Uncertain Times

When Donald Trump was inaugurated a mere nine days ago, I was willing to give it a chance, particularly since I didn't find any of the candidates this time around very exciting (refer to my "Clowns" post from a couple of months back). While I didn't vote for him (nor did I vote for Hillary), I do see why he was elected. The many, many people from the so-called flyover states/Rust belt have felt disenfranchised and unheard for years, and being called "deplorables" was likely the final straw that poked the beast to the ballot box. These people are being painted as redneck Christians who have no compassion and care only about their wallets. Trump is their Hitler, wantonly cackling as he signs executive order after executive order as his base cheers him on while drinking chicken blood and dancing around bonfires. 

I think what rankles me most is the throwing around of the word "Christian" as an insult and a broad statement about all people who support this dangerous administration. It's no better than those who throw "Muslim" around to describe all terrorists. I can't begin to wonder what sort of actual Christians are on board with Trump's plans to exclude people, to leave them on the fringes, to take away from the weakest and most vulnerable people, is in any way in line with what the Bible commands of the followers of Christ. 

Throughout the Bible, people are admonished to visit the sick and poor, to support widows and children, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the immigrant. My hope that these things could come to pass - my hope that Trump's promises were much like any other politician's and unlikely to happen - has waned to the point of nonexistence. I don't see how the policies he's already set into motion align with the commands of the Bible. How does banning people who are trying to escape war-torn countries and taking insurance away from the poor fit in with the Christian described in Matthew? How does it help the "least of these"? How does de-funding Planned Parenthood help get care for women (federal abortion funding is already illegal under the Hyde Amendment, so this de-funding only takes away affordable care and birth control, which would REDUCE abortion)? How does keeping people who are legally allowed to be in the United States, who have created lives and families here, from coming home help anyone? How can a true Christian person be on board with anything he's done or plans to do?

And don't get me started on Betsy DeVos for anything to do with education. How can we conceive of putting a person who has never even breathed the scent of public school cafeteria food or a school bus in charge of public education? After suffering mightily as a teacher in Indiana under the iron fist of Mike Pence, who did all sorts of damage to public education here, causing a mass exodus from the profession and a teacher shortage, I can't fathom what damage this sort of leadership will do on a national level. 

For awhile, I hoped all the talk really was just conspiracy theories created by liberals in tin foil hats. All the Hitler talk seemed so preposterous. Even presidents I haven't liked in the past have, in their hearts, had the best interest of this great country in mind. I may not have agreed with their decisions or policies, but I'd be surprised to find out any sinister motive - just a different perspective. Trump seems to care about Trump. The alternative facts. The slashing of Obamacare without a replacement plan. Don't get me wrong - the ACA has definite issues that need looking at. But to pull the rug without another plan? Not Christian. Talk of building a wall? Not Christian. Putting people with no experience in charge of things because they donated money to a campaign? Not Christian (or smart). 

This is not to say that I've become a die-hard liberal or that I'm cutting ties with Trump voters. I love many people who voted for him, and they are not the monsters they're made out to be. But I think we have to be very careful with using the word Christian to describe anything our megalomaniac president plans to do. His actions do not show compassion or love or thought. They do not show intelligence or consideration or respect. Our president sits in his golden tower creating his own personal utopia without thinking how these actions will impact for the worse the very people who put him there. The Christians need to stand up and say he doesn't represent them and show people that they're not the enemy. The Christians I know are in the trenches loving people. They are marching. They are fighting. And I hope they win.