Why the Religious Right Just Might Be Wrong

A Liberal Christian Trying to Do Right

Liberal Christians. Is that phrase really the oxymoron that many conservative Christians would have us believe?

I am a liberal Christian who is often frustrated by the "Religious Right." I'm tired and frustrated by the looks of shock, distrust and often disgust when I tell a right-wing Christian that I am a democrat, and a liberal one at that. When and why did liberal become such a dirty word?

Liberals in the United States are often accused of hating our country and incapable of being "true" Christians. Why is it that my Christianity is assumed to be "less than" because I lean to the left politically or that my patriotism is automatically put in to question when admitting I'm a liberal?

Most right-wing, self-proclaiming "Bible-believing" Christians that I've met, can't fathom that my political views are a direct result of my Christianity. When I try to explain my positions they look at me in awe, stunned that I could be making such a claim. "How could any Christian in their right mind think that God isn't anything but a conservative?" Isn't that the message that we are sent? That all "real" Christians, all "true" believers and followers of God and Jesus also agree with the Religious Right? That we all need to guard against the evil liberal, atheistic agenda?

We need more Liberal Christians to Stand Up

There are a lot of Christians in this country, conservative, liberal, and many in between. Yet it seems the primary Christian voice is still that of the Religious Right. There are some vocal "left-wing" Christians out there and thankfully they are gaining more of an audience. There are many others who are speaking up but who aren't identifying themselves as Christian.