Jeff Taylor over at Front Porch Republic lambasts the candidates as well as their voters:
The Republican Party managed to accomplish three amazing things last week, in the course of two debates and one election. It revealed a bloodlust that easily trumps concern for personal character and social morality. It scorned a fundamental teaching of Jesus Christ. It showed that the only thing that really matters to the party is the perceived ability to beat Barack Obama in the November election.
… The trajectory of empires is pretty standard. We’re overextended and going broke. We’re crumbling at home. We’re morally bankrupt. But, as one front man among many for the crackpot realists who administer our foreign policy, Santorum condescendingly smirks and shakes his head while Paul tells the truth during debates.
… Sanctimony is not sanctification. In moments such as these, the Southern Baptists (and others) in South Carolina are far better Americans (in the corrupt, imperial sense of the word) than they are Christians.
…Yes, the crowd actually booed the golden rule of Jesus Christ. … The apostle Paul, archangel Michael, or Jesus himself could have been on the stage and they would have gotten the same reaction. It was the message, not the messenger, that outraged the audience. The crowd reaction to the militaristic, hateful pandering of a group of chicken hawks was shameful in the extreme. Sadly, it’s the norm for purportedly Bible-believing Christians so it barely raised an eyebrow.
… Let’s turn to the winner of the latest election. The new darling of the Religious Right is the thrice-married bloviator and million-dollar Freddie Mac historian Newt Gingrich. An unlikely pairing in some ways, but quite likely in others.
… Gingrich is a master of righteous indignation although he’s far better at being indignant than being righteous. Like his political twin Bill Clinton, Gingrich is a good liar because he’s shameless. There are few politicians who can lie with more vigor. It’s a trait that convinces the clueless.
… When I went to bed at the end of South Carolina primary day, I was depressed. I wondered, with Jeremiah, “Why do the wicked prosper?” Of course, the answer is no secret. It is as old as Paradise Lost. If Christians are going to participate in politics, we should not only pray the Lord’s prayer but mean it. We should avoid temptations concocted by the unscrupulous, ameliorate the effects of sin, and practice Kingdom principles on earth. If we’re not up to the challenge, let’s stick to our pews and prayer closets—and stay away from debates and voting booths.
I now consider myself a Jeff Taylor dittohead.
Be sure to read the rest.
