Hypocrisy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception --------------------------------------------------------------------- Christians should be the group of people who should be most supportive of socialized medicine, but they are not only against it, they are doing their very best to undo the changes already made in the United States. I am not ignorant to the teachings of the character portrayed as Jesus in the Bible. Having spent many, many years as a preacher and pastor I have delivered many sermons on the subject of Jesus and his call for all to put others before themselves, to care for the sick and the poor, etc. While I do reason that we should do our level best to take care of ourselves, I also reason that those who are unable to should not be made to suffer for it. There should never be any individual whose life is less important than a number on a profit and loss ledger. But if you listen to the religious right, particularly those who are involved in politics, you would think otherwise. Inhumanity Justified⦠The conversations that Iâve had with fundamentalist Christians regarding the need for national health care that have not devolved into their usual name-calling and threats have yielded a few answers as to why they are so opposed to it. One reason is that they state we, as mortal humans can never do all of what Jesus would do because he is god and we are not. They state that we will never share any of the attributes of God, such as omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, and that we neither have the ability nor the responsibility to help everyone. Another reason they give is that socialized medicine does not follow logically or Biblically is that just because Jesus would do something doesnât mean that groups and social institutions should also be required to do these very things. Yet another excuse is that we should not guess or speculate on what Jesus would do, even in cases where scripture does not tell us what Jesus would do and where scripture does not provide any specifically related commands and principles. They feel that it would be presumptuous speculation, which, of course, goes against all those âWWJDâ bracelets, bumper stickers and such. Choices⦠When I look at a group, I search for consistency in their ideals. The religious right does not exhibit these qualities. This is particularly evident in their insistence that biblical doctrines be totally integrated into our politics when it suits them, but when it does not; they tout a ârender unto Caesarâ mentality. They have no problems using the bible to tout why they should be able to regulate the entirety of the female reproductive system, why myths and fairy-tales should be replace science in the classrooms or why the Ten Commandments and prayer should be allowed in courthouses and legislative sessions. The list of what they are trying to force on the rest of the country is extensive. But when it comes to health care, all of a sudden itâs a different story. Then come the cries that they would be forced and coerced, about how unfair it is to have someone elseâs ideals imposed on them without their approval. Oh, the hypocrisy of it all. It Comes Down To Greed⦠Based on my observations, a vast majority of the opposition to socialized medicine comes down to paying for it, and the religious right cherry-pick their bibles to come up with reasons why they shouldnât have to fork over any of their holy cash to benefit their fellow human being. http://freethoughtblogs.com/alstefanelli/2012/02/24/the-christian-aversion-to-socialized-medicine/
Just what we need, more parasites -- NOT. BTW, I'd support publicly funded abortion for "people" like you three.
The short answer to the OP is that nowhere does the Bible or Jesus recommend relying on the government for our needs. Christian organizations have a long and proud history of rendering medical care to the poor. Every city has a major hospital that was started or supported by a religious organization. A more nuanced answer to why conservative Christians oppose socialized medicine goes to the twin questions of efficacy and control. As for efficacy, we see manifold examples of government doing a terrible job of running things, everything from the middle eastern wars to the space program to welfare. Why think they would suddenly become competent when handed control of the entire health care sector? Then there is the control issue. Few thinking people are comfortable with the concept of some government drone making life or death decisions regarding the health care available to you or a loved one. Of course the elites, the well-connected, won't have a problem, certainly not with this administration. They'll always be able to get the exception. Not you and me though. Like many liberal pipe dreams, socialized medicine is all about good intentions and feeling morally superior. That and a massive increase in government power over us.
great job. you just proved the authors point on how easy it is for the self proclaimed followers of jesus to rationalize doing just the opposite of what he stood for.
Really? No specific reference to government run medical care in a how-to book from the Bronze Age? That's quite the revelation. You being a religious guy, I'm surprised that you find comfort in the letter of the book rather than its spirit. So much for "spiritualism," eh? I gather that's the conclusion drawn from advanced Bible studies?