A reader writes:
"Well, I would consider Tom DeLay’s remarks inappropriate
if they had been delivered on the floor of the House, but since they were made at a Christian conference, I don’t have a problem with them. And if he were a Jewish congressman who made analogous remarks at a gathering of Jews, that would be fine, too, and the same applies to any faith. DeLay is entitled to have and express his religious views; the First Amendment guarantees that right to him as well as to the rest of us.
If his religious views align more closely with the Republican Party than the Democratic, there’s nothing wrong with that. Wanna find the party affiliations of the more outspoken Atheists? If they feel more comfortable in the Democratic Party, that’s okay, too.
Was he pandering? Possibly, but I don’t know. He might really believe what he said or he might not, but it’s clear from the report that the audience thought he was sincere."
My own view is not that DeLay shouldn’t have the right to say such things. Of course he should. But dividing the world and country into two sides at war, and placing Christ on one side, that of the Republicans’, are politically dangerous and morally repugnant gambits. It sickens me to see my own faith abused and purloined in this way. I hope there are some Republicans left who can call this demagoguery and abuse of faith for what it is.
(Photo: Harris County Sheriff’s Office/AFP/Getty.)
The Dish 