Isaac Bailey of CNN channels my inner soul in his opinion piece for CNN: "America, I apologize for the South's hypocrisy".
I, too, am a Southerner, raised in the Baptist Church in a small, rural town from South Carolina.
When it came time to come down on one side of the political fence or the other, I chose the Democratic Party over the Republican precisely because I felt it best reflected the core values of my spiritual upbringing.
How the false prophets of the Christian Right managed to misappropriate the lessons of the Man who taught love and forgiveness of the other into a political force that stands for everything but remains the philosophical, political and religious conundrum of my life.
Today I read Isaac Bailey's opinion for CNN. He begins with:
"As a native Southerner, I'd like to apologize to the rest of the country. My region repeatedly claims that we place God above all else, but our actions tell a different story, especially when we mix religion, politics and the mistreatment of women and girls. We have politicians who feel no compunction, even, misusing the story of a sacred virgin birth to ignore child molestation."
Then he proceeds to eviscerate Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler who told the Washington Examiner Thursday that:
"Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter...They became parents of Jesus."
This shattering of a Biblical story beyond all recognition to justify child molestation sent shudders down the spines of all of us who spent our childhoods reading and studying the Bible in church and at home. It sent shudders down the spine of Isaac Bailey as well. He goes on:
"I'd like to apologize, America, because we call ourselves brave Christians, but my region of the South possesses political hypocrisy and moral cowardice that knows no bounds."
…
"Political hypocrisy is a bipartisan, nationwide affair. But in our region, it's different and cuts deeper because Southern conservatives wrap themselves in the cloak of Christianity, which is supposed to be a sign that they operate on a higher plane and know when to stand on principle, irrespective of politics."
Roy Moore burst onto the national stage because he championed the 10 Commandments and his insistence it be present on courtyards and in courtrooms across our country.
One of those commandments is, "Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain".
The shallow reading of this commandment is "Don't curse."
The deeper meaning is, "When you speak in the name of the Lord, make sure that what you say reflects the word of God in all its sense and meaning."
I’ve always said: “When you speak in the name of the Lord, you’d better know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Several have spoken out against Ziegler’s and other’s misuse of the Bible to justify Moore’s pedophilia. But I found Isaac Bailey’s piece, spoken as a Southerner to the rest of America, particularly compelling.
Please read what he has to say.