I was raised a Republican. I was taught that Democrats were all about Big Government and that Republicans were defenders of individual freedoms. When I was old enough to vote, I registered Republican. As the years went by, I realized that I was voting for Democratic candidates more and more because they stood for the values I believed in: freedom, equality, compassion, justice, human rights, and community. I stayed in the Republican Party for a long time, thinking that maybe I could help bring it back to sanity. In 2000, as I observed candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush, I finally realized that if Bush was the best the Republicans could come up with, the party wasn’t worth saving. Two days after the 2000 election, I changed my party registration to Democrat.
I am a Christian, and that is another reason I am a Democrat. The Republican Party has become a party of selfishness, of discrimination, and of callousness. I take a lot of my life values from Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-46. From what I see of today’s Republicans/conservatives, far too many of them have the characteristics of those who did nothing for those in need. I believe in private charity, but I know that there are many problems that private charities are not equipped to handle. We are all in this together, and I have no problem with my taxes helping people who need help.
Many Republicans claim that they are the party of morality, and Democrats are loose-living liberals who have no moral compass. I have even read comments by Republicans saying there is no room in the Democratic Party for Christians. This is a lie, of course, but it shows the narrow-minded attitude that drove me out of the Republican Party. One of the hallmarks of these members of the Religious Right is their utter hypocrisy. The recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage is a perfect example of this.
I have been studying the Bible since I was a very little girl. One of my favorite passages is Mark 12:28-31: “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He [Jesus] had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Notice that Jesus said nothing about exclusion or judgment or hate. We are to love God and love our neighbors, and neighbors include those we may not like very much or agree with. Romans 13:8-10: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
The Matthew 25 passage mentioned above gives specifics on how we are to treat others. Jesus also spoke very clearly on some other moral issues.
Right-wingers have been screaming that America is doomed if gays can get married. They base their arguments on what they think the Bible says. They claim to be following Biblical teachings, while completely ignoring those parts that may be inconvenient to them. Their opposition to gay marriage is not based on anything Jesus Himself ever said.
They keep saying that the Bible says marriage is between one woman and one man. They completely ignore that the biblical model of marriage included polygamy, concubines, and incest. Jacob, the patriarch of the nation of Israel, had two wives and two concubines. Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, married his half sister Sarah and also had a concubine. This was all perfectly proper in those days. No one is suggesting going back to those customs, but it is important to be truthful about what the Bible says.
In point of fact, Jesus never spoke about homosexuals, marrying or otherwise. What He did talk about, very specifically, was adultery and divorce. In Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32, He makes it very clear: “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ... “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” He reaffirms these principles in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 16.
If members of the Religious Right were to be true to what they say they believe, they would refuse to do business with or serve anyone who has ever been divorced or who has committed adultery. This would affect right-wing spokesmen such as Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump immediately.
The Religious Right would condemn Kentucky court clerk Kim Davis, who has been divorced three times and is on her fourth husband. She also committed adultery, giving birth to twins who were fathered by a man not her husband at the time. She now claims her religious views prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. If she followed the actual words of Jesus, she should never have gotten divorced or applied for a marriage license for her second marriage, but as is too common with these religious hypocrites, they cherry-pick certain parts of the Bible in order to promote their hateful prejudices, while ignoring the parts that might reflect on their own lives.
But of course this will never happen (not that I think it should!). Members of the Religious Right are unable to be true to their own standards regarding biblical morality, since they aren’t basing their objections on actual biblical principles. If they want to follow what Jesus said, they need to study His actual words, including those in Matthew 25 and Mark 12. Otherwise, they are fulfilling what Jesus said in Luke 6:41-42: “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
Hypocrites made Jesus very angry. The members of the Religious Right need to rethink what they are saying. Instead of denying rights to homosexuals, they need to examine their own lives and clean them up. Then maybe they will be able to show the love and compassion for others that Jesus talked about. Until then, maybe they should just keep quiet.