title:  Virginia Republican Says Conservatives Own Christianity In Attack On Obama For Citing Bible (AUDIO)
text: A House Tea Party Republican declared that conservatives own Christianity during an attack against President Obama.In his moral defense of granting asylum to thousands of Syrian refugees, President Obama cited the Bible in November to counter anti-refugee conservatives. Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger  - we were strangers once, too,  Obama said. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too. And whether our forebears were strangers who crossed the Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only because this country welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about something more than what we look like, or what our last names are, or how we worship. Indeed, the Bible commands Christians to love foreigners and treat them with respect and compassion. Deuteronomy 10:19 states:And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.And Leviticus 19:34 states:The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.The verse President Obama referenced is Exodus 23:9, which states,You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.As we all know, Republicans are constantly claiming that America is a Christian nation and that we must adhere to Christian values. So if that is the case, you would think Republicans would jump to support President Obama and his effort to help refugees who are fleeing war and death in their homeland.But they aren t. In fact, they not only oppose President Obama, they are attacking him for using the Bible against them.During an interview with American Family Radio host Sandy Rios on Monday, Virginia Rep. David Brat argued that President Obama can t use the Bible to hit back at conservatives because he says the right-wing owns Christianity, and must indoctrinate people to make sure they are brainwashed to believe that conservatives have a monopoly on Christian values. Our side, the conservative side, needs to reeducate its people that we own the entire tradition. If you lose the moral argument, you lose the policy argument every time, so we need to reclaim the moral argument, where we re so strong. He also claimed that President Obama is using the Bible to build federal power. He s using the Christian tradition and trying to bring about compassion by bonking Republicans over the head with the Bible. It s almost a comedy routine on what compassion and love is. He s mocking his enemies in order to compel a larger federal state using the tradition of love. Here s the audio via Right Wing Watch.So David Brat believes that Republicans alone own Christianity and have the only right to use the Bible to push their political agenda. Of course, he is assuming that only Republicans are Christians, which is complete bullshit.Brat and his fellow conservatives are just pissed that President Obama used the Bible to reveal them as complete hypocrites. If Republicans really gave a damn about what the Bible said, they d be pushing for universal healthcare, a stronger food stamp program and would welcome refugees with open arms. But they don t, thereby proving that they are nothing more than opportunistic cherry-pickers who abuse religion for their own gain.Featured Image: Wikimedia 