Father Heathen
Veteran Member
It's possible to be religious without attempting to turn ones own religious views into everyone else's laws.
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Christians: Is the Republican party God's party?
- Thread starter -Peacemaker-
- Start date
It's possible to be religious without attempting to turn ones own religious views into everyone else's laws.
I doubt it.
The real trick is to avoid laws which set up one religion as dominant.
But many faiths will have some values in common, & if that's a majority,
they'll likely see their religions as true for all.
Last edited:
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
"Back to the topic that I am trying to derail?" Please get your facts straight. You yourself are spinning the OP - which had basically nothing to do with "modern Christian fundamentalists glorifying wealth and calling for lower taxes and less government, as they ignore 90% of the Old and New Testament teachings that relate to economic issues."
Threads meander and expand upon the OP - that's not "derailing" a thread.
Here's what the OP said:
"I can't count all the Christians I've met (mostly Evangelical) who list the moral issues like gay marriage and abortion as main reasons they vote for the Republican party. The Republican party has basically portrayed itself as God's party though they've tried to be subtle about it. Jerry Falwell, may he rest in peace, openly campaigned for Christians to keep voting for Republicans in the hopes that Republican presidents and Senates would nominate and approve canidates for the Supreme Court who would support the Christian positions on these two very divisive issues. Is voting for Republican the way for laws in harmony with our God's position to be put in place?"
And my answer to that question, way way back before many people, including you, wandered from that original question, was:
No. Most politicians of every persuasion are corrupt and no my own personal Christian beliefs don't fit neatly into any one political party.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Canadians have no one to blame but themselves.
JacobEzra.
Dr. Greenthumb
Yeah but people accuse such when some laws have nothing to do with religious views. Such as abortion, which is common to hear a "pro-choice" person claim the "pro-lifers" of doing what you just said," turn ones own religious views into everyone else's laws "
work in progress
Well-Known Member
Yes it does, because the writer of the OP followed up with:
I'll lay my cards on the table and say I think the GOP is suckering Christians by appealing to the side of us that wants to see moral issues like abortion ruled in our favor. There already exists a Supreme Court with a Republican majority by 5-4 and I still haven't seen them overturn Roe.
So, if I was jumping the gun by assuming "the other side" he was referring to is the bait and switch tactic conservatives use to get fundamentalists to support economic policies that are against their own interests -- so be it! But, if we're asking 'what motivates the lower income segment of the Religious Right, that strategy, and the fact that conservative pro-business philosophy is anti-Christian by historical standards cannot be ignored....although I can't help notice that I got no response on page 3 from you, or the poster I was responding to, regarding how the economic principles of the NT are the complete polar opposite of the social darwinism ethics of the modern right wing evangelical leaders.
Your answer is a copout....a complete copout -- because most of us assume that people who feel a great enough need for attention to become politicians, are almost exclusively narcissists....some will have principles, but I can tell you from more than 30 years of working on the right and left side of the political spectrum, that most politicians are ultimately amoral, and willing to do almost anything for continued approval of the voters, and their financial backers. The average politician is not a leader, but a mirror image of the crowd he or she is attempting to lead.
So, the question has more to do than with politicians; it also involves the people who support them! So, if you go out campaigning for, or sending money to Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann, you have an onus to explain whether or not Perry, Bachmann's, or Ron Paul's economic ideas and principles are in line with being a Christian?
If the fundamentalists can question how authentic leftist or liberal Christians are, because they do not wish to criminalize abortion or homosexuality, then the right wing Christians need to answer whether their Christian principles are in line with the right wing economics and hyper-nationalism also!
This statement is an excellent example of how the other side also sees itself as God's party. Xians abound in both parties, so I presume
that they see themselves as supporting party agendas which comport with their Xianity. The Pubs appear to have the edge on publicly
displayed religiosity, while the Dems keep their's more in the closet. Either way, I see religion & God invoked more than I care for.
But neither do I have any real problem with it, since the "why" of an agenda is less important to me than whether I support it or not.
I get a little bit put off about this kind of thing. My husband has angered me in the past, when I used to be a democrat, by saying "A Christian democrat is an oxymoron". It made me even more sure that God doesn't subscribe to politics.
I hope he's a libertarian.....God that is, not yer husband.
sandy whitelinger
Veteran Member
Plus if He lived in New York His vote would be in effect, useless.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
I still say you should invite him to RF.
JacobEzra.
Dr. Greenthumb
Anyway. Is there anyone who agree's completely fully with the Republican party?
-Peacemaker-
.45 Cal
I don't agree fully with any party. I doubt many people do. I agree with the Republican's stance on the social issues but the Dem's stance about economic issues. I vote based on the economic issues because I doubt the Republican's true resolve to actually stop abortion most importantly. I've heard religious leaders like the late Falwell (may he rest in peace) that it's all about getting enough Republicans in the Supreme Court to finally overturn Roe. Guess what? They already have a 5-4 advantage in the Supreme Court but nothing happens. I think the religous right is gettin manipulated by Republicans
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
Is there anyone who agrees fully with Christianity.
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
Americans have no one to blame but Republicans.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Bull ****. Neither political party is guilt free when it comes to the morass we are in now.
And neither are Americans in general - we don't have excellent leaders because we have not demanded excellence. We've crossed the line from tolerance to compromise and from compromise to selling out - and just like Canadians, we now have the politicians and leaders that we deserve.
And neither are Americans in general - we don't have excellent leaders because we have not demanded excellence. We've crossed the line from tolerance to compromise and from compromise to selling out - and just like Canadians, we now have the politicians and leaders that we deserve.
Alceste
Vagabond
The Conservative retard we elected is the sort of flaming socialist your country will never have. I hate him, but at least he's sort of competent and doesn't threaten our society's infrastructure and social safety net to the extent that the stuff he does can't be undone when we kick him to the curb.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
JacobEzra.
Dr. Greenthumb
Uh, yeah. Me and anyone else who sincerely follows the religion.
work in progress
Well-Known Member
Maybe you're the person I need to ask this question, since the Christian Republicans keep dodging it: are libertarian capitalist economic policies in harmony with the Biblical teachings on social issues and especially regarding the rich and the poor?
My guess would be that it's a combination of two things:
1. The Republican leaders still have a tenuous grasp on reality, and have policy advisers who inform them of the potential blowback of criminalizing abortion. (it wasn't that long ago that abortion was illegal, and the social harms were widely recognized)
2. They want their "family values" rhetorical points as campaign issues; so doing anything more than piecemeal attacks on abortion access would end the abortion issue's usefulness to motivate religious conservatives to vote against their economic interests. And, on that subject, may I suggest adding:
What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
to your reading list. From the Amazon review:
In asking what s the matter with Kansas?how a place famous for its radicalism became one of the most conservative states in the unionFrank, a native Kansan and onetime Republican, seeks to answer some broader American riddles: Why do so many of us vote against our economic interests? Wheres the outrage at corporate manipulators? And whatever happened to middle-American progressivism? The questions are urgent as well as provocative. Frank answers them by examining pop conservatismthe bestsellers, the radio talk shows, the vicious political combatand showing how our long culture wars have left us with an electorate far more concerned with their leaders values and down-home qualities than with their stands on hard questions of policy.