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I am appalled and embarrassed, as a Christian believer, that this article could inspire so much misinformation, so much arrogance about what the Bible "says," so few comments displaying thoughtful knowledge, so many wild-eyed claims & predictions, so little regard for accuracy. Paranoia, ignorance and conspiracy theory are alive and well in The Church to its detriment.

Hi David. I don't know much of the details of the health care law that passed, but I too am astonished at the hyped-up fear and paranoia surrounding the bill. I am not a fan of President Obama, and I did not vote for him, and I don't plan to, and that has everything to do with his politics and nothing, I repeat, NOTHING to do with the fear here amongst many Christians that he is a Muslim, the anti-christ, etc etc etc blah blah blah. Time will tell whether the health care law will be good or bad for the American society. There seems to be alot of Christians (and conservatives for that matter) here in America that think that anything Obama (or any democrat) does is bad, and it is the beginning of the end times, the mark of the beast is coming, it's the downfall of America (and by default civilization as we know it because the world centers around America you know), etc. I am aware that the issue is a bit more complicated than the "liberal/democrat bad-republican/conservative good" mindset. However, as Tim stated long ago in a post above...THE SKY IS NOT FALLING.

As a Canadian Christian I read many of these comments with fascination and incredulity. There is such a pervasive paranoia and misinformation about public health care that it is hard to know where to begin. I am in my fifties and nearly my entire life has been lived in our socialized medicine system which was brought into being by a Baptist minister turned politician who saw the suffering of the poor and disenfranchised. I have no doubt he believed in Christ's eternal promise. In the meantime he wanted all Canadians to have access to decent health care. I have a health card in my wallet along with my driver's license, and a number of others. There is no 666 prefix to my number and I am still waiting for the government to suggest that I have some mysterious chip implanted. As a clergyperson for over 30 years I have kept vigil and prayed with many undergoing serious health issues. Not one that I can think of has died because of slow access to medical care. Our system is imperfect and frustrating at times, but the people I know, including my aging mother, thank God for the level of care we receive. Bye the way, Canadians have greater longevity than Americans, a lower infant mortality rate, and score better in most other indicators. And no one goes bankrupt here because they are sick. I hope Americans come to the place where they thank God for what happened last week.

That's where you and I differ, Linda. I don't believe God has any grand plan for this country above or beyond any other country. God doesn't love Americans any more than anyone else. Your rant against healthcare reform being bad because it was put forth by those you consider bad reminded me of the scene in Gone With the Wind in which Melanie took money from the local Madam (yes, that kind) to help the wounded soldiers. Melanie's focus was on what would help the soldiers, not that the woman giving it was less than pure. The healthcare bill may not be perfect, but at least it's something. Maybe you don't know anybody without insurance. I do. These are not slackers, not people who don't work, not people who are lazy, not welfare cheats with multiple children, but people who have been laid off when a business closed or decided they were no longer needed human capitol. Or young people out of college but unable to find a job that includes healthcare. Or people with a full time job that offers a healthcare plan that, if taken, would not allow enough take-home salary to live. So the church can care for the poor, and will continue to do so. However, my church is having trouble affording healthcare for the paid church workers. I can't imagine how we could take on the healthcare costs for even a handful of others who don't have any. I know churches that don't even provide healthcare for their own church workers because it is too costly. So how can we hope to pay for all those others?

I am not going to write a tome here like some have done, although I have lots to say like everyone else. Just this: American Christians in particular and conservatives in general did not deal with the healthcare issue when we had the chance, and we are now suffering the consequences. But many of us are extremely involved in serving the poor and have given our lives to it, so I am tired of hearing liberals, Christians in particular, say the Church doesn't care for the poor. We do have far too many poor people in the US, but this is partly because of the entitlement programs that make it far too easy for people to willingly settle into the "poor" mentality. There is abundance here, but you have to be willing to work and strive to participate in it. I am all in favor of healthcare reform. But not authored by people who are willing to lie to get their way and sneak to get it passed; who base their philosophy on the right to kill millions of unborn babies, fund a lifestyle God calles an abomination and which holds millions of people in bondage, and puts a finite government in the position of making invasive decisions about our personal lives. God help us all...whether the Healthcare Bill becomes law or not. With or without it, we are far from the country I believe God wanted us to be.

I just tried to post and was given a message "You have posted too many messages in a short period of time." I believe you may have a glitch, because I had not posted any items. What I did post was this: I lived in Canada for 7 years and while the health care system is convenient, there are flaws in the system. However, Canada's limits on malpractice liability are significant and necessary. Tort reform in the US is essential to decrease and contain medical costs in this country. While we may pat ourselves on the back for joining other countries in universal health care, we need to be responsible for paying for it also. To saddle our children and their children with debt of this magnitude is irresponsible and tantamount to financial slavery.

I just tried to post and was given a message "You have posted too many messages in a short period of time." I believe you may have a glitch, because I had not posted any items. What I did post was this: I lived in Canada for 7 years and while the health care system is convenient, there are flaws in the system. However, Canada's limits on malpractice liability are significant and necessary. Tort reform in the US is essential to decrease and contain medical costs in this country. While we may pat ourselves on the back for joining other countries in universal health care, we need to be responsible for paying for it also. To saddle our children and their children with debt of this magnitude is irresponsible and tantamount to financial slavery.

What a fascinating article and group of responses. I lived in Canada for 7 years under their single-payer system which has flaws of which many Americans are unaware. A major difference I see between our two countries approaches to universal health care is the method of paying for it and tort reform. I don't believe saddling the next generations with the kind of debt that this administration has chalked up (nearly triple that of the previous administration) and the ACA debts (which are not fixed and still being calculated by the Congressional Budget Office) is responsible or Christian regardless of your politics. In fact I believe it is a kind of fiscal slavery that we are placing our children and their children into if we let this law go forward without modification. It is a shame that many liberals feel uncomfortable in churches which do not share their political beliefs. I have had similar experiences since my husband is a professor and we do not share the liberal values espoused by secular universities and many of his colleagues. I will pray that our political differences will not allow divisions between sisters and brothers in Christ as I hope you will also. Blessings and peace.

I guess healing and access to health care is the devil's idea so it must be opposed at all costs, even if it results in people losing coverage for pre-existing conditions, children not being covered, and seniors not being able to afford the medications that keep them healthy and alive. to me, those actions are the work of the devil. I saw complaints that the bill was not read before bing passed, a talking point, but it has been shown that when people read what is in the bill, they like it more and more than when they just look at the cover. I believe there is a proverb about it being foolish not to hear the entire argument before making a judgment. This is the same type of stuff thrown up in the air when Social Security was formed that was the greatest removal of people from poverty in our history, and the development of medicare that gives coverage to the seniors and disabled, and medicaid which protects the poor (which we will have with us always, someone said). Is it written somewhere in the bible that these things SHOULD NOT be done by the governemt?