These are the words of President Donald J Trump regarding the passing on Saturday of James Mueller, revered former head of the FBI and a Trump adversary. This morning (Monday) I have been searching the web to see what the response has been from clergy and church leaders and looking for mention of it in The Washington Post and The New York Times. I would hope many Chrisitan leaders would weigh in informing Trump that one of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is not to delight in the death of someone you don’t like.
Many of Trump’s MAGA supporters we are told believe Trump is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and our first “truly Christian president.” For the life of me I am not able to understand this. Good heavens, the dude does not even regularly attend church. And his best friend was Jeffrey Epstein! If Trump’s evangelical followers allow his hateful comment to pass as “Trump just being Trump,” and other Christian leaders of Mainline Protestant and Catholic churches do not speak out forcefully, I declare the situation hopeless. I checked for reactions this morning but nothing is in either the Washington Post or The New York Times or online though I have to believe that this incident was used as a teaching moment in many congregations.
This Trump episode illustrates both the complex nature of religious belief and its dark side. The dark side is that religious belief can lead people who call themselves Christian to do terrible things. You can point to the obvious –the Crusades, the “Wars of Religion,” the New England witch hunts, the tacit church support of slavery by Mainline Protestant churches in the South during the Civil War and the silence of many church leaders in Nazi Germany. Good heavens, the Ku Klux Klan claims to be a “Christian” organization. So do some of the groups who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. There are lots of everyday examples of Christians not standing up and doing the right thing. Shame on those in Christian leadership positions if they do not speak out now.
But you could also point out that there is also much good about Christianity– the message of “love your neighbor,” the redemptive power of love and nonjudgemental acceptance of others, even those who are not like us, the command to help the poor, and the call for social justice. Over its history there have been and are many admirable and inspiring Christian church leaders–as there are in other religions. So no, I am not writing off Christianity or religious faith. You could even argue that “being religious” is also part of being human. The Pew surveys of world religion consistently show that around 24 precent of the population in the world label themselves as “atheists or non-believers.” The rest are “believers.” Believing in a “higher power” seems to be part of our DNA.
My message here is that it is time for people of goodwill who call themselves Christians to say to Trump: Stop this madness! Stop the ICE atrocities, the bombing in Iran, the cruel domestic policies, and the meanness of the Trump Administration.
Enough is enough.
This Saturday, March 28, is a chance to let your voice be heard on “No Kings Day.” There are massive demonstrations happening all over the country. Be there.
Will be there. Thanks for the call, Joe.
Right on.
JK