Senator Jeff Sessions: GOAT?

Alabama's Senator Jeff Sessions got on a moral high-horse to defend the GOP's efforts to slash food stamps for poor Americans.

Is our national goal to place as many people on welfare, food stamp support, as we can possibly put on that program? Is that our goal? Is that a moral vision for the United States of America, just to see how many people we can place in a situation where they're dependent on the federal government for their food? I just ask that. I think we should wrestle with that question.

Senator Sessions was arguing against an Amenment to the Agriculture Bill sponsored by Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) to re-instate the $45 billion in the Food Stamp Program that the GOP had taken out. Apparently, feeding the poor is, in the eyes of Senator Sessions, a moral failing.

I've never met a liberal who thinks we need to keep as many people as possible on government assistance. On the contrary, liberals favor programs to educate and train people so they can get good paying jobs and be productive and self-sufficient. But to pretend that productivity and self-sufficiency will just happen if we take away poor people's food is equal parts cruel and stupid.

Proving that the GOP does not own all the copies of the Bible in DC, Senator Gillibrand took Senator Sessions to school - Sunday School, that is. She pointed out to Senator Sessions (and everyone else listening) that according to Matthew chapter 25, the first question we will be asked on Judgment Day is "Did you feed the poor?" Here's what Matthew 25 says.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

Matthew 25:31-46 (emphasis added).

So, you see, for believers in the Gospel, as Senator Sessions claims to be, if you care for the poor - feed them, quench their thirst, tend them in their sickness, clothe them - the Lord will regard you as a sheep (a righteous and faithful follower) and you will remain in the presence of the Lord. Not so for the goats. Those who turn their backs on the poor (the "least of these brothers and sisters") are condemned to eternal punishment. So, you see, Senator Sessions is, according to the Bible, advocating the position of the infamous GOATS.

I'm sure Senator Sessions is busy trying to find an Ayn Rand version of the Bible to justify his utter lack of compassion, some way to twist these words around and put the goats of higher ground (mountain goats?). Unfortunately, one does not exist. She was an athiest.

A Bible-a-thon as justification for policy is not a good idea. The Bible is arcane and is used to justify bigotry, misogyny, and many other ills. But I understand the need to hoist the GOP on its own petarb when they get morally indignant in order to justify making poor children starve. I applaud Senator Gillibrand for her Bible knowledge and her commitment to doing something to ease the suffering of the poor in this, the wealthiest country in the world.

If Alabama could get above its raisin' and remove Jeff Session from the US Senate, we would have one less GOAT to deal with. Unfortunately, in Alabama, there is a line of younger GOATS waiting their turn behind him.

Are You a Sheep? Does It Make You Feel Baaaaaaaad?

If someone told you God spoke to him and told him to plant his tomatoes on a certain day, what would you think of him? Be honest. Would you think, "Wow, what a truly righteous man?" Or would you think, "Wow, what a kook?"

Obviously, it does not matter why he he chose to plant his tomatoes on one day or another. Whether he heard the voice of God or simply had a dream about planting his garden inspired by eating pizza really late at night, who really cares?

But what if he claims God told him to offer his unwed daughter to a group of men looking for an orgy? Or if he claims that God told him to kill his son? Would you simply assume that God would never tell anyone to do such heinous things to his children? If you assume that, you'd be making an assumption directly in contravention of the Old Testament, BTW.

Or would you assume he was mentally ill? If so, why? Why is it believable that God told Lot to offer up his daughter for an orgy and told Abraham to kill his son, but not believable that God told Brian David Mitchell to take Elizabeth Smart as his wife?

Apprently, there is some concern that people might believe Mitchell is a prophet because Elizabeth Smart has been questioned in such a way to establish that Mitchell was "not religious" and would receive revelations rather "conveniently" to permit him to take actions he wanted to take. (Huh. Not sure what that testimony proves.)

[Before I go further, let me make it clear that I think Mitchell's abduction, rape, and brainwashing of Elizabeth Smart was a cruel and sadistic crime. I have no sympathy for him, mentally ill or not. He needs to be separated from normal society forever as he is, IMO, a threat to young girls. Whether he belongs in a mental institution or a prison, I leave to the jurors and judge.]

My point is this: because of centuries old teachings and religious beliefs, we continue to believe that God spoke to his people and told them to do cruel things: kill entire villages (genocides), sacrifice their children, commit genital mutilation, stone and beat people for minor offenses like weaving the wrong materials together, etc. Take a good read of the Old Testament if you have forgotten. Do you believe that God commanded these things or not? If so, why is it so easy to just discard the word of seemingly devout believers today who claim to hear directly from God just because they don't lead a large international church?

Why do we accept that the leaders of mainstream churches - Catholic, LDS, Baptist, various Pentecostal denominations, etc. - "hear" God's voice and are speaking with His authority while calling people like David Koresh and Brian Mitchell "crazy?"

If I advocate something completely false and harmful, while claiming I am speaking on behalf of God, I would be labelled crazy or mentally ill or delusional or some such thing (even if I am a licensed minister). But when the Catholic church perpetuates the lie in Africa that condom use actually causes the spread of AIDS, no one does anything to interfere because it is "religion."

Religion can bring comfort and peace to a worried mind, it can bring solidarity to a group in need of community and support, and it can be the blue pill we swallow that perpetuates the most absurd and harmful delusions.

The Bible refers to people frequently as "sheep." Are you a sheep? Do you bleat when the wolf gets too close and makes you uncomfortable? Do you look to the bellwether to follow his lead? Or are you a thinking, rational human being who recognizes that YOU SHOULD NOT JUST STEP IN LINE BECAUSE SOMEONE CLAIMS HE (OR SHE) HEARD GOD'S VOICE? Work it out for yourself. Don't be a sheep. At best, sheep get sheared. At worst, sheep get butchered.