This can’t be the answer

First of all, I’m not an American. However as a Christian, observing global events and especially events in America over the last 3 years has been quite disturbing – especially the levels of vitriol, anger, division and the way families, friends have split over politics in a way that has never happened before. Likewise in the UK the divisions over whether to remain part of the European Union or not have polarised and divided the nation brutally.

I can’t believe this is a natural phenomena. Something is going on. Reading an article comprised of interviews with people on both sides of the major divide Republican/Trump vs Democrat gave me a bit of insight into why there is such passionate backing for President Trump by (White) American Christians – which to be honest is baffling to almost everyone who lives outside the USA. But I came to realise that the support is driven by FEAR. Fear of the rise and takeover of the USA and passing of laws by people who have very different values, especially when it comes to sexuality.

The problem is that there’s been an alignment with, or shift by conservative christians towards those with outright wing values – including racism, hatred of foreigners, demonisation of immigrants, and absolute belief in the superiority of their values has morphed into absolute belief in their superiority over others, period.

I can understand to a degree, afterall if your christian beliefs are based on morality, you want to distance yourself from those promoting morality. The problem is this. Do you get to pick and chose with moral values you should defend and which you should ignore. Should you rail against sexual immorality of certain kinds, but ignore it in your leaders because its of a different kind. How about greed, cheating, lying, intemperance, abusiveness, racism, cruelty, opportunism, corruption? When did these suddenly become acceptable banners for christians to align with.

There were many leaders in the Bible, chosen men of God , Prophets. The mark of the man of God was righteousness and integrity. In short, the prophets of old didn’t give anyone a blind check, but delivered Gods word without fear – even if they would be persecuted or even killed for this.

What I would expect from true men of God would be to defend righteousness. In short if the leader – or president in this case, does morally reprehensible things, they should hold them to account and call them out. And where they do good, they should praise them for it.

I’m not seeing this happen at all. When children were being held in cages for the sin of illegal immigration, where were christian leaders. Silent. When immigrants or non white persons have increasingly being targeted or killed by racists or even attacked disproportionately by US law enforcement – what have they said? nothing. If the church will not actually stand for morality then the church will continue to leak and lose its membership as new generations grow up because their hypocrisy is plain to all.

Its a pity that neither of the main parties can be seen as moral or excellent. On the one hand there is a liberal party thahas traditionally fought for the rights of the down trodden but is now missing its way. On the other hand is the party that says “we stand for christian rights” – yet ignores the rights of people of colour.

As christians, we should remember that Christ reserved his harshest words for not the Government, nor the Romans, but for the religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees, because while they were meant to be the one’s appointed to guide the people in folllowing Gods word, they were hypocrites and in fact the worst offenders.

As Christians, I think the message is simple. Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you. Before we attempt to fix others, we should fix ourselves. Indeed Jesus taught that we have no right to judge others, why? Because we’re all sinful. Just in different ways, and its very easy to point our fingers at other peoples sins, when ours are hidden or considered “acceptable”.