Speaking personally, the most disappointing thing about American governors DeSantis and Abbott flying and bussing undocumented immigrants to Democrat strongholds in New England and D.C. isn't the cruelty or inhumanity of it, or even that they used tax dollars (perhaps inappropriately) to do so - it's the fact that almost no other Republicans have called out these reputedly Christian officials on just how out of step such an act is with their professed faith.
When we hear the name of Jesus mentioned in a non-theological context, it is often from people who claim a Christian identity but seem to practice another faith - one less about compassion and forgiveness and far more oriented to a misapplied sense of justice and its alleged miscarriages.
Whether you regard Jesus as a religious figure, historical personality or strictly a mythical being, surely there can be very little argument that he
- preached compassion
- spoke up for the marginalized
- healed the sick
- confronted authority
- self-identified as a servant, rather than leader
- rejected political power
- rejected violence (I know, I know - "but the tables!" were any hurt?)
- was gentle
- was humble
- was patient
It has taken me a significant portion of my life to understand the true value of "love thine enemy," and the absence of any discernible love in the actions of so many who label themselves as followers of Jesus - and this includes anyone chortling over how much this escapade 'owned the libs' - really makes a person like me wonder what their faith is actually based on.
A good friend and mentor of mine recently replied to a recent lay sermon of mine that addressed a similar topic:
How about just doing what you should do for your fellow humans? How about being the example of selflessness that Jesus set himself to be? So many of the ‘born again’ or ‘evangelical movement’ seem to feel that the return to Old Testament values is the key to the whole thing. My reminder is that an Old Testament Christian is really just someone who is practicing Judaism (without the kosher laws and such) but with just as many other restrictions for everyone else. Now, there's nothing wrong with Judaism, but the difference between it and Christianity was supposed to be the word of Jesus and the love he promoted. Not much love in making a child bear a child because she’s been raped or a mother having to carry a dead or dying fetus to satisfy those who say ‘Ya never know, maybe God will create a miracle here for this one.'
(Presented with all due respect from both of us to actual practitioners of Judaism - shalom!)
I can't find it now, but a tweet I saw briefly this morning summed it up very well for me (please excuse my paraphrasing): "If whoever is in your pulpit his morning does not denounce, loudly and strongly, the cruel and dehumanizing actions undertaken by Govs DeSantis and Abbott this week in a tawdry political stunt, you need to find a new place of worship. These people know nothing of Jesus."
And even those foolish enough to defend these callous actions do so in terms of either political savviness or the fact that the 'upscale liberal' communities deserved it - no one addresses the fact that the pawns being used in this egregious drama are actual human beings. And how many of those who identify as conservative and Christian are as disgusted by this display as I am, but are too intimidated to say anything?
Even the fact that volunteers came out in droves to house, feed and clothe these people before getting them resituated in a nearby military base (with their consent) is being presented by the right-wing as privileged people wasting no time in "deporting undesirables." But in the end, I feel the reactions in D.C. and Martha's Vineyard are far more in keeping with what Jesus taught than the actions of those who brought them there.
I have all the time in the world for spiritual differences based on personal experience or interpretation, but almost none for the kind of hypocrisy we are seeing play out around this situation.
(Video: GOP Jesus)
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