Why I Left the Right: How Studying Religion Made Me a Liberal

[LeftofLeft]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

On Judgement Day, what is Jesus going to to say to the Liberals who profited by taking their cut from Government programs in the name of the needy so they could pay themselves and their cronies handsomely? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal elite wealthy politician who gave a pittance of his annual wealth to the needy directly while wagging his finger at the voter to get "skin in the game" vs. the Bible Belt right winger who gave more of his annual wealth as a percentage directly to charity and less to the Government? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal who uses His name to justify support of Government programs yet bans the use of His name in the public school and the courthouse?

Jesus may be a radical and a liberal who demands redistribution of wealth among his followers but he says nothing of using the State as a means to do so.

 

[FA_Q2]

So what your saying is you regressives have a Robin Hood complex, the Bible calls people like you thieves.

This is way over your head..just keep playing in the sandbox.

Still a coward I see. Jesus taught personal responsibility, as in using your own resources to help others, not steal the resources of others to do it.

Tell us, should a Christian worry about, or even care about, money?

Absolutely, how else could you take care of yourself and your family?

Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of the field and the birds in the air. They neither spin nor toil nor gather into barns, yet God feeds them. If he will do that, surely he will take care of those that ask of him."
Matthew 6:26-28

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Matthew 4 verse 5-7

IOW, selective citing of scripture without the overall context or understanding of the meaning is pointless.

 

[WheelieAddict]

Evangelicals are Christians farthest from Jesus' teachings because they put politics and their selected morals above Jesus' universal message of tolerance and peace.

 

[hangover]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

On Judgement Day, what is Jesus going to to say to the Liberals who profited by taking their cut from Government programs in the name of the needy so they could pay themselves and their cronies handsomely? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal elite wealthy politician who gave a pittance of his annual wealth to the needy directly while wagging his finger at the voter to get "skin in the game" vs. the Bible Belt right winger who gave more of his annual wealth as a percentage directly to charity and less to the Government? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal who uses His name to justify support of Government programs yet bans the use of His name in the public school and the courthouse?

Jesus may be a radical and a liberal who demands redistribution of wealth among his followers but he says nothing of using the State as a means to do so.

Jesus paid his taxes......

 

[LordBrownTrout]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

No, they don't. They hate the poor and they love to exploit minorities, race, ethnicities and especially african americans.

 

[Iceweasel]

My journey from Young Republican to less young Democrat did not come from a crisis of faith, it came from finding inspiration in the life of Jesus. Once I removed the dogmatic lens that had informed my biblical interpretations, I found a figure that defended a prostitute and ate with the poor. The life of Jesus simply didn't reflect the agenda of the political right, so now neither could I.

More: Why I Left the Right: How Studying Religion Made Me a Liberal - By Susie Meister, PhD in Religious Studies, Host of The Brain Candy Podcast

This is a good article that also reflects my personal observations growing up around many others from the religious right.

That's why PhDs are called 'Piled Higher and Deeper'. Pretty dense view of life, reality and Christianity. The Jesus message is one of internal conviction developed from a spiritual journey away from the world towards the heavenly kingdom. That's Sunday school stuff really. The absolute last thing the Jesus of the bible would want is for the state to adopt a religion and cram it down everyone's throats.

To God, if it isn't done out of true love it isn't worth anything. Man's best works are but soiled rags to God, and all that. There are thousands of such verses. It's ironic that the left gets wrapped around the axle over religion being too close to government, then turn right around and try to make their religious views the law of the land.

More than likely this airhead got indoctrinated into the left wing religion of liberalism and saw a way to score some brownie points. Which always helps when you are robbing the people of their hard earned money so you can preach socialism.

 

[Iceweasel]

Jesus paid his taxes......

Like all law abiding citizens should do. But show us one verse that would mandate government carrying out the gospel message. Tax collectors were not highly regarded as I recall.

 

[Slade3200]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

No, they don't. They hate the poor and they love to exploit minorities, race, ethnicities and especially african americans.

Way to lump a majority of Americans into one group with a completely false and ignorant statement. Keep up the good work!

 

[LordBrownTrout]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

No, they don't. They hate the poor and they love to exploit minorities, race, ethnicities and especially african americans.

Way to lump a majority of Americans into one group with a completely false and ignorant statement. Keep up the good work!

No, its your lib politicians. Completely true statement. It's despicable and appalling.

 

[Slade3200]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

No, they don't. They hate the poor and they love to exploit minorities, race, ethnicities and especially african americans.

Way to lump a majority of Americans into one group with a completely false and ignorant statement. Keep up the good work!

No, its your lib politicians. Completely true statement. It's despicable and appalling.

Don't be so nieve to think that the conservatives are saints. They are all politicians and many on both sides are dirty, dishonest, and responsible for the gridlock that our country is in. If you think this is a good vs. evil situation than you are just as blind as the rest of them. Our whole political system is based on our ability to represent a diversity of views and then to be able to work together and compromise to do whats best for the people. We have veered far from the path do to absolutists and hardline partisan politics. Viewpoints like yours thinking the other side is responsible for everything are only feeding the problem. Grow up and open your eyes.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

No, they don't. They hate the poor and they love to exploit minorities, race, ethnicities and especially african americans.

Way to lump a majority of Americans into one group with a completely false and ignorant statement. Keep up the good work!

No, its your lib politicians. Completely true statement. It's despicable and appalling.

Don't be so nieve to think that the conservatives are saints. They are all politicians and many on both sides are dirty, dishonest, and responsible for the gridlock that our country is in. If you think this is a good vs. evil situation than you are just as blind as the rest of them. Our whole political system is based on our ability to represent a diversity of views and then to be able to work together and compromise to do whats best for the people. We have veered far from the path do to absolutists and hardline partisan politics. Viewpoints like yours thinking the other side is responsible for everything are only feeding the problem. Grow up and open your eyes.

Of course theyre not saints. Theyre as bad as the libs.

 

[IsaacNewton]

It was January 20, 2001, and I was at George W. Bush's inaugural ball. I had spent months campaigning for him, and it had not been easy. After the Florida electoral debacle complete with "hanging chads," Katherine Harris (and her 15 minutes of shame), and ultimately the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision, I was finally enjoying the fruits of my labor as I celebrated the new president that I worked to get elected.

Sure, my role in the campaign wasn't glamorous, but I was a 20-year-old political science, religious studies double major who saw this election as the beginning of my work for the Right. I had recently appeared on MTV's reality show, Road Rules, where I represented the worldview of conservative evangelicals in all its virginal, Christian glory in a very public way. Now I wanted to turn my moment in the spotlight into something meaningful.

During the campaign, I attended Young Republican meetings, drove Bush's trusted advisors, Andrew Card and Karen Hughes, in the motorcade when they came to town, and now I was working the inaugural ball as the celebrity handler for special guest, Drew Carey. During the evening, he admitted that he wasn't actually a Republican, but a libertarian.

"Good enough," I thought to myself, "As long as he isn't one of 'those liberals.'"

I believed my involvement in the campaign was just the beginning of my efforts to promote the conservative movement and perhaps my own career as well.

Growing up immersed in the evangelical community, I was so familiar with the Christian rhetoric and worldview that it never occurred to me that they might be getting it all wrong. During the late eighties and throughout the nineties, evangelicalism hit its stride in terms of communicating and promoting a very specific message that amounted to a chorus of sound bites about "family values," militarism, and the pro-life movement. The group's unified theological positioning inspired the mobilization of American evangelical voters and influenced countless election results.

"The very thing that inspired my conservatism, would now be the thing that caused it to topple: my faith."

As I stood there in my purple satin, floor-length gown and then-in-style white eye shadow watching the new President dance with his First Lady, I was inspired by what I thought was a going to be a move toward increased personal responsibility, a shift from the distracting Clinton/Lewinsky circus, and a return to the philosophy of the patron saint of right-wing politics, Ronald Reagan. What I didn't realize was that I soon would become one of "those liberals," and that the very thing that inspired my conservatism, would now be the thing that caused it to topple: my faith.

I was more than just your garden variety Christian; I attended church several times a week, sought guidance from my pastor in private meetings, and after my reality TV stardom, spoke to church youth groups about how to stay "pure" in this "sinful" world. As I began studying religion at the University of Pittsburgh, people in the church warned me about what could happen under the influence of the liberal intelligentsia.

The bias of "godless liberals" teaching at universities was reason enough to avoid traditional education. I believed them when they said academia skewed to the left, but surely a faith as strong as mine could stand up to academic scrutiny.

What happened, however, wasn't an abandonment of my faith, but a shift in my understanding of Scripture. While I had always read the Bible and knew large portions of it by memory, I had relied on the expertise of my religious mentors (some of whom were simply laypeople teaching Sunday School or Christian education classes) to help guide me through its interpretation.

The more I read the text through unfiltered eyes and the more I learned about scholarly investigation, the less sense their point of view made. Their old Jesus looked nothing like my new Jesus.

I could no longer reconcile Jesus's calls for non-judgment, loving your enemies, and taking up your cross with many of the Religious Right's positions on social services, women's rights and the LGBT community. Even though I felt alone in my theological shift, I was not.

My journey from Young Republican to less young Democrat did not come from a crisis of faith, it came from finding inspiration in the life of Jesus. Once I removed the dogmatic lens that had informed my biblical interpretations, I found a figure that defended a prostitute and ate with the poor. The life of Jesus simply didn't reflect the agenda of the political right, so now neither could I.

More: Why I Left the Right: How Studying Religion Made Me a Liberal - By Susie Meister, PhD in Religious Studies, Host of The Brain Candy Podcast

This is a good article that also reflects my personal observations growing up around many others from the religious right.

The very reason I post up now and then that today's conservatives are not Christians. They are kristians. Fake Christians.

Conservatives in the US actually act in opposition to who Jesus Christ in the bible was and what he did and taught.

They are anti-Christ. I don't make that observation lightly, it is based on what they do.

 

[LeftofLeft]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

On Judgement Day, what is Jesus going to to say to the Liberals who profited by taking their cut from Government programs in the name of the needy so they could pay themselves and their cronies handsomely? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal elite wealthy politician who gave a pittance of his annual wealth to the needy directly while wagging his finger at the voter to get "skin in the game" vs. the Bible Belt right winger who gave more of his annual wealth as a percentage directly to charity and less to the Government? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal who uses His name to justify support of Government programs yet bans the use of His name in the public school and the courthouse?

Jesus may be a radical and a liberal who demands redistribution of wealth among his followers but he says nothing of using the State as a means to do so.

Jesus paid his taxes......

That is not the issue. He even told His followers to pay taxes. Again, he said nothing about not questioning or limiting tax dollars and how they are spent. He made it very clear to His followers that they are accountable for redistribution of their wealth to the needy and sick. Nowhere does he mention the role of Government.

 

[Slade3200]

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame

It's liberals that stand up for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the children. It's cons that try to throw them all out in the street.
On judgement day Jesus will say "I was hungry and you didn't feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me drink, I was naked and you didn't cloth me." And the cons will ask when they did that. And Jesus will say, "When you cut Social Security, food stamps, healthcare, and aid to the poor"

You call being greed, having morals. BWAH HA HA HA HA!

Jesus will tell you he is a liberal on judgement day.....
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:35-40 - New International Version

On Judgement Day, what is Jesus going to to say to the Liberals who profited by taking their cut from Government programs in the name of the needy so they could pay themselves and their cronies handsomely? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal elite wealthy politician who gave a pittance of his annual wealth to the needy directly while wagging his finger at the voter to get "skin in the game" vs. the Bible Belt right winger who gave more of his annual wealth as a percentage directly to charity and less to the Government? What is Jesus going to say to the Liberal who uses His name to justify support of Government programs yet bans the use of His name in the public school and the courthouse?

Jesus may be a radical and a liberal who demands redistribution of wealth among his followers but he says nothing of using the State as a means to do so.

Jesus paid his taxes......

That is not the issue. He even told His followers to pay taxes. Again, he said nothing about not questioning or limiting tax dollars and how they are spent. He made it very clear to His followers that they are accountable for redistribution of their wealth to the needy and sick. Nowhere does he mention the role of Government.

I always find it amusing when people refer to things that Jesus said over 2000 years ago with such conviction like they heard it from his mouth.

 

[g5000]

I think I see Red Jesus and Blue Jesus walking this way...

 

[g5000]

BLUE JESUS: We have to hand down the Law so we can find out what's in it.

RED JESUS: I will not heal you, blind man, until you show me some ID.

 

[Dhara]

Plenty of people with strong morals and religious/spiritual path find themselves voting for Democrats for that reason.

 

[g5000]

Red Jesus: And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Moral of the story: Red Jesus would support building a wall to keep out aliens so they don't suck up holy resources.


Blue Jesus: And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

Moral of the story: Blue Jesus hates profit, and believes health care should be free.

 

[IsaacNewton]

What about brown Jesus: "I just want to feed my family".

 

[boilermaker55]

You certainly cannot read or comprehend. The statement and article goes against your reasoning ability.
We understand why you make such a foolish and stupid statement.
You may be forgiven.

so she joined liberals?

a group of people with no morals at all?




seems she really wants that fame