Jimmy Carter explains how the Christian right isn't Christian at all.

[murielm99]

Former President Jimmy Carter, America's first evangelical Christian president, still teaches Sunday schol at his Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleld=7572

In an interview with Ayelish McCarvey he says, "When I was younger, almost all Baptists were strongly committed on a theological basis, to the separation of church and state. It was only later that there began to be a melding of the Republican Party with fundamentalist Christianity, particularly with the Southern Baptist Convention. That development, and I think it was brought about by the abandomnent of some of the basic principles of Christianity.

First of all, we worship the prince of peace not war. And those of us who have advocated for the resolution of international conflict in a peaceful way are looked upon as being unpatriotic, branded that way by right-wing religious groups, the bush administration, and other Republicans.

<snip>

Secondly, Christ was committed to compassion for the most destitute, poor, needy, and forgotten people in our society.

Carter goes on to say they have branded everyone who does not worship in their way as unchristian. He discusses the state of the Democratic party today.

This is an interesting read!

[Indiana_Dem]

1. He's my man!!!

See my sig line below!

[soothsayer]

2. They're not Christian, and they're not right!

a bumper sticker is born

[DieboldMustDie]

7. How about...

[indepat]

11. Was it "neither the moral majority nor the christian right are either?"

[madfloridian]

3. I was branded unpatriotic by our SBC church over the Iraq war.

I know exactly what he means. I was raised with and even taught some of the present leaders of the group that hijacked the church this decade.

I was raised in that church, my father a deacon for life, I was pianist....it is no longer my church.

He is right, they are wrong, and they are getting very rigid and narrow.

[Maat]

5. Thank you.

I guess the extremists started plotting a few decades ago to take over the Baptist leadership and they succeeded around the 90's -- that is also about the timeframe the Republican party and the religious extremists were welded together. My misfortune -- 1-1/2 yrs. ago -- relatives I were very close to became religious extremists of the finest sort (as part of a 'Baptist' church). University of Virginia has a database of religions and a history of the whole thing -- through its sociology department. That's why I joined a liberal church -- I wanted no part of the extremism.

[coloradodem2005]

6. I thought that it happened in the early '80's

The crazies came out of the woodwork and started talking like they were heading the christian church when Reagan became President.

[AspenRose]

4. Happy Resurrection Day, brother Jimmy.

O8) Preach it, brother!

[NewHampshireDem]

8. Great link ...

Thank you for posting it. :)

Kerry/Carter?

[Wiscmason]

9. Amen

Or in the words of Al Sharpton: "We dont need the Christian Right, we need the Right Christians." I dont care what anyone says, I think Jimmy Carter was a good president and IS a great man.

[Occulus]

10. The link no longer works for me.

Anyone else?

Found it; nevermind.

[struggle4progress]

12. Carter was (and still is) right about so much!

He saved the embassy hostages' lives at the cost of his own political career.

Thanks for posting this link!