In the church, it was impressed to me from an early age that religion has much to do with politics and America. Despite the First Amendment protecting our freedom of religion and belief, never have I ever seen a country so divided on the topic of religious values. Republicans and Democrats both have made Christian values a political topic. However, in my own personal opinion, the so-called Christian values that the Republican party touts as its platform are anything but Christian.
Growing up in the church, I learned the Bible as it was taught to me by the elders in my community. Yet, when I grew older, I began to notice pretty quickly that most of the members of my church were Republican. On the surface level, you might say that makes sense. Christians are known to be anti-gay right, if so facto, Republicans are also anti-gay rights. Christians are known to be pro-life therefore Republicans are pro-life. As a Christian, it’s hard for me to say that I am a Republican because I believe that the values of Jesus are directly opposed the Republican Party. I would be lying if I said I supported Christians for Trump.
In order to support my beliefs, I think it is important to reflect on the Bible to provide evidence of why I believe that Christians for Trump is an oxymoron. As we review the past four years of Trump’s first and only term of his short-lived political career, we should reflect on his legal actions and also his behavior and conduct. The reason why I don’t support Trump is not because of his history of infidelity, sex scandals, or the fact that he’s been married three times. I was a Liberal way before Trump announced his run for election. Trump will never be my choice for president because I oppose all of his values. I found myself shocked and rather disgusted by how my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ supported Trump and his “ideals.”
I am far from perfect, however, I try to follow the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated” (Matthew 7:12). When I look at Trump’s main support base, there is a common trend: white, male, poor, and you guessed it…Christian. Republicans prey on voters by appealing to their implicit bias to garner their support. For this reason, it seems that in America, “separation of church and state” is just a statement and an empty one at that. In his one term of being President, Trump has managed to alienate everyone outside of his base: POC, women, LGBTQ+, and Muslims, just to name a few. An explanation of why a Christian could be a Trump Supporter to me is plain and simple. In my experience, I have known many so-called “Christians” pass judgment and discriminate against others who don’t fit into their idea of what is godly.
-July 2020: The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the rollback of a previous rule that was meant to protect transgender people from discrimination by housing services that received federal funds, such as homeless shelters.
-April 2020: Trump signed an executive order, ordering federal agencies to have work requirements for low-income Americans who received federal assistance, such as Medicaid and SNAP.
-January 2020: The Trump Administration announced an expansion of the original Muslim ban — including Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, Myanmar, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan.