'On Faith' Panelist Hits Tea Partiers, Conservatives As 'Tribal', Not Christian
If Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite actually believed in Hell, she'd probably preach that Tea Partiers were headed there unless they repented and backed higher taxes and more government spending.
The liberal seminary professor and Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" contributor last Wednesday lashed out at the "fundamentalism" of Tea Party calls for fiscal restraint, insisting that conservative takes on the federal budget were un-Christian, "tribal" and racist in nature:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓For me, as a Christian pastor and teacher, the question is whether the morality of conservatism is a Christian moral vision. Despite the signs at Tea Party rallies that say, “Jesus hates taxes,” the fundamentalist philosophy of conservatism is not, in my view, Christian.
The ideology of current conservatism, in my view, is actually not individualism either. Individualism, as the equal dignity and worth of each human being, is an Enlightenment philosophy that helped create the political system we call democracy. Rather, the current conservative view is regressive; it is a return of tribalism as a reaction to the increasing American racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. This diversity of race, ethnicity and religion, and its inclusion in “We the People” as symbolized by the government, is perceived as a threat to a myth of American identity as white, Christian and middle class. The pattern of the conservative budgeting reveals this—those who most need government services are the poor, i.e. those who are not considered members of the “tribe” that has been dominant in America for so long.
The teachings of Jesus, however, challenge such tribalism. Let me be frank. I too believe there are certain fundamentals that are non-negotiable and to me, the most basic Christian fundamental is that you love God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself. Love of God, love of neighbor. This, as Jesus teaches, is the greatest commandment of all. (Mark 12: 28-31).
The bottom line, religiously speaking, is ‘Who is my neighbor?’ The challenge of faith, to me, is we don’t get to pick and choose our neighbor. The neighbor is everyone, whether the hated “Samaritan,” or the one next to me in the pew in church.
- Ken Shepherd's blog
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Comments
Wow.
Submitted by johnsonl on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 2:43pm.
God is watching, young lady.
Indeed.
Submitted by HockeyKid on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 4:09pm.
"The neighbor is everyone, whether the hated “Samaritan,” or the one next to me in the pew in church."
Or even [shudder]...conservatives!
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
another liberal mental patient
Submitted by Billnonymous on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:10pm.
masquerading as a "contributor" and writing another cheap hit piece on the right. This birdbrain actually just creates issues that are not even there and then claims Jesus' teachings are against the very things she just made up. I believe Jesus was also against lying and deceitfulness, I am not sure the author is aware of this.
I wonder which one of her puppet masters contacted her and instructed her to write that piece.
"The diversity of race,
Submitted by ant on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:15pm.
"The diversity of race, ethnicity, and religion, and it's inclusion in "We the People" as symbolized by our government....".
The fact that she believes the government is a legitimate representation or "symbol" of the various races, ethnicity and religions of the American people is what disturbed me the most. They exist to do the work the States have commissioned them to do, not be an Avatar or "symbol" of some collective multi-cult BS.
Racist, selfish, tribal....
Submitted by Prester John on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:33pm.
....yakkety yakkety yak.
What else is new?
"Individualism, as the equal dignity and worth of each human being, is an Enlightenment philosophy that helped create the political system we call democracy."???!!!
An "Enlightenment philosophy"???!!!
Where did she think the thinkers of the Enlightenment come up with that thought?
Wow.
Remind me not to go to the same seminary she did.
Anyway, I would wager that the true charitable contributions (I'm not counting contributions to horrid organizations like NARAL, Planned Parenthood and the like) of a Tea Partier who earns $50,000 is greater than any Leftist who makes twice that much.
"Stupid People Are Ruining American"--Herman Cain
Herman Cain 2012
www.hermancain.com
Hey Ms. Brooks, get your
Submitted by deerjerkydave on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:38pm.
Hey Ms. Brooks, get your church out of my government!
Jesus wants big government and big entitlement? I thought Jesus helped the poor through His church and followers, not waiting around for Caesar to do it for Him.
------------------------
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. -James MadisonDeer great comment, lol!
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 11:55am.
Classic to use on the Left. Their values are ok but others are not.
FYI on this:
Up Down Vote coming up! May help in 2012 election. PLEASE write your Senator TODAY to vote against Federal funding of PP!!! Have them on the record for 2012!
snip: Good article!
While pro-lifers lament Planned Parenthood wasn’t defunded in the final 2011 budget, Harry Reid and Barack Obama threw 7 Senate Democrats under the bus in the process.
Reid and Obama agreed to let the Senate have an up or down vote on defunding PP. We already know such a vote will fail, since 41 Democrats signed a letter on April 4 saying they’d oppose such a measure, making it bullet-proof.
But House Majority Leader John Boehner’s strategy is to force so-called Democrat moderates to go on the record, potentially getting ammo for the 2012 elections.
Read more at: http://www.jillstanek.com/2011/04/under-the-bus-the-planned-parenthood-c...
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Thistlethwaite sounds like a big 'Hardball' fan, no?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:40pm.
I wonder if she also considers her fellow UCC reverend Jeremiah Wright as racist and tribal.
Jesus said...
Submitted by adamsmith on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:42pm.
Jesus said to help the poor. He didn't to my best recollection say anything about supporting them. Of course he also never mentioned State sponsered theft from one party to simply give to another, that's called theft anywhere outside Statist ideologues' perception of fairness...This lady's logic system is identical to the rest of her Statist Socialist collective, as in both steeped in Pretzel Logic......
7 bad years... coming?
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 9:38am.
Where are the FEDs authorized to give our tax dollars away to "entitlements?"
This is a "religious" doctrine therefore the state should not be doing it per the separation of church & state per libs.
How about this: If a man not work, let him not eat. There are a number of very clear statements like that in the Bible. Charity is to be by the individual. Joseph collected up the grain during the 7 good years in Egypt. During the next 7 bad years of drought, he made them PAY for the grain until they had no more assets including their land. He did not give it away "free." You cannot supply "free." Too much demand. This is how the Marxist Obama & fiends (his friend = fiends, evil, wicked people) plan to bankrupt America. Create unlimited demands for government entitlements till we are run aground. Then HE can remake us into the USSA, with socialist China the lien holder.
Also per another poster: "Please explain why you think the Fed is obligated to spend more then they have?"
Read more: http://www.newsbusters.org/comment/reply/46605/1468330#ixzz1JJYDxX4S
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Not to pre-judge her or anything....
Submitted by Prester John on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:47pm.
...but why do I get the feeling that despite her belief in "the equal dignity and worth of each human being" she may not have that big a problem with abortion on demand?
That would be an interesting question to ask her.
Left Wing Tribes:
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:57pm.
It is the leftists who have created tribes. It is they who divide the country by race, ethnicity, sex, religion.... Outsiders not in leftist tribes are called racists, homophobes, xenophobes, sexists, islamophobes,...
Yep. The class warfare meme
Submitted by krendler on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 6:44pm.
Yep. The class warfare meme is all they have. Devoid of rational thought.
liberal Thought
Submitted by xraynova on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:58pm.
yes, an oxymoron.
"...the most basic Christian fundamental is that you love God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself. Love of God, love of neighbor. This, as Jesus teaches, is the greatest commandment of all. (Mark 12: 28-31)."
Perhaps most puzzling to me, is how liberals manage to turn the pages of the Bible, with fingers & hands soaked in the blood of babies.
Typically, a liberal quoting the Bible is like a pig snorting the national anthem... makes a lot of noise & doesn't understand a single word uttered.
The Bible quote (Mk 12:28-31) was not directed at governments... it was directed at you and me as individuals. I as an individual take it seriously and act accordingly- as I'm sure most individuals on this forum do. I could do a lot more, if the government would stop confiscation of half my paycheck.
liberals seem to like taking Jesus out of his intended context. It's very easy to do. For example, here is a verse taken deliberately out of context : "... each one should carry his own load." (Gal 6:3) You can, if interested, put it into its context, by reading the whole of Chapter 6.
Being quite familiar
Submitted by HockeyKid on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 3:59pm.
with the history and "theology" of the UCC, I can tell you that this woman is about par for the course. As an example, I offer the case of a UCC pastor I know quite well. While still a pastor, he began running around on his wife--the first instance occurring while she was in the hospital to give birth to their first son. Two decades of philandering and drunken escapades later, he finally hooked up with a woman who lashed him to a figurative tree and said "my way or the highway", so he got a divorce and married the Other Woman.
He is still an ordained minister "in good standing" with the UCC--never been disciplined in any way by the church. That right there should tell you all you need to know.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Jesus
Submitted by Gothampc on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 4:24pm.
"Individualism, as the equal dignity and worth of each human being, is an Enlightenment philosophy that helped create the political system we call democracy."
Democracy is recorded in the Bible, long before the Enlightenment. While wandering in the wilderness, Moses told the Hebrew people to elect among themselves representatives that they could take their disputes to. Leave it to a liberal to ignore what's written in the Bible (Torah) and focus on a man-centered age of philosophy.
"Despite the signs at Tea Party rallies that say, “Jesus hates taxes,” the fundamentalist philosophy of conservatism is not, in my view, Christian."
Jesus also hated people who used tax money to fund abortions. Matter of fact, Jesus hated anyone who favored abortion.
Nowhere in the teaching of Jesus does it say that government should use tax money to help the needy. The viewpoint of Jesus was the religious people should help the needy. And the religious people can't do their duty if the government is taxing all of their money.
You don't change two decades
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 4:45pm.
You don't change two decades of martial infidelity by marriage. When the new wife finds that the preacher is old wine in a new bottle, she'll explode.
As for Jesus, PBOH, he knew the maliciousness that governments could do to human beings. He did not tell governments to be charitable, he told individuals to do that. Jesus was concerned with voluntary giving, not compelled confiscations. The latter has no moral value at all. The fact that this 'esteemed' perfessuck of theology cannot distinguish between voluntary and compelled charitable donations, is truly sad. But such are the teachings from the church of Karl Marx.
I also find it strange that she says she is for the esteem and valuing of each human being, but immediately jettisons conservatives and tea partiers from those entitled to such valuing. And her acid dripping of the word 'fundamentalism' is truly revealing. If God's law is not the fundamental unit of our lives, then what will rule us? If constitutional fundamentalism isn't the cornerstone of this nation's civic life, then what hope is there for this country? Yet her disdain shows that she despises this country and its fundamental values.
Last, I have not seen one story from the religion pages of that rag mag, that has any theological framework or gives any support to any religious ideas that are more than one hundred years old.
That rag has ejected 1900 years of theological history, to pursue a politico religious amalgram of socialism and democrap politics. The company that publishes this crap isn't worth a dollar.
God helps those who help
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 4:54pm.
God helps those who help themselves.
2 Thessalonians 3:10
Submitted by almostacowboy on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 5:54pm.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. (KJV)
Nowhere that I've read in the Bible does it say, if my neighbor is idle, lazy, and/or dishonest must I feed him.
Stat Crux dum Volvitur Orbis.
Submitted by Thoreau on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 5:54pm.
Stat Crux dum Volvitur Orbis. Crazy is crazy. Even to God.
And here I thought it had to do with an exploding national debt
Submitted by krendler on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 6:42pm.
Debt is clearly not any kind of serious problem and is just a smoke screen for a racist agenda. Got it. Expect much, much more as we head into the elections in 12. At least as much as we were subjected to in 08, when even Bill Clinton of all people was thrown under the bus as a racist for daring to oppose Obama (along with Hillary and Geraldine Ferrarro).
These people are borderline mentally ill, and one has to wonder what no-so-pleasant inner attitudes they hold that compel them to overcompensate and shriek "racism" at everyone who doesn't agree with them.
The Giveaway Phrase
Submitted by justbob223 on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 7:13pm.
The giveaway phrase in her screed is "in my view." Well, lady, your view is wrong. Period. The whole of liberalism's view of government is not built upon Scripture or caring for one's neighbor, but violating Scripture by coveting one's neighbor's money and possessions and devising ways to steal them in the name of government, "fairness," and "compassion" in order to pursue your utopian idiocy.
"We the People" as symbolized by the goverment?
Submitted by Kansasgirl on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 8:27pm.
This is her problem. The government has absolutely nothing in common with "We the People".
Okay
Submitted by panzerakc on Mon, 04/11/2011 - 11:50pm.
Why should it matter if "the Conservative take on the federal budget is un-Christian . . . ."
I'd wager she's one of those folks always bleating about the separation of Church and state anyway.