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Republicans, the “Fundamentalist Christian” Republicans in particular,
don’t like to quote Jesus very often. Oh they talk ABOUT Jesus a lot,
but the actual words that Jesus spoke make them uncomfortable.
Part of that is because a lot of what Jesus said directly contradicts their
personal prejudices and hatreds. After all, how can a person believe
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that ye love one another,
as I have loved you.” and still treat their workers worse than
indentured servants, and shrug off hundreds of thousands of dead
innocent bystanders to a war as “collateral damage?”
If you’re going to thump the Bible, you really should read it first, not just
listen to selected highlights picked by people to suit their agenda.
Republicans are particularly adept at this, earning them the label of
modern day Pharisees.
I find it’s helpful to define words occasionally, to clarify my point. What
is a Pharisee exactly? I borrow from the Wikipedia, one of my favorite
on line encyclopedias.
"An important binary in the New Testament is the opposition between
law and love. Accordingly, the New Testament presents the Pharisees
as obsessed with man-made rules (especially concerning purity)
whereas Jesus is more concerned with God’s love; the Pharisees scorn
sinners whereas Jesus seeks them out. Because of the New
Testament's frequent depictions of Pharisees as self-righteous rule-
followers, and because most scholars agree that the gospels place the
blame for Jesus' crucifixion on a large faction of Pharisees, the word
"pharisee" (and its derivatives: "pharisaical", etc.) has come into semi-
common usage in English to describe a hypocritical and arrogant
person who places the letter of the law above its spirit.”
I would like to thank whoever wrote that bit, it’s an excellent definition.
It helps make my point that Republicans are the modern Pharisees
quite well.
People have used the Scriptures to justify all sorts of sins. For
example, Southern slave-owners in the 19th Century justified owning
humans by declaring that Africans were “the Children of Ham” and
according to Genesis 9:25 they were “Cursed; a servant of
servants shall he be unto his brethren.” That’s a pretty convenient
way to justify kidnapping people and forcing them to do manual labor.
And in the New Testament we have bits such as Colossians 3:22
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according
to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart,
as unto Christ.” There are still people who try to roll back the Civil
Rights movement based on these bits of Scripture.
Currently, Republicans choose to claim Biblical authority to ban
abortion. Let’s set aside the point that “God says so” is a bad source
for civil law for now. Let’s see what the Bible actually has to say on the
issue.
Exodus 21:22-23 "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so
that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follows: he
shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will
lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if
any mischief follows, then thou shalt give life for life."
Leviticus 27:6 "And if it be from a month old even unto five years
old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of
silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of
silver." month old.]
Numbers 3:15-16 "Number the children of Levi after the house of
their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and
upward shalt thou number them. And Moses numbered them
according to the word of the LORD." one month old are not counted as persons by God.]
So in Scripture, a baby doesn't exist as a “person” until they are born,
and one month old. So a fetus doesn't count. But what does the Bible
say about abortion itself?
2 Kings.15:16 "Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were
therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they
opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women
therein that were with child he ripped up."
Hosea 9:14 "Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? Give them
a miscarrying womb and dry breasts."
Hosea 9:16 "Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the
beloved fruit of their womb."
Hosea 13:16 "Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath
rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their
infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child
shall be ripped up."
So I’d say that the Old Testament God would not only not condemn
abortion, he seems very enthusiastic about it on occasion.
So what, you may ask. Maybe Republicans just want to "save the
children." Not a chance! The Republican record for doing anything to
"protect children" is weak to say the least. Here's a recent but typical
example.
In September of 2005, By a 51-47 vote, the Republican controlled
Senate rejected a resolution that would have repealed mercury
regulations adopted that March by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
The White House had warned that President Bush would veto any
attempt to reverse the rules.
Mercury pollution - some 48 tons a year of the toxic substance, spewing
from 1,100 or so coal-burning power plants around the country - is a
documented health danger to Americans.
According to studies released by several groups in recent years,
climbing mercury levels pose an imminent danger to small children and
unborn fetuses. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that impacts the
neurological development of children who are exposed in the womb.
The EPA's response, rammed through by the White House appointees
who run it, has been to give the utilities many years - to 2018 and
beyond - to reduce mercury emissions to 15 tons.
Moreover, the plan includes a so-called "cap and trade" system that
allows the operators of particularly dirty plants to buy their way out of
trouble, while increasing the likelihood of dangerous mercury "hot
spots" around such plants.
The Bush administration could have continued to enforce the federal
Clean Air Act, which would have reduced mercury emissions more in
less than half the time, but it chose to side with the polluters, which
include many of their major campaign contributors.
In scuttling tighter regulations, the administration, in the words of the
National Environmental Trust, "ignored its own scientists, two
government reports, and hundreds of thousands of public comments, to
say nothing of the one in six women of childbearing age whose blood
mercury levels are unsafe for developing children."
So in essence, the Republican policy is to prevent medical abortions of
fetuses, in order to assist industry in poisoning their developing brains
and afflict the resulting children with life long mental and physical
problems. So much for their last shred of credibility. These people
truly deserve God's vengeance!
Republicans also like to quote bits of scripture to justify their lust for
vengeance by using the death penalty. True, murder is punished with
death in the Old Testament. Genesis 9:6 "Whoso sheddeth man's
blood, by man shall his blood be shed."
Republicans do however make the deliberate choice to ignore that the
Bible also says disobedient children should be executed as well.
Exodus 21:17 "He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall
surely be put to death." Or for that matter, having a different religion
warrants death by Old Testament standards. Exodus 22:20 "He that
sacrificeth unto any god save unto the LORD only, he shall be
utterly destroyed."
Rounding up lawbreakers and executing them, (or people who look like
lawbreakers, or people who are easy to catch) is a pretty simple
minded theology. It’s easy, not much is required of you except to be
comfortable taking a human life or at least giving it your approval.
But what code of behavior did Christ ask of us? Isn't that what
Christians should be asking?
MATTHEW 5 :1 – 11
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and
when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
That is a much harder code to live up to than the “Kill ‘em all, and too
bad if they’re proved innocent later” theology that the Republicans
preach. And that is the biggest reason Republicans hate the teachings
of Christ. They’ll plaster his name all over the place, but they’ll always
choose to ignore what he had to say.
And that is why GOD HATES REPUBLICANS!!!
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