The same folks who balk at answering questions like “Who would Jesus abort?” or “Who would Jesus starve to death?” or “To which elderly person would Jesus give the pain pill instead of medical treatment?” have once again mounted their high horse of moral authority and are now asking:
What Would Jesus Cut?
Jim WallisIt used to be very popular for Christians to ask, “What Would Jesus
Do?” They even wore bracelets with the initials “WWJD.” The bracelets
acted as reminders that as Christians, our actions should always reflect
the values and example we see in the life of Jesus. Already, in a first
wave of response to the proposed cuts, thousands of Christians told
their members of Congress that they need to ask themselves, “What Would Jesus Cut?”
They believe, and so do I, that the moral test of any society is how it
treats its poorest and most vulnerable citizens. And that is exactly
what the Bible says, over and over again.I believe that vaccines that save children’s lives; bed nets that
protect them from malaria; and food that keeps their families from
starving are more important to Jesus than tax cuts for the rich; bigger
subsidies for corporations; and more weapons in a world already filled
with conflict. I also believe that tested and effective domestic
programs that clearly help to lift people out of poverty are more reflective of the compassion of Christ than tax and spending policies
that make the super-rich even richer. And I don’t believe, as the
Republicans keep saying, that the best way to help everybody is to keep
helping the super-rich. That’s not smart economics and, as we say in the
evangelical community, it’s not biblical. So many of us in the
faith community are ready to make a moral argument against the proposed
budget cuts to our members of Congress, especially to those who claim
to be people of faith.
Because everyone knows that, above all else, Jesus supported government bureaucracy, wasteful spending, corruption, and an over-reaching nanny state that effectively becomes “God” to the citizens under its control. Whatever.
By the way, while the religious left is currently in a question-asking mode, you might remind them of a question they used to ask a lot during the Bush years: “Who would Jesus bomb?” For some reason, they don’t seem very interested in asking that question these days. I wonder why?
