Rand Paul makes religious case for foreign restraint

[jct74]

Rand Paul makes religious case for foreign restraint

By KATIE GLUECK | 6/20/14 12:21 PM EDT

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Friday made a religiously minded case against an overly assertive foreign policy as he criticized some fellow Republicans for being too aggressive on defense issues.

Paul, a libertarian-leaning likely presidential candidate, told attendees at a conference sponsored by the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition that “Jesus reminds us what our goal should be when he proclaims, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.’”

The theme was similar to the one Paul offered at the gathering last year, but the remarks also come as Paul has been increasingly vocal about his skepticism of overt American action in Iraq amid deepening conflict there.

“Reagan spoke often of peace through strength,” Paul said, invoking the former president, as he often does, in discussing his own foreign policy preferences. “But I fear some in our nation, some in our party, have forgotten the first part of the sentence: That peace should be our goal even as we build our strength. Some in my party have distorted this … into a misguided belief that we should project strength through war. Even when we’ve tried through good intentions to make the world a better place, our actions have often backfired.”

He referred to instability in the Middle East — in Iraq, Syria and with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip — to argue against foreign aid to any governments that persecute Christians or threaten Israel.

“There’s a war on Christianity going on, and sometimes you’re being asked to pay for it,” he said, adding later, “It’s time to stop this madness.”

...

read more:
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/...olicy-faith-and-freedom-coalition-108125.html

 

[jct74]

Rand Paul: U.S. foreign policy hurting Christians worldwide

By Seth McLaughlin
Friday, June 20, 2014

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Friday that some Republicans are too eager to use the nation’s military might abroad without thinking through the unintended consequences of those actions.

Mr. Paul said the GOP must rethink its approach to foreign policy because of the negative blow back against Christians worldwide, pointing out that after the United States helped prop up the Shiite-led government of Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki that 225,000 Iraqi Christians fled in fear and many of settled in Syria, which is now embroiled in a bloody civil war.

“[President] Reagan spoke often of peace through strength,” Mr. Paul said at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority” conference in Washington. “I fear that some in our nation and some in our party have forgotten the first part of the sentence — that peace should be our goal, even as we build our strength.”

“Some in our party have distorted this belief of peace through strength into a misguided belief that we should should protect strength through war,” Mr. Paul said. “Even when we have tried through good intentions to make the world a better place, our actions have often backfired.”

...

read more:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/20/sen-rand-paul-us-foreign-policy-hurting-christians/

 

[Vanguard101]

Rand might even get booed for saying this

 

[alucard13mm]

Christian just war theory! Golden rule!

 

[jllundqu]

Nonsense! We must kill more brown people in other 'stan-countries to ensure our survival! Manifest Destiny! Exceptional Nation! 'MURICAAAAAAAA!!!!

 

[cajuncocoa]

I wish everyone would stop the "war on Christianity" rhetoric. Other than that, great points.

 

[Vanguard101]

 

[Todd]

Rand might even get booed for saying this

Maybe. I get what yer saying but I disagree and here is why. I come from a place of experience with this...as I have two inlaws who are deeply rooted in those that supported the Bush era war in Iraq. Strong Christian right ties, and thought Bush could do no wrong.

Right now...many in the Christian right absolutely hates Obama. Nothing he does is defensible. Some of those Christians ears are open to hearing this message and Rand is using that to garner support. Rand is reaching out to them reminding them of the truths they forgot or ignored under Bush. If this works then Rand is a "Master". Obama is the greatest thing to happen for the cause of liberty in my lifetime. It would be difficult to write a better script for bringing the cause of liberty to the forefront than Barack Hussein Obama.

 

[Lucille]

The comments from both "left" and "right" on both sites are so depressing. Boobus sure does deserve to get it good and hard.

Bush destroyed the Republican party with his preemptive, endless wars doctrine.

 

[JK/SEA]

meh...another false flag event will put a stop to all this talk about peace.....

 

[cajuncocoa]

The comments from both "left" and "right" on both sites are so depressing. Boobus sure does deserve to get it good and hard.

More evidence that there's no difference between 'em.

 

[Lucille]

Rand is featured over on Neo-Trot Central's Quotes of the Day:

Peace through strength.

hxxp://hotair.com/archives/2014/06/20/quotes-of-the-day-1766/

The quotes are practically all Rand.

 

[ONUV]

 

[satchelmcqueen]

i 100% agree.

I wish everyone would stop the "war on Christianity" rhetoric. Other than that, great points.

 

[Crashland]

I wish everyone would stop the "war on Christianity" rhetoric. Other than that, great points.

Agree.

In the sense of radical Islam, the "war on Christianity" is a misnomer because they will just as quickly behead you for being an atheist than if you are a Christian.

And in the domestic culture war sense, the "war on Christianity" is just the term Christians like to use when people rightly object to the government catering to Christians or promoting Christian ideas, and not also catering to or promoting other religions or non-religion. For some reason, denying special treatment for Christianity is equivalent to waging a war on Christianity.

 

[LibertyEagle]

Agree.

In the sense of radical Islam, the "war on Christianity" is a misnomer because they will just as quickly behead you for being an atheist than if you are a Christian.

And in the domestic culture war sense, the "war on Christianity" is just the term Christians like to use when people rightly object to the government catering to Christians or promoting Christian ideas, and not also catering to or promoting other religions or non-religion. For some reason, denying special treatment for Christianity is equivalent to waging a war on Christianity.

I hate to tell ya, but the U.S. was founded on Christian principles. Try reading the Federalist Papers.

 

[Crashland]

I hate to tell ya, but the U.S. was founded on Christian principles. Try reading the Federalist Papers.

Which "Christian principles" are you referring to? Freedom, Human rights, Morality, Redemption? Just because many of the founders used a Christian (or Deist) justification for their principles does not make those principles uniquely Christian. Christianity does not own them. The founders could have just as easily been Hindu, with the Federalist papers filled with Hinduism, yet producing the same Constitution -- and it would be just as fallacious to claim that the US was "founded on Hindu principles".

 

[twomp]

He will be our next president.

 

[Tywysog Cymru]

 

[asurfaholic]

Which "Christian principles" are you referring to? Freedom, Human rights, Morality, Redemption? Just because many of the founders used a Christian (or Deist) justification for their principles does not make those principles uniquely Christian. Christianity does not own them. The founders could have just as easily been Hindu, with the Federalist papers filled with Hinduism, yet producing the same Constitution -- and it would be just as fallacious to claim that the US was "founded on Hindu principles".

I don't believe morality is limited to Christians but i do believe that God is the creator of all things, and with that comes the fact God existed before morals did. So while some might live good lives and all, they will perish in death because they have not accepted God, who created the morals.

Not saying that non-believers are "bad" but I do think that Christ has the ultimate monopoly on morality.