As many of you might know, I live in Texas, a state which is part of what’s known as the “Bible Belt.” Needless to say, religion is a very big deal in most areas of the “Bible Belt.” But growing up as a progressive in a very conservative part of the country has been amazing. It’s easy to be a progressive when you’re from a much more liberal part of the country, but I became one as a direct result of what I saw growing up around hypocritical and irrational conservatives.
Especially when it comes to Christianity.
See, I’m a Christian but I don’t subscribe to any organized religion. In fact, I believe organized religion is one of the worst things that’s ever happened to the human race. It’s human-made laws and rules exploiting faith as a means to control large groups of people.
But it always blows my mind to see Republicans go on and on about how they’re the “party for Christian values” considering the policies they support are those of some deranged, greedy sociopath.
Not only that, but many of these states in the so-called “Bible Belt” have supported atrocious events in our history. Many of these are the states that:
- Started a war for the right to own other human beings as property.
- Opposed giving women the right to vote.
- Supported segregation.
- Opposed legal interracial marriage.
- Opposed the Civil Rights Act.
Can someone explain to me how being on that side of history is “Christ-like”? Furthermore, they often used religion to justify their ignorance and intolerance – just like you’re seeing today with gay marriage and their general disdain toward homosexuals.
If you get right down to the reality of the values for which Jesus Christ represents, they are love, acceptance, generosity and kindness toward the poor and needy. But when you get to the core of what the Republican party represents, it’s fear, judgement, greediness and a general disdain toward the poor and needy.
So how does one call themselves a Christian, while supporting policies that are almost the exact opposite of the values for which Jesus Christ represents?
Well, by being a sociopath. Not that every conservative is a sociopath, but they are following a political ideology that’s predicated upon sociopathic tendencies.
The GOP has managed to convince tens of millions of Americans that they’re following the teachings of Jesus Christ – by supporting politicians and policies that aren’t Christ-like at all. Millions of people who honestly believe that Jesus would be a gun-loving, anti-immigration conservative who would believe that a society is best served by giving the rich more money while cutting programs that feed millions of children living in poverty. That he would feel that health care should only be for those who can afford it.
And it’s an absolute joke for anyone who calls themselves a Christian to follow the GOP’s economic ideologies. They’re entirely predicated on feeding greed while condemning the poor. To them, a company like Walmart is to be looked upon with great admiration…while the full-time Walmart employee who relies on welfare to feed their children because Walmart pays such a lousy wage is to be vilified and condemned.
Heck, just look at how conservatives act about illegal immigration. Republicans talk about other human beings like they’re a disease they want eradicated. There’s no remorse or compassion about what we should do to deal with some of these people. It’s just vile, blinding hatred.
The Republican party has successfully managed to manipulate and con so many Americans into believing their nonsense that they’ve created what I refer to as “the rise of the Christian sociopath.” Millions of supposed “Christians” who’ve conned themselves into believing that they become closer to Jesus Christ – through greed, guns, hate, paranoia and a lack of remorse toward those they oppose.
In other words, many conservatives have somehow convinced themselves that they become more “Christ-like” – by acting nothing like him.
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