Christ taught Christians to embrace selfless love, a love which would lead them to be concerned about the welfare of their neighbor; that is, they should not be self-absorbed, looking out only for themselves. I feel, sadly, that this part of the Christian message, one which makes Christianity a religion which follows Christ, has been lost to too many Christians. They only accept those aspects of Christian faith which gives them something, such as being saved, but they do not accept the way of the cross. They look at the faith with selfish eyes and not with the eyes of true faith, a faith which is demonstrated by works of love and not apart of them. Thus, thinking they do not have to follow the way of charitable love and the works which follow it, they seek only the satisfaction of their own wants and desires, no matter how inordinate those desires might be. The only situation they might accept sacrificing something is when their own desires come in conflict with each other, and they must sacrifice one to get the other, such as those who embrace hate and want to make those they hate suffer. They are willing to suffer if those they hate are made to suffer more.
Yes, not all Christians are like this, and what they do is not what Christ and the Christian tradition teaches. However, we cannot deny they are Christians, and they are among the most vocal of those who call themselves Christians. They are also the kind which has gained some power in the United States. Thus, we have many Christians inverting the way of Christ. I have l seen this in the way many Christians in the United States deal with the concern of religious liberty. When it is their own rights, when some rule or regulation affects them and their own particular form of worship, they talk about being persecuted, that religious liberty is being threatened; however, when it is the rights of other people, followers of other religious, they have no problem imposing all kinds of restriction on them (which is why so many were on board with Trump’s Muslim ban during his administration). If they followed after Christ, and Christ’s teachings, they would be concerned about others, as they would want others to have the same rights and protections as they have; their notion of religious liberty would be such they would be concerned about the religious liberty of others, and would see religious liberty is under threat when people of other faiths are burdened and restricted in ways Christians would decry if they suffered the same restrictions. That they do not do so, but often are among those working for such restrictions, shows the kind of hypocrisy they have when talking about religious liberty.
Christians should not be concerned merely about religious liberty, but about the welfare of their neighbors, no matter who they are, no matter their background. If they are unwilling to be concerned about the health and welfare of others, and only become concerned with the state of the health care system when they themselves feel the effects the rules and regulations which have been put in place, they once again show they have not yet learned to love their neighbor as they have yet to consider the consequences of such regulations on their neighbor (and the health care system as a whole).
Christians have been told that they should not be focused only on themselves. Christ told them they are to pick up their cross and follow after him, doing the works which he did. What did Jesus do? He fed the hungry, healed the sick, forgave sinners and showed love to those whom society ridiculed. I think it is clear, when Christians don’t follow suit, especially if they teach the opposite and find ways to suggest ways to treat their neighbors cruelly, they have lost sight of what Christ said and did. Christ said his followers would do greater works in world history than he did in his temporal ministry. Because of this, Christ’s miracles should serve as an example of what they should do. They should heal greater numbers of people, feed greater numbers of the hungry, and show love to greater numbers of people, than Christ did in when he was an itinerant preacher. Of course, if they do as Christ did, they will find they are doing it in and with Christ, that they have become his hands and feet in the world, so that though the world sees them as doing more than Christ did, in reality, Christ remains at work in them.
Sadly, Christians have lost sight of all of this. How many Christians decry the social safety network, and with it, food and health care, and shelter, being given to the poor and needy? How many support and promote extreme measures, like work requirements, measures which do not actually help save money but do make more people suffer, because, again, their interest is not in the welfare of their neighbor? How many, indeed, take their selfishness and, when they find their desires cannot all be fulfilled, turn to a will-to-power, and with it, a cruelty which they believe proves their power, whether it is a power they possess themselves, or a power they experience vicariously through people they have helped put into positions of power? Such a turn to cruelty, such an abandonment for the love of their neighbor, explains why so many Christians deal with migrants and refugees with hate, as they seek to hurt those they have deemed unworthy of their love (be it from racism, or some other reason). How else can we explain why they are willing to support Trump sending refugees from Afghanistan, refugees who were promised help and support due to the way they aided U.S. interests in Afghanistan and the threat they faced as a result, back to Afghanistan, where they will likely be tortured and or killed? It seems to be the reason why they have no problem with Trump making deals with cartel members, bringing them into the United States, while falsely accusing those they “deport” as being cartel members, when they are not. Does it not seem that behind this is a power play, where they want to show they can have anyone sent away or killed, so to make sure no one questions their power?
Trump is changing the landscape of the United States. He is threatening those who criticize or challenge him. The threats are becoming worse and worse, and are becoming wider-spread. Each development, each new threats, seems to be a test as to how much he will be able to do to silence or punish his critics, to see how far he can go to gain absolute control over the United States. He is willing to ignore the Constitution and basic rights found in it (like due process), and those who challenge him in doing so find their freedoms are threatened and sometimes arrested (such as lawyers, judges, mayors, governors, and even members of Congress). Trump threatens free speech, but once again like with religious liberty, when it is the speech of “others,” it seems his Christian supporters have no problem with such restrictions, indeed, they welcome them, so long as it is done to those they despise.
Cato the Elder ended his speeches by saying Carthage must be destroyed; similarly, I must often end what I write, when reflecting upon the status of Christianity in the United States, with a statement about how many Christians have become the antithesis of what Christ wanted for them. This is especially true with those who promote Trump. Trump is about glorifying himself, attaining the power, control, and domination he wants over the world, with a willingness to do whatever it takes to make it happen, and to do so with extreme cruelty; Christians who follow him embrace the same ideals, and want to experience such power, often vicariously through Trump. Christ shows Christians this is not how they are to live. Jesus lived the way of love, and in the incarnation, he emptied himself of the power and glory he had in his divinity by the assumption of human nature, so that he could share with the rest of humanity, indeed, with the whole of creation, the glory which he once had to himself. Christ lifted everyone up with his acts of love. Why do so many Christians ignore the example of Christ and try to find a way to tie Christianity to the way of Trump? Do they really seek to follow Christ? If so, why they do they not listen to him, doing what they can to help the least in society, be it the poor, the homeless, the weak, the helpless and the sick by promoting the means they need to get their needs met (such as by making sure the social safety net is in place)?
* This Is Part LX Of My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series
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