The Hypocrisy of MAGA's Policies
If you've followed my rants on social media, you will surely know that I am HEATED at the hyprocisy of Trump and MAGA "draping themselves on the Cross" whilst promoting policies and positions that directly conflict with the teachings of Christ. I detest dishonesty and hyprocisy - regardless of who engages in such actions. I'm equally happy to call out hyprocisy and dishonesty iin the progressive coalition as well .... it's just much harder to find these days.
I wanted to dive deeper than I am able to on some Social Media Platofrms about this issue. For this examination, I feel Matthew 25:31-46 (The Parable of The Sheep & The Goats) is a perfect place to focus. I am going to take each of Christ's instructions separately (I'm not doing them in order, and will omit "I was naked and you clothed Me" - FYI), and examine how the actions and policies of Trump & MAGA don't match their purported faith focus.
1. "for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink" (v.35)
Christ calls on us to feed the hungry. Seems simple enough, as humans need food to survive. In fact, Christ fed the hungry himself - just look back to the loaves and the fishes. But the purported "Christian Nationalists" appear to have forgotten this core tenant of their faith! Trumps "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (Public Law 119-21) took food assistance from many Americans, and made those still eligible jump through more hoops to get the assistance they need. How is taking food away from families in need consistent with the teachings of Christ? Christ didn't put in work requirements nor purity tests .... he just fed people!
2. "I was sick and you visited Me" (v.36)
Trump's policies and legislation made it harder for low income people to access affordable health care! From expanded Medicaid work requirements to the expiration of the ACA subsidies, the policies are taking away health care from MILLIONS of people. They are happy to allow people to suffer and die, or use emergency departments for their primary care (which costs MUCH more taxpayer money), than help people as their faith commands. They say people who don't work are undeserving of assistance - which flies in the face of the teachings of ALL the world's religions. It's selfishness and entitlement ... nothing more.
3. "I was in prison and you came to Me" (v.36)
The Trump agenda focuses more on confinement than rehabilitation. It's punishment over mercy. Instead of helping curb recidivism through programs to help the offender find a better way, the MAGA way is to stand up a bunch of private prisons and lock people up. Never mind that the US locks up 542 out of every 100,000 citizens - the 5th higest incarceration rate in the World (1. El Salvador, 2. Cuba, 3. Rawanda, 4. Turkmenistan, 5. USA - per World Prison Brief). Also, I have to mention that the Trump admin's focus on private prisons makes money for the owners of those prison firms with less oversight opportunities to ensure offenders are being treated humanely. Here in California, we included Rehabilitation in the name of our prison agency (California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation) on purpose ... while CDCR isn't perfect, it does try to offer inmates programs to help keep them from "Serving Life On The Installment Plan". If the government were to choose mercy via rehabilitation, we could save money on incarceration in the long run, and pur more able bodied people back into the workforce (increasing tax revenue, increasing contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund, etc). Instead of showing mercy, forgiveness and grace to those who are convicted of crimes, our leaders prefer to lock them up and yeet the key to the moon! That seems like a lack of forgiveness and mercy to me. Plus, since the national median cost to house an inmate is ~$60,000 - making the preference for long term detention a colossal waste of money.
4. " I was a stranger and you took Me in" (v.35)
This one should be the most plain! The mass deportation plans, Executive Order 14159 ("Protecting The American People Against Invasion"), turning away asylum seekers, and ending Temporary Protected Status are all examples of the xenophobia and bigotry of our national leaders. Moreover, their "preference" for white refugees from South Africa (on false pretenses) seems racist on its face. How is masked armed thugs rounding up brown people on spec and throwing them in cages for removal consistent with welcoming the stranger? Christ didn't say welcome some strangers. He didn't say welcome the stranger for a little while. We were instructed to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, as our native born! Even the Old Testament says to welcome the foreigner as our native born (Leviticus 19:33-34 - 33 And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.). Christ calls on us to welcome the stranger - full stop! This Stazi / Gestapo / NKVD style, uber-harsh deportation scheme seems to be more about terror and chaos than any type of legitimate law enforcement goals.
" 45 Then He will answer them, saying, `Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
I don't think, given all of these draconian policies and hatefilled rheoric coming from the Trump Admin and MAGA as a whole, that they are living in the way they purport.
The really hard part for me is to remember that I am to still love these hatefilled people if I am going to live consistently with the teachings of Christ. We are called to love and forgive one another our tresspasses, and that's an area that I am trying to keep front of mind - as the chaos, the families ripped apart, the bystanders who are killed for speaking out against injustice and loving their neighbors .... this injustice that purports to be inside Christian Values equally hurts my heart and infuriates me.
I guess I will leave with one last snippet from scripture ... Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Just my 2 cents... feel free to give me constructive feedback via my socials (menu).
I wanted to dive deeper than I am able to on some Social Media Platofrms about this issue. For this examination, I feel Matthew 25:31-46 (The Parable of The Sheep & The Goats) is a perfect place to focus. I am going to take each of Christ's instructions separately (I'm not doing them in order, and will omit "I was naked and you clothed Me" - FYI), and examine how the actions and policies of Trump & MAGA don't match their purported faith focus.
1. "for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink" (v.35)
Christ calls on us to feed the hungry. Seems simple enough, as humans need food to survive. In fact, Christ fed the hungry himself - just look back to the loaves and the fishes. But the purported "Christian Nationalists" appear to have forgotten this core tenant of their faith! Trumps "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (Public Law 119-21) took food assistance from many Americans, and made those still eligible jump through more hoops to get the assistance they need. How is taking food away from families in need consistent with the teachings of Christ? Christ didn't put in work requirements nor purity tests .... he just fed people!
2. "I was sick and you visited Me" (v.36)
Trump's policies and legislation made it harder for low income people to access affordable health care! From expanded Medicaid work requirements to the expiration of the ACA subsidies, the policies are taking away health care from MILLIONS of people. They are happy to allow people to suffer and die, or use emergency departments for their primary care (which costs MUCH more taxpayer money), than help people as their faith commands. They say people who don't work are undeserving of assistance - which flies in the face of the teachings of ALL the world's religions. It's selfishness and entitlement ... nothing more.
3. "I was in prison and you came to Me" (v.36)
The Trump agenda focuses more on confinement than rehabilitation. It's punishment over mercy. Instead of helping curb recidivism through programs to help the offender find a better way, the MAGA way is to stand up a bunch of private prisons and lock people up. Never mind that the US locks up 542 out of every 100,000 citizens - the 5th higest incarceration rate in the World (1. El Salvador, 2. Cuba, 3. Rawanda, 4. Turkmenistan, 5. USA - per World Prison Brief). Also, I have to mention that the Trump admin's focus on private prisons makes money for the owners of those prison firms with less oversight opportunities to ensure offenders are being treated humanely. Here in California, we included Rehabilitation in the name of our prison agency (California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation) on purpose ... while CDCR isn't perfect, it does try to offer inmates programs to help keep them from "Serving Life On The Installment Plan". If the government were to choose mercy via rehabilitation, we could save money on incarceration in the long run, and pur more able bodied people back into the workforce (increasing tax revenue, increasing contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund, etc). Instead of showing mercy, forgiveness and grace to those who are convicted of crimes, our leaders prefer to lock them up and yeet the key to the moon! That seems like a lack of forgiveness and mercy to me. Plus, since the national median cost to house an inmate is ~$60,000 - making the preference for long term detention a colossal waste of money.
4. " I was a stranger and you took Me in" (v.35)
This one should be the most plain! The mass deportation plans, Executive Order 14159 ("Protecting The American People Against Invasion"), turning away asylum seekers, and ending Temporary Protected Status are all examples of the xenophobia and bigotry of our national leaders. Moreover, their "preference" for white refugees from South Africa (on false pretenses) seems racist on its face. How is masked armed thugs rounding up brown people on spec and throwing them in cages for removal consistent with welcoming the stranger? Christ didn't say welcome some strangers. He didn't say welcome the stranger for a little while. We were instructed to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, as our native born! Even the Old Testament says to welcome the foreigner as our native born (Leviticus 19:33-34 - 33 And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.). Christ calls on us to welcome the stranger - full stop! This Stazi / Gestapo / NKVD style, uber-harsh deportation scheme seems to be more about terror and chaos than any type of legitimate law enforcement goals.
" 45 Then He will answer them, saying, `Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
I don't think, given all of these draconian policies and hatefilled rheoric coming from the Trump Admin and MAGA as a whole, that they are living in the way they purport.
The really hard part for me is to remember that I am to still love these hatefilled people if I am going to live consistently with the teachings of Christ. We are called to love and forgive one another our tresspasses, and that's an area that I am trying to keep front of mind - as the chaos, the families ripped apart, the bystanders who are killed for speaking out against injustice and loving their neighbors .... this injustice that purports to be inside Christian Values equally hurts my heart and infuriates me.
I guess I will leave with one last snippet from scripture ... Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Just my 2 cents... feel free to give me constructive feedback via my socials (menu).
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