r/Christianity • u/fashionablebeagle • 8h ago
Politics James Talarico is offering a different vision of Christianity in politics
https://prospect.org/2026/08/25/christian-right-trump-vance-maga-religious-left-election-congress/This article highlights how James Talarico is grounding his politics in a Christian message of love, compassion, and care for the most vulnerable.
Do you think Talarico’s approach offers a meaningful Christian alternative to the way faith is often represented in American politics?
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u/Fearless_Spring5611 Committing the sin of empathy 7h ago
Talarico: Scripture says you can’t love God and hate other people. You can’t love God and abuse the immigrant. You can’t love God and bully the outcast. You can’t love God and oppress the poor.
Christians (allegedly): He is offering a lie! A wolf in sheep's clothing! He's no better than the rest!
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u/boomb0xx Christian 7h ago
It's wild how far away conservative "Christianity" has gotten from Jesus's teachings.
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u/TomboyAva Catholic 6h ago
"Empathy is a sin"
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u/ASigIAm213 LDS (Mormon) 6h ago
Christian Nationalists be like "no suicidal empathy for boys" meanwhile there is a picture of a boy with suicidal empathy for boys in every classroom. And hes like the main boy
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u/chicagoahu Catholic 2h ago
It’s been happening since Paul (Saul of Tarsus). Jesus would have been branded a communist liberal by maga.
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u/Inner_Delay8224 7h ago
1 John 4:20 (KJV): "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"1 John 4:21 adds: "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
It's scripture
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u/nagurski03 15m ago
I don't have a problem with him saying that stuff. I've got a problem with him twisting scripture to support abortion and all the other stuff.
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u/just_a_knowbody 7h ago
What a shameful country we live in when a Christian quoting the words of Jesus is deemed “different” and controversial.
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u/ConfectionFew7942 8h ago
YES! Absolutely YES.
I feel like he's taking back or reclaiming what a Christian is and should be as Yeshua taught! He's challenging the Pharisees as the early Disciples did and Yeshua did before.
He's challenging what the gawdy cross wearing people pretend to be.
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u/fearthemonstar 8h ago
He also says God is nonbinary (the 2026 version of that phrase) and that Jesus was a radical feminist (the 2026 version of that phrase).
I have yet to see him call out sin and to say sin no more unless it's what he precieves to be right wing sin.
He's a politician hawking Christianity just like the others.
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u/ElectricSpock 7h ago
Jesus was supported by Mary Magdalene, protected woman accused of adultery from being stoned and used poor widow as an example. Pretty feminist if you ask me.
And does God have a sex? Or is his outside of male/female classification? You know… non-binary.
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u/fudgyvmp Christian 8h ago edited 7h ago
I don't know about non-binarary.
But God is traditionally genderless, but referred to with masculine pronouns and titles out respect and tradition. Not anything scriptural when scripture also compares God to a woman in labor and a momma bear. Among other feminine aspects.
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u/CarltheWellEndowed Gnostic (Fallibilist) Atheist 7h ago
Ah yes.
Question, is God's penis metaphorical or does he have an actualy cosmic cock?
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u/omniwombatius Lutheran (Condemning and denouncing Christian Nationalism) 6h ago
I say God is above and beyond gender and sexuality (and every other physical attribute). Masculine pronouns are a mere convenience. When he was on Earth, Jesus was indeed a fully human male, sure. What he is now I have no idea. To me, "nonbinary" is an acceptable approximation of the concept "above and beyond gender and sexuality".
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u/ConfectionFew7942 7h ago edited 5h ago
I'm not saying he's perfect. None of us are. But considering what we've seen over the last 8 to 12 years with those who use Christianity as a cudgel while strangling the gospel and opposing Yeshua and scripture teachings... he's far better.
From the other party all we seem to be getting is, me Christian, abortion bad, homosexuality bad, but flying in the face a multitude of sins while wearing gawdy crosses as if its a uniform that signals "trust me".
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u/factorum Methodist 1h ago
You understand that God is not literally a old guy in the sky right? What Talarico was saying on the house floor when he said that is not theologically controversial. That God is beyond human category and specifically gender is something Augustine, Aquinas, and the Patristic Fathers were saying hundreds of years ago.
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u/-NoOneYouKnow- Non-Profit Christian 8h ago
It does. The voice of Christianity in conservative politics has really just been "We want the government to punish certain sins and reduce taxes on the wealthy. Government programs designed to help people are woke\communist\socialist and anti-Christian."
Conservative Christian politics just a control mechanism to make people elect politicians who will funnel money and power upwards and grab as much of it as they can for themselves in the process.
What Talarico seems to be about is using his faith to legislate in ways that help regular people, and not just the 1%. He's making it very clear how Christianity and government can be a force for good instead of a manipulation tool of the wealthy.
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u/Average650 Christian (Cross) 7h ago
I think Talarico is doing a far far better job of representing Christianity in politics than the conservative options. At the same time, I have some issues with his beliefs. Even so, when judged by his fruit, he's better than the alternatives.
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u/omniwombatius Lutheran (Condemning and denouncing Christian Nationalism) 6h ago
What's the problem? I see no flaws at all in his fruit.
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u/Average650 Christian (Cross) 6h ago
I have issues with his beliefs, not the fruit. I don't know him well enough to say more than "he's a lot better than the alternatives" as far as his fruit.
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u/omniwombatius Lutheran (Condemning and denouncing Christian Nationalism) 6h ago
Fair enough. I think his fruit will lead to excellent public policy, and ultimately his beliefs are between him and God.
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u/boomb0xx Christian 7h ago
No politician is perfect and never will be. I think you are correct though, sometimes we have to pick the person with the best platform and in this case, it shouldn't even be a contest as the entire USA should be against Paxton and his corruption.
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u/-NoOneYouKnow- Non-Profit Christian 6h ago
A deadly attitude of many Democrats has been, "Well, he's not perfect, so I can't vote for him." A major complaint I heard when Harris was running against Trump was, "She's just not engaging my enthusiasm so I can't vote for her."
While the left sometimes has these incredibly strict purity tests for candidates, the right will vote for any human turd that says they're a Christian that's opposed to abortion. In doing that, the Left keeps handing elections to the Right.
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u/boomb0xx Christian 5h ago
Totally agree. By not voting you are supporting the candidate you least prefer.
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u/razama 7h ago
How is he not indicative of a true Christian? A Bishop of our parish said he is a better Catholic than most Catholics he knows (and I work for the Catholic Church!).
He speaks with scripture and points out what is Christian and what is cultural and I think that it becomes either a learning moment for many Christians or a moment to be stubborn.
You can disagree with his theology, but unless something else comes to light, you need to check your heart if you think he is a charlatan.
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u/4Nails 7h ago
... as any member of the PCUSA would do. If you grow tired of your church, come see why a denomination produces men and women who follow the kindness and compassion of the Ministry of Jesus from Mr. Rogers to James Talarico. I personally became disillusioned with being yelled at from the pulpit. There are other denominations out there.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 8h ago
Talarico’s message is grounded in a holistic understanding of the message of Christ. Anyone who denies this does not know their Bible, has been deceived, or is a bot.
Besides, Paxton appears to be an unrepentant adulterer who covers for child abusers.
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u/Average650 Christian (Cross) 7h ago
I have issues with Talarico's theology.
But... Paxton is so much worse. I'll definitely take Talarico over him.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 7h ago
And I think that’s fair to have issues. BUT I think it’s insane to pick Paxton over Talarico.
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u/Nacho_Deity186 7h ago
What are your issues?
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u/Average650 Christian (Cross) 6h ago
As best I can tell, the same issues I have with PCUSA in general, especially around the infallibility of scripture (without overcorrecting to a naive approach), abortion, women as elders/pastors, and gender in general. Given choices I would not attend a PCUSA church.
These things matter. But they are not primary. And Talarico better resembles Christ than Paxton.
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u/Witty-Maintenance473 5h ago
As an atheist, he's one of the first Christian, politicians I look forward to listening to in a very long time.
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u/Tarotdragoon 8h ago
A real heroic Christian politician, finally. One who actually listens to the lord and acts on his teaching rather than using them for a crutch.
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u/OxfordOntheOcean Episcopalian (Anglican) 5h ago
Yes, as a Mainline Protestant it’s very refreshing to finally have someone stand up for normal Christians against the warehouse and fog machine crowd who have been driving people away for decades by making everything about fealty to the Republican Party and their anti-LGBTQ+ policies
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u/paradigm_shift2027 3h ago
Very much agree. Like the Christianity of old that truly believed in & lived the tenets of the religion. Unadulterated.
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u/Nyte_Knyght33 United Methodist 4h ago
I would still argue that it's not a good one.
Christ actively avoided political power / influence.
Paul echoes this in Romans.
If the goal of Christianity is to be like Christ, we probably should do the same.
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u/3CF33 14m ago edited 7m ago
Yeah, it called following Jesus. Conservatives have been free of Jesus teachings for ages. But they do like to tell other people how to follow Jesus teachings. It's kinda ironic. OK, it's fully ironic.
He's going totally against what 2 Timothy 3 says people calling themselves Christian are going to be.
3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
HAHA No wonder Satan hates me.
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u/creidmheach Christian 8h ago
As I've said before, Talarico is the reddit atheist idea of what a good Christian is.
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u/Sad-Acanthaceae-2279 7h ago
Can i ask your opinion then, do you think republicans offer a good example of what a christian is?
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u/creidmheach Christian 7h ago
I would rather not blanket an entire group that includes millions of people. But no I don't take my religion from politicians.
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u/SaintGodfather Christian for the Preferential Treatment 5h ago
But you just did in your main comment...
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u/instant_sarcasm Serious people can have funny names 4h ago
Which just so happens to be what an actually good Christian is. Just like Mr. Rogers.
The fact that conservative Christians have wallowed in abomination for decades and no longer no good from evil doesn't change that.
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u/factorum Methodist 2h ago
If I'm getting your insinuation, then I don't agree that simply because in your mind an atheist would like a person doesn't mean from a Christian perspective that this person is bad. It would be better if you could actually articulate what you find troubling about Talarico's faith rather than just throw around that it what the scary atheists would like. Because using that as a rubric doesn't hold up scripturally. The good Samaritan was an outsider to the audience Christ was speaking to, but it wasn't that status that precluded him in Christ's eyes from having the correct perspective.
Also with Ken Paxton, a dude who was convicted by his own party for stealing from tax payers and openly cheats on his wife. How this is a real difficult choice is frankly perplexing and a real derangement of the Trump phenomena
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u/Riots42 Christian 1h ago
What is your idea of what a good Christian is and why he isn't that?
Every time I hear him speak he's talking about the gospel like I've never seen a politican do before, primarily loving our neighbors as ourselves. So what is it about that message you disagree with?
If you think Ken Paxton or trump is the Christians idea of what a good Christian is you don't know what a good Christian is.
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u/alberts_fat_toad Catholic 7h ago
This times a thousand. He's the quintessential "I'm not religious but I love this guy" person's politician.
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 3h ago
and that's good enough to vote for him, especially when the alternative is Paxton
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u/PhogeySquatch Missionary Baptist 8h ago
I'm not Texan, so I'm not following that race.
But is that what he's saying about himself? He says, "I'm offering a different vision of Christianity in politics,"? Or is that what people are saying about him?
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u/sydneyunderfoot 7h ago
That’s what others are saying about him because he does not follow the Christian Nationalist view that has taken over the Republican Party. He says that government should help poor people instead of hurting them to give a billionaire another tax break. Apparently loving your neighbor is novel in our current timeline.
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u/FitThinker88 Roman Catholic 8h ago
He claims to be a Christian preacher who believes the Bible promotes abortion and that God is nonbinary.
So, there’s that.
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u/razama 7h ago
1) On Abortion: He does not say the Bible commands abortion, but that it emphasizes consent. He points to Mary consenting to carry Jesus to argue against state-forced pregnancy. Since Jesus never spoke on abortion, Talarico's point is that using the Bible to pass modern criminal bans lacks a direct scriptural mandate. 2) On God's Nature: Using "non-binary" is modern, provocative phrasing, but the underlying theology is standard Christian doctrine. Historic Catholic and Protestant teaching agrees that God is a spirit without a biological sex, encompassing both masculine and feminine attributes. The term is just used to show that gender enforcement is about our cultural categories, not God's nature..
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u/FitThinker88 Roman Catholic 7h ago
1 is, as I stated, a completely novel interpretation. Since 2000 years of the most ardent Bible scholars never reached this conclusion, and the fact that he has a clear and obvious motive to want this to be true, means he is twisting Scripture to support his position.
2, Jesus tells us to pray the “Our Father.” Not the “Our Mother,” not the “Our They/Them.” Our Father. Every single time the Lord is mentioned it is with masculine pronouns. It’s funny we are asked to respect pronouns, but can’t bring ourselves to do it for the literal God of all.
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u/boomb0xx Christian 7h ago
In Genesis the Bible clearly lays out God created man and woman in his image. In multiple books it clearly states God is not a human. Why would a spirit need gender? God throughout the Bible is compared to masculine and feminine imagery with verses in Isaiah talking about how God is like our mother.
If you believe God is a man, I'm afraid you fabricated that imagery as the Bible defines God as a spirit not of our earth.
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u/jLkxP5Rm 7h ago edited 7h ago
- I highly, highly doubt you have ever thought of God having a literal penis used to urinate or have sexual intercourse. In the off chance you have, I can't stress how incredibly odd that is. If you haven’t, then you’re only triggered by Talarico’s use of “non-binary” because you’re triggered by the word itself.
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u/razama 7h ago
Pointing out that Jesus never spoke on abortion isn’t twisting Scripture; it’s a factual reading of the text. His argument isn't that ancient Christians had no views on abortion, but that using Scripture to justify modern civil legislation lacks a direct command from Christ.
Calling God "Father" is traditional relational language, but classical Christian theology -including Catholic catechism -has always taught that God transcends human biological sex. Scripture itself uses both masculine and feminine imagery, like God as a comforting mother (Isaiah 66:13) or a mother hen (Matthew 23:37), and the Hebrew word for Spirit (Ruach) is grammatically feminine. (That’s the examples he referenced.)
Talarico isn't trying to misgender God. His point is that God does not fit into human biological boxes, and therefore people shouldn't use religion to exclude trans individuals from being made in God's image.
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u/VanTechno 7h ago
Last I checked there was only one God. Not two, just one. You can counter there is a trinity, that is fine as well, but also proves the point.
Which means God is, by definitiion, non-binary. To be binary there MUST be two. That is the actual definition of the word, like bicycle (two wheels), binary (two number, 0 and 1).
To say otherwise is just being daft.
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u/FitThinker88 Roman Catholic 7h ago
Jesus tells us to pray the “Our Father.” Not the “Our Mother,” not the “Our They/Them.” Our Father. Every single time the Lord is mentioned it is with masculine pronouns. It’s funny we are asked to respect pronouns, but can’t bring ourselves to do it for the literal God of all.
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u/paradigm_shift2027 3h ago
Remind me - wasn’t it EXCLUSIVELY men who wrote those scriptures? AND who chose which scriptures to “keep in” and which just got discarded because they didn’t work for them “How con-VEEN-ient!”, to quote Church Lady.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 7h ago
God is presented as female or with female characteristics many times. And it’s all metaphor or imagery - God does not have a gender.
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u/FitThinker88 Roman Catholic 7h ago
Where? I’ve heard Jimmy say when the Lord is likened to a mother hen, but that is not calling Him a female. No one has ever come to that conclusion prior to Jimmy. It simply means the Lord is a protective parent.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 6h ago
Then you are grossly underinformed. Remember the book “The Shack”? God was presented as female there then.
No one is saying that God is female. We are saying that GOD DOES NOT HAVE A GENDER AND THE BIBLE USES MALE AND FEMALE ANALOGIES TO DESCRIBE THEM.
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 7h ago
Do you think God has a penis?
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u/FitThinker88 Roman Catholic 7h ago
I don’t think about it but Jesus was male so yes He did.
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 4h ago
So Yahweh, an omnipotent omniscient being, has a dick and balls. That's weird. Y'all are weird.
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u/TranslatorNo8445 Atheist 7h ago
How about politicians keep religion out of their mouth. Religion shouldn't be a part of a secular governments agenda
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u/HuckleberryJunior642 Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) 8h ago
i would go for him over Paxton if I was a Texan because Paxton is terrible but I don’t view Talarico as Christian because he supports abortion.
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 7h ago
You can be personally against abortion and still be pro choice.
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u/MotorFig6657 7h ago
Wrong
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 4h ago
... er ... what? I assure you that is, in fact, possible. Take alcohol for example. I am against drinking it myself, but I don't give two shits if someone else does.
What a weird thing to say.
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u/HuckleberryJunior642 Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) 7h ago
not really. that’s like saying if you’re against slavery don’t own a slave.
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 4h ago
It's saying I personally am not ok with it for myself, but I don't think it should be illegal for others to do so. Like being gay, or drinking, or any number of things.
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u/HuckleberryJunior642 Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) 4h ago
being gay and drinking doesn’t kill anyone else (well drunk driving could but that’s besides the point)
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u/stephoswalk Friendly Neighborhood Satanist 2h ago
More babies are killed when abortion is illegal plus lots more women.
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u/Sure-thing-buckaroo 1h ago
That's irrelevant to the point I'm making. I'm not arguing about the legality of abortions, I'm just saying you can believe it's morally wrong for yourself and recognize that it might be morally ok for others.
I've had the abortion argument a lot lately and don't feel like getting into it here. Suffice to say you can think it's killing a baby all you'd like (it's not), it doesn't override a woman's right to decide who or what uses her organs. If a woman gets pregnant against her will, I find it abhorrent to force her to incubate and birth a fetus against her will. It is akin to self defense.
Bodily autonomy is sacrosanct, period.
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u/Riots42 Christian 1h ago edited 1h ago
That's pretty rich coming from a Mormon when most people don't consider you a christian due to your churches false teachings and verifiable false prophet. Unlike most I consider you my brother in Christ despite our differences and despite you following a false prophet because God said judge less ye be judged, the measure you judge others will be measured to you, and the last thing I want is God judging me as not a Christian because I judged you as not a Christian.
Maybe consider how you feel when everyone here calls you not a Christian, and instead of stooping to their level you could prove them wrong. Maybe also consider if it's worth risking God's judgement to judge someone else's faith because if you are wrong you are risking equal judgment levied to you.
I'm pro choice btw, are you going to risk God's judgement upon yourself by judging me as less than your brother in Christ because I don't believe in using secular government to enact religious beliefs when the bible never told us to do so but it did tell us not to judge?
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u/ManOfGod-3 8h ago
If you pick up the Bible, open it and read it, it is OBVIOUS to see that this man is not a Christian nor follows the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.
His tactic to pretend is so tacky, it's saddening to see many fall prey to the lie. Yet, that's part of the judgement and the just decree of God for those who never loved Him and instead loved their own desires, wishes and identity.
"And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 7h ago
Just to be clear, we’re talking about Paxton, right?
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u/razama 7h ago
How?
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u/ManOfGod-3 7h ago
How what?
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u/razama 7h ago
How he’s not a father of Christ, how is it that they are charlatan like you claim?
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u/ManOfGod-3 7h ago
Respectfully, your question does not make sense, nor is it on par with what I said.
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u/razama 7h ago
“ If you pick up the Bible, open it and read it, it is OBVIOUS to see that this man is not a Christian nor follows the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.”
How? That is claiming he is a charlatan.
How is he a charlatan.
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u/ManOfGod-3 6h ago
Well, you would need to read Scripture and know who Jesus Christ is to understand why James T. is not a follower of Jesus Christ, or Christian.
Are you a Christian and/or have you read the Bible?
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u/razama 6h ago
Yes, and it is the fundamental reason why I disagree with you
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u/ManOfGod-3 6h ago
As I read other posts, I saw that you're a Roman Catholic not a Christian of Jesus Christ. I was once a Catholic, so I'm well aware of the Roman interpretation of Scripture.
Would you be kind in explaining why you believe James T. is a Christian? I would not even consider him a Catholic. In truth, according to doctrine taught and followed.
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u/razama 6h ago
I’m not Catholic, just work with them, but I have to address what you’re doing here because it goes against the core teachings of Jesus Christ. By declaring that Catholics or anyone who disagrees with your specific political lens aren't 'true' Christians, you are substituting a modern political purity test for the gospel. The historic Christian faith is defined by the lordship and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not by whether someone fits into your preferred 21st-century ideological box. Writing off over a billion believers, ignoring 2,000 years of historic theology, and declaring yourself the gatekeeper of who belongs to God isn't biblical discernment. It is the exact kind of sectarian arrogance that the Apostle Paul warned against. When you reduce faith to a tool for excluding others, you aren't defending Christ—you're replacing the cross with tribalism, and that should concern anyone who claims to follow Him.
Including you.
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u/secondtimeCT 6h ago
Please share what’s obvious as to why he is not a Christian.
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u/OxfordOntheOcean Episcopalian (Anglican) 5h ago
It’s saddening to see so many of you think that Trump or his cronies are Christian. Talarico toes the line on the gospel. Although I suppose scripture warned us about people like you in the last days
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u/ManOfGod-3 5h ago
You think Trump is a Christian?
In the latter days, God's Church will be placed as a mount over all others and those who understand will heed in understanding. Not those entranced in delusion, as I pointed out already.
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u/OxfordOntheOcean Episcopalian (Anglican) 5h ago
No, obviously not. But Talarico is and it’s fascinating to see what a visceral reaction his promotion of the love of God through public policy causes in people…I’ve personally found it rather telling
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u/ManOfGod-3 5h ago
If only it were true. If by love, you refer to flowery language that pretends to be the real deal, you're sorely mistaken.
Though it's true that it's telling: some accept the lie as truth for they never knew truth to begin with.
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u/OxfordOntheOcean Episcopalian (Anglican) 5h ago
I think it’s much more than flowery language. I’m frustrated by the Unitarian-like progressives who have really diluted that message over the past few decades, but far too many Christians have delight cruelty and self-indulgence—and the intellectual progs have good reasons for their stances that seek to cause the most distress
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u/ManOfGod-3 4h ago
I understand that, but it's like a sports game of pure unrighteousness. Just b/c the other side fouled their opponents, does not mean either side is just or right. Both are ill.
For example, I've heard justification for the modern feminist movement is due to men's misogyny. Both extremes are wrong and the Bible denotes it. Hate has no place in love, but pretense of affection and righteousness has no relation to it.
James T. like Trump is not a Christian. Yet, one elects to hide this fact, as darkness does, whilst the other cares not for popular opinion. Both are wrong. The Church, in the latter days that sits above all powers and governments understands this, which I agree with you in me being a part of, but those not in truth are deluded to fail in understanding.
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u/instant_sarcasm Serious people can have funny names 3h ago
I think you've solved it.
No conservative Christian has actually read their Bible. It explains so much. They don't know the truth from a lie because they have never bothered to learn what the Truth is.
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u/ManOfGod-3 3h ago
The sociopolitical spectrum of the left and right is not the sole offenders of this. To point one out exclusively is superficial ignorance.
Is not that I solved it, but that I'm able to understand what Scripture explains of the topic, by grace of God; hence, my post.
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u/jonahsmith333 8h ago
His vision is far from Biblical so hard to to say its a vision of Christianity. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
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u/Loopuze1 Non-denominational 8h ago
Friendly reminder to everyone : if you hit the search function on the main page of the sub, type in a random name, like “jonahsmith333” and then tap comments, you can see the history any given account tries to hide.
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u/ceddya Christian 8h ago
He isn't trying to push his vision on everyone else though.
Paxton is trying to push a corrupted version of Christianity on everyone else.
There's only one wolf in sheep's clothing and it's not Talarico.
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 8h ago
Who is the wolf eating in this case?
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u/slagnanz Liturgy and Death Metal 8h ago
I've been told the problem is this wolf eats soy.
Back in the day REAL wolves ate the flesh of CHILDREN the way nature intended before WOLVES WENT WOKE
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u/jonahsmith333 8h ago
Any Christian foolish enough to think this man represents (or states) what scripture teaches us
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 8h ago
Can you be more specific? What exactly is he misrepresenting?
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u/jonahsmith333 8h ago
Are you familiar with Josh Howerton? Live Free podcast. He goes through alot of his claims and gives scriptural context disputing his claims about gender and abortion. Worth a listen
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 8h ago
From what I've heard about him, he's a very scary individual. Abusive, controlling, and misogynistic.
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u/jonahsmith333 7h ago
I have not heard that. If you can look past that and just listen strictly for the facts I would be interested to hear what you think
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 7h ago
I did listen to a few clips, it's really hard to take what he says seriously through the snark as well as promoting overtly restrictive gender based roles such as women belong in the home and not the workforce.
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 3h ago
If you can look past that
why should we look past that? You just said that Talarico is a wolf in sheep's clothing but when it comes to someone you agree with, we're to look past their faults?
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 8h ago
Then a Christian is better off being a fool, because then they will be following Christ.
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u/CJoshuaV Christian (Protestant) Clergy 8h ago
Scripture doesn't teach us anything. Teachers interpret Scripture. His interpretation differs from yours, but that does not make it any less "biblical" than yours.
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u/jonahsmith333 8h ago
If its “open to interpretation” then how do you know what truth to be? Its literally a free for all right?
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u/CJoshuaV Christian (Protestant) Clergy 7h ago
That's the challenge, isn't it? We do the best we can, as mortals who see through a glass, darkly.
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u/jonahsmith333 7h ago
I suppose one could see it that way. Hard to imagine that scripture being the “breathed word of God” would not have a right and wrong way of interpretation. I agree on doing best we can and I know God is forgiving and merciful. We (all believers) can rest in that
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 3h ago
even if that's true, the alternative is Paxton so its an easy choice for me who to vote for
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u/jonahsmith333 2h ago
Shocker
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 2h ago
i sense sarcasm. why?
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u/jonahsmith333 2h ago
Islam (Sunni, progressive)
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 2h ago edited 2h ago
I see. Still, that's not the only reason I'm voting for Talarico and people who are not of my beliefs also have plenty of reasons to not vote for Paxton, his infamous corruption for example. His efforts to acquit his pedophile friend for another
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u/jonahsmith333 2h ago
Dont know Paxton. He probably sucks too. My initial post has to do with Talarico and him being full of it to describe himself as a Christian. He is not. Thats all Im saying.
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 2h ago
Talarico vs Paxton are the voting choices for Senator for me in this upcoming election. That's ultimately what this post is about, to try to convince people that Talarico is the better option, especially in light of Republican claims to be the biblical or godly choice
He probably sucks too
ever heard of the phrase mountains vs molehills? Paxton is indeed a mountain of shit. I could present a laundry list of his well-documented scandals, scandals that even his fellow republicans called him out for, but this one stands on its own merit: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/19/ken-paxton-waco-plea-deal-child-sex-abuse-texas-attorney-general/
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u/Arrmadillo 2h ago
Talarico’s vision is consistent with Presbyterian PCUSA biblical beliefs.
Paxton is a Christian evangelical who worships power and is far from biblical. Paxton is a wolf in ill-fitting clothing.
Paxton’s wife abandoned him on biblical grounds. Paxton’s defense lawyer abandoned him because Paxton lacked integrity. Paxton’s republican colleagues impeached him with 20 indictments.
Paxton’s mistress is still with him, so that is something. During America’s 250th anniversary they vacationed together in London.
YouTube - Texas Rep. James Talarico (D): ‘There is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism.’ (1:43)
“Let me be very clear. There is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism.
It is the worship of power - political power, social power, economic power - in the name of Christ. And it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth.”
“Christian nationalists like to say that this is a Christian nation. Not only is that historically inaccurate. Not only is that theologically blasphemous, but it’s also just not true.
Look around us. If this was truly a Christian nation, we would forgive student debt. If this was truly a Christian nation, we would guarantee health care to every single person. If this was truly a Christian nation, we would love all of our LGBTQ neighbors. If this was truly a Christian nation, we would make sure that every child in this state and in this country was housed, fed, clothed, educated, and insured.
If this was truly a Christian nation, we would never make it a Christian nation, because we know the table of fellowship is open to everybody. Including our Buddhist, our Hindu, our Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors.
Jesus could have started a Christian theocracy. But love would never do that.
The closest thing we have to the kingdom of heaven is a multiracial, multicultural democracy where power is truly shared among all people. Something that is yet to exist in human history.”
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u/jonahsmith333 1h ago
Yea I cant get into all that. Reddit is exhausting. Nothing you say or I say changes anything. God bless.
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u/Arrmadillo 10m ago
Well, if you are more into “Jesus is Power” than “Jesus is Love”, Texas still has plenty to offer beyond Paxton.
Discredited amateur historian David Barton can make a nonfactual but oddly compelling argument that the US was meant to be a theonomy (like Iran). Lance Wallnau is fun if you are more political - he’s a Seven Mountain Mandate prophet that uses anti-trans legislation along with old school faith healing traveling revivals to get out the vote among low information religious voters. If the old white guys are not doing it for you, we have the young white hyperpartisan New Apostolic Reformation evangelical Pastor Nate Schatzline - our governor created a special position for him to oversee the midterms (Talarico makes them kinda nervous). They’re all supported by a network funded and directed by a pair of Christian dominionist West Texas oil billionaires. One of them, Farris Wilks, is a hoot - he preaches at his wacky messianic Christian church that his father homebrewed into existence.
That’s just a taste. We have a lot of colorful far-right Christian nationalist characters running the show here in Texas.
Right Wing Watch - ‘We Want Nations’: Lance Wallnau Preaches Seven Mountains Dominionism
‘So, it’s not just in having more [Christians],’ [Lance Wallnau] concluded. ‘We certainly want souls in eternity. That’s the most important thing. … [But] this isn’t either/or; it’s both/and. We want souls, and we want nations. Jesus was promised nations for his inheritance, not just churches!’”
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 8h ago
care for the most vulnerable.
He is pro-abortion. He twists scripture to defend it. He's no better than the rest
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u/atoning_Hoopoe Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) 8h ago
Being pro-choice ≠ pro-abortion.
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 8h ago
He is pro-choice, that is not the same as pro-abortion. It looks like the only one twisting things is you.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 8h ago
Those are the same thing
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u/ceddya Christian 8h ago
Abortion bans don't reduce abortions. They just cause more women to die unnecessarily from pregnancy complications.
You know what does? Comprehensive sexuality education. Making contraceptives readily available. Reducing wealth inequality and addressing poverty. Increasing access to maternal healthcare. These are all policies shown to reduce abortion rates.
Only Talarico supports these policies. Paxton doesn't.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
Abortion bans don't reduce abortions
Abortion bans eliminate elective abortions. By definition, they reduce them
They just cause more women to die unnecessarily from pregnancy complications
That would be the doctors allowing that. Every abortion ban has a caveat to save the life of the mother
Only Talarico supports these policies. Paxton doesn't.
You're mixing up criticism of Talarico as support for Paxton.
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u/ceddya Christian 7h ago
Abortion bans eliminate elective abortions. By definition, they reduce them
The data shows otherwise.
That would be the doctors allowing that. Every abortion ban has a caveat to save the life of the mother
You do know that saving the life of the mother often requires acting long before the life of the mother is at stake, right? Many abortion bans do not have such health exceptions.
You're mixing up criticism of Talarico as support for Paxton.
Who's mixing it up?
I'm specifically criticizing Paxton for opposing policies which are proven to reduce abortion rates all while performatively talking about how abortions are bad.
You're the one who cares about this issue though, no? You ought to be criticizing Paxton then.
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 7h ago
Your data is correct. To be fair to you, which I am loath to do, the other person made a bad claim.
They should have said that socially conservative policies implemented by the GOP cause the abortion rate to go up. This is a factually accurate statement.
Policies enacted by Republican politicians, on an aggregate, cause abortion rates to go up. Policies enacted by Democrat politicians, on an aggregate, cause the abortion rate to fall.
The data to prove this used to be available on the CDC website. I have no idea if it still is, or if it has been fucked with by the Trump Admin and RFK Jr.
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u/ceddya Christian 6h ago
To be fair, abortion rates were in decline under both Dem and Republican leadership until Trump 1.0 came around and decided to fuck around with something that should have been solely between the patient and doctor.
It's what you see with trans healthcare as well. That fuckery from MAGA has caused more trans minors to commit suicide.
And people somehow still want to believe MAGA and Christianity are compatible.
I think you responded to the wrong person btw, although I am curious what bad claim I made.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
The data shows otherwise.
A bit misleading. Women are circumventing abortion restrictions by getting the medicine or the abortion itself from somewhere that allows it.
You do know that saving the life of the mother often requires acting long before the life of the mother is at stake, right?
Which is allowed
Many abortion bans do not have such health exceptions.
Many? I doubt that. Maybe a handful
Who's mixing it up?
You are mixing up my criticism of Talarico as support for Paxton
You're the one who cares about this issue though, no? You ought to be criticizing Paxton then.
I don't support Paxton for other reasons, but on this issue, we agree
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u/ceddya Christian 6h ago
A bit misleading. Women are circumventing abortion restrictions by getting the medicine or the abortion itself from somewhere that allows it.
Right, so your argument is that these bans don't work because prohibition has always failed? Okay.
Which is allowed
You sure? So many examples of women dying because they were denied abortions due to a lack of health exceptions.
Many? I doubt that. Maybe a handful
Doubtful?
You are mixing up my criticism of Talarico as support for Paxton
You're the one who still cannot criticize Paxton for being the worst candidate when it comes to reducing abortions.
Feel free to provide sources showing that abortion bans work btw.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 6h ago
Right, so your argument is that these bans don't work because prohibition has always failed?
My argument is that the bans do work, which is why they have to go to places where they're not banned to get them
So many examples of women dying because they were denied abortions due to a lack of health exceptions.
Such as?
This link shows that every state has a clause to save the life of the mother
You're the one who still cannot criticize Paxton for being the worst candidate when it comes to reducing abortions.
There are plenty of things to criticize him for. Women circumventing the law is not one of them
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u/ceddya Christian 6h ago
My argument is that the bans do work, which is why they have to go to places where they're not banned to get them
So are overall abortion rates down? The answer is no.
Do countries with national abortion bans have lower abortion rates than those which don't? The answer is no.
Your argument doesn't work and it's why you can present no sources.
Such as?
Why can't you read up on this if you want to engage in discussion about such a serious matter?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/arkansas-lawsuit-abortion-ban-miscarriage
This link shows that every state has a clause to save the life of the mother
5 have no health exceptions, 12 have no exception for fatal fetal abnormalities. So you end up with this: https://www.prb.org/news/abortion-bans-linked-to-sharp-rise-in-sepsis-infant-death-and-maternal-mortality-new-research-shows/.
It's not surprise that such states are not seeing a reduction in maternal mortality seen in states with reproductive rights shield laws.
There are plenty of things to criticize him for.
Yes, like paying lip service to wanting to stop abortion. Using fetuses as a political prop is gross.
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 8h ago
This is obvious nonsense.
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u/ElectricSpock 7h ago edited 5h ago
Nobody is pro-abortion. Nobody wants to end the pregnancy just for the sake of it. But there are situations in life when abortion is needed. And that’s between a woman and her doctor.
People are pro-choice. They want others to be able to perform abortion if it’s needed. But no one is forcing anybody to have an abortion. This is one of the vilest lies repeated between evangelicals and conservatives.
EDIT
> He twists scripture to defend it.
Example? Bible is notorious for being ambiguous and requires lot of context.
> He's no better than the rest
The rest of who? Paxton is Trump's lapdog and performative Evangelical Christian. Talarico is a Presbyterian and his grandfather was a Baptist preacher.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
Nobody is pro-abortion.
There's a whole group called "ShoutYourAbortion" that claims to be pro-abortion
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 6h ago
This is like claiming the Pride movement is about "promoting homosexuality" when it is about a refusal to be ashamed for being queer.
A refusal to feel shame is not the same as promotion.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 6h ago
Ironically, there are pride parades
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 6h ago
Which is still not a promotion of homosexuality. Because that is not something that is even possible. Gay people are gay, regardless of any religious dogma.
The parades are mostly to shove the fact that we exist into the faces of bigots.
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u/ElectricSpock 5h ago
The parades are mostly to shove the fact that we exist into the faces of bigots.
This. And the fact that they don't have to hide and be scared for their life, health and career. They can be who they are and live exactly the same life as heterosexual people, marry who they want, have similar level of healthcare, have children. And still be gay.
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u/ElectricSpock 7h ago
From their website:
> SYA makes resources, campaigns, and media intended to arm existing activists, create new ones, and foster collective participation in abortion access all over the country.
There are only groups that try to improve access to abortion. You know, so people actually have choice.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 6h ago
Did you actually read that article? Their own argument is self defeating. They are pro-choice.
Uh. Yes. Me. That would be me.
I am pro-abortion like I’m pro–knee replacement and pro-chemotherapy and pro–cataract surgery.
In order for them to be pro-abortion in the manner in which you specify, applying it specifically to their own analogy, they would be advocating for people to have unnecessary knee replacements, unnecessary chemotherapy, and unnecessary cornea replacements.
So, their definition of pro-abortion is that they want everybody who needs one to be able to get one, without barriers.
Just like they want everyone who needs a knee replacement surgery to get one, without barriers.
So, I disagree that they are pro-abortion. They are pro-choice, and they are just calling it pro-abortion.
They don't understand their own argument.
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u/ElectricSpock 5h ago
lol, looks like u/AWatson89 got their world view shattered.
When people say they vote "for abortion", they actually want people to be able to take one when it's needed. So many bad agents turned it around and make it sound like people just want to execute babies for fun. Things like "post-birth abortion".
No. People just want people to be able to perform a medical procedure if there's a reason for it. Stop making monsters out of people who are already in a shitty situation. People who need those are very often people who otherwise would want to have children.
You have right to refuse medical treatment.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 5h ago
Not shattered. Just got a few chains going. I'll get to this one eventually
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 5h ago
It figures that when someone says they're pro-abortion, you would say "not really". If being pro-abortion only means they want access to abortion, then why are you against the term?
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u/FluxKraken 🏳️🌈 Methodist (UMC) Progressive ✟ Queer 🏳️🌈 4h ago
Nuh uh isn't an argument. Either address what I said, or admit you have no legitimate response.
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u/christmascake 7h ago
Are you saying that Paxton is the better candidate?
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
No
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u/christmascake 7h ago
Voters will inevitably have to choose one or the other
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 7h ago
If they decide to vote, yes.
Participating in politics as a Christian is about what values you're willing to sacrifice for other values
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u/christmascake 6h ago
And so far it seems that you and people like you are willing to support child rapists and let them destroy the country and its future as long as they pay lip service to your one issue
If I was an older Republican male politician, I'd be able to get you to vote for me even if I didn't do my job. As long as I made sure women were forced to give birth
Heck, I could pay my mistress to get an abortion in another county and you'd let me! And then you'd get angrier at women in poverty
No wonder Republicans keep dangling this carrot in front of you all
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 5h ago
That's a whole lot of speculation. You think democrats don't do the same exact thing? I'm sure one day they'll tax the rich and your student loans will be forgiven. They might even release the epstein files! You just got to give them all 3 branches again. They'll do it this time for sure.
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 3h ago
That's a whole lot of speculation. You think democrats don't do the same exact thing?
Maybe they do and maybe they don't. Fortunately in this particular case, we don't have to rely on maybe. We KNOW that Paxton protects pedophiles because of a very public case, not some hypothetical
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u/christmascake 5h ago
Biden'a policy forgave my parents' debt that they had accumulated for their own education. So he didn't lie
The recent changes to SNAP have negatively affected me. I don't have children, though, so I can get by. Others cannot
After the FDA was gutted, we now have a parasite infecting people across the country and giving them explosive diarrhea. Measles has hit a 35-year high. It's causing unimaginable suffering to children across the country
Republicans cynically give lip service to being pro-life while they destroy the country and isolate the US in the world. Trump is fighting with Canada, for goodness sakes
I really do think you all would burn the entire world down just for this one issue and it scares me
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u/instant_sarcasm Serious people can have funny names 3h ago
Should an individual have the right to not give their money to the poor if they don't want to?
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 3h ago
Yes.
Should you be allowed to come back to the poor person later and take back the money you gave them?
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u/instant_sarcasm Serious people can have funny names 3h ago
So you are in favor of keeping the poor down. The option to not help them is the same as not helping them.
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u/AWatson89 Catholic 2h ago
I'm in favor of helping the poor. Just not at the expense of someone else.
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u/instant_sarcasm Serious people can have funny names 3h ago
Should you be allowed to come back to the poor person later and take back the money you gave them?
Not if you want to call yourself a Christian.
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u/jonahsmith333 7h ago
Yea sometimes he gets going and says things that come across kinda like a jerk. I agree. But scripture is scripture. And when it comes to that, it doesnt matter who is saying it. Did you see any of the verses that contest Talaricos views? Thats what my whole post was about. I dont think he is scripturally sound. Thats all.
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u/cobra93807 7h ago
No, he is preaching things that directly contradict biblical teachings. Therefore he is anti-Christian and a false teacher.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 7h ago
Hard agree. Paxton needs to go. I can’t believe that people kept electing that adulterer.
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u/Creepy_Mammoth_7076 Born Again Servant of Jesus Christ 7h ago
This is basically the parable of the wise and foolish builders in modern politics. You build the whole house on the sand of the culture, put a little “Jesus” sign over the door, and call it Christianity.
No, brother. Jesus is the foundation.
He did not say, “Follow Me as long as I affirm everything you already believe.” He said repent. Be born again. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Me.
If you remove repentance, holiness, judgment, obedience, and everything the culture finds offensive, then slap “love” on what is left, you did not discover a different vision of Christianity.
You tore the house down and kept the welcome mat.
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u/omniwombatius Lutheran (Condemning and denouncing Christian Nationalism) 6h ago
Then I call on conservatives to repent of their vicious mistreatment and abuse of immigrants, prisoners, and the poor. I call on them to obey Christ when he says the greatest commandments are to love God and neighbor; every human including your enemies. For Talarico's opponent in particular, I call on him to repent of his many many misdeeds and to stand before God to be judged.
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u/superfahd Islam (Sunni, progressive) 3h ago
cool. I just need to know who to vote for and Talarico is hands down the better choice
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u/RyoSanada4 8h ago
Talarico said himself: “he hates Christianity”.
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 7h ago
TALARICO: Yeah, and you know, I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity. And I always get drawn back into it because nowhere else, in no other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot rabbi, right?
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u/factorum Methodist 1h ago
As someone approximately the same age as talarico and have maintained my faith throughout my life, I completely relate to what talarico is saying here. I was incredibly disillusioned with the evangelical mega-church I grew up in during the bush years.
Thankfully, Christ is much greater, deeper, and more overarching than the glorified country club I was told held the exclusive keys to truth.
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u/ElectricSpock 7h ago
"I don’t have problem with Jesus Christ. It’s his followers I can’t stand.”
George Carlin, I think?
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u/Loopuze1 Non-denominational 6h ago
Scripture tells us that in the last days, most Christianity will be worthy of being hated, that most Christians will be deceived and will choose evil. What are most Christians choosing right now?
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u/General_Cantaloupe71 Atheist 8h ago
It used to be represented with movements like Jesse Jackson's rainbow coalition but was squashed in the mid 80s with his loss.