Huckabee Once Claimed Jesus "On the Cross" Was Pro-Death Penalty

[marmar]

from AlterNet's PEEK:



Huckabee Once Claimed Jesus "On the Cross" Was Pro-Death Penalty

Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 8:48 AM on December 1, 2007.

Amanda Terkel: Mike Huckabee also seems to believe that God exclusively supports Republican politicians.



This post, written by Amanda Terkel, originally appeared on Think Progress

At Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate, a questioner asked former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee "what would Jesus do" on the death penalty. He replied:

You know, one of the toughest challenges that I ever faced as a governor was carrying out the death penalty. I did it more than any other governor ever had to do it in my state. As I look on this stage, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person on this stage that's ever had to actually do it.

Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office, Anderson. That's what Jesus would do.

Huckabee dodged the question that time. But in 1997, Huckabee claimed that Jesus would have agreed with him on supporting the death penalty. Shortly before a triple execution in Arkansas in Jan. 1997, a caller called into Huckabee's show on Arkansas Educational Television Network and asking how he squared his Christian teachings with his support for the death penalty. As the Arkansas Times reported on Jan. 22, 1997:

"Interestingly enough," Huckabee allowed, "if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, 'This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."

Jesus, though, did not ask for clemency. Therefore, according to Huckabee's logic, Jesus must have been in favor of capital punishment.

As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, Huckabee interrupted his speech to the Republican Governors Association in 2004 to answer his cell phone. He proceeded to have a three-minute conversation with God about President Bush's re-election:

We're behind , yes, sir, we sure are. Yes, sir, we know you don't take sides in the election. But, if you did, we kind of think you'd hang in there with us, Lord, we really do.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/69440/#more

[SpiralHawk]

1. Thou Shalt Not Kill*

* republicon sub-clauses to the Ten Commandments DEVIATE from normal understandings, and take an exceptionally WIDE STANCE on killing, killing, and killing, as well as ON the morality of going AWOL from your National Guard unit, membership in Occult Cabals, invading foriegn nations for oil profit, and Diaper Sex with hookers.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Funny, then, that Jesus said...

'...O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me...'

Seems to me that he had some serious last-minute misgivings.

[spanone]

3. huckabee is a fundy NUTCASE

qoute on evolution: "If you want to believe that you and your family came from apes, that's fine. I'll accept that," I just don't happen to think that I did."

[Toots]

4. So I take it he is saying Jesus's punishment was in fact just

and Jesus deserved no clemency. Since Jesus did not ask for any he must not deserve any. Since he did not ask the punishment be declared severe he must believe it was appropriate..Huckabee's Logic is shall we say "out there"

[Leopolds Ghost]

11. That is the twisted thinking of the Postmodern fundamentalist.

Their attitude, as can be seen in movies and books, is:

"The Romans had the right to execute Jesus because they were the powers that be, ordained by God. Jesus had to be executed in order to atone for the sinful members of His people, the Jews, who rebelled against state authority and refused to accept the Word"

Oh, and "thw Word" is whatever the "powers that be" say it is. All that matters is that you are "born again", then you become a member of the Elect. Everyone else goes to hell. Good behavior counts for nothing: self-righteous adoration of the Risen Lord (who will surely exculpiate his followers for all their planned future sins and killing of criminals and unbelievers) counts for everything.

[dysfunctional press]

5. wasn't jesus supposed to be fufilling a prophecy by dying?

why would he ask to stop it?

(and as someone has already pointed out- jesus DID ask his dad that "this cup be passed" from him....pussy.

[spoony]

13. Oh good, a hateful idiot AND a sexist.

What a charming combination.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Hey, Gitchee Manitou just rang me up on MY cell phone.

IT (masucline, feminine, and so much more) communicated to me that, as usual, the republicons are distorting the tRuTh, and that Hucksterbee has Massive dEviAnt CHUTZPAH to think he has some kind of "special" republicon connection with Creator that he imagines is unavailable to people of other religions or even of no religion.

[LeftishBrit]

7. My head hurts; but it sounds as though Huckabee is identifying with Pontius Pilate!

[Igel]

9. Nah.

His response was jocular. In all three cases. In the first, clearly so--it ducked the issue. He also ducked it fairly well in the second; the proper response isn't to find the implied syllogism but to chuckle at how wittily he avoided the issue while *seeming* to provide a response. Although that approach is culturally conditioned and if you're too far outside the culture it needs explication.

The third might contain a germ of belief as to whether or not God/Jesus is with the repubs, but it's also jocular, and if it asserts anything it simultaneously underplays and possibly downgrades any strong commitment.

Just as Jesus didn't discuss homosexuality or incest, he also didn't discuss whether execution under the Law after a proper trial conducted by the proper authorities was still just. People have enough trouble with things he did mention, like righteousness, mercy, loving one's neighbor, sabbath keeping and tithing.

[Leopolds Ghost]

12. Who are the "proper authorities"? Paul was referring to church authorities

A government which wars and murders is not to be recognized by
believing Christians who are faithful to the early church.

[Ezlivin]

8. When politics and religion collide

I'm surprised that Huckabee would say this: "Interestingly enough," Huckabee allowed, "if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, 'This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency'."

Clemency would have put an end to the whole "born again" equation, for without a willing sacrifice of a sinless human, salvation cannot be effected.

If he graduated with a theology degree he certainly had to understand that Jesus' death was a necessary and voluntary sacrifice. Baptists are particularly fond of arguing that "Jesus could have commanded ten thousand angels to come down, but he didn't." Jesus was not about to argue over the death penalty when it was necessary for him to complete his salvific mission.

And Jesus also said "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." In this case his death was (indirectly) Caesar's actions and the end result was to be God's actions.

[knitter4democracy]

10. That's exactly what I was thinking, too.

What a moron--even it if was just a joke. Not funny.