Posted on 10/06/2006 4:04:08 PM PDT by raybbr
During my 26 years in Congress, I made a practice of attending services at a different black church each Sunday I was back in my Congressional District in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Unlike many politicians, I stayed for the entire service including the sermon.
Some of the preachers were quite inspiring; others were very ordinary.
As a practicing member of the Jewish faith, I don’t pretend to be an authority on the New Testament. My late wife, Kathy, a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Latta, S.C., accompanied me to most of these services during our eights years of marriage and we would often discuss the minister’s message after the service. She knew her New Testament.
Kathy would often point out to me that a careful reading of the New Testament made it clear to her that Jesus would have been a Democrat had he been alive today. After all, he preached about helping the poor and the peaceful resolution of disputes. In her view, Jesus had little in common with the current day religious right with its preoccupation with abortion, gay rights and stem cell research.
And now along comes a wonderful new book by former Congressman Bob Edgar, which makes much the same point in great detail with ample citations to scripture. His book, “Middle Church – Reclaiming the Moral Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right,” is a must read for all people of faith.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Bob Edgar held Curt Weldon's seat in the 70's-- a heavily Republican district he took in the aftermath of Watergate('74) and held by continually being extolled by the Inquirer for his constituent services. He is most famous for having written an op-ed piece in the Inquirer calling the Khmer Rouge "agrarian reformers" and saying we should give them a chance. A Methodist minister, he divorced after hitting the D.C. big time, may have married an aide or something. Gave up his House seat sometime in the '80s, and moved up in ecumenical church politics especially World Council of Chuches from which post he was a bigtime player in returning Elian to Cuba. It amazes me that these liberal churchmen somehow believe that Jesus would have seen government tax policy, the coercion of money by power, as charitable.
I have not kept up with PJ for years - but one quote has stuck. "The three branches of actual government are Television, Money and Bullshit"
Moral Absolutes Ping.
1) Why did he go to BLACK churches only? Odd. If someone is serious about understanding the NT, s/he will read that the body is a "tent" and that we are each the eternal soul.
2) If his wife "knew" her NT, she would know (if she didn't have moral blinders on) that Jesus Christ promoted OT basic morality.
3) File this under the category of "Know Thine Enemy".
4) Pretty feeble and sickening that the liberals are trying to use religion to support their immoral and unnatural platform.
Freepmail me/wagglebee if you want on/off this pinglist.
Where's the BARF warning?!?!
I agree. Jesus wouldn't be in either party. I know he wouldn't approve of gay rights, abortion, etc., but I also think he would have something to say about the Pharisees in the Republican party. (ducking in anticipation of hits).
Bwhahahahaa!
"The American political system is like a gigantic Mexican Christmas fiesta. Each political party is a huge pinata -- a papier-mache donkey, for example. The donkey is filled with full employment, low interest rates, affordable housing, comprehensive medical benefits, a balanced budget and other goodies. The American voter is blindfolded and given a stick. The voter then swings the stick wildly in every direction, trying to hit a political candidate on the head and knock some sense into the silly bastard." - P.J. O'Rourke, "Parliament of Whores"
"He IS alive today."
Thank you. I had decided to read all the comments and be sure no one else had caught that before I said anything. I'd have been disappointed if I was the only one.
"BOTH parties would be yelling "Crucify Him!"
Some of the stuff written over the past few days has gotten really goofy. I thought your comment was clever, funny and profoundly meaningful. Thanks.
Yet *another* fake Jew, "moralizing" from the hole
where a human would have their soul.
LOL! This is too funny. Jesus a member of a party that supports, or rather insists on abortion at will! Yea right! I don't think He would be a member of any party, but I do know that some things the democrats support are anti Christian. Where did they really get the idea that republicans don't care about helping the poor anyway? From their lying leaders.
Note to self. Get up to date with O'Rourke.
:-) On occasion, he writes for the Atlantic Monthly. He did write another HRC book review when Living History came out. I believe the Weekly Standard published it.
Thanks for correcting that, the article say's "stem cell research".
It's completely in character for a democrat to misdefine the debate terminology. They say they are "pro choice" but only if the woman chooses to kill the baby.
I'm pretty sure that Christianity basically came with separation of church and state built into it. St. Augustine made this clear enough.
Martin Frost is a braindead DemocRAT that the voters tossed out on his ass.
But Satan is a Democrat
Democrat Party Platform
1. Abortion: A woman can kill her unborn baby at any time during the prenancy.
2. Civil Rights: Support racial preferences and gay marriage.
3. Corporations: Prosecute Republican corporations for any technical infraction; give Democrat controlled corporations broad discretion.
4. Crime: Prosecute Christians for praying.
5. Drugs: Pass if you don't inhale; free needles.
6. Education: Government schools, OK. Homeschools, Evil. Schools must be God-free--no bibles, no praying, no crosses, no "Jesus."
7. Environment: Seriously restrict blood sports (hunting & fishing); ban logging (carpenters, tough luck!).
8. Families & Children: Two men or two women can be a family; children are optional, up to their moment of birth (remember, partial-birth abortion is Ok).
9. Foreign Policy: Nothing is worth dying for.
10. Government Reform: Encourage voter fraud; increase all social and welfare programs (not in Constitution); decrease or eliminate all defense programs (in Constitution).
11. Gun Control: No guns (or weapons).
12. Healthcare: Cradle to grave coverage!
13. Homeland Security: Don't profile middle easterners (that would be racist); do search 90 year-old men with artificial limbs, strip nursing mothers, and feel-up any hot babe.
14. Immigration: Come on down!
15. Jobs: If you don't work, don't worry!
16. Principles & Values: We're thinking...
17. Social Security: Lie about a "lock box."
18. Tax Reform: Tax anyone with money.
19. Technology: Fetal embryo research!
20. War & Peace: Speak loudly and carry no stick; cut and run.
21. Welfare & Poverty: Steal from Peter to pay Paul.
Hmmm....I don't think Jesus would have been a Democrat.
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