I have to interview the head of the Christian Coalition locally.

[Liberty Belle]

For balance, I'll also interview a leader of a progressive ministry.

The hard part is figuring out what to ask the CC guy. I need:

A. Softball questions to butter him up, get him talking about what he cares about, why he's so passionate about this, what he hopes to accomplish, how he feels about the "progress" so far and the group's futuregoals;

B. Some hardball questions, but not too many, so I can hopefully get a few answers before I get thrown out on my ear. For instance, "Do you believe in separation of church and state?"
or "Is it moral to oppose abortion without also supporting programs to help mothers in unwanted pregnancies afford healthcare and food for these children?"

[Skink]

1. I'd say use some pyrotechnics...

the more fire the better. They like that.

[kliljedahl]

2. Ask him if he knows or knows of Jim Wallis

Then ask him why his views are so antithetical to real evangelical christians.


http://www.kliljedahl.net

[The Doctor.]

3. Oooo!!! How about a nice trap?

Start with something like; "Now I understand there is an issue with what have been referred to as 'activist judges'. Let me hear your take on that so I can ask you a question."

Wait for him to spout what will likely be his pre-programmed rhetoric and then;

"So you would like to see judges ruling based on christian religious values rather than the United States Constitution?"

He'll sputter about 'America being founded on christian values' or try obfuscation, but pin him down and make sure he answers the question.

"So you believe judges should rule based on religion rather than the law, well that is a very popular practice in Iran, perhaps it will catch on here. Thank you for coming today."

[tuvor]

8. Don't let him claim the USA was founded on Christian principles!

There are plenty of sites to be googled, showing that NOT to be the case. Like this one: http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html

[The Doctor.]

11. Well right, but the rebuttal is simple...

"Where in the US Constitution does it say that Judges are to interpret Biblical law to make decisions?"

From there - any path they try to take just tightens the noose.

[Liberty Belle]

29. Only works if it's the last question...and I can run fast!

I'll rephrase to be a bit less confrontational, but definitely the topic of "activist judges" needs to be addressed. Also, how exactly do you define the term?

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Draw him out

Let him hang himself.

They all do. All you have to do is to let him talk, and within a few minutes, you can have him admitting to wanting to burn libbruls at the stake, stick Jews in concentration camps, and nuke every mosque in Eurasia and Africa.

No trick questions, no pyrotechnics, no techniquing is required. Just gently evoke those ugly, filthy sentiments that live in the sclerosed, sepia hearts of all fundamentalist power freaks.

With any luck, you'll also have prodded him into a period of self-questioning and beneficial spiritual renewal. Just don't count on it!

--p!

[The Whiskey Priest]

5. Ask him this.....

How does he feel about;

The Reverand Moon being crowned in the US Senate Office Building?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19-2004Jul20.html

You might remind him that the Rev said: we “must realize that Jesus did not come to die on the cross” (Divine Principle, p. 178). Jesus, according to Moon, was a failure, and Christ's death was without effect. He says, “the cross has been unable to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth by removing our original sin.” (Ibid p. 178). Moon also believes that the death of Christ was a victory for Satan, saying "Satan thus attained what he had intended through the 4,000-year course of history, by crucifying Jesus, with the exercise of his maximum power" (Ibid, p. 435).

It would be nice to get one of these guys to go on record regarding Moon since the Republicans support him and he they.

[Frances]

6. The 4th most important item to be accomplished on

the Alabama Christian Coalition's list is to privatize social security.

I would love to know how privatizing social security fits in with Jesus' ideas.

[Liberty Belle]

30. So would I.

[tuvor]

7. I take it he's a bushkisser? How 'bout some Sermon on the Mount

oriented questions?

Or put another way, why does bush seem to be an Old Testament "Christian" and not a New Testament Christian?

Just a thought.

[Ilsa]

9. Ask him to show where God, Jesus, or Christians are mentioned

in the US Constitution and Amendments. Bring a copy.

[Kerrytravelers]

12. Ask him if he's read the Constitution. Bring a copy!

[Liberty Belle]

31. Brilliant.

[Tux]

10. I'd ask

How he could call himself a Christian and ignore the teachings of Jesus. Why follow Hebrew law literally and think of Jesus as an easy ticket to Heaven while doing the opposite of what Jesus taught?

Why be hateful to non-Christians, homosexuals, and liberals when Jesus taught to hate no one?

Why claim how all Americans are supposed to act when they don't act that way themselves? Why do Evangelicals have the highest domestic and sexually abuse rates to spouses and children yet claim to be pro-family?

If they are pro-life, why aren't they denouncing the death penalty, war, extinction of species, and anti-bacterial cleaners (thousands die each time you wash your hands, minister. That is genocide)?

Have they ever read the Bible cover to cover in context or do they just pick and choose their verses to create their own Bible that fits their agendas?

Why should ID "theory" be taken seriously when it can't be tested nor predicts anything and requires faith? If the Bible is literally true, where is the evidence for that claim?

Why are Evangelicals anti-science yet depend on modern medical science when they get ill? Can't they pray their illness away with the power of God or Jesus? What if the physician doesn't believe in creationism, would they prefer not being treated? Isn't science a method for understanding the universe that helps us create tools to make life easier?

Do they hate liberals for not being Evangelicals or for thinking on their own? Is that why they hate colleges and professors?

If they are so sure of their faith, why are they scared to be around non-Christians and read on evolution? Why be around only those that agree with them?

Lastly, after reading the Beatitudes and Jesus returned, how would Evangelicals feel about being left behind on Earth when many of their "enemies" are taken to heaven?

[Liberty Belle]

34. Many good questions there. The last is a real kicker!

I also need to "localize" the story a bit with questions like:

Which local offices are best fulfilling the values you believe in?

What do you think about the local school board? Which candidates will you be backing in the next election? (These questions tell me who to vote against!)

Which local politicians will you be targeting for defeat, and why?


On a more serious note, I always find it fascinating to delve into what makes people choose the paths that they take; ie,

"Have you always been strong in your faith, or was there some tragic event or epiphany that changed your thinking about religion?"


(Back when I worked for a state legislator, I noticed that all the prominent right-to-life leaders had either lost a child through a tragic accident, or been unable to have children of their own and waited on long adoption lists. I guess I can understand how that would color your view of women who terminate pregnancies, though I don't agree with their opinions.)

I might also try just a smidgen to introduce some logic into his narrow worldview. On abortion, for instance, I might say, "When I've spoken in the past with staunch pro-life believers, I've noticed that on the subject of incest, some don't want to believe that this happens often enough to be of concern. I can tell you that as a journalist, I've attended an international conference on family violence and interviewed many, many children who were raped by their own fathers or step-fathers. Counselors have told me that for some smaller girls, giving birth is physically dangerous. You seem to have a sincere concern for innocent babies' lives. But what about these innocent young girls? Do you really believe that God wants these children victimized by violent crimes to suffer further by forcing them to give birth--or die trying?

[cap]

13. ask about his relationship with the Dominionists

or does he explicitly repudiate these nut cases.

[Liberty Belle]

35. Good one.

I should also ask more generally:

Are there some leaders representing the religious right who you would prefer to distance yourself from? Tom DeLay, for instance, faces numerous ethical scandals that would seem at odds with his professed Christian moral values.

Others in power have begun calling for mass impeachments of judges. Do you support this, or does it go too far?

[cap]

48. but do follow up with a question on these whack jobs

we need people to flush the Dominionists out of the bushes...

They are trying a stealth takeover.

[Agnomen]

14. And to keep him off balance

wear a low-cut blouse over a wonder bra. Christian Coalition types tend to be lascivious - and a provocative outfit will turn him into a blathering idiot - from just a hypocritical idiot. You'll catch him off-guard, and may get answers he didn't quite mean to utter.

[Liberty Belle]

36. LOL! I'd probably fall off high heels if I wore them.

I'll stick to simple business attire, but thanks for the good laugh.

[Selteri]

15. May I suggest a good way to lure him out .

Not right away, but a good softball question, "How do you propose we fix and protect the country from corruption?" that usually gets them to start spewing such vitriol that it's unlikely you'll need any real hardball questions.

[lonestarnot]

24. Yes I agree this goood lead...

[Liberty Belle]

37. Corruption is a good question.

If he tries to excuse it in those he supports, I should ask if he believes "Thou Shalt No Lie" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal" only apply to ordinary citizens, not our elected officials.

[banjosareunderrated]

16. evolution?

softball: how do you feel about the theory of evolution being taught in public schools?

"blah, blah, what's a beatitude , blah, blah."

How do you feel about the theory of gravity being taught in public schools?

"blah, blah, i'm terrified of everything, blah, blah."

hard (for him) follow up: What does the word "theory" mean as it applies to the scientific process?

[Liberty Belle]

38. Or more directly...How soon until my kids' science classes will be

turned into Bible study? ;0(

[banjosareunderrated]

43. exactly

to misquote tom robbins, the biggest problem with people is the thesaurus. There are no synonyms. A deluge is not the same as a flood.

Yet, our biggest obstacle is overcoming morans who think "theory" means idea.

This is something you know, but our puke neigbors do not:

The theory of gravity doesn't mean that gravity may or may not exist. Gravity DOES exist, the theory part is how we explain HOW it works. The same with evolution. It exists, we know it exists, the "theory of evolution" does not mean "evolution may exist, we're not sure" it means "evolution exists, how does it happen?" I always get a kick out of pukes saying that the theory of gravity means gravity exists, and then hitting em with evolution.

Or why did Jesus have a tailbone?

[tanyev]

17. How about the one where the Colorado Supreme Court

overturned the death penalty because some jury members had brought in quotes from the Bible, namely the Old Testament references to an eye for an eye. The fundies were pretty angry about that, even though Jesus completely negates the concept in Matthew 5:38-42. So not only did they improperly base their decision on something other than Colorado law, they didn't even interpret the Bible correctly.

[mitchum]

18. Ask him how he reconciles the loaves and fishes story...

with the Christian Coalition's assertions that Jesus favors market capitalism

[southlandshari]

19. Check your PM

Just sent you a message on this!

[underseasurveyor]

20. Oh you MUST listen to this interview Mike Malloy did

with a guy from the Christian Action Network. It's a hellarious piece btw. Malloy pulls a sneaky on his unsuspecting guest and besides getting a good hardy chuckle listening to it, it may spur some ideas for questions to ask.

Remind them that Equality and Peace are moral values. Good luck with your interview :toast:

Go down about half way and look for, Gays at Disneyworld?
http://mikemalloy.com/gallery.html

[seabeyond]

21. ask him if he is a part of the dominion orginization and then give

him this. ask him if this country is really built on christianity

Christianity...(has become) the most perverted system that ever shone on man. ...Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and importers led by Paul, the first great corrupter of the teaching of Jesus.

- Thomas Jefferson

The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind and adulterated by artificial constructions into a contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves...these clergy, in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ.

- Thomas Jefferson

The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.

- John Adams

During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.

-James Madison

What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy.

-James Madison

Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.

-Thomas Paine

It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it (the Apocalypse), and I then considered it merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to General Alexander Smyth, Jan. 17, 1825

In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Horatio G. Spafford, March 17, 1814



The truth is, that the greatest enemies of the doctrine of Jesus are those, calling themselves the expositors of them, who have perverted them to the structure of a system of fancy absolutely incomprehensible, and without any foundation in his genuine words. And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter... But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors.

-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

I concur with you strictly in your opinion of the comparative merits of atheism and demonism, and really see nothing but the latter in the being worshipped by many who think themselves Christians.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Jan. 8, 1789

They believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion.

-Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Sept. 23, 1800

History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.

-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.

Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814
Patrick Henry has been quoted as saying that, but as to the context, and the source I am not sure.
Thomas Jefferson was a Deist. A Deist according to Webster's is (1) The belief in the existence of a God on purely rational grounds without reliance on revelation or authority; especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. (2) The doctrine that God created the world and its natural laws, but takes no further part in its functioning. Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Bible (The Jefferson Bible), of which I own a copy. It TOTALLY removes all accounts of the divinity of Christ and all of the miracles - including the virgin birth. Benjamin Franklin was raised Episcopalian, but was also a Deist. John Adams was raised a Congregationalist, but later became a Unitarian. Here are what some of the other founders had to say about it.

John Adams:

"The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

John Adams again:

"The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity."

Still more John Adams:

“...Thirteen governments thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”


Thomas Jefferson:

"I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth."

Jefferson again:

"Christianity...(has become) the most perverted system that ever shone on man. ...Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and importers led by Paul, the first great corrupter of the teaching of Jesus."

From Jefferson’s biography:
“...an amendment was proposed by inserting the words, ‘Jesus Christ...the holy author of our religion,’ which was rejected ‘By a great majority in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammedan, the Hindoo and the Infidel of every denomination.’”

James Madison:

"What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy."

James Madison again:

"Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."

Thomas Paine:

"I would not dare to so dishonor my Creator God by attaching His name to that book (the Bible)."

Finally, a word from Abraham Lincoln:


The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma."
-- Abraham Lincoln

[Liberty Belle]

39. Impressive collection of quotes. Thanks.

[seabeyond]

49. surely, the come in handy n/t

[kodi]

22. define your principles/value system. articulate how it informs your action

basic stuff. it requires from them the ability to explain why they feel the way they do and what they do about it.

[susanna]

23. I might consider reframing a bit.

Smarter political minds, feel free to point out any/all of my flawed reasoning for the OP...

As to the reframing, let's look at B-2.

I would say...

"Is it moral to oppose programs that assist mothers with unplanned pregnancies to afford healthcare and food for their children once they are born? Isn't this a culture of life issue?"

My reasoning:

1) They refuse to "help" anyone. That wording implies a handout in their minds. Say "assist" instead, it seems more neutral.

2) Leave the word abortion out altogether, and change "unwanted" to "unplanned." This works to point out the root issue, women's family planning issues, without naming it in their terms.

3) Use the "culture of life" phrasing to question them from your perspective, not theirs. If they REALLY believe in life at all costs, from conception to grave, well: "put up or shut up."

edited for consistency

[lonestarnot]

25. Then you can't leave out Iraq

[susanna]

26. I guess I'm missing something...

????

[lonestarnot]

27. #3 the culture of life...repukes culture of life shit...when they are all

for a culture of war and rally behind the magnet flag team.

[susanna]

50. Oh.

I do understand that*; that is why I asked that the OP turn their own term around on them and make them defend it. That was behind my idea of reframing.

Thanks for clarifying for me, though. I appreciate it.

* One of my dearest friends was killed in Iraq in 2003. I am fully cognizant of that; I was just working with the OP's questions, specifically regarding women and their right to plan their families.

[Liberty Belle]

40. Good suggestions.

For this interview, I definitely need to use their terminology, not liberal framing, to avoid antonizing the interviewee unnecessarily.

[susanna]

52. Thanks, Liberty Belle...

I enjoyed thinking it all through. I hope I helped!

[thjay]

28. start with family values

Ask him what is he doing on a local level to promote family values? What successes is he most proud of? What are the biggest challenges and hurdles for those working to promote family values?

Be sincere. Show that you really care about his answers.

Next ask him what is being done at the Federal level to promote family values. In his opinion what is succeeding and why? Ask for specific details.

Just ask and listen. Don't offer your own opinions.

After he gives you the positive examples ask him for areas where the government has failed or could improve in their efforts to further promote family values.

If you can get this far in the interview without divulging your own point of view he will begin to feel comfortable with you and confident in himself.

Now it's time to get serious.

Finish with, "Do you think the Iraq war, in terms of family values, has been a successful endeavor or a failed one?" If he chooses the first option and frames his answer in terms of spreading democracy bring him back to the point of family values. How do you explain to someone, be they American or Iraqi that the lost life of their loved one is a testament to family values? How do you think God feels about the more than 100,000 citizens who have died violent premature deaths? Is there some finite number of lives that can be expended before this war and the spreading of democracy can no longer be measured in terms of family values?

Good Luck. You have a lot more guts than I do.

[understandinglife]

32. Ask'um how christian it is to support vaporizing a child's life....

...ask'um how christian it is to get all jazzed over shock'um and awe'um; ask'um if it doesn't matter to christians if the mother that's vaporized is brown-skin'd instead of white skin'd.

Just ask'um.

Peace.

www.missionnotaccomplished.us (a day to reflect on just how christian it is to shock'um, awe'um, vaporize'um ....)

[Liberty Belle]

41. A bit too inflammatory--if I ever want to write in this town again!

[ConsAreLiars]

33. Listen to how Mike Malloy played a fundie

http://www.mikemalloy.com/audio/malloyterrifiesaudience.mp3

[Liberty Belle]

42. Oh, he's devious! Getting the guy to rant about

all those homosexuals in the Bush White House

[NAO]

44. Ask him about Jesus condemning culture wars and mandating welfare

And ask him what he think about the idea that if we REALLY had a Christian Nation, it would be EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the kind envisioned by the so-called "religious right".

IF we were a truly Christian Nation, we would NOT have elected Bush nor would we tolerate ANY of the SOCIAL POLICY nor the ECONOMIC POLICY of the GOP, both of which are opposed by the teachings of Jesus Christ...

The "Christian Right" has got it WRONG on both the "values agenda" and the right wing economic/abolition of social programs agenda.

On Being a Christian Nation

Part I: Jesus vs. The Social Conservatives - Culture Wars in the Time of Christ

- Let Him Who Is Without Sin Condemn the First Gay (John 8:3-11)
- Foreign Objects in the Eyes, or Jesus Teaches Us How (and to Whom) to Apply Biblical Laws (Matthew 7:1-3)

Part II: Jesus vs. The Economic Conservatives - Did Jesus Teach Personal or Social Responsibility?
- Separating the Sheep from the Goats, Based on Domestic Social Policy - Subsistence Programs (Matthew 25:31-46)
- Not My Responsibility? The Pharisee and the Levite Had Excuses, too (Luke 10:30-37)

Part III: Putting Parts I and II Together - On Being a Christian Nation
- What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply to Nations and to Government Policy?
- What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply only to Individuals?

**********************

Part I: Jesus vs. The Social Conservatives - Culture Wars in the Time of Christ

Let Him Who Is Without Sin Condemn the First Gay (John 8:3-11)

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Foreign Objects in the Eyes, or Jesus Teaches Us How (and to Whom) to Apply Biblical Laws (Matthew 7:1-3)

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Part II: Jesus vs. The Economic Conservatives - Did Jesus Teach Personal or Social Responsitility?

Seperating the Sheep from the Goats, Based on Domestic Social Policy - Subsistence Programs (Matthew 25:31-46)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Not My Responsibility? The Priest and the Levite Didn't Think So, Either (Luke 10:30-37)

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Part III: Putting Parts I and II Together - On Being a Christian Nation

What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply to Nations and to Government Policy? What Parts of the Bible Should we Apply only to Individuals?

The Religious Right frequently emphasizes that God will Judge us "as a Nation". They combine this notion with their condemnation of certain behaviors of individuals, and this is the basis of the "culture wars". They rally for the government to pass laws that uphold Biblical standards. They want to outlaw sodomy, and ban gay marriage. Thus, they maintain that as Christians, we should not only observe God's commandments, but enact them as governmental legislation.

Curiously, when passages such as Matthew 25:31-46 are discussed, they typically quickly assert that charity - helping the poor, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and so forth, should be left to individuals and to the churches. They do not agree that these programs should be on the national agenda, nor do they believe that welfare and other subsistence programs are properly the duty of the federal government.

Well, there you go. Those passages are so incredibly obvious, it boggles the mind how Christians can miss them so completely.

That they ALSO miss the point of the passage from Matthew 25 (Jesus vs. the Economic Conservatives) too is even more baffling!

And as if that were not enough - they are working to have the values agenda (which is nothing more than the condemning of others based on the Laws of Moses) built into the structure of government...but when you talk about building the helping of the poor, the feeding of the sick into the structure of government, they immediately launch into right wing talking points about how THAT is not the proper role of government, but should be left to private individuals and charities.

Now the words of Jesus quoted above indicate, beyond any doubt, that the exact opposite is correct in both cases. Adherence to the Laws of Moses SHOULD be left to private individuals and at most, the churches. We have been commanded by Jesus NOT to engage in the moral condemnation of others. Conversely, we have been commanded to feed, clothe and shelter those in need.

If Christians REALLY want a Christian nation, they should vote for a ban on condemning of sinners (unless of course you are 100% sin free, in which case feel free to blast them) AND they should provide a MANDATE for social programs.

[NAO]

45. Ask him if he opposes "Collateral Abortions" and "Logistical Starvations"

Ask him if his moral values are universal or if they only apply in some situations. Then ask him if they apply in these two situations, which are far too common in Iraq right now:

Collateral Abortions - that's when a bomb or grenade or bullet injuries or kills a pregnant civilian. The military calls this "collateral damage"...so if what happens to be damaged is a fetus, that is tantamount to abortion.

Logistical Starvations - that's when bombing raids have destroyed infrastructure that delivers food and water to a civilian population and women and children - even ones who were not in a persistent vegetative state before the war - are allowed to starve to death or die of thirst.

Ask him if these killings are consistent with the "Culture of Life".

[mitchum]

46. Ask him why Westerners should adopt a creation myth and book...

of magic fairy tales from another culture.

[Vektor]

47. I like the question about abortion and helping mothers out-

That has always been a question of mine too. I see a whole lot of "protected 'till birth, then you're on your own, kid" philosophy and action from the Neocons. Once that child is out of the womb, they don't give two shits about how the baby and the Mom who gave him or her life are going to survive thereafter. Somtimes these impoverished mothers they refuse to provide aid for are just kids themelves...

They don't care. I don't even think they care about babies at all - all they care about is having a cause they can get up on their soapbox and shout about.

[banana republican]

51. 1. Ask him if he support the Pope's Position

No Abortions
No Death Sentences
No Wars.