"Real Christians must be right wing"
For years, Religious Right groups like the Family Research Council (FRC) have complained that the Democrats are too secular.
One candidate, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, is especially known for highlighting religious themes during his speeches. He often talks about his involvement in the church and how his faith pulled him through tough times.
So the Religious Right is happy, right? Of course not. Religiosity apparently doesn’t count when Democrats do it. Tony Perkins and the gang at FRC Action were kind enough to send out a fund-raising letter recently explaining why “God talk” only matters when it’s delivered by a Religious Right-style Republican.
Asserts Perkins in the letter, “It seems there is no end to left-wing hypocrisy – speaking freely of the ‘biblical call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked’ while opposing protections for babies born alive after late-term abortions…or calling oneself a friend of America’s families while approving of early prison release for convicted sex offenders.
I’m not sure which Democratic candidates favor ignoring babies born alive, and as far as I know, the only candidate who actually helped arrange early release for a sex offender was Perkins’ buddy Mike Huckabee.
But let’s step back from the specific issues and examine Perkins’ larger point. He seeks government policies based on the Bible. In the New Testament, Jesus clearly instructs us to care for the poor. Jesus says it several times. He has not one word to say about gay people. Yet according to Perkins, the candidate who bashes gays and ignores those in need is the “biblical” one.
I do find it amusing when Perkins and his fellow theocrats demand scripture-based policy – and then feel free to ignore half of what’s in the Bible while insisting on policies that don’t even make an appearance in the book.
My guess is that the Religious Right doesn’t really want a “Bible-based” policy. They just want one that reflects their own narrow political beliefs. These are far to the right, and they’ve struggled mightily to tie them to Jesus. But many progressive theologians argue that Jesus rebukes the Religious Right.
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One candidate, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, is especially known for highlighting religious themes during his speeches. He often talks about his involvement in the church and how his faith pulled him through tough times.
So the Religious Right is happy, right? Of course not. Religiosity apparently doesn’t count when Democrats do it. Tony Perkins and the gang at FRC Action were kind enough to send out a fund-raising letter recently explaining why “God talk” only matters when it’s delivered by a Religious Right-style Republican.
Asserts Perkins in the letter, “It seems there is no end to left-wing hypocrisy – speaking freely of the ‘biblical call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked’ while opposing protections for babies born alive after late-term abortions…or calling oneself a friend of America’s families while approving of early prison release for convicted sex offenders.
I’m not sure which Democratic candidates favor ignoring babies born alive, and as far as I know, the only candidate who actually helped arrange early release for a sex offender was Perkins’ buddy Mike Huckabee.
But let’s step back from the specific issues and examine Perkins’ larger point. He seeks government policies based on the Bible. In the New Testament, Jesus clearly instructs us to care for the poor. Jesus says it several times. He has not one word to say about gay people. Yet according to Perkins, the candidate who bashes gays and ignores those in need is the “biblical” one.
I do find it amusing when Perkins and his fellow theocrats demand scripture-based policy – and then feel free to ignore half of what’s in the Bible while insisting on policies that don’t even make an appearance in the book.
My guess is that the Religious Right doesn’t really want a “Bible-based” policy. They just want one that reflects their own narrow political beliefs. These are far to the right, and they’ve struggled mightily to tie them to Jesus. But many progressive theologians argue that Jesus rebukes the Religious Right.
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