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How is opposition to health care a Christian value?

September 09, 2009 12:51 pm ET by Jamison Foser

Today's Washington Post features an article entitled "Opposition to Health-Care Reform Revives Christian Right."

Oddly, the article makes no attempt to explain how opposing universal health care and maintaining insurance company profits are essential to -- or even consistent with -- the practice of Christianity.  No effort to explain, or to ask the "Christian Right" leaders to explain, what Biblical basis there is for opposing a plan to care for the sick.

It seems whenever there is a news report about the religious left, the report goes out of its way to make clear that some of the positions the religious left takes are inconsistent with the teachings of various churches.  Yet here's a case where on the very issue in question, the "Christian Right" seems to be taking a position that is not entirely consistent with Christian teachings -- and the Post makes no mention of that tension.

Strange.

Tags: The Washington Post

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    • Author by IRONY 101 (September 09, 2009 12:55 pm ET)
      2  
      When Jesus healed the sick I thought that was supposed to be an example for everyone to follow...not performing miracles, of course, but caring for the sick and less fortunate.
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      • Author by bilbo_dies (September 09, 2009 1:06 pm ET)
        3  
        That's why Jesus was looked at as one of those "pesky liberals" while he was still alive. He had the gall to work with the sick and the poor, not what the church, at the time, was into doing.
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    • Author by Bad News (September 09, 2009 1:00 pm ET)
      1 1
      Right-Wing Hatred of the First Black President is the Sermon their Preaching.
      It blends perfectly with their false love of Jews in their Religious Teachings.
      They Hate the Color of Obama's Skin.
      I guess the Bible Omitted that Hatred for people that don't look like you is a Sin.

      Speak truth to power.


      Mr. News
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      • Author by IRONY 101 (September 09, 2009 1:03 pm ET)
        1  
        Their justification/excuse is the concocted notion that Obama hates white people. These people can rationalize anything...
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        • Author by worrierking (September 09, 2009 1:26 pm ET)
          1  
          I'm still waiting for one of our Christian "experts" to explain how Jesus instructing his followers to take care of the sick doesn't apply to today's health care reform.

          I'm amazed that today we have so called "Christians" praying for health care reform to be defeated. That proves that they know not what they preach.

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          • Author by shaggles (September 09, 2009 1:44 pm ET)
            2  
            A lot of churches organize their congregation to help out the poor, the ill, etc. yet are absolutely opposed to the govt helping people who need it. I don't get it either. If I were cynical I might say that they don't want the govt directly helping people because it might affect the take from the collection plate. But I really think that somewhere in the last 30 years social conservatism and political conservatism have gotten mixed up in a weird way so that anything that is even remotely liberal in anyway is shot down by both. The "values" of political conservatism have very little to do with the values of social conservatism or even conservative Christian values. It makes no sense for people who believe in helping the sick, poor and elderly to throw in with people who believe everyone on welfare, social security, medicare, medicaid, or even in a public school is a leach or a scammer.
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    • Author by mk3872 (September 09, 2009 1:45 pm ET)
      2  
      This is the bizarre conflation in America today of Christian values with Corporate values.

      This has happened because the GOP panders to the Evangelicals while also (literally) sleeping with corporate lobbyists.
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    • Author by The_Cat (September 09, 2009 1:54 pm ET)
      4  
      Opposition to health coverage reform is not a Christain value. Rather, it is a conservative value. The problem here is that all or most Christians are now painted with the conservative brush, thanks to President Reagan, Newt Gingrich, and the rest of the neocon right. They needed to add to their base, so they began crying up family values and old time religion to bolster their poll numbers. It was a strategy that served them well in the short term.

      The problem is that it leaves a lot of people, liberal Christians such as myself for example, feeling completely unrepresented in current culture. After all, liberals are godless atheists, and as a liberal Christian I believe in God. Conservatives are heartless moralists, who worship a god I do not recognize.

      Health coverage reform, especially single payer, is a very Christian approach to our health problems. Of course, so is visiting widows, orphans, and those in prison. So is feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. But conservative Christianity is too busy condemning prisoners for being evil, ignoring the fact that the only difference, in most cases, is that the 'conservative Christians' simply haven't been caught yet. They would much rather say that homeless people choose to be homeless than try to solve the problem. They have become wealthy Pharisees, too good to pray even in the same temple as the tax collector. But of the two, who went away justified?

      Health coverage reform IS a Christian value, but it's a Liberal Christian value. Don't ask the Conservatives to help. They're much too busy trying to ban gay marriage.
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    • Author by NiceguyEddie (September 09, 2009 2:01 pm ET)
      3  
      How is ANYTHING they do christian?

      Even their opposition to abortion, gay marriage, etc... If this is something they believe in, then it should guide THEIR OWN BEHAVIOR. Where in the bible does it say "Make your own interpretation of what you think Jesus taught into LAW?!"

      Take care of the poor? Wrong side.
      Death Penalty? Wrong side.
      War? Wrong side.
      Race Relations? Wrong side.
      Tolerance and Forgiveness and Mercy? Wrong side.
      Give to Cesar what it Ceasar? Wrong side.
      Pride? Wrong side.
      Wrath? Wrong side.
      Greed? Wrong side.
      Gluttony? Wrong side.
      Lust? Wrong side. (Don't believe me?)

      Thoe ONLY thing they've got is abortion and gay marriage (assuming you even buy that!) and they've pervertted something which shoudl be a moral compass to guide THEM into something that they want forced on EVERYONE.

      They're on the wrong side of almost every "christian value," AND somehow on the wrong side of every scientific issue as well! (Not to mention Economic, Diplomatic, Constitutional...)
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    • Author by dmhack (September 09, 2009 2:21 pm ET)
      1  
      Just because you call yourself a Christian doesn't mean you're one.
      If you fail to follow the teachings of Christ, you are anything but a Christian. It's just that simple.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by guntario (September 09, 2009 5:48 pm ET)
           
        Let me ask you, how is government supplying health care is following the teachings of Christ? Christ instructed us to help each other. You are not helping someone by giving your money to a totally inefficient government bureaucracy, you are being lazy. Caring for the poor as Christ commanded requires action on your part, which means turning off your TV and doing it yourself. This is what charities are for, and what we are witnessing is government directly competing with charities. And, we must look at what has been happening with charities. Because of this direct competition, charities have been put out of business so people are no longer able to go to clinics. They are forced to go to emergency rooms and have the taxpayers and whoever pays for medical care foot the bill, which once again drives up the cost of health care. Who is more caring? One who donates his own time to help someone and gives willingly out of their own pocket, or one who gives what the government requires in the form of taxes?
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    • Author by guntario (September 09, 2009 5:31 pm ET)
         
      As a Christian, my opposition to government run health care has nothing to do with my relationship with Jesus. It's a simple matter really. The cost of health care rising is due directly to government meddling in the health care system and inflation. For instance, HMOs, Medicare and Medicaid. As it is, government already foots 50% of the medical bills in this country. Add on to this, price controls and insane deficit spending in which the government has to print money to sell bonds in order to finance its operation, and you have the reason for rising costs in health care. I really wish the so-called conservatives in our government could articulate these points instead of insisting on their ridiculous points of created contention.
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    • Author by paul8616 (September 09, 2009 7:41 pm ET)
         
      If you're going to criticize a newspaper for not pointing out how Christian doctrine and opposition of health care reform are at odds, you must make the case that they *are* at odds.

      Please make the case.
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      • Author by MM_JF (September 09, 2009 10:26 pm ET)
           
        No, I won't. And I won't because you're inappropriately shifting the burden of proof. The Washington Post ran an article predicated on the notion that opposition to health care reform is a Christian value, but did not make that case in any way. I pointed out the Post's failure to do so. The burden lies with the Post, not with me. And if you're going to defend the Post, it lies with you.

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