The Ultimate Corruption of Christianity
Maybe I went to different Sunday school classes than Rick Perry, but he certainly caught my attention with this expression of his opinion. Perry said in a recent interview that he believes that President Donald Trump was “chosen” by God to lead America at this point in history. Okay, I get it. If God oversees everything then, of course, he was the deity that made sure the electoral college put the Donald in charge of the United States of America. Now call me a doubting Thomas, but I just don’t buy it. Did God appear to Rick Perry to directly deliver this big news?
I happen to hold a very strong belief that God is not involved in politics. To say that God has any power of intervention and control over elections would mean that he/she/it would have helped the German populace elect Adolf Hitler. God is not now and never has been in the election business. There are not chosen people or countries or religions or clubs or parties; there are only people. People who are born, eat, shit, sleep, work, pay taxes and then die. No royal from the history of the world is still alive, which is fairly good evidence that no man is above the law or chosen by God.
The current corruption of Christianity is not unique in world history. Religions and churches have been coopted by leaders, popes and politicians since the beginning of beliefs and organized religion. The Crusades are one example of the church being hi-jacked by politics and choosing to do the wrong thing. Experts claim that there were as many as 1.7 million people killed during the Crusades. How did religious people justify death to forward their dogma?
Rick Perry went on to babble, “God’s used imperfect people all through history. King David wasn’t perfect. Saul wasn’t perfect. Solomon wasn’t perfect. And I actually gave the president a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings about a month ago. I said, ‘Mr. President, I know there are people that say you said you were the chosen one and I said, ‘You were.’” He also added, “I said, ‘If you’re a believing Christian, you understand God’s plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government.”
As they should say on TV, how do we unpack this heaping pile of camel shit? If Rick Perry really thinks Trump is a “believing Christian” he wouldn’t have needed to give him a paper on Old Testament kings. The brother would have already been speaking in tongues. And what is the origin of the revelation that Trump was chosen by God for anything? How did hard-working, God fearing evangelicals get sucked into this strange idea that we should look beyond the flaws and imperfections of Donald Trump and pronounce a savior status on his head?
I think I got it, and my next statement isn’t going to go down very easily with the 1.2 billion people who call themselves Catholic, but here goes. The ultimate corruption of the church took place here in America and around the world right under the noses of naïve mothers and fathers. For years, young boys and girls were terrorized in their own churches and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church covered it up. This is fact.
There is a common retort from long-term faithful in the church that goes something like this, “I know there were some bad priests, but look at all the good the church has done for so many people.” There it is. The flawed souls and imperfect people have a get-out-jail card that people give institutions and criminals. Jerry Sandusky is in jail for what he did. How many priests were punished?
Christians of all stripes will tell you that Trump’s lifestyle and language isn’t as important as those Supreme Court justice appointments, the move toward making abortions illegal and his undying support for Israel. Okay, you got those boxes checked my sisters and brothers of the cross, but was the separation of children from their families on your list? Did you overlook the changes to the laws that allowed big business to more easily pollute the world? Did your preacher ignore the tax law that gave the rich more money and hardly helped the middle class? Would Jesus approve?
One might argue you can still support a church, even though some of its authorities sexually abused children. And let me ask you this. Is the binding of Trump’s power to a Godly endorsement the creation of over-eager minds or just people ignoring a few commandments? Do you remember, “you shall have no other gods before me” or “you shall make no idols” or “you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” and of course, “you shall not commit adultery.” Even if you are blind to everything Trump has done so far, you certainly must see that he has, indeed, been bearing false witness against his neighbors? He tells multiple lies every day and some of them put real people in harm’s way. Do you get the term “death threat” my holy friends?
As we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year, we will all be giving thanks for the many blessings and wonderful things we share in America. I will not be giving thanks for this President, however, because I truly believe he’s not worthy of thanks. He’s a liar living under a blanket of secrets. He claims to be the most transparent president ever, when we cannot even see the skin on his face.
Rick Perry is not very smart, because he’s enabling Trump and his worst instincts. If he truly was a man of God, why would so many people hate him? He’s more than imperfect. He’s so flawed morally and psychologically that the real evil he’s propagated will take years to be discovered. We already have a new generation of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and racists who rally around this man. How do they get along with the Christian evangelicals? Are they both looking the other way?
If Trump buys into this “chosen one” routine, he will believe every action he takes is ordained by the Lord himself. Isn’t that what Kings and Queens and tyrants of every kind believe? God, if you are listening, please straighten out this hot holy mess. Once Christianity gets corrupted, what will stand against tyranny, hate and disorder? We can only pray.
New Book About America
The book that tells it like it is…
Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs shows how we’ve wasted our GOLD on bad wars and corruption. While GOD is there for many people as a spiritual enrichment and the provider of glowing feelings, the truth is just praying and believing will not change our major arc. We don’t determine who gets a GUN. We aren’t sure if we have paramilitary groups ready to storm the White House or a White Castle. There is no control of weapons. The GOOFBALLS with the power constantly try to manipulate us into spending more money on bombs and tanks and wars. When all of our institutions are infected with neglect and fall in disrepair, we will only have ourselves to blame. This book is not an antidote for the left or right, it’s an accelerant to move the middle off their collective asses to go do something positive for America.
Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.