"Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Am I the only one who finds it ironical that so many of our representatives in Congress seem to ignore The Golden Rule in all its many forms? Especially those who claim to be Christian? At the swearing in of Congress in January, 2013, the overwhelming majority of members of both the House and the Senate professed to be Christian of one denomination or another. 33 members were Jewish, and the balance answered as "no affiliation, other, or refuse to answer". 

The Golden Rule - or "do unto others" - is present in every world religion as well as ethical philosophies. One version or another has been around for centuries before the birth of Christ. The Christian version is present in different forms throughout the Bible, most notably when Jesus the Christ admonished, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, for this is the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31)

In Judaism, from the Talmud, "What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man. That is the whole of The Torah and the remainder is but commentary."

It may surprise many to know that (Sunni) Islam teaches the same, "Do unto all men as you would they should unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself." (Mishkat-el-Masabih)

There is also one described as "Commonsenseism" - put in modern, secular terms as "Treat people the way you'd like to be treated."

How do our Representatives reconcile their religious faith with some - not all - of the actions they take in Congress? It is tiresome to hear so many of our politicians (not only in Congress, but also in the Texas political arena) lump together the scores of unemployed, homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the poor with the few in our country who take advantage of assistance programs, by labeling them "dependents" (as if it is a dirty word) in an effort which cuts the assistance to those who are really in need. Paul Ryan's budget proposal is a shameful example of this trend. Congress's refusal to extend unemployment benefits; Ryan's proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and cut Food Stamps, Medicaid and Medicare, even privatize Social Security, would have devastating effects on our country.

The Reproductive Rights issues in many states have already hurt the poor, especially in Texas. Using Christianity as a reason to limit accessibility to family planning and yes, even abortion, has already deprived many of the poor of necessary healthcare in Texas. By making stringent

demands on Planned Parenthood centers, Texas has effectively shut down several of these centers in the most-needed parts of the state. Who will care for the unplanned (and often unwanted) children, born into poverty or even abuse and neglect? Who is going to provide their healthcare, nutrition, education? (Texas ranks 46th in the country in per student spending on education, and ranks 34th in overall quality of education.)

What will happen to the explosion of the elderly as the baby boomers reach their "golden years", and they find their Social Security payments and Medicare reduced or eliminated? Texas Governor Perry refused the additional federal Medicaid funds, which may mean many hospitals and nursing homes will not be able to remain open in the future. One nursing home administrator told me if their Medicare funding is cut they will have to close their doors.

The Congressional Christians speak out most about repealing the Healthcare Act, reproductive rights, abortion, and homosexuality. The one area that they seem to be losing ground on is same-sex marriage, as more and more states are passing laws to allow these marriages, or to at least recognize those from states which do. Pope Francis speaking out against judgement of homosexuals may have played a part in this by shaming the anti-gay establishment. 

Which reminds me that I, too, am becoming too judgmental in my appraisals of the conservatives and the wealthy who are running the country. I don't believe they will burn in Hell!  However, I may be creating a "hell" of my own with my words. When I start in on these subjects I have been quickly brought to task by my younger son. My own judgmentalism is seen as hypocrisy, and he's right. There's an old Indian saying that goes like this:

I can only hope that if I were in the shoes of the politicians and the wealthy 1% of this country that I would care more for the poor and disenfranchised than is shown by them. For now, I can only pray that enough feel the way I do that we can vote for positive change in America. In the meantime,  I ask them, what would you do in my shoes?

Peace and love,

Marilyn

~My thanks to the Christian Left website for wonderful images that inspire me.