Also brings to mind Robin Williams saying "A man has only enough blood supply to run his brain OR his pecker at the same time - not both". "Tis a very common occurrence.

I guess

I am a Christian and that is one reason I am a liberal.

"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35

"They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33

"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22

"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10

"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

you should add it to a journal - like so

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/hfojvt/167

From John Donne. In defense of the concern for the greater good:

XVII. MEDITATION.


PERCHANCE he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that. The church is Catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that body which is my head too, and ingrafted into that body whereof I am a member. And when she buries a man, that action concerns me: all mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another. As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come, so this bell calls us all; but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness. There was a contention as far as a suit (in which both piety and dignity, religion and estimation, were mingled), which of the religious orders should ring to prayers first in the morning; and it was determined, that they should ring first that rose earliest. If we understand aright the dignity of this bell that tolls for our evening prayer, we would be glad to make it ours by rising early, in that application, that it might be ours as well as his, whose indeed it is. The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth; and though it intermit again, yet from that minute that that occasion wrought upon him, he is united to God. Who casts not up his eye to the sun when it rises? but who takes off his eye from a comet when that breaks out? Who bends not his ear to any bell which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell which is passing a piece of himself out of this world?

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee. Neither can we call this a begging of misery, or a borrowing of misery, as though we were not miserable enough of ourselves, but must fetch in more from the next house, in taking upon us the misery of our neighbours. Truly it were an excusable covetousness if we did, for affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath enough of it. No man hath affliction enough that is not matured and ripened by and made fit for God by that affliction. If a man carry treasure in bullion, or in a wedge of gold, and have none coined into current money, his treasure will not defray him as he travels. Tribulation is treasure in the nature of it, but it is not current money in the use of it, except we get nearer and nearer our home, heaven, by it. Another man may be sick too, and sick to death, and this affliction may lie in his bowels, as gold in a mine, and be of no use to him; but this bell, that tells me of his affliction, digs out and applies that gold to me: if by this consideration of another's danger I take mine own into contemplation, and so secure myself, by making my recourse to my God, who is our only security.

http://www.online-literature.com/donne/409/

He went ballistic.

I said, "Didn't Jesus say some thing about helping the poor?" So, making sure the greatest country in the world covers everyone is Jesus work. But my boyfriend thinks for some reason that he deserves health care, and the poor or unemployed don't.

I really don't get how they twist it all around. It's like, "Me first. Pass the Jesus."

need does his presence in your life satisfy?

Another oldie but goodie line you could try out if you're trying to push his buttons: "I've seen God and she's black."

Yeah. Total chemistry. Gotta have it.

i know there is much of christianity that focus on the new testament. methodist is a safe bet for me if i was going to walk into a church.

and i say the right that uses religion because i know repugs that use religion and no NOTHING about the bible, lol, or go to church

They ignore it though. Like "I come not in peace but with a sword, I come to (set families apart)."

Lots more hateful stuff from Jesus in the NT.

and crippled without charge?

In other words, a very, very conservative Republican family.

But he just fell head over heels for her as soon as he met her at the bingo game (really). Like your lovely woman, she's also just the best sort of person and I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

They just celebrated 5 years of marriage. They've been a terrific influence on each other and are a great match. My dad was a raging alcoholic, an atheist, a liberal, incredibly intellectual. She helped him get sober and find peace in his life. He turned her into a Democrat - at their anniversary party she pulled me aside to tell me she's voting for Obama this year, just don't tell her son.

Good luck to you and your girlfriend! Its always a blessing when you can find love and be loved.

to her son, just for the head-explosion potential

a couple of weeks ago and I tried to talk to him at the bar. Its just a slew of slogans that come out when you try to have a convo - "we've got to start turning this country around!", "we need more righteous souls in government", or the one that makes my teeth hurt "I serve my constituents and they elected me to follow my principles even if it may mean I'm not doing the popular thing".

I'm not even sure he hears anything I say because he knows my dad and I are atheists and solid liberal Dems. When he speaks to my dad about politics he just politely says, "I respectfully and completely disagree. Now excuse me, I have to get my wife some of that cake". Of course I've only met him 3x and he steers pretty well clear of me. Her family is a pretty solid Republican bubble. My dad has spent a much greater amount of time with him and says they never discuss policy when they get together, its only fund raising strategies, nothing more since they are all in agreement about the issues. Very lockstep.

His mom (my stepmother) says the party tells him what to say, what to vote for, and what his positions will be on issues, or he will get no more money or support from them. Its amazing control. I love the snippets I've already gotten just from my glancing encounters with him....

keep her in the Dem column, I suppose

it's just that generally there is more analysis behind them.

I'm sure many conservatives are well-meaning, but they don't often dig any deeper than the oneliner soundbite slogan. So, oftentimes their views are not subjected to reality or logic or diverse sources of information.

about the other's beliefs and if she's even coming around a little bit then it's all good.

not religious, though. he is a good man. works for us. we respect and are respectful to each other. it is doable.

my mom and dad were liberal and conservative. worked for them over 40 yrs.

when you get into extreme religious views, then it doesn't always go well, because often the most religious are in a social system of like-minded people, and to that extent, everything they do outside of work revolves around people with the same values/beliefs. That is the reason why people who are very involved in church/beliefs, live longer because of the social aspect of it. That will be the challenge, oh and raising kids. It's one thing to raise kids if the parents are GOP/DEM, but harder if it's an atheist and catholic or born again. Then it gets sticky.

So that's not really working, but we're happy....

voted kerry and obama and will vote obama again. he is pissed at repugs. has been since iraq. and then knows it was stolen from kerry. he may NEVER vote repug again, lol

seabeyond, The DU resident firebrand feminist, married a....a....Republican???

Okay, this shatters my whole online image of you. No way I could possibly imagine you would ever stand for that.

I can't look at you anymore.

and defining me that fits anothers agenda.

i have been around repug males all my life. was raised by one. alpha brother. it is something when having to actually think outside the box. i get to see all kinds of interesting.... stuff.

but, you can bet my husband and i are mutually respectful, and there is no battle for control and dominance over the other.

why would there be a problem?

he fell in love with me because i was a calif liberal to his texas consevative. secure in his masculinity, he has no need for me to be needy or stroke the ego. that makes all of it really easy and simple.

you say he has voted dem in the last two elections. so it's almost safe to say you converted him. Good job!!

It was probably being around repugs that drew you to liberalism/feminism. Me, I'm the only one from a conservative family that made the intellectual leap. Just happy I made it.

i think at the very core of who i am it is all about balance.

i can remember at the youngest of age, before even having an understanding of racism, sexism and absolutely with homophobia, that any kind of prejudice set me off.

Having such disparate values is not always successful in a long term relationship, because.. well.. those folks usually have families and friends with the same beliefs, and if there is going to be a family in the future, it will be the source of disagreement. Chemicals of attraction can make for strange bedfellows, but it's what life is like after the fairy dust wears off that matters, when you're arguing about why your kids are not going to church with both of you.

I have a relative that decided that her love for a hardcore Catholic guy overrides the fact that she is a pagan. Well.. it's been a nightmare for her, trying to deal with his family who wants the kids baptized in the Church, expects the kids to go to Catholic School, and the husband who now decides that their kids have to go through Catholic Education, and that he will take them to church on his own on Sunday (so the kids can learn why Mom is going to hell for not being Catholic.) It will break them up, soon.

Love is great. but the truth is that there are plenty of people to fall in love with out there. If you guys can find a middle ground and talk about how things will be once the initial physical attraction wanes, or how you'll handle church, holidays, families, etc., that could work. If not... you've found a wonderful chapter in your life to help you get in touch with your more forgiving side. And chances are that you'll probably start going to church with her, and become a born-again Christian eventually... otherwise you may find yourself on the outside quite a bit, as their entire social life revolves around the church. But that's okay, too, as maybe that is what is meant to be.

I had a friend who married a CC...it took about ten years of his right wing views ... She is now a Republican! I knew when she sent me the 90's glamour shots from the mall, I was losing her. Then in 2000 she voted for GWB.

but hopefully she's not holding out for marriage (most Christian conservatives don't). Gotta test drive before you buy.

They put their relationship first. Politics and religion came way down the list. They determined what was most important to them.

It worked and they were happy with each other for a very long time. We lost my dad some years ago.

My mom is a still RW conserv and she'll tell you that when it comes to who you love, this other stuff just isn't that important in the big picture.

I hope you both find a lot of happiness together.

And your open mind and accepting attitude will probably liberalize her over time, without effort on your part.

Love is a wonderful find. Cherish it.

Congrats and good luck!

I know a few "mixed" relationships and very successful ones at that.

Good luck to you and may your love prevail!

Or not. I don't want to tell you what to do.

You've found a mensch. Mazel tov!

it's called marriage.

I have a crush on S.E. Cupp. I'm dead serious.

I hope you wake up from your nightmare before it is too late. I'm glad to see you are male - Christian Fundamentalist ideology is much kinder to males than it is to women and children. I hope you treat your wife and children the way you would like to be treated, instead of having them only treat you as you want to be treated without the reverse.

I don't have much hope for your wife and children, but maybe, just maybe, if they get a liberal, they will be spared for a little while until you go "STRONG CHRISTIAN MALE" on them as the church will no doubt push you to do.

Good luck to both of you and may your future be in Christ as he is, not in Christ as Christian leaders try to convince you he was - and was not by any definition of his words.

and 20 years later he's almost as liberal as I am....

and I pick up on that you are already aware of that.
Your ages might make things easier, if you're older, just don't marry.
If you're younger, keep talking openly and don't marry too quickly. LOL

My Mom was 18, Hitler was still in power, and she was a devout member of the National Socialist party when she met my Dad who detested Hitler, he was 28, and worked against him in the underground. Their first meeting ended in a fight over politics.
They were together for 35 years and (her) views had a complete turnaround slowly and solidly once he began to gently open her eyes to see what was already obvious to him.

Don't rush anything is my best advice.

I would disagree with the conservative viewpoints but there was a logic to it and you could have worthwhile discussions where both of you could learn something.
Your goals were different but both attempted to find what was best and there were some things that we agreed on.

It's difficult to find conservatives with that kind of thinking behind their opinions today.
Most seem to be brainwashed into parroting empty dogma with no actual knowledge behind it.

are reactionaries or worse.

That can cause issues....

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Hey I am sure it paid the bills.

No shit

Professor Kingsfield. Everybody was afraid of him.

She may be infatuated with you now, but she will not love you for who you are unless you change. And she will definitely try to change you. You may also think you can change for her, but you are who and what you are, and that will not change.

The judgmental nature will come out. They do not really accept others. He will have to be "saved" - that's not negotiable for them.

as described by Noam Chomsky in a video post here last night.

Our interactions and conversation were challenging and interesting. He made me stronger and I made him more honest.

I don't know if that's legal in all the states.

it's ok. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Loves_Bernie

Better luck next time..

you can be a conservative, a Christian, and a conservative Christian ...

and not be buttf*ckingly insane ...

Millions of "conservative Christians" aren't ... it's all the total flippin' loonatics which give the rest a bad image.

Kinda like what some of her friends believe all liberals are like ... just because one "liberal" bombed something doesn't mean the all did or will ...

Watch out for 2 Corinthians 6:14 if she is truly an evangelical:

You are the man, she's the woman. Is this a traditional gender role relationship, in line with the conservative christian status quo?

You'll do fine.

Their divorce became final a few months ago. Been pretty tough on the kids.

Hope you have better luck.

Don

Only kidding , congradulations, ain't love grand ?

of course she is

more power to ya.

My late husband was a republican his whole life until he saw Pat Buchanan spewing his hatred at the 1992 Rethug convention. He turned to me and said, "Could you please pick up a voter registration form for me tomorrow? I don't want to be associated with these people anymore." Bear in mind, this was a man who voted for Nixon. Twice. And Reagan, but only once.

Love does make for strange bedfellows, but you'll be surprised at how well it can work. I've always found TRUE Christians tend to lean left...just like Christ. She's probably only conservative because she thinks she has to be. She's probably been hearing it from the pulpit for a while. Just keep reminding her about Matthew (don't know the chapter and verse) separating the sheep from the goats. And of course Christ railed against public prayer during his sermon on the Mount, so I think he would have been against school prayer, too. And do we even have to remind her about his attitude regarding turning the other cheek when wronged?

Go for it, dude. The heart wants what it wants. Take love where you can find it.

There's just no way you can convince me that Jesus wouldn't be a liberal in today's society.

was a conservative Christian, and a better person never walked the earth.

I get quite angry at the DU posts that assume all Christians are moronic evildoers.

I think.

I wish you both happiness.

We as a county must do what you are doing.
We can't continue this rabid hate.
We must find the middle.
We must both find the middle.

I think it might be that magnet thing.

after 27 years he is finally starting to come around and listen to reason. Kind of blows me away. But, he was fine with amnesty for people that were brought to this country before they were 16. He doesn't care that DADT was struck down. And when we talked about the ACA being upheld he was mad until I explained to him it was going to be a great benefit to our children especially our youngest who needs health care to manage asthma. It was really tough getting to this point though and we have broken up numerous times. We are probably together now for the rest of our lives and I think we are going to be ok.

Love is not restricted by ideological boundaries.

She even introduced me to her parents and I thought she might be my girlfriend.

A couple of weeks later I was just another recruit in her bible study group. I was brokenhearted, and never trusted another fundie again! True story.

but both are moderate ones not far right and neither have a religion problem. One doesn't talk politics and the other friend I worry about as her husband kind of bullies her.

My advice if it gets to marriage have a long engagement to be sure. Those are some really big differences.

The things to ask at some point if you get serious is, how will we raise the kids? No religion or religion…those kinds of things can get very sticky. I bet she will want to raise them in sunday school and they will be as influenced as she is about it, if you don't mind your kids being like her than no problem. If you try to force kids to know both sides it could cause a lot of fights down the road….

I know I know…all is sweet and pie now….

I don't necessarily frind them ill-educated or cruel but they are most certainly bigoted. You'll realize that after the fairytale romance shit ends and it always does.

I grew up in the Bible belt, and although I'm not particularly religious (agnostic if not atheist, but pretty much non-theist), there are some Christians -- even very conservative ones -- that I really respect.

They tend not to wear their religion on their sleeve. They are the ones volunteering at the food banks, the clothing shelters, salvation army, etc. They are conservative, tee-totalers, won't work on a Sunday, but they don't try to push their religion on others.

They also love people because they are compassionate, caring people -- even if they disagree, sometimes strongly with lifestyle choices. They don't judge (they believe that's God's job), but rather will work to heal, or care for their fellow human beings.

Its easy when looking from afar to judge people based on soundbites and sterotypes. Its much harder when you get to know them.

I disagree -- sometimes strongly -- with many of these people, and many of them are blowhard parrots. But many are good human beings as well.

RUN AWAY.

Kiss the beer goodbye, and clean up that potty mouth! Your beer money will find its way to the collection plate!

The minute you say I do, you're done! If that works for you, well, mazel tov! Love makes the world go round, and all that...!

My pheromones repel conservatives. Often at a considerable distance. Thank the Goddess!

Seriously, it's like I emanate this awesome natural pest repellent.

You know how, like, garlic and holy water repels vampires in the movies? That's kind of how my pheromones seem to work on conservatives.

Actually, I'm not really sure if it's my pheromones, or simply the fact that I totally genuinely believe in Love, Kindness, and Reason, but whatever it is, something seems to keep the conservatives at bay.

Obviously, all of my LTR's and other lovers have been liberals, mostly radical liberals, even a few communists, and the great majority of them have been women; liberals don't generally worry about being condemned to hell (I would think that must be terribly inhibiting to an honest relationship!) just because we had a few drinks and a night or three of lovemaking...and, like, those morning coffee conversations are rarely strained and/or awkward.

Honestly, what would I have to talk with a RW religious conservative about? What a great film Atlas Shrugged was? How Mitt Romney will make a great Prez? Rush's great show from the day before? Ann Coulter's great new "book"? The righteousness of Pastor Phelps and the mission of the Westboro Baptist Church? Levitican code and why it validates that it is "God's will" that same sex marriage is an abomination? What a smart cookie Sarah Palin is? Discuss whether or not the Pope should canonize Ronald Reagan as a saint? The glory and righteousness of war, guns, god, and money? Why Feminism is bad for families? ?

Conservatives don't seem to think about the same things I think about, on any level; sometimes it almost seems to me like we are somehow intrinsically different types of beings.

So, anyway....I totally cannot imagine how I could ever relate to a RW religious conservative in any type of intimate personal relationship. But that's just me...in all sincerity, I always totally respect, accept, and am happy for, anyone and everyone's choice, of any consenting adult partner who they love.

IMO, all love is beautiful, and is always good, and is always acceptable.



Best wishes, much happiness, and best of luck, to you and your new sweetheart, FATNED.

that most fundamentalist, especially the kind and decent ones, need to hear this one phrase at least a few times. “God can never be honored though the telling of lies.” And then, you have to be willing and able to gently and in a non-beligerent manner correct the misconceptions that they have learned from their ministers and church leaders.

Good luck

Politics is a small piece of someone's life. if all other things work then go with it.