The brochure went on to reference a number of Old Testament passages that gave ancient laws and rules regarding how to deal with slaves, giving daughters as wives (where the young woman apparently had no choice in the matter), selling a daughter as a sex slave, stoning a woman to death that was possibly raped, killing of men, male children, and non-virgin women, etc. You get the picture. The examples were out of historical context, they ignored rules of interpretation (which I reference below) and clearly are a grievous affront to our sense of right and a blight against anything most people would call positive moral values.
The sarcasm in the brochure states that these "values" are "derived from God's Word - The Bible - and must be vigorously defended against liberals who seek to deny their fundamental importance and 100% relevance to the governing of our great nation Under God." The setup was clear as you started to read the inside which began with the statement, "Let's continue to reaffirm these God-given values".
The entire thing is ridiculous. How this person dealt with (and actually many, many people deal with) the ancient history recorded in the Old Testament is terribly wrong. Ignoring scholarship any real study of the Ancient Near East, the ideas expressed in such rhetoric continue to divide people and create conflict between people. Religious bigots and people who practice radical blind faith should be ignored by the average person and unfortunately has to be carefully managed by the law, but such brochures and similar rhetoric are the secular equivalent of religious bigotry and actually continue to do harm.
I am not a Republican, but I strongly believe in and strive to practice values derived from God's Word, the Bible. For example, my values and morals support marriage between one man and one woman for life, as well as loving your family and caring for your children. And even if I differ with your family structure such as two "married" women raising a child - I still support the physical an nurturing care that should be given to a child regardless who gives it. Sure I would differ with such a couple on the fundamental definition of marriage , how children normally should be conceived, and how we subsequently practice marriage (regardless of what is allowed or not allowed by the law), but we are still human beings and can still show care and concern for each other and for each others family. Jesus would differ but still show love and I want to do likewise.
My values derived from biblical principles affirm love, joy, peace and patience. Such values strongly promote both justice and mercy, law and grace in our civil society. Slavery, the sexual abuse of woman, human trafficking, and other such atrocities are not affirmed by an appropriate application of biblical principles. Such brochures attack reason and ignore major principles in biblical exegesis (interpreting contextual fact/what it says) and hermeneutics (interpreting principled theory/application). Following sound guidelines around how to read, interpret and apply the scriptures are essential in not adding to a world that is all too engaged in needless bloodshed, violence, and strife.
