Republican Candidate Says “Leftists” Cannot Be Christians
Derrick Van Orden running for open congressional seat against Democratic State Sen. Brad Pfaff.
Derrick Van Orden, a Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, before a rally at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem. Angela Major/WPR
Republican Derrick Van Orden, who is running for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District seat, says “leftists” cannot be Christian. His opponent, former Democratic State Sen. Brad Pfaff, responded by saying Van Orden is “a religious bigot.”
Van Orden’s comments came from a presentation at a prayer breakfast in Sparta last weekend. A recording of the event was provided to media by the Pfaff campaign.
The comments were first reported by the La Crosse Tribune.
A spokesperson for Van Orden’s campaign told Wisconsin Public Radio the “leftist” comments refer to a passage in the Communist Manifesto, which states, “…Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead constituting them on a new basis: it therefor acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.”
In an interview with WPR, Pfaff said he doesn’t buy the explanation from Van Orden’s campaign and called the Republican “a religious bigot.”
“He (Van Orden) uses words like ‘leftist’ and ‘Democrat’ interchangeably. And then he has the audacity to start defining who’s a Christian and who’s not a Christian,” said Pfaff. “Well, I take offense to that, and I take offense to that on behalf of at least 50 percent of the people who live in this district.”
Pfaff called Van Orden “a religious bigot” and “an insurrectionist,” referring to Van Orden’s presence at the U.S. Capitol when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden‘s win.
“Pfaff is the radical here and will say anything for personal political power,” the statement said.
Only two polls have been conducted in the 3rd Congressional District Race. A poll funded by Pfaff’s campaign in August showed him trailing Van Orden by 5 percentage points. Another August poll, funded by the Republican Congressional Leadership Fund political action committee, showed Van Orden ahead by 13 percentage points.
The seat was held for 26 years by former Democratic Congressman Ron Kind, who announced his retirement last year.
Listen to the WPR report here.
Derrick Van Orden tells prayer breakfast attendees ‘leftists’ cannot be Christians was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
As the Republican right tries to move us toward being a Christian nationalist nation, it might be worth recalling why Jesus’ message was so powerful that it has resonated for 2,000 years. That message can be summed up in four words: peace, love, justice and inclusion. Not exactly the message that Mr. Van Orden seems to have in mind.
Quick someone hide this from the Pension Agency of the Presbyterian Church!! If they see this they could send someone to remove the signs on my lawn and the pension funds in my checking account!! Someone needs to provide Mr. Van Orden with a bible. He seems not to have read the prophets or the gospels and their calls for justice and mercy! Peace, TW
History has consistently shown the wars among differing religions for the control of a country. I think that some of the religious right will find themselves being targeted as apostates by other factions who claim to be the “true religion” and being led by “the chosen one”. I think any Catholics who stand by their churches teaching will be the first that will be targeted.
Derrick Van Orden is using a common logical fallacy–the straw man argument. To imply that those opposed to his candidacy are followers of the Communist Manifesto is absurd. The more disturbing implication is his use of a political party as an arbiter of religious belief.
The problem with Van Orden’s definition of Christianity is that does not follow the teachings of Jesus the Christ. Its direction comes from the Old Testament, which in the New Testament Jesus came to replace. The message preached by Jesus and his disciples focus on love (love of neighbor,) generosity, gratitude, and acceptance. Jesus did not divide the world into those included and excluded from the kingdom. Jesus welcomed everyone sinners and saints, though he had a distaste for those who bragged about their righteousness. In fact, Van Orden’s religious beliefs are more in line with the Philistines. Jesus was not particularly fond of the Philistines who were more interested in their public image than other human beings.
These rCons are mostly stupid. Aholes like Van Orden are overwhelmed sociopaths, at once self-loathing and PiOuS. They suck it with their $hitnozzle.