My siblings and I were raised in a Christian family, attending a Christian church. The pastor’s sermons were generally “Love thy neighbor,” not hellfire and brimstone. In the turbulent ’60s and ’70s, he never railed against hippies or free love. Almost the opposite, the pastor made it clear that any church member who opposed the war in Vietnam would have the church’s full backing to declare themselves conscientious objectors.
My parents and most of the folks at our church were what I’d call genuine Christians — they liked that guy Jesus, studied what he’d said, and tried to live their lives within walking distance of what he’d taught. I’m sure some or most of the congregation got stinking drunk on Friday nights or slept around, but the hypocrisy wasn’t obvious, and the religion felt real.
Being raised in that church is why I still respect believers, though my own faith vanished long ago.
It’s a disappointment when someone calls themself a Christian, while calling for hatred, violence, the deprivation of people’s rights, etc. And America has millions and millions of those disappointments:
The 2024 presidential election’s preliminary exit polls show that the U.S. religious vote largely broke along expected lines. White evangelical Protestants remain the most vital religious constituency of the Republican Party, with more than eight in ten white evangelicals voting for former President Donald Trump. Six in ten white Catholics and white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants also voted for Trump. Edison Exit Polls show that 72% of white Christians voted for Trump. This is hardly surprising given that the 2023 PRRI Census of American Religion finds that white Christians — who make up 41% of the country — account for nearly seven in ten members of the Republican Party.
—Public Religion Research Institute
Matthew 7:1 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” but to hell with that. My judgment is final: If you voted for Donald Trump and call yourself a Christian, you’re an embarrassment to Jesus Christ.
And I hold a special rage for people posing as Christian leaders, while calling for the opposite of everything Christ was about — charlatans like Franklin Graham. Have you ever seen his name or face in the media, when he wasn’t trying to polish another Republican talking point with the alleged power of God?
You know the charlatans’ shtick: Abortion is a sin, gay people are a fright, trans people are an abomination — that’s Franklin Graham. He’s simply an un-elected right-wing politician, supporting every item on the haters’ agenda, while pretending to be a man of God.
It was no surprise that Graham led the invocation at Donald Trump’s inauguration. He also gave the invocation at Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Trump and Graham are buddies, to whatever extend either man is psychologically capable of friendships.
And it was no surprise after Monday’s inauguration, when one of my right-wing Christian brothers texted Graham’s ‘inspiring’ sermonette to me. But no, I didn’t read it. That would be taking it seriously, and Franklin Graham doesn’t deserve that much respect.
I texted back what I wrote above, “Franklin Graham is an embarrassment to Jesus Christ.”
The answer from my brother was: “Jesus Christ can’t be embarrassed.”
My reply: Apparently.
1/24/2025
PS: I’ve had a meme filed away for ages, listing Franklin Graham’s opposite opinions on marital infidelity — it’s ghastly for the nation when President Clinton fools around, but it’s nobody’s business when President Trump does.
Never printed the meme before, because (a) the text is too small for me to read it without enlarging it, and (b) who cares about Franklin Graham? Even typing this, I’m skeptical that America’s #1 charlatan deserves a page on my website.
But here’s the meme, and an article about it.
1/24/2025
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