Antelope Staff
To write about something as important to individuals’ lives as religion is a very difficult thing to do, mainly because it is such a sensitive subject. It is almost impossible to even mention the word religion or the title of a religion without people forming an opinion or bias as they read or hear that word.
However, something as volatile and relevant as religion needs to be discussed and it is worth potentially offending a few individuals, intentionally or not. This discussion is a tightrope that needs to be walked regardless of the consequences if you stumble.
That being said, Trump’s first few weeks have shown the real double standard when it comes to religion in this country. From the immigrant bans on countries Trump considers Muslim majority, to blatantly saying Christians from those nations will be given preferential treatment to stating that torture works, the hypocrisy is as palatable as it is bitter. The fact that he won only by an archaic rule must eat away at him every day, and this is one way to compensate.
This would be the time when most would quote the actual teachings of Jesus about helping the less fortunate or the true lessons of Islam in aiding the world’s weary. However, when you look at all of this, the current problems are not caused by faith; rather, it is throwing a bone to those who claim to be the heads of religion, specifically the evangelical religious right.
Turn on your radio or TV and after tuning to the right channel you will encounter one of these modern day demagogues who wear the vestments of a pastor, a term I use very loosely.
These individuals use religion as a way to justify their demands, be it donating money to fund a private $5 million jet (Cleflo Dollar) or buying food buckets for the end times happening soon (too many to count). Because of their charisma and the pull of religion, they get their followers to go against their own interests or risk offending the prophet.
The American River Ganges cartoon by Thomas Nast was first published by Harper’s Weekly, September, 1871. Four years later, the original image of Nast’s most famous anti-Catholic image was updated. Tweed was safely out of the picture, literally and figuratively when the image was republished on 8 May, 1875 along with other minor modifications.
The image is a tour de force of imagination and caricature technique. Nast dehumanized the Catholic bishops by turning them into reptiles. They emerge from the water toward the New York shoreline. Two clergy in the foreground had stereotypic Irish faces.
Trump used dog-whistle language while on the campaign trail specifically calling on white, evangelical conservatives. From “minorities are bad,” to the classic “Islam is a murder cult,” it was almost a Mad Libs book of promises to a certain group. Now that he is in power and his positive ratings are leaving him faster than his mistresses and ex-wives, his recent tactics are clearly appealing to that bloc of voters and the leaders of those churches do nothing but extol him. Some say that the protesters are clearly possessed by demons, others say Trump’s hotel is like an image of heaven while still others say that God clearly loves America because he placed Trump in the Oval Office.
But at the end of the day, this is not a call to the evangelicals to make a godly America; rather, the president is suckering them in using their bigoted, hate-fueled philosophy. He would do this to any group whose support he could easily win. If America had a powerful voting group that identified as Scientologists I would not doubt for a moment Trump would use the same tactics he did to win the evangelical vote. That isn’t the sign of a prophet of any religion, it is the dead giveaway of a con-man.
Ultimately religion is being used as the reason for these actions, but is not the motivation. Religious hatred and distrust is nothing new to this world, but more often than not there are underlying reasons using religion as an excuse to justify.
The First Crusade (1095—1099) is often brought up as the reason Christianity must fight Islam even to this day.
However, the crusade started as a way for the Byzantine Empire to regain some territory and save face with the world (hoping to get an elite group of pious warriors) when the Pope decided to solidify his rule and unite Christendom against a single enemy few ever saw. That is how that whole bloody affair started. It was war that used religion as a way to get recruitment numbers up, overshadowing the true reason why the war started. Also, that whole scenario seems remarkably similar to the current US-Israel relationship, where Israel wants more land but is asking for weapons and political clout to get it without ramifications.
Anti-Catholic sentiment reigned in 1871
A Protestant minister or teacher, with his Bible tucked in his waistcoat, and his saucer hat tossed to the ground, stands defiant, guarding several fearful children who are shivering, praying, and cowering as certain death approaches.
In the middle of the scene, several bishops arrive on the shore ready to clamp down on defenseless and dispensable non-Catholic students.
America and religious prejudice go hand in hand. In the 1830s and 1840s, there were extreme cases of anti-Catholic and anti-Mormon dialogue and violence. The perfect image is a cartoon drawn by Tomas Nass, showing cardinals of the Catholic Church looking like alligators coming to devour innocent children. Now where have I heard that before, but with a different group as the villains?
Donald Trump and these evangelical pastors are as Christian as ISIS is the true representation of Islam. They are simply con-men, using the power faith has over individuals to further agendas that have nothing to do with the lessons of the Bible or the Quran.
This is nothing more than a thumbs up from one unpopular person to a group of influential individuals, asking for a reward from a trained animal. Faith is a beautiful and powerful thing, and it should be used for the betterment of all mankind.
It should not be used to tear down people who are different than you in any way, shape or form.
