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Scarborough Mocks the Religious Right on “Morning Joe” for Embracing “the Antithesis of Jesus’ Teachings”
The “Morning Joe” team had a discussion about the growing politicization of Christianity among many conservatives after discussing the new Ron DeSantis advertisement that claims God chose a “warrior” to be Florida’s governor.
In his opening remarks, Joe Scarborough said that Jesus’ humility “put him apart from those who ruled over him.” The “Morning Joe” host continued by explaining how charity’s original intent has since been corrupted.
“Charity was viewed as a weakness in the past when you truly looked after someone else and received nothing in return,” Scarborough continued. The Romans “did not grasp all the things that we now have established in our society as indicators of strength – humility, meekness, compassion – all of those things.”
Scarborough drew comparisons between ancient times and the present socio-political climate, particularly within the Republican party, arguing that the Christians’ modest values—rather than violence and fear-mongering—were what ultimately propelled them to revolution and the conquest of Western civilization.
Scarborough quoted Lauren Boebert as saying, “I bring this up because [there is] a Republican [saying], ‘If only Jesus had an AR-15 he wouldn’t have been crucified,’ so missing the entire core purpose of Christianity. “I don’t bring this up to preach; I bring this up to highlight that the basic foundation of this new kind of Christian nationalism is the opposite of what Jesus has taught for two thousand years.”
Trump is reportedly raging over DeSantis’ new video casting himself as a “fighter” made by “God.” That’s funny, but there’s a serious point here: Trump sees DeSantis as a threat precisely because he’s speaking effectively to the Christian Nationalist base:https://t.co/jNFzlmqjKS
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) November 7, 2022
What political message is being conveyed to so many Christians in the US today? David French, a political commentator, remarked, “Fear, rage, fear, wrath. There is even a message today that claims, “Look, many of these fundamental characteristics that the New Testament demands of Christians are for a different period, those don’t work anymore.”
French emphasized his point once more, declaring that the original “Christian virtues” have been corrupted by violence, rage, and even fear. “The message was very clear: Be kind to your enemies. Pray for the people who are pursuing you.
Love your adversaries. kindness, belief, hope, and altruism. These are the messages sent to a people that are under oppression, French said. “A people who underwent an ordeal that we cannot fully comprehend now, yet the message to Christians at this time is one of perpetual terror and rage. And it’s even degenerating into violence, as we witnessed, for instance, on January 6. Here or in the embed above, you can see the entire “Morning Joe” segment.