Jimmy Carter told The American Prospect that he thinks the Christian right really isn’t Christian at all:

And Christ reached out almost exclusively to the poor, suffering, abandoned, deprived — the scorned, the condemned people — including Samaritans and those who were diseased. The alleviation of suffering was a philosophy that was enhanced and emphasized by the life of Christ. Today the ultra-right wing, in both religion and politics, has abandoned that principle of Jesus Christ’s ministry.

He also says that opposes abortion and gay marriage, but doesn’t explain why he is supporting John Kerry.

I also find it curious that Carter has no problem throwing right-wing religious conservatives out of the church, but has no problem embracing Mormons. Seven years ago, Carter blasted Southern Baptist leaders for their efforts to evangelize Mormons. Carter said:

“I think the worst thing that we can do, among the worst things we can do, as believers in Christ, is to spend our time condemning others, who profess faith in Christ and try to have a very narrow definition of who is and who is not an acceptable believer and a child of God.”

So Mormons are Christians but Southern Baptists aren’t, according to Carter.

Meanwhile, Alan Jacobs (more from him here and here) suggests that the idea that President Bush’s evangelical Christianity has an impact on his politics is really a misunderstanding of Bush, fundamentalists, and evangelicals.