Love God and Love Trump?
October 3, 2018
Share:I RECENTLY HAD a conversation with a family member who said that he “…loved Trump because his 401(k) was doing great.” I cannot express how disappointed I was. I love this person and I know that he sincerely believes that he is a good Christian. I am not sure how he can both love God and love Trump.
YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR - Trump is a man who can be described as a pathological liar. A man who when confronted with facts or even his own words denies, denies, denies. He characterized governmental agencies’ reports as fabricated on January 19, 2017, and then quoted those same agencies to tell us how great he was doing on January 21, 2017 now that he was sworn in as the President. This seems to qualify as “bearing false witness,” and for sure, it does not support the idea that he tells the truth.
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE LONG UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU - Trump supports a man who denies science and protection for the environment to prop up the bottom line. I would remind my relative that we were given the Earth not just to use, but also to protect and steward going forward. The effects of climate change disproportionately affect the poor. They are the most vulnerable to pollution. They have fewer resources to counter the health consequences of pollution. I cannot forget that this is a person and an administration that does not seem to care about the poor. The Republicans have spent the past eight years trying to deprive the poor of affordable health care. Even if the administration and the corporations are not directly affected by climate AT THIS TIME, they will be soon because we share this planet.
YOU SHALL NOT STEAL - I cannot forget one of Trump’s “major accomplishments,” the tax cuts. I use this term very loosely because the vast majority of the population will not see any of the cuts or very little. It is a very old idea that tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations will stimulate growth for everyone. Yet, since these “trickle-down” tax cuts were first tried in the 1920’s and resurrected in the 1980’s (remember Reaganomics), they have always produced a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. It is a theory that has been tried more than once and has only succeeded in taking money from the poor and working class and giving it to the rich. They struggle and the income gap widens. Most economists will tell you that the middle class drives the economy, but the middle class is falling behind.
YOU SHOULD NOT COMMIT ADULTERY - Then there is Trump’s attitude towards women. He seems to view them as somehow being “less,” as only being here for his pleasure and/or service. They are not worthy of acknowledgement if they do not meet his standards of attractiveness. The Bible reveres women. One only need look to the stories of the Bible to see this. There is the sister of Moses who followed him to the house of Pharaoh. There is Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was born without sin so as to be worthy to be his mother. After the resurrection, Jesus revealed himself first to his female disciples. There are many instances where the Bible demonstrates the worth or women. The Bible teaches that women are to be respected and not “grabbed by the pussy.”
I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU WELCOMED ME - It breaks my heart to see immigrant children separated from their parents as a deterrent to immigration. These people are refugees. They are desperate. This practice is a heartless attempt to dissuade them from coming to America. Lest we forget, Jesus was a migrant as he traveled the Holy Land preaching the Good News. He was also a refugee as Joseph gathered his family and fled Herod to Egypt. I do not want this country to be a participant in the next Holocaust.
The Bible tells us many things:
- “The poor will be with you always.”
- “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”
- “They will know who you are by the things that you do.”
- “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
- “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
A GODLY LEADER IS MARKED BY GODLY CHARACTER - Trump has revealed himself as anything other than godly. It is up to us, especially Christians, and I am one, to decide where to go from here. He is obviously not worthy of the highest office in the land. But for me, if the status of my 401(k) is the only criteria for his success, please keep those thirty pieces of silver.
Additional Reading
Refugee Policy Hurts Christians
The Roots of Trump-friendly Evangelism
Congregation Reckons With God, Trump, and Morality
Share: