One of the reasons depraved Trumpism has flourished with such success has been the inexplicable silence and, in some cases, support from leaders in the religious community.
Since Donald J. Trump rode down what has become known as “that golden escalator,” in the Trump Tower in New York in 2015, I have waited for religious leaders to speak out against the unscrupulous character of this man. After all, Trump represents the very opposite of moral principles they purportedly believe, write about, and preach.
Often, I cringed when I saw priests, rabbis, pastors and other religious officials speak at the two conventions where he was nominated or when they joined him at inaugural celebrations after his election victories.
Thus, it was refreshing to hear a religious leader break that mold and mince no words in addressing Donald Trump’s venality.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, standing only about 100 feet from the president behind a raised pulpit above the president’s head, looked directly at Trump, and asked him to show “mercy.”
Delivering her sermon at the National Cathedral’s Interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation, she said:
“I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
Through the years, I have engaged with Orthodox Jews who support Trump and they defended themselves by citing biblical figures that committed sexual crimes or other violations of God’s commandments.
What they always omitted, I countered, was that the Bible also says God wasn’t pleased by their behavior. Moreover, here is what the Bibles, both the new and old, say about lying, a Trump trademark:
• The Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
• Proverbs 6:19: “A false witness who breathes out lies is detestable to the Lord.”
• Psalm 5:6: “God destroys those who speak lies.”
• Proverbs 13:5: “A righteous person hates falsehood.”
• John 8:32: “Knowing the truth will set you free.”
Then they turned political and pointed out that Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. That decision did nothing to ensure the security of Israel or make it stronger. Indeed, it only angered the other side and added fuel to the political fire. It did not help achieve peace; it impeded it.
Even if politically laudable, does that action justify supporting a pathological liar, a convicted sexual abuser, a narcissist, a man who stoked anti-Semitism, a xenophobic racist (Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s words), a Hitler, according to Vice President JD Vance (he walked the description back) and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Then there are all of Trump’s other deviant qualities.
These are the kinds of questions the religious community was careful to avoid, understanding fully that they were violating all the moral standards they wanted their parishioners to follow.
I read the full text of Bishop Budde’s 15-minute sermon, listened to it several times and watched the faces of Trump, Vance and Trump-Vance sycophants sitting behind them. Trump was fidgety and Vance appeared angry. Those around them seemed stunned -- as they should have been.
Then there were the women next a man who has been found guilty of sexual abuse (the judge in that trial called it rape), been accused of sexual harassment by dozens of women, hired a porn actress while his wife was pregnant and frequently discussed his daughter in lewd sexual terms.
I have never understood their allegiance to this day.
The reaction to Bishop Budde’s sermon was predictable. Trump described her as “nasty in tone and not compelling or smart.” She has received hundreds of threats. Why? Because she asked for “mercy” from Trump. Representative Mike Collins, (R-GA) called for her deportation.
A major point of Bishop Budde’s sermon has not received much publicity. She didn’t just ask him for mercy for immigrants and the gay community, but the addressed other aspects of his administration: Consider the following:
“Contempt fuels our political campaigns and social media and many profit from it. But it’s a dangerous way to lead a country.”
The sermon should be required reading for all those who value a benevolent, free and moral democracy.
This controversy, which touches on decency, humanity, sensitivity and, especially, principled leadership, is reminiscent of one during the administration of Ronald Reagan in 1985. Reagan had plans to visit a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany where 47 Nazi storm troopers of the Waffen-SS were buried.
At a ceremony during which he was honored, the Nobel Prize winning author and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, then chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, implored Reagan not to go to the cemetery.
“That place is not your place, “Wiesel said. “Your place is with the victims of the SS.”
In explaining his comments, Wiesel made clear, “The issue here is not politics, but good and evil and we must never confuse them…”
Reagan did visit the cemetery, although for only 10 minutes, but also included, during his trip, a stop at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
If only the nation’s religious leaders had shown the kind of courage Wiesel and Budde displayed, perhaps Trumpism could have been crushed under an avalanche of moral authority.
In an interview with Time Magazine following her sermon, Bishop Budde explained, “I did my best to present an alternative to the culture of contempt” and that “we can bring multiple perspectives in a common space and do so with dignity and respect.”
Though it is somewhat belated, let us all join hands and say “Amen.”
Since Donald J. Trump rode down what has become known as “that golden escalator,” in the Trump Tower in New York in 2015, I have waited for religious leaders to speak out against the unscrupulous character of this man. After all, Trump represents the very opposite of moral principles they purportedly believe, write about, and preach.
Often, I cringed when I saw priests, rabbis, pastors and other religious officials speak at the two conventions where he was nominated or when they joined him at inaugural celebrations after his election victories.
Thus, it was refreshing to hear a religious leader break that mold and mince no words in addressing Donald Trump’s venality.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, standing only about 100 feet from the president behind a raised pulpit above the president’s head, looked directly at Trump, and asked him to show “mercy.”
Delivering her sermon at the National Cathedral’s Interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation, she said:
“I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
Through the years, I have engaged with Orthodox Jews who support Trump and they defended themselves by citing biblical figures that committed sexual crimes or other violations of God’s commandments.
What they always omitted, I countered, was that the Bible also says God wasn’t pleased by their behavior. Moreover, here is what the Bibles, both the new and old, say about lying, a Trump trademark:
• The Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
• Proverbs 6:19: “A false witness who breathes out lies is detestable to the Lord.”
• Psalm 5:6: “God destroys those who speak lies.”
• Proverbs 13:5: “A righteous person hates falsehood.”
• John 8:32: “Knowing the truth will set you free.”
Then they turned political and pointed out that Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. That decision did nothing to ensure the security of Israel or make it stronger. Indeed, it only angered the other side and added fuel to the political fire. It did not help achieve peace; it impeded it.
Even if politically laudable, does that action justify supporting a pathological liar, a convicted sexual abuser, a narcissist, a man who stoked anti-Semitism, a xenophobic racist (Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s words), a Hitler, according to Vice President JD Vance (he walked the description back) and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Then there are all of Trump’s other deviant qualities.
These are the kinds of questions the religious community was careful to avoid, understanding fully that they were violating all the moral standards they wanted their parishioners to follow.
I read the full text of Bishop Budde’s 15-minute sermon, listened to it several times and watched the faces of Trump, Vance and Trump-Vance sycophants sitting behind them. Trump was fidgety and Vance appeared angry. Those around them seemed stunned -- as they should have been.
Then there were the women next a man who has been found guilty of sexual abuse (the judge in that trial called it rape), been accused of sexual harassment by dozens of women, hired a porn actress while his wife was pregnant and frequently discussed his daughter in lewd sexual terms.
I have never understood their allegiance to this day.
The reaction to Bishop Budde’s sermon was predictable. Trump described her as “nasty in tone and not compelling or smart.” She has received hundreds of threats. Why? Because she asked for “mercy” from Trump. Representative Mike Collins, (R-GA) called for her deportation.
A major point of Bishop Budde’s sermon has not received much publicity. She didn’t just ask him for mercy for immigrants and the gay community, but the addressed other aspects of his administration: Consider the following:
“Contempt fuels our political campaigns and social media and many profit from it. But it’s a dangerous way to lead a country.”
The sermon should be required reading for all those who value a benevolent, free and moral democracy.
This controversy, which touches on decency, humanity, sensitivity and, especially, principled leadership, is reminiscent of one during the administration of Ronald Reagan in 1985. Reagan had plans to visit a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany where 47 Nazi storm troopers of the Waffen-SS were buried.
At a ceremony during which he was honored, the Nobel Prize winning author and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, then chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, implored Reagan not to go to the cemetery.
“That place is not your place, “Wiesel said. “Your place is with the victims of the SS.”
In explaining his comments, Wiesel made clear, “The issue here is not politics, but good and evil and we must never confuse them…”
Reagan did visit the cemetery, although for only 10 minutes, but also included, during his trip, a stop at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
If only the nation’s religious leaders had shown the kind of courage Wiesel and Budde displayed, perhaps Trumpism could have been crushed under an avalanche of moral authority.
In an interview with Time Magazine following her sermon, Bishop Budde explained, “I did my best to present an alternative to the culture of contempt” and that “we can bring multiple perspectives in a common space and do so with dignity and respect.”
Though it is somewhat belated, let us all join hands and say “Amen.”
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