Yesterday on Facebook, a friend posted this:
Newt Gingrich has an issue with hypothetical Muslim candidates who would not respect other religions and push Shariah agendas yet Republicans do just that with fundamentalist Christianity and their religious agendas.
Emphasis added. She’s not the first intelligent individual to have made such an observation. Relating my experience having been “welcomed in various Republican circles as both a gay man and a Jew”, I asked her to specify and she civilly replied, asking why I was a Republican. I offered a succinct expression of my support for the GOP:
I’m a Republican because I favor small government and individual freedom and it is the better of the two parties on that score. Better though not perfect.
All too many people, like my friend, have this image of the GOP as the party of fundamentalist Christians. And to be sure, as my friend noted, “the fundamentalist Christian movements in this country find a home under the Republican umbrella.” Perhaps it’s their presence in the GOP which causes some to define the party by their agenda. Or the way our media dwell on that presence.
As small government ideas find increasing favor among the American electorate, the GOP needs to do a better job defining itself as the better of less federal regulation and more personal (and economic) liberty. Over at the National Review, Cato’s Michael Tanner suggests that Republicans would be wise to “to take some of [Ron Paul’s] ideas seriously“, you know those domestic policy issues he talks about on the campaign trail not those he published in his newsletter.
Pushing social issues away from federal actions/laws/mandates and onto states is the first step and the path of least resistance.
Ron Paul should make a move for changes in the platform; perhaps on drug sentencing. It would be a start.
Like my grandfather used to say, “Democrats are for the people, republicans are for the rich”.
So, will there be similar pressure against the left to stop them from using Government power to implement their social agenda and values?
I thought not.
But, V, when the left imposes their values, it’s about tolerance; they want to force us all to be tolerant. And they just won’t tolerate our intolerance!
Being Jewish, gay and a Republican is a ‘club’ I love belonging to. So many times I have heard, “If you are gay you are expected to be a democrat” as if there was an official handbook every gay person is supposed to adhere to or be shunned. Many in the gay community are too narrow minded to break out of the stereotype that all conservatives are bible thumping fundamental Christians. How pathetic is that?
“the fundamentalist Christian movements in this country find a home under the Republican umbrella.”
Just like anti-Semites, anti-American actors, Communists, drug dealers and criminals find a home in the Democrat party.
There now are we even?
I’ve seen multiple attempts at this, and multiple corresponding instances of the religious right freaking out and beating the Republicans back into line. Losing the fundamentalist Christian bloc is too big of a risk for the party as a whole to ignore them for long.
It’s especially evident (as is plainly obvious right now) in Republican primaries, where the lack of Democrats and reduced presence of independents give the fundamentalist bloc proportionally larger influence. Of course the exact same effect can be seen in reverse with the Democrats, problems with ‘the base’ are the same no matter what party a President is with. Makes me think maybe jungle primaries are a good idea after all.
So a friend on Facebooks thinks Muslims are no wrose than fundamental Christians. If he is gay, he would be hanging by a rope. Several years ago Gay Patriot showed us some very good pictures of what happens to gays in Muslim countries. However we haven’t seen anything since and I am sure nothing has changed since. Even at that time our news media gave us very little information.
I have lived in many parts of this country North, South and West and no where have my sex been a problem. While I was living in the South, my girlfriend said to my buddy, “I think John is a little bit homosexual”. If I had been living in a Muslim country, that would have been enough. I would have been strung up hanging by my neck until I finally died. And is that what the Christians do and saw off people’s heads.
It is time that the Christians stop turning the other cheek.
I just read that last comment as “Look how tolerant us Christians are compared to those vicious Muslims. It’s time we cut that s*** out and get down to business!”.
Inaccurate, I know. But it reminded me of those ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ thing where people were saying “No mosques should be built in the United States while no churches can be build in Saudi Arabia!” as if the Saudis being oppressive fundamentalists is a valid reason for the United States to dispense with religious tolerance and start following suit.
Also, it was (according to the Gospel of Matthew) Jesus himself who said:
So when you say “It is time that the Christians stop turning the other cheek” are you saying Jesus was wrong? Because I see no other interpretation to your statement.
Well, let’s consider a thought experiment, then.
Q. Among both Muslims and Christians, is it fair to say that the people most familiar with the teachings of each religion are the Clerics?
A. Yes
Q. We may assume then, for example, that The Vatican, an organization made up entirely of clerics represents the of Biblical Christianity as expressed through Roman Catholic Church. We may assume that the Southern Baptist Conference, also made up of clerics, represents the teachings of Biblical Christianity as expressed through the Southern Baptist Church. We may also assume that the Prophet, the Apostles, and the Quorum of the Seventy represent the LDS Church’s understanding of Christianity as expressed through the LDS Church.
A. Yes, yes, and yes.
Q. Do any of these organizations, led by Christian clerics, advocate violence against non-believers, support or sponsor terrorism, or the execution of homosexuals?
A. No.
Q. Since we have determined that the actions of organizations run by Christian Clerics fairly represent the teachings of Christianity, can we say that organizations run by Islamic clerics fairly represent the teachings of Islam?
A. It follows logically.
Q. Who governs Iran?
A. Islamic clerics.
Q. Who governed Afghanistan under the Taliban?
A. Islamic clerics.
Q. Do Iran and the Taliban, led by Islamic clerics, advocate violence against non-believers, support or sponsor terrorism, and hold the execution of homosexuals as official policy?
A. Yes.
I love, love, love the screwy use of Bible verses by those who would use the pages of the Bible for toilet paper.
Never in a zillion years did I think that Stupendouscy was a Biblical scholar either in reality or as a pastime.
Do you realize that according to Jesus, if the Islamic fundamentalists come to hang your gay self, you should not only love them and accompany them and loan them money, but you should snitch on the lot of your gay friends so they can join the party?
For atheists, the Bible is a bunch of words to be used as a weapon and context is not the issue. Words, just words.
Now, the Queen of Torts will demand a side argument on her ham-handed attempt to control the meaning of the words of Christ.
Turn the other cheek. Yessiree. Someone backs into the side of your car and you just get your Christian self in gear and turn your car around so he can back into the other side. Yessiree. Someone comes to borrow money, you just pony it up and double the amount. Yessiree. No questions asked. Wouldn’t be Christian.
(Sigh). Heliotrope, I love you man, but you know Insipidity by her own admission just comes here to stir sh-t up. Why do you rise to the bait?
Long ago, I realized the same is true of pretty much any atheist who brings up the Bible. Do they want to have an honest discussion about Theology and philosophy? Almost invariably, no. Do they want to get you wee-weed up by cherry-picking scripture and distorting its meaning? Almost invariably, yes.
Best line I’ve heard from an Athiest of late.
Him: Religion leads to persecution and death of homosexuals.
ME: Yes, let’s look at those bastions of religious freedom China, the USSR and Cuba and their record on ‘treating gays’. Athiests all of them.
Him: Well the only reason they were doing that is because they were still driven by those old religions.
Me: Huh?
Aw, V the K, I’m just trying to get Levi to come to the poor damsel’s defense.
Livewire, i.e. when religious societies persecute people, it’s because of religion. And when atheist societies persecute people, it’s still because of religion.
The left is being intellectually consistent for once, at least.
One has to remember, Heliotrope, that Pomposity uses the Bible the same way that it uses decent human emotions — to exploit others and force them to do its bidding.
The answer is very straightforward. Jesus made it clear that we are to forgive those who are genuinely repentant and to not return evil for the sake of returning evil: however, those like Serenity who deliberately abuse Scripture for the purpose of harming others are essentially operating as the moneychangers in the temple or as false prophets.
Furthermore, one should remember that Pomposity and its ilk, through their support and endorsement of sharia in the UK and religious accomodations such as footbaths and bans on pork in the United States, have made it clear that they see nothing wrong with a state religion or the state endorsing religious beliefs in law as long as they are anti-Christian and anti-Jewish.
So really, we can laugh at Pomposity screaming about this because the seeds of its own destruction have been sown. And what we can now do is point out that, when the Islamists decide they want to kill Pomposity, that we Christians, by Pomposity’s own statements, cannot interfere without compromising our faith.
Reason #4927 why I’m not a Christian and don’t have to care what Jesus said.
However if you claim to be a Christian and John claims to be a Christian, then it logically follow that you do have to care what Jesus said, as you consider him Lord and Saviour.
If you think there is further context to the verses I quoted, you’re more than welcome to enlighten me. Knowing what Christians actually believe is something I’m quite interested in.
Well you have just restated what the verses I quoted said. The difference here is that I can disagree with them, say the verses are stupid and impractical, and move on. You on the other hand have to reconcile what the verses state with all that stuff you just said. How is your choice (quote mining, misinterpretation, etc) but dismissing them is what’s really not Christian, by definition.
You’re welcome too. Feel free to humiliate me if you like.
Doesn’t seem ‘straightforward’ to me, there’s nothing about repentance (and yes, I read the rest of the chapter, there’s still nothing there). I will thank you for at least going further than the others and giving your interpretation.
Will you cut that out? It’s bordering on libel at this point.
Actually, that’s a lie, as we see here.
So the bigot Pomposity claims to want to know what Christians actually believe, but then insists that Heliotrope’s beliefs are not Christian.
That makes it obvious that Pomposity is not operating out of any type of intellectual curiosity, but is simply an irrational bigot looking to have its prejudices reinforced.
And then the response to sharia seems to have cut deep. That’s because, Pomposity, we can see clearly what a coward you are, given that you aren’t over on Muslim websites bashing their religious beliefs. You are just a lying little bigot who tries to exploit the fact that Christians and Jews do not believe in reacting violently to people to attack their faith to spew your drivel.
And that’s why we’re laughing at sharia supporters like yourself. You did it out of hate and stupidity, of course, because you thought Christians and Jews were objecting to radical Islam and sharia out of bigotry, versus having some experience with it and knowing what it implies/entails. But now you’re stuck because speaking out against sharia and Islamic radicalism in the UK is not only a “hate crime”, but also endangers your life.
LOL. Just curious, how many posts have been made over the years trying to explain issues of Republican “perception”?
Duplicity @ #19:
(pause)
(rimshot)
(Ba-boom)