Our Current State

After constant reflection and examination of our current state, the last three weeks post Clinton vs. Trump - an election that will have college coarse’s and legal precedents named after it - a specific theme has stuck with me that I’ve been trying to unravel and develop. And it is this: Self proclaimed followers of Christianity and the Bible that voted for Donald Trump have no faith.

Yes. It is a very bold and specific statement. Yes. It is the kind of statement that can drive friends and family apart. But my hope is that it is a statement that causes inner exploration that leads to constructive dialogue that then leads to change.

This is not a pro-Hillary statement. But this is exactly where I will begin.

American Christians that voted for Donald Trump jumped ship. They scattered like the apostles during Christ’s crucifixion. They took all of their moral principles upon which they supposedly build and live their lives upon and locked them in a drawer. They allowed a fear mongering based media to dictate and speak to their financial, social and security driven anxieties which opened the door to a now justifiable vocal hate. Hate of the last eight years. Hate of the scandalous competition. Fear of human progressiveness and inclusiveness. Fear of the unknown and change. This fear and hate allowed them to elect a man who is the exact opposite of the man in whom they claim to follow and give their lives to. They exchanged their faith for fear. And the very statement - “but I can’t vote for Hillary so I have to vote for Trump” is concrete evidence of my point.

Faith in the Christian god demands a denial of self. It demands that one replaces its fear and anxieties with trust and obedience. It commands that one recognizes that there is only one god and that that god is in control of all things. (These are some of the very reasons I walked away from said doctrine - I couldn’t ever see a way to achieve such piety). A vote for Donald Trump is counteractive to all these practices. One cannot claim to have faith in a god that will supply all of ones needs and keep one safe from harm but then take their own political needs and desires into their own hands, bypassing the god they choose to serve to then hurl support to the perfectly cast antagonist to their very own spiritual story.

There are two ways that Christians can approach politics. They can trust that their god has a plan, not worrying themselves with the things of this world, and live in accordance to that presumed will - leaving the political realm and residing in a spiritual one. (I am not denying this approach from taking up said moral/social/human causes in action or protest - just refraining from political involvement that is counter-intuitive to ones doctrine). Or they can believe that because of their declaration of dominion over the earth - their god has given them the responsibility to take care of their current culture by legislating their moral code into all things thereby making the law of god in sync with the law of man. (The problem with this approach is the ability to interpret the “word of god” consistently. One group takes up the mantle of abortion but then supports war and the death penalty. Another group fights for marriage equality and inclusiveness under the banner of the church denying the biblical shunning of homosexuality). But American Christianity and politics often find themselves morphing in and out of each other. “I trust in god, except when it comes to this…” Or “It is our responsibility to make sure this happens…” but the path to that outcome lies in a grey area. This election is a prime example of how attempting to adopt both of these ideologies into a cohesive belief system and practice does not work. Saying one has faith that god is in control but then casting a vote for a candidate like Donald Trump out of fear of (insert Hillary, the economy, Muslims, Immigrants, progressiveness, etc) shows a complete breach and lack of trust in said god. But believing that it is the church’s responsibility to implant the will of god into the laws of man and then bequeathing support to a candidate like Donald Trump - one who has proven to be consistently out of line in the confides of biblical standards - is a fear based decision forcing one to turn a blind eye to biblical principles, the same principles they have been called to implement, in order to make sure a specific agenda is reached

Eighty-one percent of Evangelicals that voted voted for Donald Trump. That is three percent higher than the vote for George W. Bush - documented as one of the most religious presidents of a generation. Christian leaders like Jerry Fallwell Jr. and Dr. James Dobson either publicly supported Trump or silently did not withhold their criticism. A man who has swindled millions of dollars in failed housing and education projects. A man who vocally described sexually assaulting women. A man who promotes torture and the murder of innocent families in time of war. A man who incited riots with his hateful and reckless rhetoric towards Muslims and immigrants. Fear replaced faith in this election. Christians denied their god and cast a vote for a man that you would pray your children would not become. They removed their trust from their omnipotent god and their authoritative scripture and decided to dwell in their utmost insecurities. Fear replaced faith in 2016.

At the beginning of this post I stated that there had been constant reflection. This reflection has brought me from a place of “What the Fuck Happened?!!” to intense sadness and fear for those I believe will be affected negatively because of this outcome. I then watched Dave Chappelle’s monologue on SNL and he brought forth a lot of perspective. He told a story of a recent party at the White House hosted by BET. Everyone in attendance was African American, except Bradly Copper (I understand this was in jest. Comedy is the greatest platform for social and political revelations as it has a way of bring levity to the subject without downgrading its importance). He then went to describe the history of people of color being invited to the White House as a reminder of how far we’ve come in electing our first African American President. He ended his monologue with saying he’d give Donald Trump a chance, as long as Donald trump gave them (people of color) a chance as well. As a privileged white male professional I know that I will probably benefit the most from the presidency. So it’s hard for it to come across as completely genuine when I say I will stand in solidarity with the message that Dave Chappelle delivered and give president-elect Donald Trump a chance to prove me wrong. But I also realize that this is a call to action. To fight for the marginalized and disenfranchised. To continually recognize my privilege and stand with those who do not share my inherited prosperity. To be a safe place for those who feel or have been threatened. I will not live in fear. I will work to renew my faith in humanity.

So Christians - that is my challenge to you. You can become defensive in light of these statements. Or you can live and examine your beliefs. Have faith in the god you claim to serve that gives you what you need. Don’t base your view of this world out of fear but out of your commitment to your doctrine. But make sure your doctrine is conceived out of love not hate. Then and only then can we work together to build something beautiful while tearing down the ugliness that we have created. Pray for your president that he will deny the man he is and yield his power to something greater than himself - as long as that power is love. And according to your scripture God is love. We may never see eye to eye on an assortment of issues - but I do hope that a Humanist and a Christian can come together and in the end agree that the common goal is love. Whether that be the will of god or the desire of man. Love is the end game. It’s the only place that we are safe. It’s the only place that we are who we are created or meant to be. Or maybe there is nothing and we’re all just pieces of shit out for our own self interests. Let’s choose to not just believe in the higher road of love, but be it. Love spawned from a god or love for the sake of love - it can be the only answer to this fucked up unruly mess we’ve made.