"You see, it's all about victims and victimhood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, not repentance; collectivism, not individual salvation. I don't know what that is, other than it's not Muslim, it's not Christian. It's a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."
Note his clever way of sneaking in the the "Is the President a Muslim??" question in his statement. What Beck is alluding to are tenets of social justice, which actually play an important role in Catholicism and the United Methodist Church (and Judaism, and probably many other faiths).
I don't want to turn this blog into a course on comparative religion since I'm not an expert on that subject by any means. But I do think that Beck takes one before he starts preaching about what is and isn't a Christian value. I do want to point out his hypocrisy and lies as well as the danger of his rhetoric.
As much as I may mock the Tea Party movement, I hope that the Tea Party rabble will mobilize into an official third party for the next round of elections. If Republican politicians don't have to kowtow to the tea baggers, they can focus on core Republican values of smaller government, fiscally conservative policies, and a strong military. Those are values I can respect and work with. It's time to take religion (or whatever that was that Beck was spouting) out of politics.
Being a pinko, peacenik, knee-jerk, Kennedy-supporting, gay rights supporting liberal, my voice doesn't carry much weight with the people for whom Beck purports to speak. I hope that my Republican friends (yes, I do have Republican friends - you know who you are and thanks for the pizza!) will stand up and say "This man does not speak for me or the Republican Party!"
BTW -- to learn a little more about Liberation Theology check out the link on the right.
Beck - you do not speak for me or my party! Proud to have made the blog. I am a Republican and I am not an Evangelical Christian. I feel my party has been hijacked by the extreme. I am afraid to tell people I am a republican for I do not want to be lumped in with the vocal hate mongers and narrow minded, pot stirring .......! I am proud of my core Republican beliefs. Proud to be fiscally conservative. I support free enterprise, lower taxes and less spending, smaller government and a strong, well supported military. I am not against social programs, but I do not believe in a free ride, I believe in hard work. I fear for the working poor - they are truely lost in the system. I believe in healthcare for all children. I believe in personal responsibility. I am against socialized medicine and will only believe in healthcare reform that comes with tort reform. I do not support affirmative action. I do believe all people were created equal and admit that not all are born into equal circumstances. Our biggest failing in the country is the education of our future. I am also in full support of gay marriage and basic human rights including the right to be treated fairly and with dignity. I believe in free speech and freedom of religion yet fear that religion divides us and maybe personal spirituality would strengthen us. I believe you have the right to own a gun or a rifle, but do not see why you have a right to increase your killing power with a semi automatic, high yield weapon. I believe we need to be responsible with our planet and work for a better future for our children. I am tired of the fighting, the retoric and the extreme. I do not watch Fox news or MSNBC. No argument is black or white. I am gray
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