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Hatred, anger, outrage, war-mongering, racism, fear, judgementalism, authoritarianism, hypocrisy, condemnation, homophobia, nationalism, xenophobia, islamophobia, conspiracy theorism, adulation the wealthy, a hatred of the poor, and a complete lack of empathy and compassion, appear to me to be the major fruits of the Republican spirit.
I think the single thing that most horrifies me about Republicanism in the US, in general, is just how often I see these qualities in its adherents. In the person of Donald Trump, we've seen some of these exemplified more heavily than others, but on many of them he's actually better than the average Republican. But in general, 5 minutes of watching Fox News or Rush Limbaugh is enough to get a dangerously unhealthy dose of many of the rest of them.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
The political groups I think of when I read those words are certainly not republicans. They're the hippies with their "peace" signs, the democrats asking for civil rights for all, Obama with his measured words and desire to negotiate peace rather than start wars, the democratic socialists seeking healthcare for all. And it's the liberals and leftists who I consistently see show genuine concern for everyone, a love of all, a sincere desire for peace, tolerance of others different to them, kindness towards all, gentleness rather than authoritarianism when seeking compromise. That's not at all to say every democrat and democratic supporter are 100% good - far from it. But the good qualities are definitely visible often in the adherents.
Whereas, the fruits of the Republican spirit are so often there to see in the adherents of Republicanism. And they terrify me. Regularly. Are there any redeeming qualities in Republicanism, any virtues that it promotes in its adherents? Offhand, I can't think of a single virtue that I've seen regularly promoted.
I leave you with this week's inspiring quote:
I think the single thing that most horrifies me about Republicanism in the US, in general, is just how often I see these qualities in its adherents. In the person of Donald Trump, we've seen some of these exemplified more heavily than others, but on many of them he's actually better than the average Republican. But in general, 5 minutes of watching Fox News or Rush Limbaugh is enough to get a dangerously unhealthy dose of many of the rest of them.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
The political groups I think of when I read those words are certainly not republicans. They're the hippies with their "peace" signs, the democrats asking for civil rights for all, Obama with his measured words and desire to negotiate peace rather than start wars, the democratic socialists seeking healthcare for all. And it's the liberals and leftists who I consistently see show genuine concern for everyone, a love of all, a sincere desire for peace, tolerance of others different to them, kindness towards all, gentleness rather than authoritarianism when seeking compromise. That's not at all to say every democrat and democratic supporter are 100% good - far from it. But the good qualities are definitely visible often in the adherents.
Whereas, the fruits of the Republican spirit are so often there to see in the adherents of Republicanism. And they terrify me. Regularly. Are there any redeeming qualities in Republicanism, any virtues that it promotes in its adherents? Offhand, I can't think of a single virtue that I've seen regularly promoted.
I leave you with this week's inspiring quote:
Robert Jeffress, pastor at 12,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas
"I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR, and this professor said, ‘Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?’” Jeffress said. “I said, ‘Heck no.’ I would run from that candidate as far as possible... Government is to be a strongman to protect its citizens against evildoers. When I’m looking for somebody who’s going to deal with ISIS and exterminate ISIS, I don’t care about that candidate’s tone or vocabulary, I want the meanest, toughest, son of a you-know-what I can find — and I believe that’s biblical."
"I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR, and this professor said, ‘Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?’” Jeffress said. “I said, ‘Heck no.’ I would run from that candidate as far as possible... Government is to be a strongman to protect its citizens against evildoers. When I’m looking for somebody who’s going to deal with ISIS and exterminate ISIS, I don’t care about that candidate’s tone or vocabulary, I want the meanest, toughest, son of a you-know-what I can find — and I believe that’s biblical."
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