Okay, I'll admit, I am a lapsed Catholic at best, but that doesn't mean I have lost that sense of "we're all in this together" mentality that came with those Christian values which were imparted on me in my youth. I have lost some of it. I have become more selfish with my giving. I tend to limit what I do give, emotionally and especially financially, to those whom I love, care about, or at least could conceivably benefit from if I were to aid them. It is rare that I give without any of these concerns. My annual donations are typically limited to the DAV, breast cancer research, and at least $20 to the Salvation Army each year around Christmas (or if I don't encounter them, a Toys for Tots campaign will do just nicely). If I were wealthier I would certainly do more as I only need so much to live on even after an increase in lifestyle is considered in this equation. I'll admit I feel bad that I'm on the poorer end of the spectrum when considering these things.
The point I'm making is that what feels like everything I remember from my Sunday School classes and those times I did attend Mass even semi-regularly in my youth, the lessons offered were that of charity, duty, and obligation to others. This idea that it's not just about me. The story of the widow's mite comes to mind. I suppose that's what tithing was all about. We each alone cannot attend to all the duties asked of us to and for our fellow men, but others are dedicated to these tasks and we can help them considerably through donation. If we cannot do the work ourselves, then let the money which represents value from work done, serve in our stead.
Yet, the Republican creed centers on individualism and inherent in individualism is selfishness. The Social Darwinistic idea that the poor are so not by circumstance (or even by design) but by their own actions; that the sick should not rely on handouts, especially government handouts, to aid in their convalescence but instead should pay for it themselves and if they can't, well...that's not our problem now is it?; that we are entitled to that which we earn and are equally entitled to not have to contribute unwillingly via taxation to public functions though the military tends to get a huge pass on this one.
The Republicans put forth this notion that we are in it for ourselves...kind of the opposite of e pluribus unum (more like ex uno unum?) and wear it like a badge of honor; as a symbol of a proud American. Now I understand the history of this nation is full of proud rugged individuals but I don't recall them ever acting alone or believing that they alone were responsible for their successes. They seemed to understand that their successes were built on the work of others. However, how does this ideology jibe with the Christianity they so brazenly wear on their sleeves?
These are the same people who will shout out loudly when the idols of their faith are threatened. Some Presidential Dollars failed to get their edge inscriptions? Must be a plot to remove God from our money. We need "In God We Trust" on our currency to distinguish ourselves from the Godless Communists! We need an affirmation of our faith in the Lord on our coins lest history judge us a heathen nation. We need the Ten Commandments openly displayed as they are the source of our laws and the moral foundation upon which we have built our society!
It gets ridiculous because when faced with actual things Jesus would have done like helping the poor, comforting the sick, and working together for the betterment of all, they rise up practically in arms to shout down foodstamps, welfare, universal health care, housing assistance, job retraining programs, unemployment insurance, WIC, addiction recovery programs, battered women's shelters, etc. etc. etc. No, let's fuck over the poor, our greatest obligation as Christians, because we believe that the government needs to get out of our lives all the while not setting up alternative, non-governmental programs to assist these people.
They want smaller government; a government which does not interfere with their lives...except for when it comes to abortion and preventing the spread of contraception/sex education. Then we need government assistance!
That's actually one thing I've never understood about faith. Why do people feel the need to forcibly save others? Is that actually a mandate explicitly stated in the Bible? I say this also in light of their desire to be rugged individuals. I have thought that while we are obligated to help one and other, our responsibility and faithfulness to the Lord is our own burden. It may take a village to care for one and other on Earth, but our path to the rewards of Heaven was meant to be a lonely one, or at least one between the individual and God. Perhaps I have been wrong? Then again, I have been guilty of apostasy since the early 1990s so what do I know? :-)
But they say they want the government out of their lives but are perfectly content to use it to impose upon others their twisted views of their faith in an effort to spare others temptation. How can one say they are able to remain faithful and resist temptation if they do not allow temptation to exist and move freely among them?
If pornography is wrong (for the sake of argument), how does eliminating it make one less of a sinner? If you are not supposed to view pornography as a part of your religious beliefs, how can you know if you are truly worthy if you have never had to resist its temptation? Only by having it around you can you know if you are truly worthy of your faith and more importantly, know if you are capable of resisting its temptations. Same for any other aberrant behaviors/lifestyles.
Crusade: The MOST Holy...
This brings me around to businesses, the other big position of the Republican party. They are very cozy with big business and despite being a religious party, they expect no moral and/or ethical behavior from the businesses they support. The more businesses parasitically fuck over the communities which helped them grow strong and wealthy, the more adored they are. Businesses, despite being legal persons in the eyes of the law, are not expected to behave like their living counterparts. In fact that kind of behavior is frowned upon the cutthroat game of capitalism.
It's not that businesses have to behave this way: it is certainly not a congenital property. We've allowed them to become this way and I have a very hard time supporting a party which espouses Christian values while supporting the very opposite kinds of behavior in the businesses they allow to generously fund their campaigns.
Why is it wrong to expect a business to support the community which helped it grow? Why is it wrong to suggest that businesses have an obligation to enable the people they employ to enjoy fruitful and productive lives? Why is it wrong to suggest that businesses (and people and communities too) need to be stewards of their environments; that it is not all about now and us, but about the future and those yet to come as well? Why would any party of God be so eager to support the kinds of unethical and decidedly un-Christian behaviors which made the heads of our wealthiest corporations (and even the not-so-wealthy ones)?
I'm not saying the Democrats are any better, but what I am saying is that the hypocrisy of the Republican party glares as brightly as the sun. I cannot vote for them so long as their platforms are so incongruent. And of course, their obvious abiding hatred for women...
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