"Christian and a Democrat: You CAN Be Both."
That means a lot to me. I consider myself to be a religious man, yet I have never (and never will) subscribe to the zealotous fervor that seems to have infiltrated some parts of the GOP. I get upset that certain aspects of the Republican Party have gone as far to claim that God is a Republican. I was unaware that anybody in the Bible ever participated in politics. I always figured our greatest religious heroes (Jesus, Moses, Daniel, etc) were above politics, and to bring them down to that level was disrespectful.
Yet even still, the Bible can still be a useful tool and guide in creating policy. It always has been for me. This one passage has been very important to me.
1Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
2He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
This is Psalms 72: 1-19. While we have no Kings in this country, we have many leaders that appear to be in need of guidance, especially those who claim to be fans of the Book from which this passage comes.
"4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor."
A good leader will save those in need, and destroy their opressors, even if their oppressors fund that leader's re-election campaign.
"12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy."
So, according to the Bible, it is a leader's duty to make sure the needy are taken care of? So, we shouldn't have taxes that benefit the rich and are unfair to those who lack? So we should provide for those who have nothing? This means that Welfare, Social Security, and Health Care should be provided for those who need it, instead of providing tax breaks to those who don't need it? Gee, the Religious Right doesn't appear to be very... well, religious.
"14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight."
Deceit and violence? Doesn't that sound an awful lot like Iraq? Maybe we should have more respect for the blood of our own people, and we should remember how precious it truly is. These people that claim to be part of the Religious Right maybe need to read more than just Creation and that Leviticus "man shall not lie with another man" Passage. Because apparently they missed this one.
I admit that the Bible, and religion in general, has an effect on my political standings. But it doesn't control it completely. I understand a seperation is necessary. Don't think it is? Look at Iraq. You can't have political parties based around religions.
And to those that consider themselves part of the Religious Right; those who still support Bush and Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, I ask you to do this: read the entire Book. Don't let them tell you what it means, ask that yourself. Then you may find that you have plenty in common with this party as well; the party that takes care of the people. The Party of the New Deal. The Party of Social Security, of Health Care, and of Medicaid. A Party that, according to Psalm 72's standards, produces damn good leaders.
Christian and Democrat: You CAN be both.