What’s God Got To Do with It?
Somebody please help me understand what these Republicans mean about our rights not coming from government but from God.
I don’t get it. At all.
MY right to vote came from government. If James Madison is the founding father they are talking about, Barack Obama would not be allowed to vote. Government changed that.
Talk to me about slavery. God and the founding fathers allowed that. Government fixed it.
Women are still fighting for equal pay for equal work. Only government can fix that. Obviously, God is slacking off on that.
Did the founding fathers and God fix sweat shops? No. Government did.
I am a woman of faith but sometimes – no, many times – God uses wise and courageous men and women to fix things. Those men and women are government.
I put my faith in God but my expectations in government.
Using liberals, God brought us this far. Let’s not go back
Amen.
1I agree. More killing, torture, etc., has been done in the name of religion than for any other reason.
2Awesomely stated. Can’t figure out why that’s so illogical to some folks. Suppose you could say that God gives food too, but haven’t seen any falling out of the sky lately. At least give some credit to the intermediaries.
3And that remark was from Paul Ryan, who’s spent his entire working life in “gubmint.” Gah.
4Someone else stated the othe night that our rights come from “… nature and God” … really!?! Coulda fooled me! My faith is also in God and Sweet Jesus … definitely not in any of the Republicans!!
5Those wise men and women who facilitate change you mentioned? They’re not all from the government.
As a case in point, it’s Molly Ivins’ birthday today. She changed some things, if only people’s attitudes and courage.
6Amen, Sister.
7God made us smart and He expects us to use it sensibly. WE are the government. Don’t give me that “so what are the Democrats doing?” to which I say, “YOU’RE a Democrat. What are YOU doing?”
8I was going to write one on much the same point, but I see it slightly differently. The GOP and especially the Teabaggers love to cry up the God-given rights, and they do have the Second Continental Congress to back them up. “All men [and women, archaic verbiage notwithstanding]… are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Oh, they love to quote that line, those theocratic government haters. I’m sure you’ve had that line quoted at you by comment trolls and belligerently drunk uncles many times. Next time, though, ask them this:
What comes next?
Usually you’ll get a blank stare requiring a prompt: What is the NEXT line in the Declaration?
“That to SECURE these rights, GOVERNMENTS are instituted among men…”
Like a deadbeat dad who figures his job ended at conception, God endowed, but Government secures.
Lay that one on Uncle Gasbag, then claim game, set and match.
9Um, using that logic, immigrants, legal or otherwise, should also have rights. Poor people should have rights. WOMEN should have rights.
Did God give them money, too? or was that that Mammon guy J.C. referred to? Do you have more rights if you have money? Calvin thought so.
But how do they know God gave them? I mean, Thomas Jefferson said that they were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights (did he give up his Founding Father status when he took up with -MARRIED-Sally?). He specifically stated “men”, but back then that was plural, a sort of short form of “mankind.” At least, that what I was taught in school.
And if God DID give them, doncha think He/She/FSM is going to be less than pleased that we didn’t respect each others.
Sister Artemis, where are u? Do I need that stick upside the head treatment again here?
10Watch this from Jon Stewart. It’s crazy. The people sound sane, but they are saying exactly opposite from what is being said! That doesn’t make sense. Sorry. Just watch.
http://www.comedycentral.com
11Ok. The link doesn’t work. Here’s another one. Just go to Daily Kos and scroll down to the Daily Show piece!
http://www.dailykos.com/
12On more or less the same thing, ponder this (rather short for the New Yorker) blog post:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/08/the-legitimate-children-of-rape.html
13The only reason Republicans like God is that he hasn’t raised taxes in over 4000 years. In fact, after the Cain and Abel fiasco God got a little slack in the collections department. Then the embarrassing scandal with Abraham having to give up his son to the tax man, now I think God may be afraid to raise taxes.
But anyway, the Republicans want God to protect you because they sure as hell won’t do the job themselves.
14I always treasure the statement from the Treaty of Tripoli, “”As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion;”.
A really good article to read is “Our Godless Constitution” by Brooke Allen which can be found online. The more people use the name of God to justify their actions the less I feel they know about him/her/it.
15Creator does not necessarily mean god or, even more specifically, your choice of a deity. Which would make it more difficult to rationalize that deity giving orders to the masses.
As a good friend says I’m picking fly poop out of pepper.
16Good point, Sam in Kyle, about that statement that the US government was not founded on the Christian religion. That treaty was written at the end of George Washington’s second administration, and signed by John Adams after he took office… and after it was unanimously approved by Congress. And these were the Founding fathers who KNEW what the country was founded on. End of argument.
I also get real tired of the line that “our laws are based on the Ten Commandments.” Exactly three of those commandments are laws: don’t kill, don’t steal, and don’t commit perjury (bear false witness). Now find a set of laws anywhere in the world that doesn’t include those, and tell me again how special they are.
17I’m not watching the Regressive convention because I don’t want to and I don’t have to, but, while flipping channels I got a look at the convention. Rubio was speaking and it sounded and looked like a prayer meeting at one of those nondenomination mega churches. I quickly flipped the channel.
18The more someone has to mention God and Commandments, the less I suspect they actually understand them – either that or they figure that their God is keeping score so the person who speaks His name most wins.
19Anybody who reads this “non-blog” knows I’m a baseball fan. I watch players who wear jewelry with crosses, I see them kneel, take off their caps, and pray before they pitch, I watch them cross themselves before they bat.
And, I’m just as certain as I can be, from watching all this stuff for a lot of years.
God doesn’t DO baseball, and He doesn’t DO politics.
And… all you Texans fans…. He doesn’t DO football either.
20miemaw..oh yes he DOES! Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame, where touchdown Jesus graces the library:
http://eatrunswag.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/tdj.jpg
21I’m with Miemaw on this one and I say that as a uh,uh well a pretty good Methodist!
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