MSNBC political analyst: Jesus would be called a 'groomer' if he was 'alive today'

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter
MSNBC
MSNBC

If Jesus was walking the Earth today, he'd be ridiculed as a "groomer" and a "socialist," according to MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd, a former presidential campaign adviser to George W. Bush. 

Responding to Republican lawmakers who are raising concerns about public educators circumventing parents to push gender ideology on students, Dowd, who was a guest on “Deadline: White House” with Nicole Wallace, another former Bush adviser, dismissed such concerns, saying, “If Jesus Christ was alive today, he would be called a groomer, he would be called woke, and he would be called a socialist.”

Dowd, who briefly ran for lieutenant governor of Texas as a Democrat, pointed to Christ’s messages of “love one another” and “treating everybody with dignity” as evidence to support his analysis.

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Taking issue with Dowd’s depiction of Jesus Christ as a “groomer,” Tim Graham of the media watchdog NewsBusters added that “the average Christian would elbow Dowd about ‘um, we’re taught that Jesus is alive today. He’s just not walking the streets or appearing on cable TV.’”

Dowd’s remarks followed a discussion about Michigan Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s pushback against Michigan Republican state Sen. Lana Theis’ characterization of her as a “groomer.”

Michigan Advance reported that McMorrow was one of a handful of Democrats in the state Senate who walked out of the chamber last week when Theis gave an invocation lamenting that “our children are under attack.” 

“There are forces that desire things for them other than what their parents would have them see and hear and know. Dear Lord, I pray for Your guidance in this chamber to protect the most vulnerable among us,” she said.

Theis retweeted the Michigan Advance article, warning that “Our children are in danger from progressive indoctrination, putting the rights of the education bureaucracy ahead of the rights of parents.” Theis concluded that “Lansing Democrats are more concerned with virtue signaling than protecting our kids.”

Urban Dictionary defines a “groomer” as “someone who builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.” In recent weeks, the term has been used to refer to those who want to expose young children to sexual content or ideology or talk about sex with them. It has little to do with the concepts of “treating everybody with dignity” and “lov[ing] one another.”

Dowd’s comments on MSNBC Wednesday come as Florida lawmakers continue to face criticism from Walt Disney Co. and LGBT activists for passing "Parental Rights in Education," a law that protects parents' rights and prevents school officials from discussing matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity with students in kindergarten through third grade.

Florida’s law isn't the only example of the state’s rejection of progressive sexual ideology.

The Florida Department of Health has issued guidance on the treatment of gender dysphoria for children and adolescents, pushing back on a “fact sheet” published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that advocates for providing trans-identified youth with “gender-affirming care.”

The guidance, released Wednesday, states that “systematic reviews on hormonal treatment for young people show a trend of low-quality evidence, small sample sizes, and medium to high risk of bias.” It cited a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that found “hormonal treatments for transgender adolescents can achieve their intended physical effects, but evidence regarding their psychosocial and cognitive impact is generally lacking.”

After warning about the “lack of conclusive evidence, and the potential for long-term irreversible effects” that stem from providing minors with “gender-affirming care,” the Florida Department of Health unveiled guidelines for the treatment of youth suffering from gender dysphoria.

Specifically, the guidance states that anyone 18 years old and younger should not be subjected to experimental puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or body mutilating surgeries like an elective mastectomy or genital mutilation. 

“Based on the currently available evidence, ‘encouraging mastectomy, ovariectomy, uterine extirpation, penile disablement, tracheal shave, the prescription of hormones which are out of line with the genetic make-up of the child, or puberty blockers, are all clinical practices which run an unacceptably high risk of doing harm.”

The document encourages parents of children expressing gender confusion to provide “social support” and “seek counseling from a licensed provider.”

Florida is not the only state to express concern about the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors. Arizona and Arkansas have passed laws banning minors from obtaining such experimental drugs. 

Earlier this year, Alabama enacted a law banning genital mutilation of children as well as the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and trans ideology to elementary school students. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has characterized gender transition surgeries for minors as a form of child abuse, and the state’s Attorney General issued an opinion categorizing the procedures as child abuse.

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com

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