I was born into a Southern Baptist family in west Tennessee.  My mother was a pretty religious woman and pressured me into getting baptized when I was around 10 years old. My father, a WWII Veteran, wasn’t very religious, but even so he would sometimes refer to the “Old Man Upstairs” and he would say prayers at meals.

I was a believer growing up, in high-school and through 4 years of the Navy, serving during the Vietnam War era. I went to church only occasionally as a child; my mother said that churches were “full of hypocrites”; that is they professed the values of Jesus but did not live by them.

Today it is obvious that hasn’t changed much, if at all.  From the rhetoric you hear every day from the Christian conservatives, Jesus’s values have pretty much been forgotten.   You can expect lip service from them but hardly any action along those lines.  Apparently they don’t see the hypocrisy of condemning and complaining about liberals all week, then going to church on Sunday and worshipping one.

It’s hard to think that when it comes to government policy, the Christian Right opposes just about everything that Jesus stood for and talked endlessly about.

Here is a list of things that Jesus wanted us to do that the religious right is against:

Take care of those less fortunate, feed the poor and pay your taxes.

Turn the other cheek when you are struck. — Matthew 5:39 (Some of the biggest Military Hawks are Christian conservatives in government.  The first to want to go to War, and the last to want to sit down and negotiate with other governments).

Things Jesus didn’t want us to do but the religious right is all for:

Don’t judge others.  – (Matt 7:1 and Luck 6:37)

Don’t pray in Public (Matthew 6:5-6) and using vain repetitions Matthew (6:7) (and if you think about it, that would also mean keeping prayer out of Public Schools, per Jesus himself.)

Divorce is adultery (Matthew 5:32, 19:9, Mark 10:11-12 & Luke 16:18)

Don’t worry about, or prepare for the Future (Matt 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-31) – Jesus told us not to give a thought for tomorrow.   (It’s hard to find a bunch more attuned to acquiring worldly goods and building wealth than Christian conservatives).

And for those who say that the Old Testament doesn’t matter anymore since Jesus gave us a New Testament, and a New Covenant, we’ll have to remind you that your ever-present 10 Commandments are in the Old Testament.  Are you ready to say that they don’t matter anymore?

Jesus himself said that the old laws very much mattered.   In Matthew 5:18-19 RSV He said:
“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Considering that God is theoretically also Jesus, He very much expects us to keep all of His 613 commandments (Yes, there are a LOT more than just 10). This means:

Don’t eat pork (Deuteronomy 14:8)

Don’t call anyone but God your father. (Matthew 23:9)  It’s funny that Catholics especially want you to call their priests Father.

Women, you must marry your rapist (Exodus 22:16-17 & Deuteronomy 22:28-29)

Bastards can’t enter the Lord’s congregation, nor can their descendants, even unto the 10th generation.  Also, anyone “wounded on the stones” (i.e. testicles) can’t enter the Lord’s congregation (Deut 23:1)

Women should not adorn themselves with braiding of the hair, gold or pearls or costly attire. (1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3).  Think what that would do to your typical Christian conservative Sunday raiment.

Women should not be given authority over men. (1 Tim 2:12)  Think of the hypocrisy present in the Female Republican Representatives and Senators that are currently holding posts in government while espousing Jesus’ teachings.

Do not consult mediums or wizards (Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:6 & Deuteronomy 18: 10-12) Christians more than any other American demographic, consult mystics and psychics.

Do not tattoo your skin (Leviticus 19:28), Don’t lend money to other Christians at interest (Deuteronomy 23: 19-20)

You must marry your dead brother’s wife (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

You can’t wear garments of wool and linen together. (Deuteronomy 22:11)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad that Christians don’t follow those archaic laws, or at least most of them don’t.  It’s just the hypocrisy of it all that gets me.  They go to church and come out feeling righteous and elevated over us unbelievers because they profess to have the values that Jesus espoused, but then they go right on about their business doing whatever they want to do; and what they want to do is keep their charity to themselves while using the government to impose their Christian rules on non-Christians.

They totally ignore the good things that Jesus said to do and put-down those who do try to help those less fortunate, as “bleeding-heart liberals”.  They pursue their own self-righteous ambitions while ignoring the poor, all the while claiming to be superior, simply because they are “Christians.”   They delude themselves into thinking that they are followers of Jesus’ teachings while totally ignoring the things that He asked of them.

(I have relied upon EvilBible.com’s article on Christian Hypocrisy for many of my examples.  You can read their whole excellent article there: Christians are Hypocrites)