and needy should know no greater ally than the Christians, the religious right. Christians certainly aren't the only ones who help the poor. There are many religions and many good citizens across the nation and the world who feel and teach that duty. But the fact that the political party representing the Christians and religious right should ever be seen as the enemy of the poor is truly an Epic Failure.
7 comments:
I agree.
So, Matt...Then who are you voting for?
I've given this some thought, too. Went on a mission to Sweden--where they have Health Care for everyone, for example.
Came back, and now I think: there should be a party called the Christian Socialists.
In the meantime, I think one has to vote Democratic.
Republican Party, as it stands, kind of the Party-of-the-Rich -- and somehow tricked other people to join them.
I'm voting for Romney, mostly for leadership skills. I think he gets things done, and I'd like to give him 4 years to see what he can do.
Can he get congress to agree? Can he get people to work together?
Candidate Obama was inspirational, but no one came together during his presidency. I'm hoping Romney has a better result.
I'm not sure the title of the book, but a study was done to see who actually gives more to the poor: it was Republicans by a huge margin. Just compare Obama and Biden's charitable to Romneys. It is just media hype or maybe following the scripture that says not to tell the left hand (paraphrasing here) what the right does that keeps people thinking Democrats really help the poor.
Tammy Bruce, in her book, The Death of Right and Wrong shared the wise response of an inner city kid to the notion that Democratic policies help the poor: why don they work? True prosperity for everyone comes in the same way. Reality is the poor will stop being poor when they have good jobs. Those jobs aren't created by poor people. That is why we needed Mitt. Kind of (very) sad at his and mostly America's loss.
The book is: Who Really Cares by Arthur C. Brook
Thanks Sage - I'll have to look up that book.
I knew about the charitable contribution difference. Maybe you're right, maybe it's just a question of who TALKS about it more.
I'd also love to hear your opinion on Tammy Bruce's book. I have been interested in how to lift people out of poverty. Putting them on welfare seems to prolong it, although I do believe we need to keep people from going hungry. Something about free stuff invites abuse. I hear of it all the time. Even in college I knew a guy who used his Pell grant money for clothes (his dad was a professor so he had free tuition and had plenty of money to buy marijuana).
So, despite the TALK of the democrats, do their policies actually help the poor? Or just keep them there relying on the next handout to get plastic surgery (true story) or have a nice apartment to live in while their hard-working neighbor can't pay their rent.
So much of the democrats rhetoric is anti-rich. But teaching people how to create. Wealth might help them get out of povery. One of my favorite sayings is "Did a poor person ever give you a job?"
Anyway, I'm rambling. Have a good day!
I was listening to some crazy evangelical on the radio the other day and he said something that rang clear in my head. I can't remember the exact words but the idea was that neither party has the entirety of gods laws in action.
The Democrats believe that acceptance and the uplifting of the needy are the most important where as the Republicans believe that Family and Morality are the most important.
For the longest time I've declared myself a Democratically Independent Republican because I felt that neither party fully represented what I believed: All humans should have freedom and access to the rights defined in the constitution (CONSTITUTION!!! Yeah) and that it's the government's job to ensure that access but also to protect the moral fabric of the nation as defined by the nation.
It's complicated and I don't have the answer, I just hope people making decisions can remember what a true compromise is: Where everyone leaves with something they wanted but not completely happy with the outcome.
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