Nance Greggs: An Open Letter to Rick Santorum (and His Fellow Convenient Christians)

[DemocratsForProgress]

Re your recent remarks on CNN’s State of the Nation:

“I also discussed how our First Amendment rights are being impacted by ObamaCare. The idea that the First Amendment stops when you walk out of a church, that it doesn’t have anything to do with how you live the rest of your life, I don’t know very many people of faith that believe their religion ends with just worship. It ends in how you practice and live that faith. And now what President Obama is saying, ‘No, once you step outside of that church door, I get to impose my values on you. Your religious values don’t matter anymore. It’s my values that I can impose on you.’ I don’t think that’s what the First Amendment stands for…”

Apparently you have absolutely no understanding of how the First Amendment works. It guarantees your right to practice the faith of your choosing; it does not allow you to impose your faith on others. The ACA offers access to affordable healthcare; it imposes no values, nor does it require anyone to do anything contrary to their religious beliefs. It’s simple, Ricky: if using birth control is against your faith, you are free not to use it. If abortion is contrary to your religious beliefs, you are free not to have one.

But there is something more to your statement, other than your usual habit of opening your mouth and making an idiot of yourself, and it is this:

Sadly, our political system has been inundated with people like yourself, who practice the Christianity of Convenience. They tout their devotion to the teachings of Christ while on the campaign trail, but discard those same teachings the minute they are in office. They brag endlessly about their religious principles, but once in a position to put those principles into action, they toss them aside as a hindrance to the furtherance of their own political careers...

More at: http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2013/12/07/an-open-letter-to-rick-santorum-and-his-fellow-convenient-christians/#more-13472

[Thinkingabout]

1. I am not sure Santorum practices the teachings of his religion. He is not out talking about feeding

The poor and assisting in getting shelter for the less fortunate. He speaks with hate. We should all have the right of the first amendment and this is on all issues, not just the ones he may be interested.

[NBachers]

2. "Jesus probably thinks you’re a self-serving fuckin’ douchebag "

[Suich]

3. That man ain't right in the head!

Thanks, Nance!

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Cafeteria Conservative Christians

They just pick the part that suits them at the moment.

[longship]

5. This atheist endorses Greggs' take on Christianity.

If Jesus existed -- probably doubtful -- his teachings align more with Nancy's pretty wonderful rant, than that of the theocracy bent Republicans.

Shades of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

The Bible as a ventriloquist dummy! It says whatever you want it to say, or whatever is politically convenient. That's the GOP's tactic.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. ^^^^

Indeed!

[leftieNanner]

11. The Bible can be twisted any which-way you like

and has been used by Santorum types ad nauseum. I love it when it's thrown back in their faces. Look at the Leviticus scene from the West Wing and laugh. "your monthly meeting of the ignorant tight-ass club". I'd post the link, but I'm a computer doofus. Google West Wing Leviticus Scene.

And longship, I believe there is a record of Jesus as a Rabbi - his divinity is the issue.

[immoderate]

14. Actually there's no contemporary record of a rabbi either.

Or there were probably dozens of rabbis named Jesus. Some might have claimed to be a messiah.

You're right about the bible though.

--imm

[Alcibiades]

17. The on,ly thing certain is that there were xero rabbis named Jesus

The man's name was Yeshua, Jesus is a corruption of the Greek form of the Hebrew name. He probably did exist, and there are records of his family, but as for the rest, they cannot even get his name right, so there's no reason to expect that they got any of it right. Most folks have problems getting things right from last week, much less in describing things that happened 100 years ago.

[immoderate]

18. Records of his family, but not him? What does that imply?

Yeah, when I went to Hebrew school, they called me something else, but it was still me. And there are records.

But the Egyptians, Romans, etc., have no records of this Yeshua (which makes me want to say "gezundheit.&quot


--imm

[Alcibiades]

23. I was being snarky

It's an old, and somewhat uncomfortable, point for many Christians that Jesus could not have been called Jesus simply because there is no "J" in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic, and so his actual name would have been Yeshua or something of the sort.

As for the historical record, you're right to note that there's almost nothing: I was referring to the reference by Josephus to the death of Jesus' brother James.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sources_for_the_historicity_of_Jesus

For me, the most convincing evidence is provided by the followers who became Christians. They were following some teacher who they thought was the messiah, and then the Romans crucified him. Why would such a thing happen? Was this not god's son? And so the whole myth of the necessity of the crucifixion for the salvation of humanity. The whole edifice, including the bizarre insistence that someone who was from Galilee was born in Bethlehem, all reminds me so much of the stories told by various apocalyptic cults on a post hoc basis after doomsday does not come. I am not the first person to say this, but it is the lies that point to a truth: there was a Jewish teacher who professed a radical version of his faith, he was crucified, and his followers invented a new religion. I'd like to think that there is something to the Sermon on the Mount, but much smarter folks than I, who set out to prove the actual existence of Jesus, all pretty much come to the conclusion that nearly the whole of Christianity was simply made up by the followers of Jesus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus

[markpkessinger]

24. There were also zero rabbis named 'Yeshua' . . .

. . . although there may have been some with a Hebrew name that sounded much like 'Yeshua' sounds in English. Whether we are talking about the name 'Jesus' or 'Yeshua', both are transliterations from Hebrew into another language, hence both are "corruptions" of the original.

[DesertFlower]

6. K&R. nt

[indepat]

8. Thanks, Nance, for shooting a rhetorical rocket up Rick's (ole frothy fecal mix) ass. His vile

asininity is exceeded only by his hypocritical pseudo-Christian reichousness and religiosity.

[ZRT2209]

9. CHINO: Christians in Name Only

[sheshe2]

10. Nance,

You eviscerated Rick with such ease and precision, I appplaud you. I don't believe you even broke into a sweat.

Indeed,

Thank you Nance.

Thanks DFP~

[niyad]

12. k and r + a gazillion. think I will keep a copy of this rant handy for the next time I encounter on

of the typical fundies around here.

[freshwest]

13. One of the very best by NanceGreggs. Thanks for posting, needs to go viral.

[Cha]

15. Nance, I think you've covered all the bases of who

the true Christians Aren't.. I recognized everyone of them.

Good calling out.. and letting Mr Ricky know that his actions are a direct hit against Christ.. according to His own words.

"He’s in the perfect position to call ‘em as he sees ‘em."! Well played.

[Sander]

16. Thank You Nance!

I just posted an excerpt on FB (with attribution). Thank you for your wonderful essays. This one deserves wider distribution.

I'd love to see you interviewed about this on Rachel Maddow's show.

I am a big fan!

[Scurrilous]

19. K & R

[samplegirl]

20. As usual.........Great Rant

Give em Hell Nance!!!!! Love your rants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blus4u]

21. I hope somebody slips Nance's piece under

Mr. Sanctimonious Santorum's door.

Christianity and I parted ways when I became mature enough to recognize blatant hypocrisy when I saw it.

These assholes also exhibit the same hypocritical behavior when it comes to our veterans.
They wave the flag alot, beat their breasts, declare their undying patriotism and then cut the funding their families need for support when they are deployed and turn their backs on them when they come home disabled or unable to find work or in need of mental health support.

Yay you evangelicals !!!

Peace

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, DemocratsForProgress.