Dear Christian Politicians –

Matthias Grunewald, The Crucifixion from the Isenheim Altarpiece, c. 1515

If you insist on touting your religion as part of your political profile, if you claim your religion as any source of your legislative agenda, then be a Christian.

I think we can all agree that being a Christian means studying the words of Jesus and meditating on their meaning, internalizing his message. At the forefront of that message is Love: compassion, generosity, concern for our fellow human beings, all as expressions of LOVE.

Jesus never said, “Love only those who look like you.”
Jesus never said, “Hate those that you think hate you.”

Jesus never said, "Punish those who sin for my sake."

And Jesus actually never said, “Go forth and attain political office so you can legislate my will.”

He did say, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”

And – Mark 12:29-31
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”

If you want there to be no abortions then do all that you can to relieve the conditions that lead to unwanted pregnancies. Be compassionate and forgiving and without judgment.

You should be fighting for healthcare, prison reform, immigrants, and education. You should be working to make the United States a beacon of hope for all of humanity.

Provide for the children of others, as you would have your own children provided for.

Call out hate. Do not support or look away when others proffer hate. Your ethics cannot be ethics of convenience. It is through your example that others will know you.

Have compassion for those who mourn.

You cannot legislate faithfulness. Faith can only come from freewill. It is not faith if one does not choose it.

If you are a Christian then do your religion justice, study the words of Jesus. Don’t’ imagine that it’s ok to disregard some parts of his message because they aren’t practical for “real life.” Nothing that Jesus did was very practical.

And as a conclusion, I leave you with the Woes of the Pharisees.

Bible Gateway The Woes of the Pharisees

"The woes are all woes of hypocrisy and illustrate the differences between inner and outer moral states."
Wikipedia - Plain English The Woes of the Pharisees

Matthias Grunewald, Meeting of St. Erasm and St. Maurice, c. 1520