A Christian voter lashed out at Texas Democrat James Talarico on Wednesday night, shattering his claims that the Bible is silent on abortion and challenging the Senate to reconcile his pro-life stance with the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”
Catholic theology professor Jody Hunter pushed back on Talarico’s theological defense of abortion during a live CNN town hall and asked him to explain why he wouldn’t vote to protect the unborn.
In a rambling response, the left-wing Presbyterian seminarian argued Trans people should have access to abortionpraised the Catholic pope for his consistent anti-abortion stance but acknowledged significant differences in their theological views.
“When it comes to the question of whether abortion should be legal, we may come to different moral and ethical conclusions. It sounds like you and I do come to different conclusions. And that’s okay,” he said.
He has also called abortion a “public health issue” and has repeatedly downplayed the moral issues involved in terminating a pregnancy.
“That’s what makes me crazy about this debate… We use it to beat each other up, right? We treat it as a philosophical debate or a theological debate, when really it’s a public policy issue,” he said.
Then there’s Singer.
“You know, we’re both Christians, and the Bible says nothing about abortion. That means you and I both have to look to different scriptures to come to a conclusion,” Talarico argued.
After Talarico responded, Hunter fought back.
“I just want to add that the Bible is not silent on abortion. There are the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shalt not kill,'” Hunter said, adding, “As Catholics, we find it extremely insulting when it is described that way.”
It wasn’t the only moment the Senate faced him over his unconventional views on Christianity, which many conservative critics consider blasphemous.
Sarah Gardner is a Christian small business owner, direct challenge Talarico expressed doubts about the “concerning things” he said, which she said called into question the “authenticity” of his beliefs. Chief among these are his infamous declaration that “God is non-binary” and his belief that there are six genders.
But Talarico doubled down.
“I’m being provocative when I say that, and I want to admit it and be honest about it, but I don’t think what I’m saying is actually theologically controversial. We can’t define the idea of God in terms of human categories,” he said.
Gardner interjected: “I think we have to be careful about using modern cultural terms when talking about God.”
When asked why he never talks about the gospel message, Talarico said he believes Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” The announcement marked a dramatic about-face for Talarico, who had previously said from the pulpit that Jesus was not the only way to God.
“There are many paths to the divine. The Islamic mystic Rumi said, ‘There is love in every religion, but love has no religion. God is much greater than our human species.'” Talarico Said in Unearthed 2023 Sermon. “God is not a Presbyterian. God is not a Christian. God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a being. God is self. God is love, and that is why Jesus is against anything that stands in the way of love between neighbors, including religion.”
In the same message, he likened evangelism to forcing young children to drink alcohol
Wednesday’s town hall may Only fuel issue In a tight race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, evangelical and Catholic voters are unhappy with the Democratic Party’s liberal views.