The right hides behind a fictional Bible

[left-of-center2012]

Memo to Ted Cruz and Donald Trump — your favorite book is made up
"The Art of the Deal" might be real but historians think less of the Bible's veracity. Let's not live by it in 2015

Donald Trump told us recently that the Bible is his favorite book.
Ted Cruz has declared that the Bible establishes criteria for political electability.
Sarah Palin dreams of enacting Biblical law in the United States.
Even Hillary Clinton looks at the Bible and thinks “It’s alive!” and has apparently spent a lot of time studying it.

It outrages common sense to be asked to accept the Bible, bristling with improbable inanities and known inconsistencies, as authoritative in any way — and much less as some sort of public-policy guidebook.

Seriously, though, it insults our intelligence to be enjoined to believe, now that we have split the atom, discovered the Higgs Boson, and sent a probe to Pluto, in the veracity of a supernatural account of the origins of our cosmos.

It insults our intelligence to be enjoined to believe, now that we have mapped the human genome and fathomed our manifest kinship to other species of the animal kingdom, that a supernatural being verbally conjured us into existence.

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/20/the_right_hides_behind_a_fictional_bible_memo_to_ted_cruz_and_donald_trump_your_favorite_book_is_made_up/

[Cartoonist]

1. Absolutely!

Outrages common sense
Insults our intelligence

[stopbush]

2. Religious belief is a conceit the world can no longer afford.

Truth is, we never really could afford to make the excuses we've made as a species for religious belief (the Dark Ages, anyone?). Hopefully, the embarrassing responses of the Xian bigots in this country to the many positive changes that are happening in today's world will continue to drive people away from the make believe that is religion.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. The problem is that most people still believe in it.

It is no wonder that the political hacks of the day will show their support for it. Any way the wind blows....and it still blows toward Christianity. But they do make fools of themselves when they embrace it too strongly.

[onager]

5. Thanks. And some of the Left hide behind it, too.

[DetlefK]

6. The problem is not that the Bible is made up.

The problems is that they claim to be Christians while happily ignoring biblical commandments, laws, regulations and precedence left and right.

[left-of-center2012]

7. "The problem is not that the Bible is made up"

So God did create the Earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th?

[DetlefK]

8. That's irrelevant in the political context.

What is relevant is that Christianity enjoys an excellent reputation in the US. So much that refusal to cater to Christianity is a political death-sentence. (The US will have a gay President long before it has an atheist President.)

The Republicans proclaim to be Christians, taking advantage of the reputation. Not only that, they also use arguments derived from christian teachings for political purposes. And all the while they not only exhibit indifference to Christianity, they actively break the rules it has laid out.

If Republicans voiced their political opinions without the cover of a hijacked christian mantle, they would be toast. But all the extremist Christians care about is that the candidate claims that he's Christian.
The candidate has been divorced?
Lies?
Has had an affair?
Treats poor people badly?
Amasses wealth instead of donating it?
Refuses to pay his share to society?
Is vengeful?
Nobody cares. You can commit the worst atrocities, but if you call yourself a Christian, the voters will will-fully close both eyes to overlook that. Because Christians are defined as the good guys in the US.




"Of course he will make America great again! It says so on his hat!" - actual quote from a Teabagger

"My favorite book is the Bible!" - "Do you have a favorite part of it?" - "All of them!" - paraphrased quote from Donald Trump




What do you think why the extremist Christians in the US support the un-christian heathens the GOP has put forth as candidates?
What if Donald Trump had said: "Meh, I'm not that much into religion. Haven't been in a church in years. I prefer to go golfing on Sundays." ?

It's okay to hate people and worship Mammon, but don't you dare to have anything but praise for Christianity!

[RussBLib]

9. Yep. It's the hypocrisy that is so galling.

They claim fealty to the "good book" and yet don't follow many, if any, of its precepts.

Granted, if anyone REALLY followed all the rules in the Bible, they'd probably be in jail right now, but almost everyone accepts the "good" parts while acting differently.

They can't even follow the easy stuff. And yep, most devout believers are so fucking stupid as long as they hear the words "I love the Bible" they become enthralled.

"Oh, but it's so HARD to be a good Christian" I heard a preacher say recently. Shit, most don't even try.