Days ago, Trump made the wrong kind of headlines - yes, again - when he made sure that peaceful protesters were teargassed in order to make way for a photo opportunity for Trump. Infamously, Trump walked to the St. John's Church in Washington (an Episcopalian Church) and stood in front of it for the cameras while holding a Bible.
Since then, he has been absolutely blasted, and for numerous reasons.
First of all, the idea of a peaceful crowd of protesters practicing their constitutional rights being basically violently forced out of the way so that this man, who hardly any truly spiritual person could view as a truly spiritual person, could get a photo op, is disgusting.
Of course, so-called Evangelical Christians claim that Trump is a very good president, and a very good Christian.
Really?
When asked to name his favorite part of the Bible some years ago, while still a candidate, he just said "all of it." That is an answer that a kid might say, while thinking that he was getting away with something, or fooling everyone with such an answer, when in fact, he was fooling no one. In this case, Trump fooled no one except those who were all too willing to fool themselves.
Frankly, the notion that Trump has ever seriously opened the Bible to try and obtain wisdom or improve himself or examine himself with an ounce of humility is so difficult to imagine, as to be impossible. After all, the Bible is supposed to guide human behavior with some wisdom, and Trump has always seemed decidedly lacking in wisdom.
I mean, seriously, what part of his conduct, either before his ridiculous presidency, or since he took the oath, has reflected the values that Jesus championed?
Thou Shalt Not Kill?
This is a man who does not value lives at all, other than his own. He has threatened to wipe out to different nations off the map. He has shown no remorse towards the now over 100,000 Americans who died because of the coronavirus, which his slow and polarizing actions contributed to.
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone?
Has Trump ever hesitated, even for a moment, before lashing out at people? Has he ever shown even the slightest inclination to examine himself before going on the attack. Does he strike you as someone who pauses for so much as a second to think about whether he is guilty of what he is attacking others for, or of any even half-hearted attempt at self-examination? I just do not see any example of this from this infamously shallow man. And he has conceded to being shallow. Even by his own admission, he worries about how he looks physically, when contemplating wearing a mask, even if he should lead by example as a symbol of what Americans should be wearing in order to contain the coronavirus.
Love thy neighbour?
Trump, loving anyone but himself? Trump urging Americans to love one another, regardless of skin color or differences? Make me laugh. This man has immigrants in cages in the desert. He has dismissed millions upon millions of people from what he derisively referred to as “shithole nations.” Trump is the most polarizing political figure by design. He thrives on hate, and tries to get his supporters to hate other people. That is as far removed from love as you can get.
Love thy enemies, or turn the other cheek?
Give me a break. Again, the notion that Trump embodies those kinds of values is frankly laughable. Trump never lets even one opportunity pass to try and lash out at any high profile individual who dares to criticize him or his policies. Whether it is with idiotic public statements, or his ridiculous, mean-spirited, petty tweets, Trump makes a habit of attacking anyone and everyone who displeases him in the least.
Forgiveness?
This is a man who continued to attack a political opponent even after that opponent died (John McCain). He might be willing to make deals with political adversaries or enemies, but again, only if it is self-serving.
Quite frankly, you would be hard-pressed to illustrate any examples of behavior that Jesus would condone when examining Trump. Closer to the truth, frankly, is that Trump's behavior and MAGAlomania is precisely the kind of behavior that Jesus warned against.
Secondly, it is against the law. Again, they were protesting peacefully, and not posing Trump any serious threat. They exercised their right to gather and voice their dissension. In response, just like a dictator or an emperor or a king might do, Trump had them violently cast aside so that he could walk for his photo op at the church.
Finally, religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, are stating outright that the Bible is not meant to be used as some kind of a prop. Trump holding up the Bible in front of a boarded up church near the White House - a church he does not and has never regularly attended - is a shameless fraud, devoid of any real meaning. Another way to put that is that it is just yet another con from the man who may arguably be the greatest scam artist in history. That is his true talent, trying to con others into believing that he is much more than he actually is.
Trump is not a man of God, or a good Christian. He does not embody the best values, or even make a small attempt at being a better man than he is. No, Trump actively takes pride in his horrific behavior, and only uses the Bible, or Christianity more generally, if and when it suits his purposes. As for the contents held within the Bible, the wisdom meant to guide human beings to find some humility and try to be a truly better person?
Does Trump strike you as representing serious Christian values?
Fortunately, though, the hypocrisy of his actions were recognized for what they were. Again, the only people fooled are those who put on blinders and want to fool themselves. They want to believe that he is a good Christian, and so they go ahead and allow themselves to believe it, using these symbolic gestures as somehow being the substance for their self-deceit.
James Miller Jr., who served as the US undersecretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, and was currently a Department of Defense adviser, has resigned his post after this latest Trump action. The country is watching itself being torn apart, and we have the most polarizing man in the highest office, using every opportunity still to advance his own best interests. This is not leadership, and this is not wisdom or serious religious values. It is the opposite of all of those, and I applaud Miller's integrity in stepping down from a high post in protest to Trump's cynical opportunism.
Here are links to two articles used in writing this blog entry:
'The Bible is not a prop': Religious leaders, lawmakers outraged over Trump church visit NBC News REBECCA SHABAD AND GEOFF BENNETT AND MONICA ALBA AND SHANNON PETTYPIECE Jun 2nd 2020 7:51AM:
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/06/02/the-bible-is-not-a-prop-religious-leaders-lawmakers-outraged-over-trump-church-visit/24507266/?fbclid=IwAR0tk4oIMTvkzYGHMbDuEo3ZCI-uuFCiUiDM-1I5W6UUJD4zYDcejYcmsaU
'I wish you the best': US military adviser resigns after Trump's controversial photo op at church David Choi 10 hours ago
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-adviser-resigns-after-trump-photo-op-at-church-2020-6?fbclid=IwAR2eRsQ6Byo3qM6yvvREJPRXe9l-pDRh2ruOIx-QO5GzZg4QXlv9q1eCNyE
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