"The increasingly interchangeable old Religious Left and somewhat newer Evangelical Left seem delusional in their adamant defense of endlessly expanding Big Government." -- Mark Tooley, IRD President

Contact: Jeff Walton, Institute on Religion and Democracy, 202-682-4131, 202-413-5639 cell, jwalton@TheIRD.org

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- As the United States struggles with ongoing trillion-dollar deficits and government spending consuming ever larger shares of the national wealth, Mainline Protestant and Evangelical Left groups are denouncing Republican budget proposals as counter to the Kingdom of God. The liberal church groups refer to the changes as cuts, while conservatives note that they are typically reductions in rates of spending growth after a period of rapid increases. Religious leftists reject these reductions as violating scriptural commands to care for the poor.

Jim Wallis of Sojourners has condemned the Republican proposals as "immoral," "unbiblical," and "vile." Wallis, who last fall championed the importance of civility in political discourse, denied that he was being partisan in these latest denunciations.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:
 

"These statist religious voices seem to see only defense spending, which is about 20 percent of the federal budget, as worthy of cuts. They also demonize tax 'cuts,' even if that just means not raising taxes. They portray the remaining 80 percent of the budget as almost sacrosanct, as if it were all devoted to serving the poor and needy. Nor do they ask whether all the programs ostensibly serving the poor are actually effective in doing so.

"The increasingly interchangeable old Religious Left and somewhat newer Evangelical Left seem delusional in their adamant defense of endlessly expanding Big Government, even in the face of almost perpetual trillion-dollar deficits. They do not offer a realistic alternative. They do not contribute to a healthy political debate when they fling imprecations such as 'immoral' and 'vile' at their political opponents. Nor are they credible in their claims to non-partisanship.

"Much of the Religious and Evangelical Left is pacifist and not only wants military cuts, but would be happy to see the military eliminated. But even a completely disarmed America would still have a trillion-dollar deficit. All Americans would suffer, especially the poor and needy, if this mounting debt and unlimited government expansion stifles economic growth and opportunity.

"The vast majority of religious Americans and their lawmakers almost certainly will ignore the fantastical political demands of the Religious and Evangelical Left."

 
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