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It's mostly quotes from the Bible and therefore public domain. Feel free to quote, repost, revise, slice, cut, fold and or spindle...
If we were trully a Christian Nation, things would be EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of those supported by the so-called "religious right".
IF we were a truly Christian Nation, we would NOT have elected Bush nor would we tolerate ANY of the SOCIAL POLICY nor the ECONOMIC POLICY of the GOP, both of which are opposed by the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The "Christian Right" has got it WRONG on both the "values agenda" AND the right wing economic/abolition of social programs agenda.
On Being a Christian Nation
Part I: Jesus vs. The Social Conservatives - Culture Wars in the Time of Christ
- Let Him Who Is Without Sin Condemn the First Gay (John 8:3-11)
- Foreign Objects in the Eyes, or Jesus Teaches Us How (and More Importantly, to Whom) to Apply Biblical Laws (Matthew 7:1-3)
Part II: Jesus vs. The Economic Conservatives - Did Jesus Teach Personal or Social Responsibility?
- Separating the Sheep Nations from the Goat Nations, Based on Domestic Economic Policy - Subsistence Programs (Matthew 25:31-46)
- Not My Responsibility? The Pharisee and the Levite Had Excuses, too (Luke 10:30-37)
Part III: Putting Parts I and II Together - On Being a Christian Nation
- What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply to Nations and to Government Policy?
- What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply only to Individuals?
**********************
Part I: Jesus vs. The Social Conservatives - Culture Wars in the Time of Christ
Let Him Who Is Without Sin Condemn the First Gay (John 8:3-11)
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Foreign Objects in the Eyes, or Jesus Teaches Us How (and More Importantly, to Whom) to Apply Biblical Laws (Matthew 7:1-3)
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
***
Part II: Jesus vs. The Economic Conservatives - Did Jesus Teach Personal or Social Responsitility?
Seperating the Sheep Nations from the Goat Nations, Based on Domestic Economic Policy - Subsistence Programs (Matthew 25:31-46)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Not My Responsibility? The Priest and the Levite Didn't Think So, Either (Luke 10:30-37)
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
***
Part III: Putting Parts I and II Together - On Being a Christian Nation
What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply to Nations and to Government Policy? What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply only to Individuals?
The Religious Right frequently emphasizes that God will Judge us "as a Nation". They combine this notion with their condemnation of certain behaviors of individuals, and this is the basis of the "culture wars" and the "values vote". They rally for the government to pass laws that uphold (their version of) Biblical standards. They want to ban gay marriage. They maintain that as Christians, we should not only observe God's commandments, but enact them as governmental legislation.
Curiously, when passages such as Matthew 25:31-46 are discussed, they quickly retreat from the notion that Christs teachings should be enacted as government legislation. They assert that charity - helping the poor, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and so forth - should be left to individuals and to the churches. They do not believe that these divine directives should be on the national agenda, nor do they believe that welfare and other subsistence programs are properly the duty of the federal government.
So if it's about condemning sin, they are in favor of shaping government and passing laws to mirror God's directives...but when it's about taking care of 'the least of these', they think that it should be left to individuals, that it is not the proper place of the governmetn to pass laws to enforce these divine directives. Now that would seem to be the exact opposite of what Jesus plainly taught in the passages cited above (Judge not, let him who is without sin, etc). Somehow, those on the Religious Right have got it wrong on both counts, and have both issues completely backwards.
They are working to have the values agenda (which is nothing more than the condemning of others based on the Laws of Moses) built into the structure of government...but when you talk about building the helping of the poor, the feeding of the sick into the structure of government, they immediately launch into right wing talking points about how THAT is not the proper role of government, but should be left to private individuals and charities.
Now the words of Jesus quoted above indicate, beyond any doubt, that the exact opposite is the correct course in both cases. Adherence to the Laws of Moses SHOULD be left to private individuals and at most, the churches. We have been commanded by Jesus NOT to engage in the moral condemnation of others. Conversely, we have been commanded to feed, clothe and shelter those in need.
If Christians REALLY want a Christian nation, they should vote for a ban on the condemning of sinners (unless of course you are 100% sin free, in which case feel free to blast them) AND they should provide a MANDATE for social programs.
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