# Alabama Gov Says Non-Christians Not His Brothers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 19, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227 "2011-01-19T18:19:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/21 "2011-01-19T18:52:11Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > The north is full of assholes and lunatics, we just try to not elect them. That’s fucking hysterical. Really. Yeah, no crazy politicos up there. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/22 "2011-01-19T18:58:43Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > Just to be clear, the Gov did not do this in his inaugural speech, he did it at a church following the inauguration as a private citizen and has every right to do so. Well that does put a bit of the stink-eye on my clever little response. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/23 "2011-01-19T18:59:14Z")
Hey, **sh1bu1** , some friendly advice: 1. First rule of holes. 2. (for next time) Leave out the South-bashing; it rarely leads to any good, and Gov. Bentley provided you with a rich vein of alternative snark you could have mined. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/24 "2011-01-19T18:59:32Z")
> [@](#): > > “Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother,” Bentley said Monday, his inauguration day, according to The Birmingham News. My goodness, that’s gauche. I mean, waving your private religion all around like that - so tacky. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/25 "2011-01-19T18:59:58Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > That’s fucking hysterical. Really. Yeah, no crazy politicos up there. The Governor of the State of Alabama just said, in public, something that quite strongly suggests he does not feel a duty to sderve, as Governor, his constituents who are not Christians. Later given a chance to clarify his remarks, he still did not retract what he said. It’s an absolutely shocking and frightening statement for a person in his position to say. It is so inappropriate that it goes beyond the assumption of stupidity and well into suspicion of villainy. If it results in some people responding with ill-chosen words about the South, then quite frankly you should blame Robert Bentley and the people of the State of Alabama who elected him. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/26 "2011-01-19T19:06:18Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > That’s fucking hysterical. Really. Yeah, no crazy politicos up there. Sorry, you are right. I forgot about Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/27 "2011-01-19T19:06:22Z")
It seems the specific context for the remarks is that he was a white Republican governor of Alabama speaking to a church audience of or including black folks. He may have been simply trying to make the point that, unlike some previous holders of that position, he would not see skin color first or last. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/28 "2011-01-19T19:06:30Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > The north is full of assholes and lunatics, we just try to not elect them. In the future, please try a little harder ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/29 "2011-01-19T19:12:29Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > It seems the specific context for the remarks is that he was a white Republican governor of Alabama speaking to a church audience of or including black folks. He may have been simply trying to make the point that, unlike some previous holders of that position, he would not see skin color first or last. I think the context of the remarks is that he was a Christian talking to bunch of other Christians in a Christian meeting place. I don’t see what race has to do with anything. Or more specifically how one could come to the intrepretaion you have considering … shit, man, that’s just the kind of stuff those whacky Christians say in church no matter how many black folks are there. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/30 "2011-01-19T19:15:25Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > Tell me again why we didn’t just let the Confederates leave. Because you assholes would still be listening to polkas. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/31 "2011-01-19T19:15:58Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s an absolutely shocking […] statement for a person in his position to say. His position is “governor of Alabama.” If any politician was going to be dumb enough to say this in public, that’s exactly who I would expect to say it. Alabama is the state that gave us Roy Moore and Moore’s giant monument [del]to this own ego[/del] of the Ten Commandments. We know plenty of pious politicians think like this, most of them just won’t say it to an audience. The more lenient interpretation is that he’s just talking about his brothers and sisters in Jesus and the bond he has with them, but isn’t that kind of a sanctimonious and un-Christian thing to say? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/32 "2011-01-19T19:18:04Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I don’t see what race has to do with anything. Have you ever been to Alabama? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/33 "2011-01-19T19:19:19Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > Tell me again why we didn’t just let the Confederates leave. We just didn’t but you’re welcome to go at any time. We’d mostly be glad if you did. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/34 "2011-01-19T19:19:30Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Have you ever been to Alabama? I’d love to know what you specifically mean by this. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/35 "2011-01-19T19:22:04Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > In the future, please try a little harder OK, that made me literally laugh out loud. Point well taken. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/36 "2011-01-19T19:25:04Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Have you ever been to Alabama? Yes. But still, why would a Cristian spouting Christian rhetoric to a bunch of Christians in a Christian church lead one to believe, “I think he’s trying to say that he’s not a racist” – like anyone asked in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/37 "2011-01-19T19:25:58Z")
I mean that I don’t see a circumstance in which a white politician in Alabama speaks to a black audience, or vice-versa, in which “race” is not relevant to understanding what is said. FTR, I’m a white Southerner who loves the South. ---
**Author:** ![Cyningablod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cyningablod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyningablod)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/38 "2011-01-19T19:28:12Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > […] Do any elected officials in secular countries believe that _all_ their constituents are their “brothers”? Um, the USA **is** a secular country. Officially, anyway, which is what I think you were referring to. \ ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/39 "2011-01-19T19:29:43Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > I mean that I don’t see a circumstance in which a white politician in Alabama speaks to a black audience, or vice-versa, in which “race” is not relevant to understanding what is said. > > FTR, I’m a white Southerner who loves the South. Fair enough. My misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227/40 "2011-01-19T19:33:13Z")
The irony is that the Governor probably did not mean any ill will. His faith is the most important thing in his life, he thinks those that are not saved are doomed to hell for eternity, and it is his duty to save them from that fate. It’s just the utter cluelessness that some people believe in a different faith than his, or no faith at all, and that while Governor it is not appropriate to divide mankind into who is or is not his brother based on their faith. For those of you who are Christian, is it even consistent with Jesus’ teachings? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gov-says-non-christians-not-his-brothers/568227.md?page=3)