Trump’s ideologies and Christianity are not compatible

There are a lot of things about Trump’s presidency that is hard to believe, but perhaps the most confusing is his strong following from far-right Christians. Trump’s increasingly un-Christian behavior and tendency to behave in ways that put Michael Scott’s blunders to shame raise the question of why this support exists.

While Trump cannot be said to represent the morally permissible values from any mainstream religion, he certainly does not represent “Christian values.” The continued support of Christians for Trump goes beyond hypocrisy into complete indoctrination into the philosophy of a man who stands for almost everything the Son of God would seem to stand against: greed, selfishness, mercilessness and hatred.

Here, we’ll take a look at the actions of the President in comparison to the lessons recommended via the Bible to clarify why Trump should be the last man receiving support from Christian followers.

On Mercy

Among many other things, Christianity is usually pretty clear about how essential it is to be merciful, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Trump, on the other hand, is known for his blatant ruthlessness.

Take for example the recent relations in Syria. In allowing the Turkish invasion in Northern Syria, Trump has assisted in displacing over 100,000 Kurdish people from their lands. In a series of tweets following the decision, Trump rebuffed any blame and assured that something should be done, just not by him.

Regardless of your viewpoint on the situation in Syria, it is clear that Trump cares little for the individuals whose lives were first altered by an American invasion and now abandoned by the same country after things could never be the same.

Then, consider Trump’s encouragement of violence. During a rally in 2016, Trump encouraged his followers’ to beat any dissenters: “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, okay? Just know the hell — I promise you I will pay for the legal fees.”

Trump does not tread lightly when it comes to passing punishment on others. Instead, he uses the heavy hand of hatred and violence to silence those who might oppose him. Not only is this not a Christian ideal, but it’s hardly American either. Americans have a history of dissenting against oppressive regimes, that’s one of the beauties of freedom.

On Wealth

Again, the Bible is fairly clear about how important it is to live a simple and humble lifestyle. There’s Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,’” or Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

There are many other verses all saying the same thing, that those who put too much focus on their own selfishness lose sight of what’s really important. So how can Trump receive any acceptance from Christians? 

The man had a show about how to help celebrities gain wealth, with the ever so cavalier, “You’re fired!” His name is imprinted in huge letters on buildings, likely to compensate for something and show off his grandeur sense of self. And have you seen the man’s New York apartment? It looks like his interior decorator was King Midas.

Trump is worth an estimated $3.7 billion dollars, which means his net worth is six million times more than the average yearly American income. This means, not only is Trump grossly wealthy, but he is so wealthy that a whole six million people could comfortably survive off of his income.

This net worth is not that of the generous Christian, but of the lustful miser who defies those Christian themes of humility by literally trying to live in a gold palace.

On Providing Assistance

Despite the fact that the United States was founded by immigrants and refugees, Trump’s recent actions have seriously tightened the number of refugees allowed to enter the country. In 2020, Trump plans to reduce the number of refugees allowed to 18,000, an 80 percent cut from what previous presidents have allowed.

There are many passages in the Bible that speak to helping others, but one seems particularly poignant here: “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). For a man who has called himself a genius on multiple occasions, it’s hard to see either the logic or the compassion in cutting refugee numbers.

When people flee violence and we turn them away, we deny them the very rights our ancestors came here to enjoy. 

If we look at figures in the Bible, including Jesus himself, and the ways in which they were persecuted and mistreated, how can a parallel not be drawn to what is happening to these refugees? These individuals are merely asking for an escape from an environment that is not compatible with staying alive. Yet, we do not welcome them with open arms, as would be the recommendation of Christian doctrine.

On Love

Now, this is the big one. So much of what Christianity preaches is to give love to others. There’s John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” However, the one most relevant to trump is Matthew 22:39: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Mexico, America’s neighbor to the south, has been provided little love from Trump. Besides calling Mexicans derogatory names and suggesting they’re criminals, Trump has decided to show his “love” by building an extravagant and unnecessary wall to keep those neighbors out of our country.

Not only does this notion show little mercy, demand unbelievable wealth and deny assistance to those who need it, a wall would be one of the most poignant symbols of hate and dislike as this country has ever seen.

Trump’s rhetoric has, in the past, been hateful against women, immigrants, individuals of different creeds and backgrounds than Trump’s own, and has managed to offend nearly every individual besides white males. This is not a president who has survived on love but on fueling the lowliest and foulest parts of ourselves.

Listening to Trump talk about people who do not agree with him is an indulgence for the part of the soul that feeds on hatred. It serves only those with power and further oppresses those without it.

Jesus preached a life of love. He ate with those like him and those very unlike him. His message was one of mercy and humility. His mission was not about greed and power, but about friendship and enlightenment.

It seems abundantly clear that if Jesus were to see the age of Trump, he would only see the president as a symbol of everything that can go wrong if you misinterpret His speech. For those Christians that are stark Trump supporters, it is high time you reevaluate your own beliefs because it should not stand that you can support such a man and still consider yourself to be Christian.