US Senate hopeful James Talarico: All religions have 'same truth' as Christianity

After claiming on a recent podcast that America is “not a Christian nation,” Texas Democratic lawmaker and U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico said all religions contain the "same truth" as Christianity.

In a Jan. 13 interview with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, the 36-year-old Talarico, D-Austin, was asked about comparative religion and whether he believes Christianity “to be more true than other religions.”

Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who is on the campaign trail ahead of his March primary battle with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the U.S. Senate seat long held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, said that while he believes “Christianity points to the truth,” he also believes “other religions of love point to the same truth.”

Comparing religions to languages, Talarico explained, “You and I could sit here and debate what to call this cup, and you could call it a cup in English, you'd call it something else in Spanish and French. But we are all talking about the same reality. I believe Jesus Christ reveals that reality to us, but I also think that other traditions reveal that reality in their own ways with their own symbol structures.”

After claiming to have learned more about Christianity “by learning more about Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism,” Talarico said he views “these beautiful faith traditions as circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos. And that truth is inherently a mystery.”

He shared a story about a former pastor who would compare religious symbols to aspirin, adding, “In order to work, they have to dissolve. ... If you get lost in the symbols, if you get lost in the words, you're missing the reality that we're all trying to describe and talk about.”

Talarico, who has previously voiced support for the LGBT community, also attacked orthodox Christian theology when it comes to traditional marriage and human sexuality. When asked by Klein why “politicized Christianity is so worried about gender and sexuality, and so unconcerned with greed,” Talarico suggested the Bible teaches contradictory principles.

“The Bible is all over the place when it comes to marriage," he claimed. "Paul tells us not to get married, and you certainly see many different kinds of marriages throughout Scripture. The same with gender. Paul says that in Christ, there is neither male nor female, which is pretty woke for the first century.”

Speaking about greed, he added that “religion is being used to control people and accumulate power and wealth for those at the top. This is a tale as old as time, and it is not unique to Christianity.”

The Christian Post reached out to Talarico for comment Wednesday.

Known for taking liberal positions on key theological concepts — such as when he claimed God asked Mary for “consent” before she conceived Jesus, which he said was proof that the Bible sanctions abortion — Talarico said earlier this month that despite the nation's founding documents being based on the “radical teachings of Jesus,” the United States is “not a Christian nation.”

During a Jan. 13 episode of the "Vote Common Good" podcast, Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, explained why he rejects the notion of Christian nationalism, which he described as “an attempt to dominate our neighbors instead of loving them as ourselves.” 

The self-identified Presbyterian cited his faith as the basis for his political views, saying it “recommits [him] to the unfinished project of a multi-racial, multicultural democracy.”

“In this vision, we can all freely love God if we choose to do so, and we can fully love all our neighbors,” Talarico added.