Hmmm, Today's 1st Reading - for our Republican "Christian" friends

[Drahthaardogs]

Thus says the Lord

"You shall not molest nor oppress an alien;
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt"

it gets even better

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner towards him by demanding interest from him".


How come Republicans overlook all the good stuff the Bible says about loving your neighbor and taking care of the poor, the sick, and the children?

[Fred Sanders]

1. Interesting how both the Bible and the Koran consider interest on loans as extortion.

[Enthusiast]

6. Yes. That is quite interesting.

[dorkzilla]

2. Just a guess...

Because they're assholes? Yeah, that's pretty much it.

[shenmue]

3. Pathology

They're missing stuff inside.

[bmac19gg]

4. interesting

How come Republicans overlook all the good stuff the Bible says about loving your neighbor and taking care of the poor, the sick, and the children?

I guess because not all Republicans are Christians.

I'm all for that no interest thing, would get me out of debt faster haha. But lets hypothetically play this out a few steps. Would we really want scripture being used as the launchpad for legislation?

[MontyPow]

8. Point missed

[Enthusiast]

5. K&R! Drahthaardogs, the Republicans pick and choose.

They scour the scriptures for something that will justify their greed and cruelty while they ignore passages of kindness, tolerance and charity.

[safeinOhio]

7. Loop-holes

it's full of them.

[meow2u3]

9. That's what I was thinking when I heard the 1st Reading

It's the fact that "conservative Christians" are phonies who hide behind God to justify their prejudices.

[rustbeltvoice]

10. Sometimes, i enjoy being the lector.

Yes, and i read it loud, and clear, and slow, and with emotion.

[leftieNanner]

11. Today's Gospel from Matthew

".......and the second is like unto it. Love your neighbors as yourselves."

[spanone]

12. there's a difference between being a christian and using christianity for political gains

[iandhr]

13. "You shall not molest nor oppress an alien."

This is talked about at Passover. Different translations of exodus use slightly different wording. The one we use on passover has the word stranger instead of alien.

[ballyhoo]

14. This text comes from a section of Isaiah dealing with social conduct. Isaiah

is not doing metaphors here; he is speaking explicitly about the treatment of orphans, widows and
aliens, those who have made their way to a new land, you know, like the Guatemalans who came here
from Central America. You weren't supposed to charge interest on money lent to these people but you could
take their cloak until the money was paid back, as long it wasn't after night because the borrower had nothing
else to keep him warm. This was all supposed to show the compassion of God, which mankind hasn't followed
except for a few really sincere givers.

[Ishoutandscream2]

15. Republicans do not worship "God". They worship money.

EOM

[TexasProgresive]

27. Their "god" IS Mammon.

[ebbie15644]

16. Part of the problem, I believe,

Is they take the bible literally. It's ok to oppress aliens here, we are not in Egypt. If you lend money to a neighbor, of course you don't expect interest but a bank or a money lender isn't a neighbor. lol

[Cryptoad]

17. been nice if you had

cited chapter and verse.

[rustbeltvoice]

20. Exodus xxii. 20-26.

[JDPriestly]

18. You beat me too it. Good for you. I also thought of quoting an appropriate Bible verse every

Sunday. Great. And you picked good ones.

[Drahthaardogs]

26. Good idea.

Especially the letters of Paul. Lots about love, little about much else.

[world wide wally]

19. Merely a matter of convenience of what they use and what they don't use

[PatrickforO]

21. You know what else is cool?

Every fifty years, the ancient Jews would have what was called 'Jubilee,' in which all debt was forgiven and everyone got to start with a clean slate.

I'm thinking pretty much our WHOLE MILLENIAL generation could use a Jubilee!

[Brigid]

22. Jubilee was a clever "reboot" of the economy every 50 years.

The intent was to keep wealth (especially land) from becoming too concentrated in too few hands.

[locdlib]

23. republicans are cherry-pickers. they choose what is convenient and suitable for them

to push unpopular agendas by way of the good book.

[Thespian2]

24. repugs

do no read
the bible
nor
much of anything else.

[Kablooie]

25. Republicans have no standards. They advocate what supports them and denigrate all that does not.

Republican Christians don't follow the bible's teachings.
They decide what they want to do and cite bible phrases that support them, period.

Hypocrisy is not a negative for them.
There is no moral standard beyond parroting anything that backs up their views at the moment.
If something else is useful tomorrow, parrot that.
The fact that the two statements contradict each other is immaterial.
Only the fact to be considered is if something is useful to them at the moment.