Stephan: In the United States Christianity has been captured by the Theocratic Right, which has in turn captured the Republican Party. As I listened to the Comey hearing and the questions from Republicans like Senators Cornyn and McCain I found myself thinking back to Watergate, and those hearings, some of which I witnessed in the room. I kept thinking what would Everett Dirksen, or even Barry Goldwater, both pillars of the Republican Party in their day, have made of what is going on?
Nowhere is the present day Republican Christofacism more bizarre and outlandish then in matters involving healthcare and the social safety net. The views of this modern party have almost no tangency with the teachings of Jesus, although they constantly invoke his name and distort his message to advance their political and values agenda.
This essay I think reflects the current state of affairs, which I think is very dangerous to American democracy.
The ongoing Capitol Hill brawl over health care and budget cuts is getting Biblical.
In recent months, GOP lawmakers have taken to spouting Christian scripture to defend conservative fiscal policy and their effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The first example came from Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who argued in early March that Jesus would support his criticism of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, as aspect of health care reform that extended insurance coverage to additional low-income Americans.
“Just like Jesus said, ‘The poor will always be with us,’” Marshall told Stat News, quoting the Bible. “There is a group of people that just don’t want health care and aren’t going to take care of themselves.”
He added that “morally, spiritually, socially,” some poor and homeless people “just don’t want health care.”
Marshall’s comments triggered a flurry of criticism from several sources, including more progressive […]
