Background to companion post, “Religious leaders apparently indifferent to Trumpist blasphemy of the Christian ethos”

In April, I sent a letter to five religious leaders in the Alanta Metro area, asking them to take a stand on the plethora of words spoken by Donald Trump that seem flagrantly at odds with the core message of the Judeo-Christian ethos, expressed in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

My three-step methodology was simple:

• I quoted some of Trump’s words or described one of his actual deeds.
• I stated that, based on our Christian principles, we believed that any person who spoke those words (or committed that deed) should not be elected to public office in the United States.
• I asked the cleric whether they agreed or disagreed with our statement.

I followed up with a phone call to the clerics, asking about a possible response. I ended up leaving voicemails, or messages to an assistant who answered the phone. Overall, I received only one substantive reply, via a voicemail from an assistant speaking on behalf of the pastor, who relayed the message that the pastor did not want to discuss political issues.

I was surprised by their failure to respond. I was baffled by their refusal to take advantage of a golden opportunity to support and reinforce the basic principles of the Judeo-Christian ethos, rather than remain passive and non-caring as Trump ripped that ethos to pieces just about every time he opened his mouth.

In the face of the clerics’ surprising indifference, I reached the logical conclusion that they saw no contradiction between Trump’s words and the teachings of Jesus. I drafted a message that seemed to reflect their outlook and mentality and sent a separate copy to each of the five, asking for comments. None have replied.

(IndieDems note: Since I sent the message in early June, media opinion sections have been full of comments about the perversion of the Christian message by extremist MAGA followers of Trump):

The Day My Old Church Canceled Me Was a Very Sad Day

When Churches Cancel Their Own

What Southern Baptists Lose by Opposing I.V.F.

The Verdict Is In on the Supreme Court
It’s corrupt, rotten, and hurting America