How did we stray so far from the basics?

When you have a baby, part of the excitement is getting to do things for the first time with them. Their first trip to the zoo; their first bite of cake; their first time splashing in the water.

It’s natural to want to show your baby all the things you loved about childhood. For grandparents, they reminisce about all the things they did with their kids. Vintage toys and movies are some of the most fun.

Every so often, I will put on VeggieTales for Eliza. We’ve watched some of my favorites — “Lyle the Kindly Viking,” “King George and the Rubber Ducky,” “Rack, Shack and Benny,” “Are You My Neighbor” and more.

For those who are unfamiliar, VeggieTales is a Christian kids cartoon about Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. It first aired in December 1993 with “Where’s God when I’m S-Scared?” The episodes focus on lessons on morals with direct ties to the Bible.

As I watch more of my old favorites, singing Larry’s Silly Songs by memory, I’m struck by how far we have strayed from the basic principles of the Bible.

The Republican party typically touts itself as the “Christian” party. From wanting the Ten Commandments displayed in schools to citing the Bible in opposition of same-sex marriage, Christians often believe in Republican principles.

But when you look at the basics of what Jesus preached, much of it aligns with Democratic principles.

Let’s start with “Lyle the Kindly Viking.” This story focuses on the importance of sharing your blessings with others. “When we share, we get our share of friends,” Lyle sings to Ottar (Bob) and Sven (Larry).

When I think of sharing, I think of things like sharing our money to help others (taxes). My family is blessed to have money to live comfortably (not lavishly), while others don’t have that luxury.

Believe it or not, I don’t want my taxes lowered. When I hear lower taxes, I wonder what essential program is being cut from the less fortunate. I want my money to pay for library services. I want my money to pay for food for the hungry.

When Jesus fed the hungry, he didn’t ask what they were spending their other money on. He didn’t ask if they were spending money on alcohol and that’s why they were hungry. He just fed them — no questions asked.

In “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie,” Laura and Junior are taught about two important principles: compassion and mercy. “Compassion is when you see that someone needs help and you want to help them,” Pa Grape tells Junior. Later, Larry explains mercy. “Mercy is when you give someone a second chance, even if they don’t deserve it.”

Compassion plays right into sharing — helping someone that needs help. Instead, the Republican ideal is to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” The funny thing is, outside of politics, I know a lot of Republicans who help others in ways they find meaningful. I think of farmers who help an injured or sick farmer finish a harvest. I think of neighbors bringing pie to a new neighbor.

But what about on a larger scale? What about in politics? What about someone who is struggling with addiction? We can use mercy to give them a second chance (even if we think they don’t deserve it) and compassion to help them. Having naloxone (Narcan) available is an example of using both compassion and mercy, principles God would approve of.

We recently watched “Are You My Neighbor?” a story about the towns Flibber-o-Loo and Jibber-de-Lot. In Flibber-o-Loo, people wear a boot on their head. In Jibber-de-Lot, it’s a pot on the noggin. The two towns do not get along because they have differing opinions.

When Larry, a boot-wearer, is bullied and stuck in a hole, he needs help. No one has enough time to help until Junior, a pot-wearer, comes along and decides to put aside his prejudice and help Larry.

The bulk of the episode talks about how our differences aren’t weird, they make us special. When Junior is talking to his dad before bed, they are discussing who to invite to Junior’s birthday party.

Dad Asparagus asks if he is going to invite Fernando, to which Junior says “No, not Fernando. He just moved here, so I don’t know him very well. Besides he talks kind of funny.”

Dad says he doesn’t talk funny, he just talks different because he’s from another country. Wow does this one hit close to home these days.

I think a lot of Christians look to the Bible for their answers, and that can be OK. But instead of asking, “what does the Bible say?” ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”

The Bible says not to do a lot of things that are very commonplace now, like no shellfish, no mixed fabrics, no planting two types of seeds in the same field. But Jesus’s principles and morals transcend time and place.