Franklin Graham's Ignorance and Hypocrisy

In a recent interview, Franklin Graham, revered Christian pastor and son of the late Billy Graham, noted quite strongly that Christians must "vote against the godless, socialist agenda of the abortion industry."

Now, outside of the Christian fight against abortion (something I will get to in a little bit), I find Graham's wording to be both ignorant and hypocritical.  Allow me to explain by first offering a basic civics lesson to Mr. Graham and his ilk.

According to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, socialism is the

"social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another. Furthermore, everything that people produce is in some sense a social product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property for the benefit of all its members.

This conviction puts socialism in opposition to capitalism, which is based on private ownership of the means of production and allows individual choices in a free market to determine how goods and services are distributed. Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from free-market competition—people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society." 

Now, the United States is not a socialist country, but we most certainly have socialist programs--government programs that take taxpayer monies and distribute those monies in a way that help the most people, especially those that cannot afford to help themselves.  Those programs include, but are not limited to, Social Security, Medicare, welfare and food stamps, public education, public housing assistance, and public safety (including police, fire, and military services).  Yes, Mr. Graham, our country has "socialist agendas," and those agendas are extremely helpful to many human souls.  Your disparaging term is, therefore, extremely misguided.  

Moreover, to equate "socialist" with "godless" is plain hypocritical for a pastor.  I assure you that Jesus was far more "socialist" than "capitalist."  (See Matthew 19:21 and Mark 10:25 and  Luke 12:33 and Luke 14:12-14.)   Plus, beyond Jesus's own words, the Bible continually tells human beings to take care of the poor (Proverbs 19:17 and Proverbs 29:7 and Deuteronomy 15:7-11 and Hebrews 13:16).  And, just in general, isn't the Church, by definition, a socialist organization--one that encourages (or even spiritually mandates) generous money-giving from those who are more fortunate in order to help those who are less?  But I guess when you're a "pastor" with a net worth of $10 million, then maybe the Bible's own "socialist agenda" is something that you tend to ignore. 

And finally, the abortion thing.  I will first admit that the Christian fight against (practically) unlimited abortion seems genuine and moral.  (There are some parts of their fight with which I certainly disagree--for example, instances of rape, incest, and the health of the mother, just to name a few--but that's not my point right now.)  However, it is the Republican claim of being "pro-lifers" with which I have a serious problem.  In fact, based on their other programs (or their destruction of programs), I would argue that their use of the term is the epitome of their hypocrisy in this instance.

First, a powerful quote by Sister Joan Chittister:

Trump and the Republicans have fought hard against welfare, against public housing assistance, and against public education, all socialist programs that are meant to help everyone, especially those who are less fortunate.  So, to reiterate Chittister's claim, Trump and the Republicans want only for the baby to pop out of the womb, but that's where their "morality" in helping care for this human life specifically ends. 

Plus, let us not forget that it is the Republican party (i.e., the ones claiming to be "pro-LIFERS"), not the Democratic party, that overwhelmingly ...

• supports the use of the death penalty,
• supports the proliferation of the military,
• supports the NRA agenda unequivocally,
• supports the rejection of refugees fleeing for their lives,
• supports the poisoning and destruction of the environment,
• supports a minimum wage that is in no way a living wage,
• supports tax programs that help the wealthy and hurt the poor.

And all of this Republican support inarguably causes suffering, destruction, and even death (i.e., NOT life).

So, Mr. Graham, all of this is to say what I stated at the beginning: Your support of Trump and his agendas makes you and your political species nothing more than ignorant, hypocritical, and iniquitous, so stop trying to claim the moral high ground when your foundation is built on nothing more than sinking sand (See Matthew 7:24-27) .

            

Just Like Pilate Did

This, my friends, is how a present-day Trump-supporting Christian absolves himself/herself of all responsibility:

• Does Trump gut the EPA's policies and rules, thereby helping destroy God's great creation?
• Does Trump abandon Kurdish Christians to be slaughtered by their enemies? 
• Does Trump himself stay publicly silent when a vile video supporting and encouraging violence towards non-Trumpists is played at one of his own resorts?
• Does Trump use his powers to personally enrich himself? 
• Does Trump regularly create policies that hurt the poor and disenfranchised?
• Does Trump bully and name-call anyone who does not agree with him?
• Does Trump regularly spew both racism and misogyny for his core base to feast upon? 

No matter!  If you are a "Christian" (especially if you are an evangelical who has supported Trump in the past), you don't have to concern yourself with such trivial, meaningless, trite social matters! You simply wash your hands of it all and quote some scripture out of context that "proves" God wants things this way; then, you are thoroughly exonerated for your utter lack of social activism against a man who daily tramples upon the spirit of Christian love.

This kind of political apathy in which many evangelical Christians have now enveloped themselves displays two important traits of these "Christians": (1) a growing understanding and an implicit concession that Trump is an awful human being who neither knows nor cares anything about the spirit of the Christ, and (2) a thorough lack of empathy that is born from their privileged lifestyle, one in which Trump's policies and vitriol have not touched them personally, thereby making those policies and vitriol easy to ignore and even, at times, excuse.  The first is a step in the right direction (a baby step, certainly, but a step nonetheless); the second, however, is two steps backwards, thereby completely negating the first step.

I will admit, however, that I do agree with one thing that this person said in the original post; that is, professed Christians "need to let God influence [their] politics."  In fact, that single statement completely invalidates everything else s/he said in the rest of his/her post.  If Christians were to start doing just that (i.e., becoming more politically aware and more socially active in this world based on their Christian principles), then two things would happen in our nation's civil milieu: (1) Trump would be out.  Period.  Either he would be impeached and removed from office, or he would be soundly voted out in 2020.  But either way, this blasphemous, irreverent facade of a "Christian" would be recognized for who he truly is, and he would be gone.  And (2) the Republican party would have to remove its stranglehold on the Christian religion.  I'm not saying that the Democratic party should then be allowed to grab the title of the "Party of Christianity," for that would be nothing more than swinging the idolatry pendulum the other way.  What I am saying, however, is that Christians would stop automatically voting just for candidates with an 'R' next to their names AND would push for all candidates to start displaying more Christ-like behavior and creating more Christian (i.e., empathetic, compassionate, and loving) policies.

And we would all, Christian and non-Christian alike, be better for it.   

Trump as Cult Leader

This is a very interesting, well researched, and thoroughly accessible article about how our President has become a dangerous type of cult leader within his own party and, sadly, our nation. Here's the thesis:

"Trump exhibits features of what psychologist Eric Erickson called 'malignant narcissism'—bombastic grandiosity, a bottomless need for praise, lack of empathy, pathological lying, apparent sadism, and paranoia. In short, he fits the stereotypical psychological profile of a cult leader."

What's truly amazing to me is how easily Trump has bewitched so many evangelicals to abandon their Bible's principles, their Savior's actions, and their God's mandates to worship him as he attempts to destroy anything and anyone "non-Trump." 

Just a reminder to all of those evangelicals: Loyalty to a man (one who exhibits wholly anti-Christian values on a daily basis, by the way) does not equate to loyalty to your sacred text or to your professed Savior.  In fact, in this case, they are definitively mutually exclusive of one another.

(And, by the way, please click on the link above to read the entire article.)

Isn't This One Act a "Two-fer"?

So, he abandons Christian Kurds ...

in order to protect his own business interests and money.

When will evangelicals see that this man wants nothing to do with real Christianity? 

Someone Is Giving Jeffress and Graham a Run for Their Ass-Kissing, Soul-Selling Monies

And that someone is Pastor Ralph Reed. 

Reed has written a book (first sacrilegious title: Render to God and Trump; actual published title: For God and Country--The Christian Case for Trump) in which he argues that Christians "have a moral obligation to enthusiastically back" our current president.  (I assume Reed will be ignoring literally everything about this man's character and actions beyond the abortion and LGBQT things, thereby falsely equating those two topics with every other spiritually damnable issue on the other side of Trump's long ledger.)

Funny, I thought the prophets in the Old Testament (ya know, the ones who were in direct contact with Yahweh) had a "moral obligation" to call out Israel's leaders for their sinful words and ways, not to encourage all of the Israelites to "enthusiastically back" their adulterous, greedy, destructive, power-hungry, God-ignoring men-children.

Congratulations to "Pastor" Reed for jumping to the head of the line for the coveted title of "Ignorant Hypocrite of the Year."  (However, there are over 2 months left in the year, so don't count out Robert Jeffress or Franklin Graham or even dark horse Paula White just yet.  Still a lot of time left, folks!  It's still anyone's game!)

Trump's Divisiveness via Falsehoods

Here, our elected President whips his base (which includes up to 70% of evangelicals right now) into a rabid, frenzied fury of blind acceptance by tweeting more thoroughly divisive rhetoric that is grounded in nothing but his desire to hold onto power for himself.  Let us count the fallacies:

• First, he falsely equates the legal, Constitutionally sound, and (in this case) well deserved process of impeachment with a militaristic, violent, illegal overthrow of the government.  That is an intentional obfuscation via emotionally charged language; in other words, that is a blatant lie. 
• Second, he equates "Religion" (which, of course, we know he means "Christianity") with voting, the second amendment (the gun one), the military (more guns and destruction), and a border wall (which keeps out all of those bad brownies) by putting them all in the same list.  So, all of those important Republican talking points are now lumped together with being a Christian, solidifying the blasphemous marriage between politics and spirituality.
• Third, he continues this unholy marriage by stating that a "Citizen of The United States of America" has "God-given rights," thereby perpetuating the racist myth of Manifest Destiny.  Just so we're clear, being a citizen of a particular country does not, in any way, grant anyone "God-given rights" (the implication is that if one is not a citizen of that particular country, then s/he does not receive those rights); rather, being a human being with an eternal soul should be the sole cause of receiving those rights.  Plus, maybe some of those rights, if we were to follow the example of the Christ and/or the Bible, should include universal healthcare; clean air, soil, and water; protection of the disenfranchised and alien; and empathetic compassion towards others--all of which this administration has specifically fought against.

This man's tweets, along with being exceptional examples of atrocious reasoning and horrendous writing skills, should be insulting to every single citizen right now, at least to every single citizen who has the ability of critical thinking.  Maybe that's the problem, for evangelicals are taught not to think for themselves but just to have "faith" in what their superiors tell them.  Since this is the case, Trump (and not true Christianity) is winning.

The Textbook Definition of 'Blasphemy'

Paula White had the audacity to pray the following: “Let every demonic network that has aligned itself against the purpose, against the calling of President Trump, let it be broken, let it be torn down in the name of Jesus.”

Her willful ignorance of this man's true character and purposes has allowed her to become nothing more than a willing tool of vanity and power and divisiveness for this administration.  It is she who blasphemes against the focus of her sacred text and the spirit of her God.

A Misleading Meme from Republicans? Say It Ain't So!

So, I've decided that I have two possible responses to this less-than-facts-based meme that I found the other day--either logically argumentative or satirically snarky.  I have chosen to do both; thus, you, the reader, have your choice as to which one to read.  Enjoy.

Satirically Snarky
Take your choice of the following:

• Anyone else notice that it was Trump that brought chaos, division, harassment, and love of his own money back into the White House?
• Anyone else notice that it was Trump that brought greed, incoherence, fear-mongering, and love of brutal dictators back into the White House?
• Anyone else notice that it was Trump that brought lies, deceit, falsehoods, and love of disinformation back into the White House?
• Anyone else notice that it was Trump that brought ignorance, infantilism, idiocy, and love of insults back into the White House?
• Anyone else notice that it was Trump that brought racism, nepotism, narcissism, and love of anti-environmentalism back into the White House? 

There are certainly more, but you get the point.  I'll move on.

Logically Argumentative

Let's break down all the problems with this simplistic meme:

• First, we are NOT a theocracy; in fact, our Founding Fathers fought specifically against the idea of making this new nation a theocracy, for that's what they felt they were escaping.  Thus, for any president to bring God, Bible, and prayer explicitly into the White House (meaning, as a political tool for policy-making decisions) is against our Constitution and the very basis of our democratic republic.  I realize that factual point means nothing to evangelicals, but (and let me make this clear) it is not an anti-Christian point.  Anyone can worship freely in this country (thankfully), but no leader is allowed to make his/her religion the centerpiece for our national laws or policies.
• Second, no, Trump did not bring those first three in the list back into the White House, no matter how much the evangelicals blindly believe it.  That is simply a lie.  Both his words and his actions are thoroughly, comprehensively, absolutely anti-Christian, and you can read just about any other entry in this blog if you don't believe me.  Simply put, you are an utter fool if you accept that Trump reflects the life of a true follower of Christ.
• Notice the four concepts in the list.  Allow me to characterize them for you, in order: Christianity, Christianity, Christianity, patriotism.  There is a glaring attempt at transfer here; meaning, Christianity and patriotism go hand-in-hand.  They are practically synonymous with one another.  Jesus's cross was probably red, white, and blue, in fact.  AND, because Trump (the Republican president/candidate) represents one, he naturally represents the other.  It's seamless; it's natural; it's perfect.  And, by association, those damn Democrats represent neither. This is the simplistically misleading type of sound bite that Republicans are serving up and the evangelicals are swallowing whole.  Pathetic.  

If you are someone who indiscriminately accepts the unholy, blasphemous marriage between Republicanism (and specifically Trumpism) and Christianity (i.e., you are someone who nodded your head in total agreement when you saw the meme at the beginning of this entry), then you most certainly need to start reading your Bible more closely and start paying attention to the clear immorality of the one in charge right now. 

Moloch Is a Democrat.

(I've fallen behind on my posts recently, and there is SO much that needs to be tackled.  So I will try to catch up over the next few days.  Sorry, and keep reading!)

A Fox"News" contributor, Todd Starnes, recently led an on-air conversation with right-wing pastor Robert Jeffress (practically the patron Saint of the Gospel of Republicanity) in which they suggested that Democrats worship an Old Testament pagan god known as Moloch, who was known for child sacrifices.  You can find a brief article summarizing the incident and quoting both men here.

So, to summarize:

                                    Democrats = Child-sacrificing, hell-bound pagans
                                    Republicans = The only true Christians

Please note that boot-licking Trump sycophants are no longer just implying that political affiliation determines the individual soul's salvation (or lack thereof); they are now outright announcing it to the world (or at least to their ignorant, unthinking base of evangelicals who swallow anything a "pastor" would feed them).  These blazing, brainless hypocrites willfully ignore Trump the individual who lives a thoroughly anti-Christian lifestyle replete with lies and lust and greed and anger and lies and sloth and spite and fraud and lies and racism and hypocrisy (and have I mentioned the habitual lying?); they willfully ignore Trump the politician who creates policies that destroy the environment, that punish the poor and disenfranchised while lining the already lined pockets of the filthy rich, that remove basic affordable health care from millions of people, that shut out (and even cage) human souls who are fleeing from catastrophic living situations in other countries; and they willfully ignore literally ANYTHING (including both science and morality) that is not associated with their rigidly anti-abortion stance.

Now, to FoxNews's credit, Starnes was duly fired for peddling that kind of propaganda bullshit while masquerading it as journalism.  However, "Pastor" Jeffress is still free to continue to sell his soul publicly to Trump and the political realm while masquerading his words as God's. He is the exact man who should be calling Trump's "Christianity" into question, yet it is he who, sadly, is actually validating it for the rest of the evangelical world to accept blindly.

And we can only hope that both he and Trump shall eventually be held accountable.