Within the Constitution we have codified into our first amendment to the Constitution, the doctrine of separation of church and state. Our heritage has embodied the teachings of the Judeo-Christian traditions. Our very laws come from English Common Law and English Common law derived its code of ethical behavior from Christianity and from Judaic laws. Without law and rule sets our civil society would not be so civil. Lately our behavior as a people puts into question whether or not we are suffering from a fatal dose of moral bankruptcy.
“Upton Sinclair once said, ” Our liberties were not won without suffering, and may be lost again through our cowardice.” I believe we are witnessing the decline of American liberty due to a lack of moral courage. When someone like the new Pope reminds us of Jesus’s teachings we cloud our collective guilt and failure to live by the teachings of Christ by accusing the Pope of being a communist.
Our willingness to be selfish and our inordinate emphasis as a nation on Materialism and on the cross of money has threatened to increase the probability that our freedoms and liberty will be either be diminished or taken away.
Take the case of the children crossing the border into Texas. Congressman Mo Brooks, of Huntsville, Alabama, typifies the attitude of so-called conservatives these days when he stated that the unaccompanied immigrant alien children crossing the border should not get free food, and free shelter. I guess he missed the Sunday sermon on feeding the hungry and taking care of the poor. Somehow, I guess Jesus got it all wrong when he fed people without charging them money. Maybe the next time Alabama has a storm we should ask every victim to help themselves. Congressman Brooks said that the money requested does not solve the problem. Really! Maybe they would not feel the need to escape the terror of drug gangs back home if Americans were not the number one market for the drugs they sell. His use and the use of others of the word alien implies that somehow these children are not of this world, that they are people to be scared of.
Congressman Steven King of Iowa comes from the same school of hard knocks when he proclaimed that most of the children are of gang age and they will become gang members. Did he miss the part, where parents are seeking safety for their children from gang violence in their native lands?
These guys all missed the part where Christians want us to love our neighbor. I do not remember loving thy neighbor excluding children, minorities or women.
When you decide to become a public servant by running for office, these false profits of Christianity, forgot the public service part. If they do not believe in government stay out of it.
Women are treated like they have no rights. The days of subservience to men have gone and so much the better. You would think that these old white men would remember their mothers, wives, sisters or daughters and want them to be treated with the same love and respect that they wish to be treated like.
Christianity is supposed to be about love and God’s grace. Jesus was against war and it should be remembered that Christianity teaches us to be good custodians of the earth.
This Ayn Rand individualism and Social Darwinism that we hear from right wing zealots has nothing in common with the teachings of Jesus. The rants we hear have more to do with protecting ones financial interest and selfishness. The question should be how can anyone profess to be born again and approve the denial of basic human decency to those among us who are less well off? The world needs more love and less, me, me and more me. If we allow ourselves the illusion of liberty while we forsake courage, the courage to have moral decency, we will lose the liberty we have because we will not deserve it.
Politics From The Middle 
Once again you have gone right to the heart of the matter. As a life time Christian and retired immigrant advocate, I can tell you that the behavior of our Congress has nothing to do with Christian behavior, but with the almighty dollar. “Those” people have no real “rights” on American soil. Why do you think they are called ALIENS? However the Government gives the illusion that they do in order to keep the activists at bay. Regardless, the growing movement of “Christians” to demand their beliefs be honored and legally recognized, is not the “Christianity” of the Bible. Matthew chapters 3 – 5 really is core of Christian belief. The sermon on the Mount was Jesus last opportunity to make sure his fathers children understood what his father expected of them, us. Aside from the ten commandments, the old law was abandoned. Christ was very clear how we were to conduct our lives from then on. I don’t understand how my fellow Christians have gotten so far from his teachings. I think we study the Bible too much trying to mold it justify our prejudices. Certainly our conservative Christian politicians have. Their outrageous behavior just gives the people cart blanch to freely express the worst of themselves. I have experienced it in my own family, and am amazed how they wrap their prejudice in righteousness, while having the gall to call me a leftist commie.
It is time that the spiritual leaders of the country stand up for Jesus. Remind their congregations that WWJD would not be what they are doing. Christ made it abundantly clear in plain language how CHRISTIANS are to behave. I would challenge my brethren to focus their Bible study on those two chapters in Matthew, as they are the spoken word of Christ and not what a human thought he was saying. Maybe Christ will be heard again, and they will see the error of their ways…..One can pray anyway.
Thank you for your kind comments. I am a Christian and I am appalled by the lack of compassion for our fellow man or children in this case.I love that portion of Matthew as well. You might be retired but do not be retiring if you know what I mean. We need to stand tall and speak the truth.
I cannot sit quietly by. Once called, it’s a lifetime commitment. Thanks for your eloquent prose.
Since you live in Texas you can help me out by answering a question regarding Ted Cruz and his Dad. If you could please tell me about his sect of religion, I think they call it dominionism. I am glad you are standing tall. How is Wendy Davis doing? Does she have a chance?
Dominionism (my Texas twang can’t even go there!) is the movement that believes that Christians should govern the state or nation, or a conservative Christian. (I guess if you’re a democrat you must be an atheist, however some of the most Christian people I know are democrats. Haven’t met a “conservative” yet that really held to Christian principals).
Ted Cruz snuck up on a lot of us regret that. Here is an article you may want to read
http://texastheocracywatch.com/10-church-state-separation/73-ted-cruz-christian-dominionism
We are very hopeful for Ms. Davis, between Cruz, Perry and her opponent Mr. Abbot’s, shenanigans her chances get better. She’s still behind though I do not understand why any one would support Greg Abbott, as attorney general he recently ruled that companies storing chemicals did not have to disclose to the public the chemicals on their property. His explanation was that any Texan could go up to the door and ask for themselves. I believe the Dallas Morning News put that to the test and not one company would disclose. So basically, we can have a company in or near a residential area storing hazardous chemicals and we wouldn’t know about it, Texas democrats are working to get those of us who have given up on our government to come back to the poles. People just don’t realize that no matter how discouraged you become with government, it is still the people who elect. We don’t have to continue to let these destructive politicians stay in office. Here’s to a Blue Texas. It could happen, just look what happened to Eric Cantor.
Thank you for the information on dominionism.