(Excerpt)
An investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency failed in its core mission to help Georgians with disabilities to find work.
IndieDems comment: Republicans dominate the Georgia Government. They hold the governorship and the majority in the General Assembly. The miserable performance of the GVRA is symptomatic of the general rule that Republicans perform well in winning elections and giving rich people tax breaks but are incapable of governing and meeting the needs of the people. Citizens then turn to the federal government for solutions--and Republicans scream bloody murder about the expansion of Big Government.
Prime example of the Republican gross incompetence in governing: the Trump Administration. And Republicans are working overtime to bring Trump back. Meaning, more tax cuts for the rich--and continued indifference to employment for the desperate to work disabled in Georgia
The AJC reports that Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris will bring her campaign to Georgia on Tuesday, July 30. Details about time and location are not available as of 7:30am on Friday, July 26.
Georgia state School Superintendent Richard Woods announced decision this week not to fund an Advanced Placement African American Studies course, it set off criticism and confusion on all fronts, from students and school districts to the governor and legislators.
The reaction to the decision was swift. Rashad Brown, a teacher who taught the pilot courses at Atlanta’s Maynard Jackson High School, was unaware of the superintendent’s action until contacted by an AJC reporter.
He commented: “Georgia Superintendent Richard Woods made an irresponsible decision without discussion or consideration for thousands of Georgians who have a right to learn their history.”
State Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn said, “The fact that AP African American studies was removed from our schools is alarming and an injustice to our students who eagerly anticipated taking this course. Erasure of Black history from our schools is not and never will be OK.”
A Gwinnett County school board member and Georgia’s 2020 and 2021 Teacher of the Year also criticized the decision.
Republican gatherings routinely are enveloped in a great deal of religiosity, but this year’s Republican National Convention reached new highs in depicting the GOP as an instrument to upholding the Christian way of life. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were frequently invoked.
To many Americans, this was a startling display of pure hypocrisy. A plethora of words spoken by Donald Trump in the last nine years, and many of his deeds, are flagrantly at odds with the core message of the Judeo-Christian ethos, as expressed in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ. And America’s religious leaders, far from fighting back against this perversion of the Christian message, have remained passive and non-caring as Trump rips the Christian ethos to pieces just about every time he opens his mouth.
In the face of their indifference, I reached the logical conclusion that many of our so-called religious leaders see no contradiction between Trump’s words and the teachings of Jesus. I drafted words that seem to reflect outlook and mentality. Under the rubric of my organization “IndieDems,” I sent the text to Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopalian pastors and to a Catholic Archbishop.
Now I have a new list of prominent Republicans avidly asserting that supporting Trump is a means of implementing the Christian gospel on earth. The online media source RawStory (https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/donald-trump-religion-faith/ ) published a comprehensive overview of the politicians and clerics who invoked the religious refrain in their speeches to the Republican National Convention. One of them was Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who said about the attempted assassination of Trump: “If you didn't believe in miracles before Saturday, you better be believing right now. Thank God almighty that we live in a country that still believes in the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and Alpha and the Omega.”
I present below my interpretation of how the brand of Christianity practiced by Republicans and clerics like Sen. Scott views the words and deeds of Donald Trump
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles posed by Trump’s calling his political opponents “vermin”—a term frequently used by Adolf Hitler.
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles posed by Trump’s saying that migrants are “animals” who are “poisoning” the country.
Sen. Scott sees no undermining of Chrisian principles when an adult human being stands up in public and mocks a handicapped person.
Sen. Scott sees no threat to Christian principles when Trump calls the persons who served time for their criminal acts during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots” and says he would consider blanket pardons for some of those charged.
Sen. Scott apparently sees no connection between Jesus’ teachings and the rule of law, a basic American value that upholds the values that Jesus espoused.
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s extensive track record that establish his racism. Specifically:
Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s leadership of the racist birther movement against former President Barack Obama
Sen. Scott does not believe that these words and deeds establish Trump as a racist who lives a life contrary to the teachings of Jesus, and who is unfit to hold public office in the United States.
Sen. Scott saw no violation of Jesus’ teachings, or of the Commandment against bearing false witness, when Trump, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, made up a Big Lie that two Black election workers in Georgia had attempted to illegally manipulate the counting of ballots in the 2020 election.
Sen. Scott saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump and his lawyer, Rudolf Giuliani, gave media interviews to publicize the lie about the election workers.
Sen. Scott saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump—in a telephone conversation with the GA Secretary of State, trying to get him to prevent Georgia's electoral vote going to Biden—made the totally false allegation that one of the women was a “professional vote-scammer and hustler.”
Sen. Scott’s Christian empathy was not aroused when Trump’s false accusations subjected the poll workers to vicious threats and harassment, including people banging on their doors, forcing them to flee their homes, and turning their lives into a living hell. Sen. Scott slept soundly every night.
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that Trump kept the vile lie about Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss going for three years, until a trial exonerated the two, and the jury ordered Giuliani to pay almost $150 million in damages.
Sen. Scott unreservedly rejects any idea that Trump’s gross mistreatment and flagrant character assassination of two innocent Christians are so alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to the Ten Commandments, that Trump showed himself not only unfit to be president, he showed he is unfit to be called a Christian.
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that in the mid-1990s, Trump sexually assaulted a woman named E. Jean Carroll, a crime two separate juries of ordinary Americans subsequently decided had happened.
(IndieDems note: For the details about the Carroll case see the original letter. Summary: Carroll at one point filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the alleged assault itself and for acts of defamation by Trump. On May 9, 2023, a federal jury in New York found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse and awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages. Trump immediately proceeded to show what a warped, twisted, and depraved soul he really is by resuming his public insults and defamation. Carroll launched a new lawsuit. On Jan. 26, 2024, the second jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to Carroll).
Sen. Scott saw no violations of the teachings of Jesus Christ in any of Trump’s serial acts of assault, libel and slander of an innocent human being.
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump over and over again expressing his fulsome praise for democracy-hating, murderous thugs Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, Chinese President Xi, and Hungarian strongman Orban, all of whom who have repudiated America’s basic moral and democratic values.
Sen. Scott remained silent when Trump called the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, one of the world’s worst terrorist organizations, "very smart."
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principle in Trump’s suggestion that General Mark Milley, the highly respected former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved execution.
Sen. Scott saw no violation of Christian principles, or of the Commandment against lying, when Trump in 2022 took to social media to call for the termination of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election and “reinstate” him to power. He based his deranged demands on his own false allegations that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
Sen. Scott saw no violation of Christian principles, or the Commandment against lying, when Trump, in an interview published on March 18, 2024, said “Jews who support Democrats hate Israel and their religion.” Sen. Scott maintained his silence after Trump’s campaign repeated his incendiary charge, declaring that “Trump is right,” and that the Democratic Party “has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal.”
(IndieDems comment: Remarkably, very few people who call themselves Christians have criticized these beyond-outrageous remarks by the man they want to make President of the United States. Their tolerance for warped, twisted, and depraved filth from Trump is bottomless. We ask again: where is there one iota of the teachings of Jesus Christ in these words?)
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s repeated remarks about U.S. service members and veterans, including calling soldiers “losers” and “suckers,” and refusing to visit their graves on a visit to Europe. (For details, see IndieDems’ original letter).
Sen. Scott sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s demeaning of the military service of John McCain, delivered in force during his 2016 presidential campaign. Sen. Scott remained silent about Trump’s actions following McCain’s death: after the U.S. flag flying over the White House was lowered, Trump ordered it to be restored to full height even while McCain’s memorial services were still underway.
IndieDems: Final Words
Polls show an astonishing number of Americans who call themselves Christians who believe Donald Trump is God’s chosen man to save America. A prominent political observer has, in our view, summed it up concisely and eloquently:
“The result is a religious movement steeped in fanaticism but stripped of virtue. The Christian virtues touted in the New Testament — ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’ — have been replaced in MAGA Christianity by the very vileness the same passage warned against, including ‘hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions’ and ‘factions.’ ”
My question to you, Sen. Scott: Based on your Christian principles, do you agree or disagree with that conclusion?
(Signed)-Tom Barksdale
On July 12 three Republican members of the State Election Board convened an impromptu meeting without giving adequate notification to other members or to the public. They approved new election rules, provoking, a widespread backlash. Critics question whether the hastily called meeting violates the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
On July 15, Fulton County Election Board Chair Cathy Woolard asked Kemp to remove the three state board members and the board’s executive director, who also participated in the meeting.
The Republican Screed 2024, Approved Today for the Third Time
What It Takes to be a Republican in 2024, As Proclaimed by Donald Trump and Approved by 85% of Republicans
Now that Republicans have for the third time nominated Donald Trump to be their candidate for president, let's review what the FACTS show about what Republicans want in their candidate. He/she is someone who:
--Rapes a woman, labels her a liar when she publicly outs him; continues to vilify her after a jury finds him guilty of gross sex abuse and orders him to pay compensation; forcing her to go through the ordeal of another public vetting of the horror she endured; once more, continues his vilification outside the court and appears personally in court to do the same.
--Makes up a Big Lie about how two Georgia election workers engaged in criminal activity to manipulate the ballot count, and joins his lawyer, Rudolf Giuliani, in a publicity campaign to spread the lie, unleashing a torrent of threats an intimidation of the two that turns their lives into a living hell. Keeps the vile lie going for three years until a trial exonerates the two and the jury orders Giuliani to pay almost $150 million in damages.
***********Define Trump in a sentence***********
"Trump is a grifter, coward, pathologic liar, malignant narcissist, tax cheat, rapist, misogynist, racist, and traitor."
*************************************************************************
--Publicly and frequently expresses his fulsome praise for murderous thugs Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, Chinese President Xi, Hungarian strongman Orban. Even calls the terrorist organization Hezbollah "very smart."
--Continues to vociferously tell the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from him, without offering a shred of evidence to support his allegation, while even honest former senior officials in his Administration say he is lying
--Openly declares his intention, if elected, to establish an authoritarian regime in the United States that will put an end to democracy and the rule of law.
--Demeaned the military service of John McCain
--Called fallen American soldiers "losers" and "suckers," according to Gen. John Kelly, Trump's former Chief of Staff.(See https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html)
--Mocks the handicapped.
--Does all the above, and proclaims himself to be a Christian.
Here is IndieDems’ understanding of how the brand of Christianity practiced by Rev. Sarah K. Fisher of St. Catherine Episcopal Church, Marietta, GA, views the words and deeds of Donald Trump:
Rev. Fisher sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s calling his political opponents “vermin”—a term frequently used by Adolf Hitler.
Rev. Fisher sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s saying that migrants are “animals” who are “poisoning” the country.
Rev. Fisher sees no undermining of Chrisian principles when an adult human being stands up in public and mocks a handicapped person.
Rev. Fisher sees no threat to Christian principles when Trump calls the persons who served time for their criminal acts during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots” and says he would consider blanket pardons for some of those charged.
Rev. Fisher apparently sees no connection between Jesus’ teachings and the rule of law, a basic American value that upholds the values that Jesus espoused.
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s extensive track record that establish his racism. Specifically:
Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s leadership of the racist birther movement against former President Barack Obama
Rev. Fisher does not believe that these words and deeds establish Trump as a racist who lives a life contrary to the teachings of Jesus, and who is unfit to hold public office in the United States.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Jesus’ teachings, or of the Commandment against bearing false witness, when Trump, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, made up a Big Lie that two Black election workers in Georgia had attempted to illegally manipulate the counting of ballots in the 2020 election.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump and his lawyer, Rudolf Giuliani, gave media interviews to publicize the lie about the election workers.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump—in a telephone conversation with the GA Secretary of State, trying to get him to prevent Georgia's electoral vote going to Biden—made the totally false allegation that one of the women was a “professional vote-scammer and hustler.”
Rev. Fisher’s Christian empathy was not aroused when Trump’s false accusations subjected the poll workers to vicious threats and harassment, including people banging on their doors, forcing them to flee their homes, and turning their lives into a living hell. Rev. Fisher slept soundly every night.
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that Trump kept the vile lie about Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss going for three years, until a trial exonerated the two, and the jury ordered Giuliani to pay almost $150 million in damages.
Rev. Fisher unreservedly rejects any idea that Trump’s gross mistreatment and flagrant character assassination of two innocent Christians are so alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to the Ten Commandments, that Trump showed himself not only unfit to be president, he showed he is unfit to be called a Christian.
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that in the mid-1990s, Trump sexually assaulted a woman named E. Jean Carroll, a crime two separate juries of ordinary Americans subsequently decided had happened.
(IndieDems note: For the details about the Carroll case see the original letter. Summary: Carroll at one point filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the alleged assault itself and for acts of defamation by Trump. On May 9, 2023, a federal jury in New York found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse and awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages. Trump immediately proceeded to show what a warped, twisted, and depraved soul he really is by resuming his public insults and defamation. Carroll launched a new lawsuit. On Jan. 26, 2024, the second jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to Carroll).
Rev. Fisher saw no violations of the teachings of Jesus Christ in any of Trump’s serial acts of assault, libel and slander of an innocent human being.
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump over and over again expressing his fulsome praise for democracy-hating, murderous thugs Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, Chinese President Xi, and Hungarian strongman Orban, all of whom who have repudiated America’s basic moral and democratic values.
Rev. Fisher remained silent when Trump called the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, one of the world’s worst terrorist organizations, "very smart."
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principle in Trump’s suggestion that General Mark Milley, the highly respected former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved execution.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles, or of the Commandment against lying, when Trump in 2022 took to social media to call for the termination of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election and “reinstate” him to power. He based his deranged demands on his own false allegations that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles, or the Commandment against lying, when Trump, in an interview published on March 18, 2024, said “Jews who support Democrats hate Israel and their religion.” Rev. Fisher maintained his silence after Trump’s campaign repeated his incendiary charge, declaring that “Trump is right,” and that the Democratic Party “has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal.”
(IndieDems comment: Remarkably, very few people who call themselves Christians have criticized these beyond-outrageous remarks by the man they want to make President of the United States. Their tolerance for warped, twisted, and depraved filth from Trump is bottomless. We ask again: where is there one iota of the teachings of Jesus Christ in these words?)
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s repeated remarks about U.S. service members and veterans, including calling soldiers “losers” and “suckers,” and refusing to visit their graves on a visit to Europe. (For details, see IndieDems’ original letter).
Rev. Fisher sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s demeaning of the military service of John McCain, delivered in force during his 2016 presidential campaign. Rev. Fisher remained silent about Trump’s actions following McCain’s death: after the U.S. flag flying over the White House was lowered, Trump ordered it to be restored to full height even while McCain’s memorial services were still underway.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman fat.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman ugly.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman Miss Piggy.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman bimbo.
Rev. Fisher saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly labeled a woman a dog.
IndieDems: Final Words
Polls show an astonishing number of Americans who call themselves Christians who believe Donald Trump is God’s chosen man to save America. A prominent political observer has, in our view, summed it up concisely and eloquently:
“The result is a religious movement steeped in fanaticism but stripped of virtue. The Christian virtues touted in the New Testament — ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’ — have been replaced in MAGA Christianity by the very vileness the same passage warned against, including ‘hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions’ and ‘factions.’ ”
My question to you, Rev. Fisher: Based on your Christian principles, do you agree or disagree with that conclusion?
Here is IndieDems’ understanding of how the brand of Christianity practiced by Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, Archdiocese of Atlanta, views the words and deeds of Donald Trump:
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s calling his political opponents “vermin”—a term frequently used by Adolf Hitler.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s saying that migrants are “animals” who are “poisoning” the country.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no undermining of Chrisian principles when an adult human being stands up in public and mocks a handicapped person.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no threat to Christian principles when Trump calls the persons who served time for their criminal acts during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots” and says he would consider blanket pardons for some of those charged.
Archbishop Hartmayer apparently sees no connection between Jesus’ teachings and the rule of law, a basic American value that upholds the values that Jesus espoused.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s extensive track record that establish his racism. Specifically:
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s leadership of the racist birther movement against former President Barack Obama
Archbishop Hartmayer does not believe that these words and deeds establish Trump as a racist who lives a life contrary to the teachings of Jesus, and who is unfit to hold public office in the United States.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Jesus’ teachings, or of the Commandment against bearing false witness, when Trump, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, made up a Big Lie that two Black election workers in Georgia had attempted to illegally manipulate the counting of ballots in the 2020 election.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump and his lawyer, Rudolf Giuliani, gave media interviews to publicize the lie about the election workers.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump—in a telephone conversation with the GA Secretary of State, trying to get him to prevent Georgia's electoral vote going to Biden—made the totally false allegation that one of the women was a “professional vote-scammer and hustler.”
Archbishop Hartmayer’s Christian empathy was not aroused when Trump’s false accusations subjected the poll workers to vicious threats and harassment, including people banging on their doors, forcing them to flee their homes, and turning their lives into a living hell. Archbishop Hartmayer slept soundly every night.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that Trump kept the vile lie about Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss going for three years, until a trial exonerated the two, and the jury ordered Giuliani to pay almost $150 million in damages.
Archbishop Hartmayer unreservedly rejects any idea that Trump’s gross mistreatment and flagrant character assassination of two innocent Christians are so alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to the Ten Commandments, that Trump showed himself not only unfit to be president, he showed he is unfit to be called a Christian.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that in the mid-1990s, Trump sexually assaulted a woman named E. Jean Carroll, a crime two separate juries of ordinary Americans subsequently decided had happened.
(IndieDems note: For the details about the Carroll case see the original letter. Summary: Carroll at one point filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the alleged assault itself and for acts of defamation by Trump. On May 9, 2023, a federal jury in New York found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse and awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages. Trump immediately proceeded to show what a warped, twisted, and depraved soul he really is by resuming his public insults and defamation. Carroll launched a new lawsuit. On Jan. 26, 2024, the second jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to Carroll).
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violations of the teachings of Jesus Christ in any of Trump’s serial acts of assault, libel and slander of an innocent human being.
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump over and over again expressing his fulsome praise for democracy-hating, murderous thugs Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, Chinese President Xi, and Hungarian strongman Orban, all of whom who have repudiated America’s basic moral and democratic values.
Archbishop Hartmayer remained silent when Trump called the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, one of the world’s worst terrorist organizations, "very smart."
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s suggestion that General Mark Milley, the highly respected former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved execution.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles, or of the Commandment against lying, when Trump in 2022 took to social media to call for the termination of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election and “reinstate” him to power. He based his deranged demands on his own false allegations that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles, or the Commandment against lying, when Trump, in an interview published on March 18, 2024, said “Jews who support Democrats hate Israel and their religion.” Archbishop Hartmayer maintained his silence after Trump’s campaign repeated his incendiary charge, declaring that “Trump is right,” and that the Democratic Party “has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal.”
(IndieDems comment: Remarkably, very few people who call themselves Christians have criticized these beyond-outrageous remarks by the man they want to make President of the United States. Their tolerance for warped, twisted, and depraved filth from Trump is bottomless. We ask again: where is there one iota of the teachings of Jesus Christ in these words?)
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s repeated remarks about U.S. service members and veterans, including calling soldiers “losers” and “suckers,” and refusing to visit their graves on a visit to Europe. (For details, see IndieDems’ original letter).
Archbishop Hartmayer sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s demeaning of the military service of John McCain, delivered in force during his 2016 presidential campaign. Archbishop Hartmayer remained silent about Trump’s actions following McCain’s death: after the U.S. flag flying over the White House was lowered, Trump ordered it to be restored to full height even while McCain’s memorial services were still underway.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman fat.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman ugly.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman Miss Piggy.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman bimbo.
Archbishop Hartmayer saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly labeled a woman a dog.
IndieDems: Final Words
Polls show an astonishing number of Americans who call themselves Christians who believe Donald Trump is God’s chosen man to save America. A prominent political observer has, in our view, summed it up concisely and eloquently:
“The result is a religious movement steeped in fanaticism but stripped of virtue. The Christian virtues touted in the New Testament — ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’ — have been replaced in MAGA Christianity by the very vileness the same passage warned against, including ‘hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions’ and ‘factions.’ ”
My question to you, Archbishop Hartmayer: Based on your Christian principles, do you agree or disagree with that conclusion?
Here is IndieDems’ understanding of how the brand of Christianity practiced by Senior Pastor Clay Smith of the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church views the words and deeds of Donald Trump:
Pastor Smith sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s calling his political opponents “vermin”—a term frequently used by Adolf Hitler.
Pastor Smith sees no threat to Christian principles posed by Trump’s saying that migrants are “animals” who are “poisoning” the country.
Pastor Smith sees no undermining of Chrisian principles when an adult human being stands up in public and mocks a handicapped person.
Pastor Smith sees no threat to Christian principles when Trump calls the persons who served time for their criminal acts during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots” and says he would consider blanket pardons for some of those charged.
Pastor Smith apparently sees no connection between Jesus’ teachings and the rule of law, a basic American value that upholds the values that Jesus espoused.
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s extensive track record that establish his racism. Specifically:
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s leadership of the racist birther movement against former President Barack Obama
Pastor Smith does not believe that these words and deeds establish Trump as a racist who lives a life contrary to the teachings of Jesus, and who is unfit to hold public office in the United States.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Jesus’ teachings, or of the Commandment against bearing false witness, when Trump, in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, made up a Big Lie that two Black election workers in Georgia had attempted to illegally manipulate the counting of ballots in the 2020 election.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump and his lawyer, Rudolf Giuliani, gave media interviews to publicize the lie about the election workers.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump—in a telephone conversation with the GA Secretary of State, trying to get him to prevent Georgia's electoral vote going to Biden—made the totally false allegation that one of the women was a “professional vote-scammer and hustler.”
Pastor Smith’s Christian empathy was not aroused when Trump’s false accusations subjected the poll workers to vicious threats and harassment, including people banging on their doors, forcing them to flee their homes, and turning their lives into a living hell. Pastor Smith slept soundly every night.
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that Trump kept the vile lie about Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss going for three years, until a trial exonerated the two, and the jury ordered Giuliani to pay almost $150 million in damages.
Pastor Smith unreservedly rejects any idea that Trump’s gross mistreatment and flagrant character assassination of two innocent Christians are so alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and to the Ten Commandments, that Trump showed himself not only unfit to be president, he showed he is unfit to be called a Christian.
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in the fact that in the mid-1990s, Trump sexually assaulted a woman named E. Jean Carroll, a crime two separate juries of ordinary Americans subsequently decided had happened.
(IndieDems note: For the details about the Carroll case see the original letter. Summary: Carroll at one point filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the alleged assault itself and for acts of defamation by Trump. On May 9, 2023, a federal jury in New York found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse and awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in damages. Trump immediately proceeded to show what a warped, twisted, and depraved soul he really is by resuming his public insults and defamation. Carroll launched a new lawsuit. On Jan. 26, 2024, the second jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to Carroll).
Pastor Smith saw no violations of the teachings of Jesus Christ in any of Trump’s serial acts of assault, libel and slander of an innocent human being.
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump over and over again expressing his fulsome praise for democracy-hating, murderous thugs Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, Chinese President Xi, and Hungarian strongman Orban, all of whom who have repudiated America’s basic moral and democratic values.
Pastor Smith remained silent when Trump called the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, one of the world’s worst terrorist organizations, "very smart."
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principle in Trump’s suggestion that General Mark Milley, the highly respected former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deserved execution.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles, or of the Commandment against lying, when Trump in 2022 took to social media to call for the termination of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election and “reinstate” him to power. He based his deranged demands on his own false allegations that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles, or the Commandment against lying, when Trump, in an interview published on March 18, 2024, said “Jews who support Democrats hate Israel and their religion.” Pastor Smith maintained his silence after Trump’s campaign repeated his incendiary charge, declaring that “Trump is right,” and that the Democratic Party “has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal.”
(IndieDems comment: Remarkably, very few people who call themselves Christians have criticized these beyond-outrageous remarks by the man they want to make President of the United States. Their tolerance for warped, twisted, and depraved filth from Trump is bottomless. We ask again: where is there one iota of the teachings of Jesus Christ in these words?)
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s repeated remarks about U.S. service members and veterans, including calling soldiers “losers” and “suckers,” and refusing to visit their graves on a visit to Europe. (For details, see IndieDems’ original letter).
Pastor Smith sees no violation of Christian principles in Trump’s demeaning of the military service of John McCain, delivered in force during his 2016 presidential campaign. Pastor Smith remained silent about Trump’s actions following McCain’s death: after the U.S. flag flying over the White House was lowered, Trump ordered it to be restored to full height even while McCain’s memorial services were still underway.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman fat.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman ugly.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman Miss Piggy.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly called a woman bimbo.
Pastor Smith saw no violation of Christian principles when Trump publicly labeled a woman a dog.
IndieDems: Final Words
Polls show an astonishing number of Americans who call themselves Christians who believe Donald Trump is God’s chosen man to save America. A prominent political observer has, in our view, summed it up concisely and eloquently:
“The result is a religious movement steeped in fanaticism but stripped of virtue. The Christian virtues touted in the New Testament — ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’ — have been replaced in MAGA Christianity by the very vileness the same passage warned against, including ‘hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions’ and ‘factions.’ ”
My question to you, Pastor Smith: Based on your Christian principles, do you agree or disagree with that conclusion?