[Dan27282]

I'm not a conservative, but this same dilemma bothers me as well. Certain conservative Christian circles like to emphasize 'exemplary' living, as in cleancut, oldest son the star quarterback, daughter the valedictorian, mother the epitome of prudence, and dad the 'pillar of the community'. In other words, anything short of the ideal All-American family isn't good enough. In my own experience as a Christian, I've stuck my neck out in service to homeless people, gang members, drug addicts, and many others lumped in the same category. In fact, I will go as far as to say that these people are my peers, because most of the people I grew up with are now in or were in these very situations, and I came pretty close myself at one time. According to Jerry Falwell, these people are scum, and I don't think Jerry would be too thrilled if I tried to date one of his daughters (assuming he has one close to my age). Jesus said 'whatever you do for the least of these, you do for Me'. In their quest for exemplary, worldly status, and because of their narrow scope, many have forgotten this.

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Name : Dan27282, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student/dishwasher, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Craig]

I often hear conservative Christians talking about 'namby-pamby' religion when refering to tolerance. Rush Limbaugh, for example, prides himself on being Christian, yet mocks President Carter for starting a program for housing the homeless, calling him 'The Carpenter President.' Another conservative host quoted Martin Luther King: 'Love is the strongest weapon,' and added, 'Well, isn't that huggy-kissy sentiment.' Christ said to feed the poor, help those in need, love your enemies, etc. This sounds like the same 'huggy-kissy tree-hugging' ideation that is bemoaned, so I am confused. Can a conservative explain this to me?

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Name : Craig, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 37, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, 

[Augustine23591]

Many politically conservative Christians have their politics and religion 'all rolled up together', so to speak, and lean towards the doctrines that favor their general worldview. I can only speak first-hand from the Catholic perspective. For instance, a conservative Catholic will usually tell you that poor people should just work harder and if people suffer, they must have done something to bring it on themselves. Sometimes not a lot of thinking goes on in conservative circles, just knee-jerk, pre-programmed answers. But in all fairness, not a whole lot of 'thinking outside the box' goes on in either conservative or liberal camps, neither on political issues nor religious ones. Everybody remembers the 'eye for an eye' and 'judge not lest ye be judged' Bible verses, because these conform to human nature anyway; there are other verses (the 'hard sayings'), some of which challenge conservatives and some of which challenge liberals, and they conveniently ignore these. Any Christian needs to read the Bible front to back, word for word. I did.

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Name : Augustine23591, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Porky30243]

You may just be out baiting conservatives, but your question is unfair. Somewhat like asking why all gay people are like RuPaul, or worse yet Jeffrey Dahmer. There are no Christian police to decide who speaks for God and who doesn't. Rush Limbaugh is on the radio to make money, not to promote religion. As long as he says things that entertain his listeners, they'll be there. He's a fat Howard Stern, no more, no less. The radio broadcasters presenting themselves as representative of conservatism are like the TV ministers, just not as successful. And as long as they pander to bigotry, distrust and the other base inclinations of men, they'll be successful.

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Name : Porky30243, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 60+, City : Austin, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Software, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Saxifrage]

I'm a conservative Christian, and I don't understand this either.

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Name : Saxifrage, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 36, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Nick]

I am a Christian and a conservative, and I see no problem with the following: a) not wanting lazy people to get my hard-earned money; b) preemptive strikes on enemies; etc. Yes, we should love our enemies, but that doesn't mean we can't protect ourselves against them (even as we pray for them). Yes, we should feed and help the poor, but if they take our money and go drink with it instead of get a job, then the handouts stop. And as for Dr. King's statements, it's liberals (NOT conservatives) who are distorting his views, with their race-preferential policies. Being a Christian doesn't mean you have to be naive, or a doormat, or a smelly hippy. And Christianity is NOT about 'being nice to everybody' or some such drivel; it is about your relationship to the Messiah. I hope I've cleared up some of your confusion.

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Name : Nick, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : College Station, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Soldier, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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