James Talarico Once Gave an Interesting Invocation Before a Texas Legislative Session

Now that the ballot for the Texas Senate race has been finalized, and Republican Ken Paxton will be facing off against Democrat James Talarico, we’re learning even more about Talarico’s troubling, radical past statements. Not only does Talarico think God is non-binary, that the Bible condones abortion, and that veganism is the way to save the planet, it turns out Talarico was praised for quoting a Communist-adjacent saying in an invocation before a 2021 legislative session.

Redditor on r/GayChristians recounts his favorite prayer from James Talarico. pic.twitter.com/h2077NVYxG

— Reddit Lies (@reddit_lies) May 28, 2026

The post popped up under the subreddit r/GayChristians and here’s what it says (emphasis added):

Holy Mystery: you have so many names. The Torah calls you Creator; the Quran calls you Peace, the Gita calls you Destroyer, the Dharma calls you Truth, and the First Epistle of John calls you perhaps the most beautiful name of all: Love.

You are the strange love uniting all things. The love that drew elements together after that Big Bang, the love that drew life itself from those primordial oceans, the love that drew us all to this exact moment.

The love we were born of, the love we exist in, and the love we will one day return to.

In my faith, you expressed yourself through a barefoot rabbi who embodied your perfect love.  crucified carpenter who gave only two commandments: love God and love neighbor. Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor.

Help us love not just in word, but in action. Help us honor not just the name of Jesus but the way of Jesus.

Help us … free the oppressed, feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the sick, release the prisoner, welcome the stranger, forgive the enemy and, above all, protect your creation.

The word of God is love. Let us not be hearers of your word, but doers of your word — in our families, in our communities, and in this chamber. Not just with prayers but with policies.Not just personal love, but political love. 

Because democracy is not just a constitution, democracy is a covenant.

Holy Mystery, open our minds, open our hearts, open our hands so that we may build a new world in the shell of the old. A world that is more just, more free, more whole, and more in love with you.

Weird how that’s not considered ‘Christian nationalism,’ the Left’s favorite boogeyman.

The phrase ‘build a new world in the shell of the old’ is a term with communist ties.

🚨 VIDEO: Texas state Rep. James Talarico opened a legislative session with a heretic prayer, invoked old Communist-adjacent phrase

h/t @reddit_lies who spotted it on Reddit; I tracked down the original video.

The prayer addresses God as “holy mystery” with “so many names” —… pic.twitter.com/eobF2LLQkU

— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) May 28, 2026

“That phrase has a specific origin. It comes from the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) Preamble, written in 1905. It’s syndicalist labor movement language. Not explicitly Communist – but they wanted to abolish capitalism and the state all the same,” writes DataRepublican.

He ends it:

“IN ALL YOUR MANY NAMES WE PRAY, Amen.”

— Political Sock (@politicalsock) May 29, 2026

That’ll go over well in Texas.

If you want a glimpse of how James Talarico’s politics shape his religion, there are big clues in this prayer.

Talarico repeats something he says often, that Jesus only gave us two commands: To love God and love our neighbor.

This is false. Which Talarico shortly makes… https://t.co/7IlhSe8txv

— Political Sock (@politicalsock) May 29, 2026

Here’s some of what this lengthy reply says:

You see, Talarico does believe that Jesus gave more than two commands. He just only talks about the commands that fit with leftist politics.

Consider some of Jesus’s other teachings. Here, from Mark 7:

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”

Mark 7:21-22 NIV

You will never hear Talarico talk about sexual immorality. (That would be unloving.) Or condemn lewdness like drag queen story hours for kids (unloving!).

And indeed, you will hear Talarico teach ENVY in every political speech.

Well said.

I really don’t like when people use scripture to allow the legal migration into our country. When Christ is talking about love your neighbor, to feed the homeless, heel the sick, who is he talking to? He’s talking to each and every one of us as individuals. That doesn’t mean for… https://t.co/u62GCdelKC

— Chance (AKA Grizzly Way) (@swe_way019880) May 29, 2026

As we learn more about Talarico, he’ll continue to accuse Republicans of taking his remarks out of context, or telling the media he misspoke. But we all have heard what Talarico believes. He’s told us, repeatedly.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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