Sign The Petition

From Sojourners:

A Christian Creed on Health-Care Reform

As one of God's children, I believe that protecting the health of each human being is a profoundly important personal and communal responsibility for people of faith.

I believe God created each person in the divine image to be spiritually and physically healthy. I feel the pain of sickness and disease in our broken world (Genesis 1:27, Romans 8:22).

I believe life and healing are core tenets of the Christian life. Christ's ministry included physical healing, and we are called to participate in God's new creation as instruments of healing and redemption (Matthew 4:23, Luke 9:1-6; Mark 7:32-35, Acts 10:38). Our nation should strive to ensure all people have access to life-giving treatments and care.

I believe, as taught by the Hebrew prophets and Jesus, that the measure of a society is seen in how it treats the most vulnerable. The current discussion about health-care reform is important for the United States to move toward a more just system of providing care to all people (Isaiah 1:16-17, Jeremiah 7:5-7, Matthew 25:31-45).

I believe that all people have a moral obligation to tell the truth. To serve the common good of our entire nation, all parties debating reform should tell the truth and refrain from distorting facts or using fear-based messaging (Leviticus 19:11; Ephesians 4:14-15, 25; Proverbs 6:16-19).

I believe that Christians should seek to bring health and well-being (shalom) to the society into which God has placed us, for a healthy society benefits all members (Jeremiah 29:7).

I believe in a time when all will live long and healthy lives, from infancy to old age (Isaiah 65:20), and "mourning and crying and pain will be no more" (Revelation 21:4). My heart breaks for my brothers and sisters who watch their loved ones suffer, or who suffer themselves, because they cannot afford a trip to the doctor. I stand with them in their suffering.

I believe health-care reform must rest on a foundation of values that affirm each and every life as a sacred gift from the Creator (Genesis 2:7).

Amen.
Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]

Sign the petition here. It's the least you can do.

Sunday, as we were eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby, a pentecostal preacher of our acquaintance stopped by our table to greet us and asked us if we were for Obamacare. I knew where he was coming from, so I quickly said, "Yes, I am." (with my fingers crossed, because I want much more than Obama seems willing to give us) Then, he said, "I'm going on Medicare next month." I asked, "Are you aware that Medicare is a federal program?" (one can't be sure these days) He said he was. The dissonance! The dissonance!

Anyone want to bet that the preacher is not actually preaching against Obamacare?

After the preacher left us, Grandpère wanted to know what Obamacare was. He doesn't know the code words and was mystified by the question, so I had to explain. Before we left the restaurant, we went over to the preacher's table, which included a rather large party of his wife, his son and daughter-in-law, and his assistant minister and his family, and I asked him, "Where is your sangría?" Take that!

H/T to Fr. Jake.