Teabagger Christians

Most Americans claim to be christian. They want to force everyone else to accept the religion they claim, but all too often they don't understand or follow the teachings of that religion. They pray in public so that others can admire their "piety", even though their savior-prophet instructed them to do it in private. They practice a life of materialism and gathering of riches and possessions, even though their savior-prophet has told them that will keep them from going to heaven. They resent paying taxes and respecting their government, even though their savior-prophet's chosen apostles have told them it is the right thing to do. And they resent helping, or allowing their government to help, the poor and disadvantaged, even though their savior-prophet instructed them to do so and led by example in this regard.

Sometimes I wonder why they even bother to call themselves christian, since they have no intention of following the teachings of their religion. Is it because their friends and family do so? Or is it because they wish to use that religion as a cover to spread their hatred of those who are different (even though they are commanded by their religion to love their neighbor).

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am an atheist. However, I was raised in a fundamentalist christian church, and I attended two christian colleges where I got my B.S. in social sciences with a minor in religion. I know what the Bible says, and I know that most of the people I've met who claimed to be christian do not follow biblical teachings. That's one reason (but not the only one) why I left the religion.

It is the height of hypocrisy to claim belief in a religion, to make a public spectacle of that belief, and yet not follow the teachings of that religion. I believe this is especially true of many, if not most, teabaggers -- who claim christianity, but have disdain and hatred for those who are different, who are of another race or ethnicity or country of origin, who are poor or disadvantaged, or who practice a different religion (or none at all). Frankly, I have atheist friends (not to mention muslim, hindu, and buddhist friends) who act more "christian" than these teabaggers do.

Even this atheist knows it takes more than public prayers and false piety to be a christian.