Let’s try a little exercise in American politics.
Below I have written a number of statements in the voice of a fictional politician. Read the statements and see if you think the candidate would be considered liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican:
1. “The use of military force should always be a last resort and not used at all if avoidable in any way. The quest for peace through non-violent means must be the preferred path for any rational government.”
2. ” In the face of hostile actions to our nation the course of our leaders must still be the hope for peace and reconciliation through negotiations, not escalated violence as an act of vengeance.”
3. “The people of this country that stand up for what is right, that expose the wrong-doing of persons; companies, even their own government for the cause of true justice, despite the hardships and slander that their actions may bring are true heroes of our society.”
4. “We as a nation do not have the right to impose our will or our justice on another sovereign nation simply because an administration perceives their actions as “wrong.” We are not judge and jury of the world. Certainly not with the checkerd past of our own country.
Have you made your call? Kind of no-brainer, huh? I don’t think this person, were they real and not a creation of mine, would be invited to Trent Lott’s new house for a prayer breakfast.
Now, below are the source quotes I used for the above fake politician’s statements. All of them are credited to one person, from a text oft-cited by many on the right :
1. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.” Matthew 5:3-10
2. “You have heard that it was said, ’An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you Matthew 5:38-42
3. “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3-10
4. “Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone.”-John 8:7
I am not a religious person and I am up front about that. I do, however, try to respect the beliefs of others and hope that they respect mine.
But yesterday, as I watched our Chimp-in-Chief coming out of an Easter Sunday service and started to remember all of the times he has evoked God or Jesus or the Bible and told us all how devout he is, I realized that he has no respect for Christians. His actions prove that. At this Easter time I offer up to Mr. Bush a lesson that I learned during my own religious education: Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is essential to being a Christian, but does not make you one by itself. Trying to understand and live by the teachings of Jesus is equally essential. I don’t think being the kind of Christian you claim to be allows you to pick, a la carte, the things you will or won’t do or believe.
I do not call myself a Christian because I don’t believe many aspects and tenets of the faith, but I do believe there are some damn good ideas in the New Testament with Jesus’s name on them. I can’t help but wish that Mr. Bush, and many others in Washington, would read those parts once in a while.
The above example is overly-simple, I know, but it gets the point across.
Sorry to say it, George, but the T-Shirt is right: Jesus is a Liberal.
Posted by Eric 
