The latest release from the often-indignant Rep. Mia McLeod:
Must we be hypocrites about everything in this state? I mean…since we wanna wear the “Bible Belt” like a badge of honor, shouldn’t some of our actions reflect it? As we head into the 2014 legislative session one week from today, I pray that our elected leaders will one day practice what they preach.While browsing through countless Christmas cards from my colleagues, complete with Biblical scriptures and picturesque family poses, I was reminded that God can’t be pleased when “the majority” claims to be Christians in one breath and deliberately defies His very essence in the next.
Too many legislative decisions are calculated, self-serving and hypocritical. We wanna separate church and state, but only when it’s politically expedient…pushing God out of our schools, our workplaces, our thoughts/decisions…while hiding behind our self-righteous, self-proclaimed “Christian” labels to push our own destructive political agendas.Think about it…Your lawmakers love to protect fetuses in the womb. Why? Because the gift of life is one of God’s most precious, of course. But there’s nothing Godly about our refusal to assist or help protect that same precious life, once it is manifested outside of the womb. In South Carolina, when the umbilical cord is cut, so is the concern and compassion. Funny how one goes from being God’s chosen to society’s forgotten by simply passing through the birth canal. We love to flaunt our state’s sordid “heritage.” And we’ll fiercely defend that good ole divisive, oppressive and offensive confederate flag at all costs. Now tell me, where is God in all of that, again?
We relish our attention on the national stage. From being #1 in domestic violence homicides to being hailed as one of the most corrupt states in the nation, we’re last (or first at being last) and lovin’ it.
Add to that our newest designation as “most idiotic state” in the country because of one so-called leader’s flagrant dishonor of Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy, and it’s easy to see why we’re the laughing stock of the nation.
And when I receive legislative emails from “Christian” coalitions that spew hatred for others in His name for their own political purposes, I can’t help but wonder what “God” these people serve.
Surely not mine…
We love talking the talk. We just hate walking the walk. And we do our “dirty” work openly, unabashedly,…without flinching, without feeling and without fail.
But my Bible reminds me that “whatever you’ve done unto the least of these… you’ve done unto Me (Him).” So how do we justify denying 300,000 South Carolinians access to healthcare coverage? More proof that in our “great” state, partisan politics trumps “Christianity” not just any day, but every day.
And “you lie!” if you even think we’re interested in accepting or supporting “anything Obama.” It just ain’t happening. No way. No how. Not here. Why? Well…according to Rep. Kris Crawford, it’s not (politically) popular for the Republican Party to even try to work with the black man in the White House.
Yep, that’s good ole pure, unadulterated racism…just one of many “elephants” in the room.
So tell me…where is (your) God in all of that?
Saying we’re Christians is one thing. Behaving like Christians is another. Deliberately disenfranchising voters, denying healthcare, equal educational and economic opportunities to certain South Carolinians, refusing to pass tougher gun laws and failing to protect our state’s most vulnerable are just a few examples of ways in which God’s will has been preempted by power-hungry, good ole politicians who carelessly and callously hide behind His to invoke their own.
Don’t be confused. Our Governor and lawmakers are much more adept at “playing God” than acting Godly.
I believe God is love. And if you ask most of my colleagues, they’ll say they do too. So why are our legislative agendas and priorities saturated with hatred, intolerance and indifference? I’m not a theologian. But even if I weren’t acutely aware of who God is… it wouldn’t take long in the SC Legislature to figure out who He isn’t.
My fervent prayer for the 2014 legislative session and beyond is that the hypocrisy will end and lawmakers will decide to represent all of the people of South Carolina, in word and in deed. If that happens, you’ll soon begin to see more of His will in our legislative decisions and actions and much less of ours.
I know who my God is. The question is…do they?