I'm not complaining

Argue-by-Number (Not Funny)

I had a profound realization tonight and it got me thinking. However, it’s not a closed case. I want an answer. Please weigh in. via responses, comments, or even email. I am honestly curious.

To make it easier to argue, I’m numbering my more bold statements/assumptions. Feel free to use them as reference when debunking my thoughts.

Conservatives can’t be good Christians.

(1) While not all Christians are conservatives, it’s not a stretch to say that most conservatives are Christians.

This is what bothered me. After I thought about it, conservative thought and christian thought are not the same. Quite the opposite. Yet God continues to be cited as conservatives attack progressive moves in healthcare, immigration, taxes, and other fun political topics. 

I was at a unique church service tonight. Which is odd. I’m not a faithful church-goer. I only attend when I’m asked to play guitar or bass. I don’t pray. I don’t ask for God’s guidance in life decisions. However, I still believe in God. That aside, I was at a service tonight where we broke into groups to discuss things. The topic: “What is God’s will for humankind, and for you individually? Are they different?” John 6:40 says, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So we discussed and came to the agreement that (2) God’s will is that we all live in harmony with God. We share the word and treat each other in a way that pleases God, and we’ll get into heaven. This leads into the whole WWJD thing, service work, christian charities, giving to the poor, and missionaries taking food and medical supplies to 3rd world countries. We talked about starving people. Is it okay to steal food if you have no other options and have to feed your family? Is it more Christian-like to die a martyr without stealing in the name of living sin-free? (3) We agreed that an unspoken element here was the greed that forces people into these situations. Poverty and hunger exist even though we have the money and resources to get rid of them. If someone is choosing between stealing/eating or dying, a fellow christian should be there to help.

So we all felt good about these conclusions, and tossed around words like “altruism” and “Christian Community.” (4) It then hit me that the fundamentals of Christian teaching are a LOT like the democratic POV: (5) The rich should give to the poor. Not just money. Rich in knowledge, skills, or otherwise.

(6) So for a Christian/Conservative to travel to Uruguay to build houses and churches, but then tell desprate Mexicans to get out of our country seems contradictory.

(7) For a Christian/Conservative to give extra income to the offering plate, but say that a tax gradient isn’t a good idea, seems a little off.

(8) For a Christian/Conservative to donate any money or time to an unhealthy 3rd world country or adopt an unfortunate family during the holidays, but disagree with universal healthcare, seems fishy.

If anything, the United States is moving in a very Christian direction. In God We Trust. So we help our poor: We make sure even poor kids get an education (why not also make sure they can visit a doctor?). We fight for countries that aren’t strong enough to fight for themselves (ok, Pro-War is conservative). We also have welfare programs in place to help people who are having a rough go at things.

So all this said, (9) how can a conservative argue against immigration, healthcare, and taxes? (They can have abortion: conservatives and christians can agree on that.)

What would Jesus do? (10) He wouldn’t deny healthcare to the poor. He wouldn’t say, “You have to earn it, even if you fell on hard times.” He loves everyone unconditionally. Those conditions including poor or privileged, sick or fit. Shouldn’t conservatives too (If they want to call themselves goo Christians.

I say this because I really can’t see how the two can coexist. If anyone can offer some insight to how the basic Christian Principles can live in harmony with Conservative thought, please let me know. If I went astray on one of my points, cite it to make things easier.

Thanks.