MAGA's condemnation of Rev. Budde's call for mercy and kindness to immigrants reveals Republicans have betrayed Jesus and now officially worship Donald Trump as their Orange Calf.
Excellent work! Jesus warned of false teachers, false prophets, imposters, antichrists and hypocrites. “A brood of vipers” he called them. How right he was.
I love how the White Wing Christian Nationalists totally lost their shit upon being confronted with Jesus 101. More seriously, their disproportionate and fact-free response to a middle of the road, gospel and scripture-based homily from Bishop Budde upholding unity and mercy further proves what we already knew: the MAGAts hold no serious beliefs, have no allegiance to truth, and are completely disloyal to the Constitution and the savior they purport to follow. It's all about the grift and what's in it for me.
Importantly, their predictable response to the Bishop's words was to attack and marginalize her. In the battle of ideas, their quiver is empty so they attack people instead. What's especially dangerous now, is that they direct these attacks with full knowledge that their verbiage has inspired deadly violence in the past. They know it will do so again. They know that they can unleash stochastic terror at will because the vast and growing army of Trumpist brownshirts understand that they are above the law and can inflict pain and death with impunity.
We now inhabit a country where January 6 style violence can and will break out on the regular. The orchestrators of stochastic terror have and will point the instruments of violence Trump has assembled and empowered in specific and general directions to quell and prevent any dissent and to punish anyone who disagrees with Trump or the MAGA agenda. These propagandists are acting with premeditation and with the full and complete knowledge of the consequences. They are definitely not Christians. They are definitely not followers of Jesus. And they are, most definitely, not loyal citizens of the United States of America. And to all of you who are about to scream that we cannot engage in marginalization such as this, I will remind you that the Trump cabal has already marginalized and defined me and millions like me as not Christian, not a "true" follower of Jesus, and not a "real" American.
Well done, Wajahat. Thank you for wrapping it up all so succinctly. It is what it is and we have work to do. Jesus would do to them what he did to the money lenders in the temple in Jerusalem--chase them off. And that is exactly what we have to do. Thank you.
I tend to look to Roman History for insight. There was this guy Caligula who made his horse a political appointee. You watch--at the rate he's going by the end of this year, we may have a golf cart for Secretary of Transportation
Many thanks for this strong and thoughtful essay. I am personally not a religious person, but have always admired the Anglican/Episcopal values of service, non-judgment, political activism, and compassion. Rev. Budde is my hero. She spoke truth to power, unflinchingly, with kindness and yes, compassion. "What would Jesus do?" is a good moral compass and motivator for us all.
Thank you for your insight … As a Christian who long ago left institutionalized religion, I agree with you completely.
I had the exact same thought.
Your Golden Calf reference put me in mind of Kevin Smith's DOGMA: a film for our times, if ever there were one.
Excellent work! Jesus warned of false teachers, false prophets, imposters, antichrists and hypocrites. “A brood of vipers” he called them. How right he was.
You are an excellent writer. Thank you.
I think this is your best piece yet.
I love how the White Wing Christian Nationalists totally lost their shit upon being confronted with Jesus 101. More seriously, their disproportionate and fact-free response to a middle of the road, gospel and scripture-based homily from Bishop Budde upholding unity and mercy further proves what we already knew: the MAGAts hold no serious beliefs, have no allegiance to truth, and are completely disloyal to the Constitution and the savior they purport to follow. It's all about the grift and what's in it for me.
Importantly, their predictable response to the Bishop's words was to attack and marginalize her. In the battle of ideas, their quiver is empty so they attack people instead. What's especially dangerous now, is that they direct these attacks with full knowledge that their verbiage has inspired deadly violence in the past. They know it will do so again. They know that they can unleash stochastic terror at will because the vast and growing army of Trumpist brownshirts understand that they are above the law and can inflict pain and death with impunity.
We now inhabit a country where January 6 style violence can and will break out on the regular. The orchestrators of stochastic terror have and will point the instruments of violence Trump has assembled and empowered in specific and general directions to quell and prevent any dissent and to punish anyone who disagrees with Trump or the MAGA agenda. These propagandists are acting with premeditation and with the full and complete knowledge of the consequences. They are definitely not Christians. They are definitely not followers of Jesus. And they are, most definitely, not loyal citizens of the United States of America. And to all of you who are about to scream that we cannot engage in marginalization such as this, I will remind you that the Trump cabal has already marginalized and defined me and millions like me as not Christian, not a "true" follower of Jesus, and not a "real" American.
Keep flipping the money tables of the modern day Pharisees, Rev. Budde, we got you!
I just finished a letter to her 15 minutes ago. Now I have to find a stamp!
Thank you for saying this out loud. Left organized religion a long time ago because of this type of hypocrisy.
I am a woke Christian and Trump is an abomination, as are so -called Christian leaders like Franklin Graham
Love this piece, Wajahat. Today’s objective reality-spurning Trump MAGAs see only a woke Jesus dying and dead on that cross.
Beautifully put ! Jesus would be proud . This particular second coming is a debacle.
Well done, Wajahat. Thank you for wrapping it up all so succinctly. It is what it is and we have work to do. Jesus would do to them what he did to the money lenders in the temple in Jerusalem--chase them off. And that is exactly what we have to do. Thank you.
Trump is ugly and profoundly ignorant.
I tend to look to Roman History for insight. There was this guy Caligula who made his horse a political appointee. You watch--at the rate he's going by the end of this year, we may have a golf cart for Secretary of Transportation
That is quite an image! Well done.
Many thanks for this strong and thoughtful essay. I am personally not a religious person, but have always admired the Anglican/Episcopal values of service, non-judgment, political activism, and compassion. Rev. Budde is my hero. She spoke truth to power, unflinchingly, with kindness and yes, compassion. "What would Jesus do?" is a good moral compass and motivator for us all.