“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
Have you ever prayed to God for your favorite sports team to win? I am sure I have. I do wonder if God really takes sides in sports!
But what about when the stakes are higher? It is not hyperbole to say that democracy is on the ballot in November. In the last few weeks, even some Republicans have called out their far-right colleagues for repeating Russian president Vladimir Putin’s propaganda that seeks to divide the US and destroy our democracy as well as end our influence in global affairs. Those far-right, MAGA Republicans have become Putin’s puppets and Trump is their dictator-in-waiting. In this war on democracy, which side is God on?
The Far Right would have us believe that Jesus is on their side, that Jesus is a warrior-king returning from heaven to exact vengeance on those who do not look like, act like, or who are not white, straight, Republican men. They have co-opted Christianity to promote white Christian nationalism that seeks to dismantle American democracy.
I wonder if Jesus were here today and registered to vote, would He be a Republican or a Democrat?
A photo of a bearded white man in a red MAGA cap speaks volumes of how the Far Right sees Jesus. Noticing similar images in my news feeds from the January 6 insurrection and Trump rallies, I am hard-pressed to believe that Jesus would bless these misuses of His image, let alone stand in solidarity with the Far Right’s proclivity to eviscerate our human and civil rights. This violation of rights will lead to authoritarianism and oppression of those who do not espouse their extremist dogma. When Trump recently took over the Republican National Committee, more than 60 staffers were immediately fired and new job applicants were asked if they believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. A negative answer denied them a job at the RNC.
Perhaps it is easy to say that if Jesus were living in present-day America, He would be whatever political persuasion we want Him to be. Or maybe we would be adamant that Jesus would never take sides. But would He?
Obviously, God is for good and not on the side of evil. The Bible has a lot to say about God being on the side of the oppressed, the foreigner (immigrant), and the poor.
Jesus' own words put Him squarely in the middle of partisan politics. No two-party political system existed back in Jesus' time because Jesus did not live in a democracy. He lived under a Roman dictatorship headed up by Caesar. This was not a two-party system, but there were two sides: the oppressors made up of the Roman government with lots of help from the religious leaders and the oppressed (everyone else). Clearly, this was not a democracy.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus constantly stood up for the oppressed. His anger as seen through overturned temple tables was a display of righteous anger against the oppressive religious powers that forced poor people to buy their way to ceremonial cleansing. If the poor could not afford the temple sacrifice or could not pay the significant temple taxes, they would be ostracized from the temple and society as unclean outcasts who would then have difficulty finding work, driving them deeper into poverty.
Many of His parables are stories not just of some moral truth, but speech denouncing oppression. (More on that in future posts.) These words landed Him in hot water with the religious leaders and the Roman dictators who then executed Him as a nonviolent activist/insurrectionist, accusing Him of trying to overthrow the government to be king. He threatened their positions of power by empowering the masses to think about how they were being treated by their oppressors and to embrace new ways to treat other people. He taught a new way of living that ushered in the kingdom of God on earth. This new world order threatened to shake up the power structures where the Roman rulers and religious leaders sat perched on top.
Yes, Jesus took sides. He always sided with the powerless, the marginalized, the ostracized, and the outcasts. He cared most for the least of these. He saw in each person their humanity and the image of God.
If we truly follow His teachings, we will take sides, too. We will check to see if politicians truly support democracy and fair voting. We will look at politicians' human rights track records and see how they treat others, particularly those who are different from themselves. We will pay attention to candidates' promises and check to see whether the poor and marginalized are prioritized in their proposed policies and check to see who is harmed by their proposals. We will listen to their rhetoric when they refer to others, particularly those different from themselves, being attentive to labels that dehumanize, demonize, and devalue others. And we will vote based on all the above. Because when we stand up for the least of these, we are always on the winning side. For all eternity.
NOTE: You may disagree with some or all the specific policies promoted by Democrats, but the authoritarian and fascist regime promoted by the Republican Party (yes, even non-MAGA Republicans because their silence is complicity) will destroy democracy and this country. Policies will no longer matter when they are at the whim of a dictator. We will no longer have a voice. If Trump wins a second term, it will be so much worse that his first one. He has aligned himself with people who are currently making plans to take down the federal government, one agency at a time, so they can be in control (known as Project 2025). Together, though, we can vote them out!
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The photo above is from my recent trip north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Shot on Trollfjord near Svolvær, it depicts a mirror image of the mountains reflecting into the glacial waters. Unlike this photo, the two major US political parties are not mirror images of each other. Instead, they are opposites: one seeks to promote the good of the people as defined by the US Constitution and the other seeks to destroy democracy.
NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out: https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Have you ever prayed to God for your favorite sports team to win? I am sure I have. I do wonder if God really takes sides in sports!
But what about when the stakes are higher? It is not hyperbole to say that democracy is on the ballot in November. In the last few weeks, even some Republicans have called out their far-right colleagues for repeating Russian president Vladimir Putin’s propaganda that seeks to divide the US and destroy our democracy as well as end our influence in global affairs. Those far-right, MAGA Republicans have become Putin’s puppets and Trump is their dictator-in-waiting. In this war on democracy, which side is God on?
The Far Right would have us believe that Jesus is on their side, that Jesus is a warrior-king returning from heaven to exact vengeance on those who do not look like, act like, or who are not white, straight, Republican men. They have co-opted Christianity to promote white Christian nationalism that seeks to dismantle American democracy.
I wonder if Jesus were here today and registered to vote, would He be a Republican or a Democrat?
A photo of a bearded white man in a red MAGA cap speaks volumes of how the Far Right sees Jesus. Noticing similar images in my news feeds from the January 6 insurrection and Trump rallies, I am hard-pressed to believe that Jesus would bless these misuses of His image, let alone stand in solidarity with the Far Right’s proclivity to eviscerate our human and civil rights. This violation of rights will lead to authoritarianism and oppression of those who do not espouse their extremist dogma. When Trump recently took over the Republican National Committee, more than 60 staffers were immediately fired and new job applicants were asked if they believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. A negative answer denied them a job at the RNC.
Perhaps it is easy to say that if Jesus were living in present-day America, He would be whatever political persuasion we want Him to be. Or maybe we would be adamant that Jesus would never take sides. But would He?
Obviously, God is for good and not on the side of evil. The Bible has a lot to say about God being on the side of the oppressed, the foreigner (immigrant), and the poor.
Jesus' own words put Him squarely in the middle of partisan politics. No two-party political system existed back in Jesus' time because Jesus did not live in a democracy. He lived under a Roman dictatorship headed up by Caesar. This was not a two-party system, but there were two sides: the oppressors made up of the Roman government with lots of help from the religious leaders and the oppressed (everyone else). Clearly, this was not a democracy.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus constantly stood up for the oppressed. His anger as seen through overturned temple tables was a display of righteous anger against the oppressive religious powers that forced poor people to buy their way to ceremonial cleansing. If the poor could not afford the temple sacrifice or could not pay the significant temple taxes, they would be ostracized from the temple and society as unclean outcasts who would then have difficulty finding work, driving them deeper into poverty.
Many of His parables are stories not just of some moral truth, but speech denouncing oppression. (More on that in future posts.) These words landed Him in hot water with the religious leaders and the Roman dictators who then executed Him as a nonviolent activist/insurrectionist, accusing Him of trying to overthrow the government to be king. He threatened their positions of power by empowering the masses to think about how they were being treated by their oppressors and to embrace new ways to treat other people. He taught a new way of living that ushered in the kingdom of God on earth. This new world order threatened to shake up the power structures where the Roman rulers and religious leaders sat perched on top.
Yes, Jesus took sides. He always sided with the powerless, the marginalized, the ostracized, and the outcasts. He cared most for the least of these. He saw in each person their humanity and the image of God.
If we truly follow His teachings, we will take sides, too. We will check to see if politicians truly support democracy and fair voting. We will look at politicians' human rights track records and see how they treat others, particularly those who are different from themselves. We will pay attention to candidates' promises and check to see whether the poor and marginalized are prioritized in their proposed policies and check to see who is harmed by their proposals. We will listen to their rhetoric when they refer to others, particularly those different from themselves, being attentive to labels that dehumanize, demonize, and devalue others. And we will vote based on all the above. Because when we stand up for the least of these, we are always on the winning side. For all eternity.
NOTE: You may disagree with some or all the specific policies promoted by Democrats, but the authoritarian and fascist regime promoted by the Republican Party (yes, even non-MAGA Republicans because their silence is complicity) will destroy democracy and this country. Policies will no longer matter when they are at the whim of a dictator. We will no longer have a voice. If Trump wins a second term, it will be so much worse that his first one. He has aligned himself with people who are currently making plans to take down the federal government, one agency at a time, so they can be in control (known as Project 2025). Together, though, we can vote them out!
Text and photograph copyright © 2024 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. The photo above is from my recent trip north of the Arctic Circle to the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Shot on Trollfjord near Svolvær, it depicts a mirror image of the mountains reflecting into the glacial waters. Unlike this photo, the two major US political parties are not mirror images of each other. Instead, they are opposites: one seeks to promote the good of the people as defined by the US Constitution and the other seeks to destroy democracy.
NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out: https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe. Subscribers receive an email each month that includes the post with the lead photo as well as bonus photos not posted on the website. Email addresses are never sold or shared.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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