The Deliberate Republican Distortion of Christianity

[Viva_Daddy]

I left the Southern Baptist Convention when it formally allied itself with Fundamentalism and then informally (but no less certainly) allied itself with the Republican Party. In the newest salvo from the Deliberate Republican Distortion of Christianity front, during last week’s GOP “debate”, Michele Bachmann, that self-styled Christian Tea Party Republican, said that America should get rid of welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security so that it could be more like Communist China.

I’d say, “Jesus must be rolling over in His grave” except, well…you know….

[trotsky]

1. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.

Are they distorting Christianity, or just following the bible? You can scream at each other all day long about who is "distorting" Christianity, but neither of you really has any more of a leg to stand on. It's all cherry-picking.

[Viva_Daddy]

2. I'll take Jesus over Pseudo-Paul anyday

[trotsky]

3. Does this mean you reject everything Paul wrote? n/t

[Viva_Daddy]

11. No, only when he seems to contradict Jesus

However, the problem with Paul is pretty much the same problem we have with Jesus and His disciples (historically speaking). Outside the New Testament and Church folklore, there is no mention of Paul, Jesus, or his disciples by any of the historians or government records of the time. Is that proof that they didn't exist? Of course not. But we have only those records the Church chose to preserve and none that they didn't.

[trotsky]

13. Uh huh.

Got it.

[jeepnstein]

19. It's not a menu.

[trotsky]

20. Yet every Christian treats it like one.

Every single one.

[jeepnstein]

21. Yes, it is a struggle.

And none of us are perfect. Except for the mockers, they're perfect all the time.

[trotsky]

22. Never met one of those.

Couldn't say!

[skepticscott]

4. You assuming that

Jesus even said half of the stuff he said.

[Deep13]

7. That does appear to be in opposition to the lillies of the field parable. nt

[PETRUS]

9. The passage is about people who are unwilling to work.

Not about people who unable, or are willing to work but can't feed themselves due to un- or under-employment.

You do have a point about mixed messages in the bible, though. Although the gist of Jesus' philosophy (going by the Gospels) is pretty clear.

[NMMNG]

10. According to the TeaPublicans

Nobody is "unable" to work, or unable to find work. If somebody is unemployed it's because they choose not to work or because they're not trying hard enough to find work. So-called disabilities are no excuse either, since even a person who is bedridden can stuff envelopes or clack on a keyboard. No mercy for anybody who won't contribute to the GDP.

[trotsky]

12. "going by the gospels"

That's kind of the rub, isn't it? Jesus himself, if he existed, didn't write anything down. The gospels themselves were not written by the men they are purported to be - instead they are collections of stories put to paper at least a couple of generations removed from the events they claim to describe.

To say nothing about the contradictions between the gospels...

[jeepnstein]

15. Big difference between "unwilling" and "unable"...

What this bit of scripture is referencing is folks who prefer idleness and gossip instead of work. We have lots of examples in our society of people who would rather live idly while reaping the benefits of others' hard work. And this criticism was directed at the church itself. The folks who preach the rugged individualit conservative world view where the poor are somehow that way because they are morally deficient are putting their souls in peril, if indeed they still have their souls.

Matthew 25:31-46 The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “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. 35 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, 36 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.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.’

44 “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?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

[trotsky]

17. Yes, I am aware of how liberal Christians interpret/spin the passage.

Just noting that you can't prove their interpretation is wrong either.

[LeftishBrit]

16. My interpretation of this passage...

is that Paul was complaining about people who joined early Christian communities as hangers-on without intending to contribute; and that it really has nothing to do with any prescription for treatment of poor people in wider society.

Of course, in any case society is so different now from 2000 years ago - e.g. 'unemployment' in the modern sense was probably very rare in those pre-technology days, while on the other hand literal slavery was rampant - that it's almost impossible to translate from then to the present times. In any case, I don't think it means what Bachmann et al are implying.

[beam me up scottie]

5. 2000+ years of death and destruction in its wake and you think republicans are ruining its legacy?

I take sugar with my porridge.

[NMMNG]

6. Why are their cherries more distorted than yours,

or any other Christian's?

[Deep13]

8. Whatever Christianity is about, it seems pretty clear...

...that blatant worldly avarice isn't it. So, I really don't get how one squares the mean-spirited, pro-capitalist, grasping greed the religious right embraces. Even if they were right about abortion, women's liberation, gay marriage and prayer in schools; where does the greed come from?

[SmashTheRight]

14. Christianity was already pretty screwed up

Even before the republiKlan party came along. I mean the colonization of the New World, the Holocaust, the Inquisitions, all pre-date the US. They just took something that was already a dying carcass and tried to re-animate it into a freakish zombie.

[Taverner]

18. Someone should remind them that the Evangelical Christians used to be Socialists

Your homework: Google William Jennings Bryan