Left-wing radio host and MSNBC weekend denizen Ed Schultz made it abundantly clear yesterday that he is fed up with "phony Christians" in the Republican Party who "hide behind their plastic Jesus."
Schultz also touted himself as a Christian before questioning the born-again faith of GOP Senator Ted Cruz, thereby demonstrating that religious hypocrisy is not the exclusive province of those he was criticizing. (Audio clips after the jump)
Later in his radio show, Schultz said he would not engage in "sacrilegious" skepticism of whether others are "wrong in their faith."
Here's what Schultz initially had to say (audio) --
I don't know about you and no one's ever really done this on TV from what I've ever seen or maybe I just haven't been watching enough, but I've just had it with these holier-than-thou Christians. You know, I'm a Christian, uh, and I think the Lord knows who I am and I certainly know who He is and I fear Him and we all, faith is a very personal thing. But I am just sick and tired of it entering the political arena and these holier-than-thou Christians out there, and I'm talking about Sen. Ted Cruz who claims he's born again, make it their mission to take away things from the American people which we as a collective, majority, representative government have already voted on.
Schultz then slammed Cruz and other Republicans for attempting to repeal Obamacare and questioned whether Cruz is a Christian (audio) --
So I decided last night (on MSNBC's "The Ed Show"), you know, I'm going to call these people out. They're not Christians, they're phonies. They're phony Christians is what they are. And I would hope that you would support me in this commentary. I've had quite a bit of support as of late on this particular commentary in the last 24 hours because it's about time we call these people out! Here's what these Southern Christians are all about, these evangelicals, this is what they're all about. As long as you line up with them politically, you're going to heaven. As long as you line up with them politically, they'll just hug the hell out of you. But the moment you oppose them politically on anything, you're a sinner, you're godless, and they will turn on you like a Texas rattlesnake. That's who these people are! They're phonies. They hide behind their plastic Jesus but they don't respect the people. Would Jesus want to take away health care from the sick? ...
And so to hell with these people. They're phonies and you will never convince me that Ted Cruz, who is on a jihad against Obamacare, is a Christian! I don't believe it! I don't believe that in his heart he loves the Lord. I don't believe it in his heart that he cares about his next-door neighbor. All you have to do is listen to him.
Don't you love it? Schultz claims religious conservatives vilify Democrats and liberals as godless sinners -- all without citing a single example of any Republican doing this -- just before he condemns them to eternal damnation -- "to hell with these people."
As for Cruz, how can Schultz possibly know what's in the man's heart or whether his faith is real? Later in the same show, Schultz eased up on his criticism, perhaps after sensing he had crossed the line for a man claiming Jesus Christ as his Savior (audio) --
They allow their faith to run their politics, yet when their politics runs (sic) amok with their faith they never get challenged on it. I would like to see these born agains, and I don't in a sacrilegious manner mean to speak of them as, as they may be wrong in their faith, I mean, I'm a Christian, but their policies don't match up with the Christian teachings is the point that we have to cut to. And their holier-than-thou attitude about their faith is just overboard to me.
Another Christian teaching worth remembering -- "Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2)
I'll give Schultz the benefit of a doubt that this Christian tenet slipped his mind before the Lord he knows so well reminded him of it.