In my family, only my mother and me are Christians. She is a Democrat (or has always voted Democrat) and as most people know, I have become more and more conservative. There are some views that the Democratic party has that makes me think that the answer to this question is no; however, there is one thing that I can think of that Republicans are normally against that really goes against Christian principles. I am going to go ahead and say yes, but I want to hear what the heavyweights in this forum have to say.
If they tow the line with ideology of the far-left wing of the Democrats, I'd say a big HELL NO. The far-left is so far out of whack with even the mildest form of Christianity to be in complete opposition to everyone of its aims. I know some libs would take umbrage at that, those evil Repubs don't care a whit about the poor, but is the forced allocation by police power of govt. (a fancy form of theft) of my treasure earned by my hard work in the form of forced charity for people who have not expended any hard work Christian? I think not.
oh, my gosh...absolutely!!!!! some of my closest friends at church...who have amazing relationships with the Lord...vote Democrat...some do regularly...some do sometimes. I voted for Bill Clinton in 92 largely because of my faith and the paradigm I was thinking in at the time. there's nothing sacred about either political party. it's somewhat legalistic to say, "if you vote this way, you're a Christian...if not, you're not." imagine any social barrier you can possibly imagine, and Jesus makes it worthless. homosexual, black, white, red, brown, heterosexual, metrosexual )), poor, rich, punk, prep...whatever you can think of. grace is for everyone willing to accept it.
If your mom is (1) Christian and (2) a Democrat, doesn't that already answer your question? Unless your mom is not possible, of course. I'd be more curious to hear the other side of the argument. Why couldn't a Democrat be a Christian?
I wasn't aware that my existence could be called into question, unless we were getting into metaphysical type stuff. . .
I'm about as far left as you can go, and I proudly espouse Christian ideals. Love and compassion know no political ideology.
You're right, Deckard. I also had a brain fart in doing this thread (and I guess the other one in the hangout). It happens sometimes.
No one completely agrees with everything there party represents. They choose the party that most closely aligns with the direction they think the country should go. If you had to agree with everything they stood for no one would ever vote. The "big" issues - Gay rights/Abortion - probably are not going to change any way. Can a Democrat be Jewish --- Lieberman?
This is not a question that should be up for a vote or poll. It's an individual choice. Just because some profess their faith loudly or tie it to a political position, it does not diminish the faith of those who live quietly.
Actually, that is an interesting question. It was even a big deal that Kennedy was a Catholic. Lieberman ran for VP and he's Jewish. IMO, a president could not be elected today if he were anything other than a Christian. I just think the scrutiny would be too great. Hey, Manny, just to comment on your original question, there are extremely liberal Christian denominations. Quakers, Unitarians and others mostly fall on the far left of the socio-economic and political spectrum and they are Christians.
From www.therightchristians.org. A worthy blog... _____________ My Christmas Apology This isn't the product of contrition wrought by my failure to buy you something for Christmas, dear reader, nor is it prompted by regret over my sometimes uncharitable attitude toward those in the Christian Right or the Bush administration. My Christmas Eve offering is an "apology" in the sense of an apologia, a written defense of my beliefs. For more than seven months, I have used the little forum of The Right Christians to critique the sort of Christianity practiced by the Mohlers, the Falwells, the Robertsons and the Lands. By now, any but the most occasional reader would know that I reject biblical inerrancy, exclusivism and patriarchalism. While it should be fairly clear what I don't believe in, the question may remain as to the content of my faith and why I still choose to profess myself a Christian. Those who are not Christians may perceive Christianity to consist primarily of a set of moral rules or ethical requirements. The behavior of Roy Moore and his supporters would certainly create that impression. Others who have encountered the typical "witnessing" fundamentalist may think that the Christian faith is nothkng more than assenting to a number of propositions, many of which appear dubious, even ridiculous to the unbeliever. My Christian faith has nothing to do with either of these things. At the core of the tradition as I have received it is neither morality nor ideology but gift. We live in a quid pro quo world. It is widely accepted that some quasi-divine force governs the universe of bargain-and-exchange interactions to maximize happiness and the fulfillment of human potential. Understandably, many people extrapolate from the world's patterns of quid pro quo to develop a theology in which God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked as effectively as free markets are supposed to promote the productive and dismiss the inefficient. But the Christianity for which I offer an apologia presents a God who has no desire to engage in arms-length negotations with human beings. Instead, this God initiates a relationship with humanity through the giving of gifts. These are not gifts bestowed with the hope of receiving something in return -- a practice typical among us this time of year. God's gifts are given in spite of the expectation that the recipient will be unable to return in kind. These gifts carry a promise to recreate those who receive them and transform them from grab-what-they-can, quid pro quo people into human beings who share their God's desire to give for the sake of giving. This metamorphosis is not instantaneously complete nor even always apparent to the observer but comes in fits and starts and awaits fulfillment in the future. God's gifts also change the way that the Christian perceives the world. Anyone can discern a loving, merciful God while experiencing affluence, good health and the care of a loving family, but Christianity's portrait of a God who suffers in order to give makes it possible for the Christian to understand even poverty, sickness, loneliness and persecution as gift from a loving God. Suffering is no longer evidence of estrangement from the divine but a sharing with God in her/his own sufferings. Weakness is not curse but the means which God uses to make strength complete. If this gift-based Christianity bears little resemblance to your image of the faith, then you may understand a little more about why it is important for the "right Christians" to speak out in the public square. What some espouse as they bash gays, demand government-sponsored proselytizing and condemn those who follow other religions is not Christianity but some caricature of it. It's little wonder that so many harbor such ill feelings toward Christians and Christianity if their exposure to the faith is limited to that caricature. My Christmas hope is that more and larger forums will be developed to present a truer picture of Christianity -- a picture focused on gift.
A good argument can be made that the selfish followers of Ann Rand and the "Virtue of Selfishness" in its many forms including the variant espoused by many religious conservatives is an anti-Christian worship of personal wealth that ignores the needs of others. This seems quite apparent to those Christians not also raised as political conservatives.
Yea, I knew that about the Unitarians because weren't they the first Protestant denomination to accept homosexuals? Anyway, I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I started this thread. I think I was getting my issues mixed up with the parties - meaning, if you favor abortion, then you can't be a Christian (at least according to some people), etc. Can I get deleting my own thread privileges, too? Please?
You saved yourself, Manny, and I am glad for that. Otherwise I would have been seriously disturbed. Incidentally, you might be interested in Gustavo Gutiérrez. He is a Peruvian priest and originator of "Liberation Theology" which is pretty leftist (although he is not American, so it is a little different...he would be considered fairly radical here). Particularly convenient is Gustavo Gutiérrez: Essential Writings, edited by Nickoloff - it is a pretty easy introduction. I am thinking people such as Max and grizzled might find it interesting.
