Seminary Graduate James Talarico Once Gave an Interesting Invocation Before a Texas Legislative Session

Townhall ^ | 05/29/2026 | Amy Curtis

[SeekAndFind]

Now that the ballot for the Texas Senate race has been finalized, and Republican Ken Paxton will be facing off against Democrat James Talarico, we're learning even more about Talarico's troubling, radical past statements. Not only does Talarico think God is non-binary, that the Bible condones abortion, and that veganism is the way to save the planet, it turns out Talarico was praised for quoting a Communist-adjacent saying in an invocation before a 2021 legislative session.

Redditor on r/GayChristians recounts his favorite prayer from James Talarico.

pic.twitter.com/h2077NVYxG— Reddit Lies (@reddit_lies) May 28, 2026

The post popped up under the subreddit r/GayChristians and here's what it says (emphasis added):

Holy Mystery: you have so many names. The Torah calls you Creator; the Quran calls you Peace, the Gita calls you Destroyer, the Dharma calls you Truth, and the First Epistle of John calls you perhaps the most beautiful name of all: Love.

You are the strange love uniting all things. The love that drew elements together after that Big Bang, the love that drew life itself from those primordial oceans, the love that drew us all to this exact moment.

The love we were born of, the love we exist in, and the love we will one day return to.

In my faith, you expressed yourself through a barefoot rabbi who embodied your perfect love.  crucified carpenter who gave only two commandments: love God and love neighbor. Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor.

Help us love not just in word, but in action. Help us honor not just the name of Jesus but the way of Jesus.

Help us ... free the oppressed, feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the sick, release the prisoner, welcome the stranger, forgive the enemy and, above all, protect your creation.

The word of God is love. Let us not be hearers of your word, but doers of your word — in our families, in our communities, and in this chamber. Not just with prayers but with policies.Not just personal love, but political love. 

Because democracy is not just a constitution, democracy is a covenant.

Holy Mystery, open our minds, open our hearts, open our hands so that we may build a new world in the shell of the old. A world that is more just, more free, more whole, and more in love with you.

Weird how that's not considered 'Christian nationalism,' the Left's favorite boogeyman.

The phrase 'build a new world in the shell of the old' is a term with communist ties.

🚨 VIDEO: Texas state Rep. James Talarico opened a legislative session with a heretic prayer, invoked old Communist-adjacent phrase

h/t @reddit_lies who spotted it on Reddit; I tracked down the original video.

The prayer addresses God as "holy mystery" with "so many names" — Torah, Quran, Gita, Dharma — treating all religious traditions as equally valid expressions of the same God.

Jesus is described as "a barefoot rabbi" who "expressed" God's love... one expression among many implied.

The closing line: "build a new world in the shell of the old."

That phrase has a specific origin. It comes from the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Preamble, written in 1905. It's syndicalist labor movement language. Not explicitly Communist - but they wanted to abolish capitalism and the state all the same.

See it for yourself:

pic.twitter.com/eobF2LLQkU— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) May 28, 2026

"That phrase has a specific origin. It comes from the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Preamble, written in 1905. It's syndicalist labor movement language. Not explicitly Communist - but they wanted to abolish capitalism and the state all the same," writes DataRepublican.

He ends it:

“IN ALL YOUR MANY NAMES WE PRAY, Amen.”— Political Sock (@politicalsock) May 29, 2026

That'll go over well in Texas.

If you want a glimpse of how James Talarico’s politics shape his religion, there are big clues in this prayer.

Talarico repeats something he says often, that Jesus only gave us two commands: To love God and love our neighbor.

This is false. Which Talarico shortly makes… https://t.co/7IlhSe8txv— Political Sock (@politicalsock) May 29, 2026

Here's some of what this lengthy reply says:

You see, Talarico does believe that Jesus gave more than two commands. He just only talks about the commands that fit with leftist politics.

Consider some of Jesus’s other teachings. Here, from Mark 7:

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”

Mark 7:21-22 NIV

You will never hear Talarico talk about sexual immorality. (That would be unloving.) Or condemn lewdness like drag queen story hours for kids (unloving!).

And indeed, you will hear Talarico teach ENVY in every political speech.

Well said.

I really don't like when people use scripture to allow the legal migration into our country. When Christ is talking about love your neighbor, to feed the homeless, heel the sick, who is he talking to? He's talking to each and every one of us as individuals. That doesn't mean for… https://t.co/u62GCdelKC— Chance (AKA Grizzly Way) (@swe_way019880) May 29, 2026

As we learn more about Talarico, he'll continue to accuse Republicans of taking his remarks out of context, or telling the media he misspoke. But we all have heard what Talarico believes. He's told us, repeatedly.

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TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: godless; godlessreprobates; homosexualagenda; invocation; lgbt; lgbtq; prayer; reprobate; talarico; texas; trans; transgender

[SeekAndFind]

What does James Talarico call women?

“neighbors with a uterus”

What is happening with Talarico right now is nothing new in Texas. The “Turn Texas Blue” fantasy captures the imagination of Democrats nationwide. As we saw with Wendy Davis and Beto O’Rourke, a lot of money from outside of Texas pours into these campaigns. Like Davis and O’Rourke, Talarico is believing his own press too much and sucking up to the national audience.

Because the Democrats’ flying monkeys in the mainstream media are so heavily invested in dragging this lightweight across the finish line, he will continue to think it’s a good idea to spout idiotic things that appeal more to coastal elitist Dems than Texans.

[Texas Eagle]

I hope nobody other than himself said Amen.

I think God's response would've been, "Yah, no weh."

[Skywise]

Christian nationalism bad when it’s the US…

Christian nationalism is good when it’s China, Cuba…

[Salman]

I spell “Sodomy” with a capital-S because it is the name of a religion.

[circlecity]

“ the First Epistle of John calls you perhaps the most beautiful name of all: Love.”

This doesn’t mean what he thinks it does. When John says “God is Love” - It means we define love by what scripture tells us of God. We don’t define God by our human, emotionalist notions of love. This truth contradicts much of what Talarico preaches.

[LeonardFMason]

The Lord Jesus gave “only 2 commandments”.

Really?”

Anyone who says that is UNQUALIFIED and wantonly, sinfully, ignorant of God’s word.

He is an offshoot of the “JESUS gets US” movement that seeks to sway people into woke nonsense.

[virgil]

That weirdo is no Christian. Just a lot of goo in his head.

[Texan4Life]

BMked

[boycott]

He claims to have a girlfriend. Cory Booker has had imaginary girlfriends for years. We knew he was going to be running for president when he got himself a pretend wife.

[Az Joe]

“Only things that come from Texas are steers and queers and I don’t see any horns on you!”

[Gay State Conservative]

This Maoist would win in a landslide in Massachusetts,Kalifornia,DC and elsewhere. But in Texas? Even Beta O’Rourke is laughing out loud these days.

[Biblebelter]

The current gay alphabet is 2S-LGBTQIA+.

Going to have to add another letter, number, or character in the gay alphabet to include this pervert.

But as they used to say everything is bigger in Texas.

With this pervert it seems to include the gay alphabet.

[joshua c]

a collectivist playing as a Christian

abolishing Christianity is out of the question with the 1st amendment

so infiltrate and corrupt

[Verginius Rufus]

Jesus wore sandals (see Mark 1.7).

[dandiegirl]

Exactly what are the teaching at that “seminary” he went to?

[SaveFerris]

DEMOCRAT James Talarico is a GODLESS REPROBATE
who PERVERTS the Holy Bible for the LGBTQ+
Homosexual Agendas

[missnry]

The current gay alphabet is 2S-LGBTQIA+.

Don’t forget to always put the P in the lettering for PEDOPHILIA! Be sure to emphasize it when speaking about their lifestyles. 2S-LGBTQIAP+. Lump the pedophiles in with them so they are forced to defend pedophiles! Pedophiles recruit! They are after your children and/or grandchildren.Their sexual attraction is real and without a moral code you will have the likes of people like Talarico “normalizing” it through legislation.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

“””I hope nobody other than himself said Amen.
I think God’s response would’ve been, “Yah, no weh.””””

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Most excellent!!!!!

[devane617]

Don’t ever underestimate the media and Dems. Look what happened in Georgia where now two Dems are in the Senate. Texas ain’t Georgia, I realize that, but be careful and do not let your guard down.