Changes save preachers from a Trump Christmas
More than a few preachers in that thick multi-denominational brew known as the “religious right” in America breathed a silent prayer of relief and gratitude for the last-minute changes to the much-ballyhooed U.S. tax law.
At the 11th hour, the provision in the bill that would have protected the charitable status of churches that engage in partisan politics was stripped out, to make it conform with the rules Republicans used to jam it through by Christmas.
That provision was a priority for President Donald Trump because it is a priority for the leadership of the religious right, an essential element of Trump’s dwindling political base. We can have the debate some other time as to which group harbours more hypocrites — politicians or preachers.
The Christian fundamentalists wanted free rein and protection to do what they do now — practise partisan politics while maxing out on charitable donations. They will have to wait for that.
As for the local preachers, they must know they dodged a proverbial bullet.
If, as planned, the provision was included in the tax changes Trump signed into law Friday, just three days before Christmas, those local preachers would have been obliged to properly thank His Donaldness by somehow working him into their Christmas sermons.
The question would have to be answered: What part does The Donald play in the traditional Christian Christmas stories as told in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke?
Neither Luke’s shepherds nor Matthew’s wise men offer a suitable role for the president, as he shares the spotlight with no one, even when that light comes from a shining star in the east or the glory of the Lord shining all around.
Herod is central to Matthew’s telling, and while the role of king would be right in Trump’s wheelhouse, he’d balk when he discovered this is another case where the ruler plays the villain.
The fact is, like room in Luke’s inn, there’s no place for Donald Trump in the Christmas story, hence the relief of the local evangelical and fundamentalist preachers.
The more fundamental question for the fundamentalists would be why they line up solidly behind a guy who ran for president boasting that he could break the one Commandment still on his to-do list and win the election anyway.
Remember? He said he could shoot someone on New York’s Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote, except maybe that of his victim.
If I recall the Commandments correctly, the life of Trump seems singularly dedicated to their mockery. From graven images like Trump Tower through coveting other folks’ stuff, he can say he’s done it all.
But Trump and the leadership of the evangelical and fundamentalist sects in America have a symbiotic relationship, despite both feeding off the same unwitting host.
It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled, wrote Mark Twain, who observed human nature more accurately than most anyone since.
That’s the central tenet of Trump’s presidency, and it comes in handy for keeping the congregants in line, too.
The fact is, Trump sold his soul to the religious right and, given the product, they overpaid.
All the president needs to do to insure their undying support is name the right kind of judges to every federal court from the Supreme on down. Those are judges that think like the leadership of the religious right, or better yet are of the religious right. Then, together, the fundamentalists and their jurists can undo a century or so of progressive constitutional interpretation.
Sure, it’s an unholy alliance, but not the first and certainly not the last.
There’s something in the time of year that suggests, despite all that, there is reason for hope.
Luke’s Gospel tends to be the more popular these days. That could be attributed to generations who grew up greeting the holiday season with A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is from Luke that Linus recites the words that give meaning to the season for the title character.
“. . . good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,” is as inclusive as anything ever written and “on earth peace, good will toward men” seems about the best way to say, Merry Christmas.