God and Health Care Reform.

Conservatives are great about bringing God into the political race. They invoke His name at every meeting and they use the Bible and God as justification for much of their political beliefs. So, is health care another topic that Conservatives are looking towards their Bibles for an answer? One would think that since Conservatives and Republicans are mastered in showing how God believes what they believe this is another topic to which they’ve found answers in the Bible. Right?

In Matthew 25:34-45, we have the famous passage where Jesus talks about “to the least of these.” The story says that in the end God will separate the Sheep, His followers and believers, from the Goats, the unbelievers. How will God determine who is a Sheep and a Goat? People are separated into groups based on how they treated Him. In the story the King says the Sheep gave Him food, water, clothes, and cared for Him while he was sick. The Sheep though never knew they were caring for the King and asked “When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King answers, “whatever you did for the least of these you did for me.” The King then turns to the Goats and said they never fed him, gave him something to drink, cared for him while sick or visited him while in prison.

As illustrated in this story, Jesus himself said the righteous will care for the sick and the least of these. In this country, at this time, the least of these are the poor without health insurance. Millions of Americans make too little to pay the outrageous premiums of private, for-profit insurance companies and while being poor, still do not qualify for the government funded Medicaid option. So where are Conservatives in this debate?

The Conservatives are the ones shouting at town hall meetings, spewing lies about death panels and other tall tales related to health care reform. (And I guess when they let their ignorance take the better and shout these lies the 9th Commandment, the one about not lying and bearing false witness, is no longer a part of their beliefs- if even for that quick moment?) Not only are the Conservatives completely opposing any type of health care reform, they are offering no suggestions. So they are still not taking care of the sick, like the Goats in the story.

The Conservative Christians are now the ones deciding who should get health care and who should not. They shout about Obama’s death panels, now it’s really the death panels of Conservatives. Can’t afford health insurance and health care? Sorry. Maybe you can try the debt thing that could result in bankruptcy and your children paying the bills. (Wait… Haven’t the Republicans continued to argue about not wanting to leave future generations in debt?)

If Conservatives really want to follow Jesus’ example they have two choices. The first is that they literally take care of “the least of these.” That means Christian doctors should offer free or reduced-cost services to the poor. The second is that churches should be willing to pay for or help contribute to the cost of people’s medical bills, whether the sick are Christians or not.
Or Conservatives can take the lazy way out, and still claim they’re helping “the least of these” and support a public option, even if means a few dollars more out of your paycheck.

“Let us resolve that the state of a family’s health shall never depend on the size of the family’s wealth.” –Senator Ted Kennedy.

Still condemning same-sex marriages?

I wrote a note this weekend about same-sex marriage and the fight for LGBTQ people to have equal rights. After reading more articles and hearing more arguments against same-sex marriage, I thought I’d offer another view and opinion.

Many of the people that oppose same-sex marriage use their religion as an argument, often saying that homosexuality is a sin and that’s why we should fight it and ban same-sex marriage.

I’ll entertain the idea that homosexuality is a sin for this note. (I don’t believe people have a choice in their sexual orientation. Ask someone you know that’s gay if they chose to be gay. I’m sure they’ll all say “no.” Why would someone chose a lifestyle that alienates them, can often cause them to lose friends and family, and be denied rights in this country?) But I’ll go along, for the purpose of this note, and say that yes, it’s a choice and it’s a sin.

So we’re now denying people civil rights because of a sin in their life. Since you say being gay is a sin, I’m guessing you’re using a religious text, such as the Bible and can probably point out Romans 1. What I want you to do is skip over to Romans 3:23 where it says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” Hmm. Need to reread that passage? What was the second word? ALL? Who sins? ALL. Interesting.

According to the Bible, and in the same book as the main passage that people use against homosexuality, everyone sins.

So my question is this: Why aren’t we taking away everyone’s civil rights? And do certain groups get to pick which rights are taken away from other groups?
Well, I believe drinking alcohol is wrong. So I want to take away the rights of Presbyterians to consume alcohol since a lot of them drink alcohol.

I’m playing about the alcohol part. I don’t think consuming alcohol is wrong and I have no problems with Presbyterians. I picked Presbyterians because one of my good friends, who will likely read this, is Presbyterian.

But do you get my point? If we can discriminate against a group because we perceive their lifestyle or a part of their life as sinful, then aren’t we being hypocritical, because we’re all sinners, according to the same Bible with which same-sex marriage opponents condemn LGBTQ persons and their relationships.

What are your thoughts?