Let me start this conversation with a caveat: I am not the world’s most devout or knowledgeable Christian. In fact, there are some people who would contend that I am not Christian at all. Although I do consider myself a Christian, I am unaware of any Christian denomination that shares my exact beliefs.
Also, I am not in the practice of hoisting my beliefs on other people. Although I have a strong interest in religion writ large, I am not always comfortable writing about it. To me, religious or spiritual beliefs are personal. If your beliefs work for you, that’s great, just as long as you don’t think they should apply to me as well. Our country was founded on the idea the people should be free to worship any God they chose, but once you think your God’s rules should apply to others, you’ve violated the Constitutional right of freedom of religion.
Okay, having that out of the way, I want to talk about a Facebook discussion I saw between two of my friends. Before I tell you about their conversation, I want to tell you that I like and respect both of the people involved in the conversation. I won’t name these people because the discussion I want to have isn’t about them personally. It’s about the stand that one of them took. What he said made me think about the point he made, and it led me to do a little research. In the end, it’s up to you to decide if you agree with him.
Friend #1 posted a meme on his Facebook page that listed several things Donald Trump had done that he felt were contrary to both American and Christian values. For instance, the meme pointed to how Trump has deported people without due process and how he tried to overthrow a free and fair election. For our purposes, what the meme said is less important than who created it. The meme in question was created by a Facebook page called the “Christian Left,” and it was the creator of the meme rather than the substance of it that Friend #2 commented on.
Here’s what Friend # 2 wrote:
“The Christian left sounds like a good title for a group that doesn’t live by the Bible. Why do they use the word Christian? They should call themselves the Satanic left.”
Let’s pick that statement apart a little to get to the underlying beliefs of Friend #2. It is apparent that Friend #2 does not believe that people on the political left—normally referred to as liberals or progressives—can be true Christians because they do not live by the Bible. In fact, he questions why someone with liberal political beliefs would even invoke the Christian moniker to describe themselves. Instead, he feels that they should call themselves the “Satanic left” because he apparently not only believes that Satan exists, but that people with political views to the left-of-center follow satanic (i.e. Unchristian) principles.
As you might guess, my kneejerk reaction was to disagree vehemently with that line of thinking. Not only do I believe that people who espouse liberal political views can be Christian, it seems to me that those liberal views are often more in line with the teachings of Jesus than are the views of what currently passes as conservatism.
But as I said in the beginning, I don’t hold myself out as the most knowledgeable Christian, so I decided to make a list of Jesus’ teaching and compare them to the policies being pushed by Republicans who almost unanimously self-identify as conservative Christians. First, let’s look at the teachings of Jesus.
The Teachings of Jesus
Let’s start with why looking at the teachings of Jesus is important for this discussion. It should be obvious on its face, but let me make it even more obvious. The Christian religion is based on the teachings of Jesus. Christianity is not the religion that Jesus followed. Jesus was an apocalyptic Jew. Christianity is the religion about Jesus and his teachings. That’s why, when we consider the statement made by Friend #2 and the beliefs that can be inferred from that statement, it’s necessary to know what Jesus actually taught.
In the Bible, the teachings of Jesus can be found primarily in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Mark was written first, and was written closest in proximity to when Jesus was still alive, containing more early traditions of the teachings of Jesus than later writings. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke drew on the Gospel of Mark as a source. Other Books of the Bible contain Jesus’ teachings, but most will come from the Synoptic Gospels.
Let’s look at a few of them.
Love
Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. In particular, John 13:34 says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Matthew 5:43-45 tells us that we should love our enemy. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”
In other words, Jesus is commanding us to treat others with kindness—including our enemies—whether they are righteous or not.
In both Matthew (22:39) and Mark (12:31), Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In fact, Jesus talks a lot about love—for God and for each other—in his teachings. After the death of Jesus, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, and in 1 Corinthians 13:13 he writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Forgiveness
Jesus emphasized the importance of forgiveness, both for ourselves and for others, as a reflection of God’s mercy. For instance, in Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus says “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
In fact, the need to forgive one another is featured in the Lord’s Prayer—a foundational Christian prayer pattern taught by Jesus—which includes the phrase “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The desire to be forgiven by God is conditioned on first forgiving those who wrong you.
Humility & Service
Jesus modeled humility and taught his followers to be humble, serving others rather than seeking to be served. In Mark 9:35, Jesus called his disciples together and said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” He was saying, in order to be worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, you must put others before yourself.
Jesus’ teachings also emphasized the importance of serving others, especially the poor, the marginalized, and those in need. In Luke 3:11, Jesus says “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” He continues this line of thinking in Luke 12:33 when he says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Give to those who need it, and your purses will not wear out; you will have treasure in heaven.”
The Golden Rule & Caring for the Least Among Us
Jesus taught the Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” as a way to live a life of love and compassion. To me, this is the essence of Christianity. In fact, Jesus says that the Golden Rule, found in Matthew 7:12, is a distillation of the entire Hebrew Bible.
Matthew 25:37-40 reads, “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
In other words, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the needy, and visit the sick and imprisoned. He is commanding us to care for one another, particularly the least among us.
The Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with a series of blessings, or “Beatitudes,” which describe the qualities of those who are blessed in God’s eyes. Matthew 5:2-12 reads:
“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus goes on to challenge his listeners to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, a radical departure from the prevailing mindset of the time. He emphasizes the importance of humility, urging his followers not to worry about material possessions or outward appearances, but to focus on living a life of righteousness and integrity. He stresses the importance of forgiveness, both towards others and towards oneself, as a key element of living a life pleasing to God. And he tells his followers that they are the light of the world, and that their good deeds should shine before others, so that they may see their good works and glorify their Father in Heaven.
Distilling all of this down to the basics, Jesus teaches us to love God, love one another, forgive one another, live a life of service and humility, practice the golden rule, care for the least among us, and to be a light unto the world by practicing good deeds. How does this list of teachings compare to what Donald Trump and the Republicans are currently doing? Let’s take a look.
Republican Priorities
Some of the biggest issues being tackled by the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress involve:
- Deporting both legal and illegal immigrants;
- Imprisoning immigrants (both legal and illegal) in horrifying conditions, punishing them although they have not been convicted of any crimes.
- Stripping trans citizens of civil rights and medical treatment;
- Dishonoring women and citizens of color by denying them recognition for their contributions to the military and the country;
- Destroying relations with our allies while cozying up to tyrants;
- Suspending refugee resettlement;
- Increasing use of the death penalty;
- Damaging the Environment through irresponsible energy policies;
- Establishing male and female as the only two recognized genders, despite scientific evidence to the contrary;
- Renaming locations, landmarks, and institutions to honor some of the darkest periods and most unpatriotic people in our history;
- Attempting to take healthcare and access to food away from the poor and disabled;
- Stripping citizenship rights from people born in the United States to non-citizens;
- Cutting off food aid and medical treatment to people in other countries dependent on the United States for help;
- Giving tax breaks to the wealthy, essentially redistributing money from poorer Americans to richer Americans.
How do Republican priorities jibe with the teachings of Jesus? In a nutshell, they don’t. Republican priorities are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus. They strip rights and care from the least among us, giving more to those who already have more. They single out certain groups for ridicule and disdain. They intentionally harm the natural environment both at home and abroad. They glorify our country above others, and favor certain people (Trump’s friends) and punish others (Trump’s enemies); And they bolster tyrants while alienating our allies and friends.
I’d be interested in your thoughts. Have I read this wrong? It seems to me that Friend #2 is way off the mark with his beliefs and comments. But he’s not alone. A large portion of self-described Christians in the United States are also cheering on Trump and the Republicans as they attempt to enrich the already wealthy at the expense of the poor, the disabled, and the marginalized in our society.
I agree with Idaho pastor Rev. Benjamin Creamer when he says, “Declaring ‘Christ is king!’ with your mouth while supporting tyrants with your actions so that they will crush all the people you think are your enemies is the epitome of using Jesus’ name in vain. The way of Jesus is compassion, not control.” I hope that Friend #2 and those like him are listening.
