OMG Bible idiocy from Steve King

[Enrique]

Hey Steve, the "land of the Bible" has national health insurance. I'm looking forward to you supporting that so we're Biblically correct here in America.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/07/15/gop-bible-immigrants-crackdowns/

(...)

Several religious leaders testified before the committee, citing the Bible’s moral invocations for caring for the least among us and treating each other humanely. “Immigration is ultimately a humanitarian issue since it impacts the basic rights and dignity of millions of persons and their families,” said Bishop Gerald Kicanas, the vice president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops. “As such, it has moral implications, especially how it impacts the basic survival and decency of life experienced by human beings like us. … Our current immigration system fails to meet the moral test of protecting the basic rights and dignity of the human person.”

Yet several of the Republican members of the committee did not take kindly to the religious leaders’ words. Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Steve King (R-IA) both cited the Bible to attack the idea that it is a moral responsibility to treat undocumented immigrants humanely and give them the chance for a decent life. King even went as far as to cite the human rights-violating Israeli separation wall it has built deep into Palestinian territory as an example of how “the land of the Bible” deals with immigration:

...

Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King, however, complained that for many reform advocates the only “biblically acceptable option … seems to be open borders.” “I didn’t realize that the Bible barred the enforcement of immigration laws and neither did I realize that it erased borders, demanded pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants, or … forbid the leaders of a nation from caring most about the well-being of its own citizens.”

King noted approvingly that “in the land of the Bible the leaders of today’s Israel (have) built border fences to protect their citizens from terrorists or illegal job seekers alike.” There is a “greater and more immediate” moral obligation to take care of U.S. citizens first, he said.

(...)

[underpants]

So... Israel is the land of the Bible.... so if Israel does something it is Biblical

the stoopid it hurts

[Berry Cool]

1. You do realize that there are so-called Christian ministers

who reject the idea of national health insurance because they believe it takes the obligation of each believer to care for his fellow man out of the hands of the individual, where it belongs, and places it in the hands of the government? In short, according to them, it tells people "I don't need to worry about other people's health needs being cared for. I will let the government take care of that."

Somehow, these ministers suffered a disconnect in understanding of what "the government" is. They forgot that "the government" IS "the people." I.e., if there is a government health-care plan, and the taxes people pay provide the funding for that plan, that means THE PEOPLE are meeting their obligation to care for their fellow man (whether as religious believers or just people who believe they have such a moral obligation independent of any spiritual belief).

They have a small point in that it's possible for people to come to the conclusion that all they need to do in order to care for their fellow man is pay their taxes on time, and thus have no further involvement with the care of others. Obviously that's not the Christian ideal, nor is it the ideal of many other religions. These religions believe people should freely give of their time and money, in ADDITION to (not INSTEAD of) any governmental obligations, to help others. But I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says that the ONLY correct way to care for one's fellow man is through individual acts of charity and that having, or working for, or voting for, a governmental system of doing the same thing is WRONG and IMMORAL and EVIL. I simply do not understand how people who really claim to be Christian leaders, or any other kind of spiritual leader, can do so.

[Scurrilous]

2. K & R

:thumbsup:

[urbuddha]

3. Dino rider

:rofl: