In good Christian fashion, Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas, tweeted a bible verse shortly after the attack: “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” He deleted the tweet soon after, no doubt in a display of the depth of his faith. The Westboro Baptist Church, always a reliable source of Christian opinion on LGBT issues, issued a statement claiming that the victims of the attack had brought it on themselves, always the favorite refuge of oppressors who want to escape responsibility for being oppressors. Interesting that the Christian god would choose a Muslim as the agent of its wrath.
In the aftermath of overwhelming tragedy, we all struggle with how to respond. We all (most of us, anyway) wish to be respectful of the suffering of those whose loved ones were taken from them in a manner as horrific as it is unexpected. There’s definitely a place for religious faith and expressions of that faith, if for no other reason than it helps so many struggling to make sense of the senseless.
Unfortunately, as with anything religious in nature, there are those without a filter, who believe that they and ONLY they are followers of The One, True, and ONLY Faith ©. That’s right, of the approximately 4200 religions on Earth, 4199 of them are WRONG…and these True Believers are here to let EVERYONE know of the error of their ways. Not even the need for calm in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy (something recognized by the vast majority of humanity) can stop their pursuit of “glorifying” their flavor of God.
In most cases I’m all for granting someone the benefit of the doubt. Things are misunderstood, get lost in translation, or are misinterpreted. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, though, has long since worn out his “get out of jail free” card when it comes to overt religiosity and hyper-Christian judgment of those he defines as “less than.”
Patrick defended himself by issuing a statement saying that the tweet (since taken down) was previously scheduled and was in no way intended as a commentary on the mass shooting in Orlando. Perhaps that’s the case, and maybe it was just a horrible and unforeseen confluence of events. Given Patrick’s predilection for commingling God and government, though, I don’t think questioning his veracity is unreasonable or out of line.
Texas Democrats mourn those lost & call on Dan Patrick to apologize #txlege #Orlando#pulse https://t.co/c4LdsN03tg pic.twitter.com/l02F95QoUq
— Texas Democrats (@texasdemocrats) June 12, 2016
It’s nothing less than reprehensible and inhuman that anyone (I’m talking to you, Donald Trump) would see a mass shooting as an opportunity to score cheap political points. Those who consider themselves (loudly and very publicly…and might I suggest consideration of Matthew 6:5?) to be godly models of Christianity might want to take a good long look at themselves. The first question they should probably answer is: “Am I trying to live a Christ-like life through following the teachings of my Lord and Savior?” That should be followed closely by, “I am modeling the love, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion that Jesus preached?”
Are hyper-religious Christian culture warriors to blame for the massacre in Orlando? Of course not; Omar Mateen made the decisions and bears ultimate responsibility for the atrocities he committed. Did the culture warriors lay the groundwork for the atmosphere of hatred and intolerance that made it possible for Mateen to commit mass murder in a gay nightclub? That’s a more nuanced question which I can’t begin to address in this space…but Christians would do well to engage in some honest reflection and self-assessment. You can’t spread the love of Jesus Christ by trafficking in hatred and judgment. You can’t credibly call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ if you hate his children.
So now we have a mass shooting in Orlando at a club that caters to a population good Christians love to hate: LGBT people. As it happens, the person doing the shooting apparently was Muslim. But, if America is a “Christian nation,” then the good Christians have to own this attack. Or, which is the same, hatred of LGBT people is a motivation Christians and Muslims share.
An argument can be made that what’s really to blame for the mass slaughter in Orlando is hate. Omar Mateen hated homosexuality and, apparently, homosexuals. The depth of his hatred and the reasons for it will be examined in minute detail over the coming days and weeks, but if his father is to be believed, religion was not a contributing factor.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t a goodly number of decent, God-fearing, patriotic, Bible-believing Christians ready, willing, and able to blame the victims. Many honestly believe that the attack in Orlando is evidence of God’s judgment and that homosexuals brought this tragedy upon themselves through their sinfulness and rejection of God.
Over the past year, any number of good Christians have stated loudly their opposition to the decision by the Supreme Court requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages legally. States have proposed and enacted laws that, while not facially Christian, still obviously grow out of Christian morality that have the purpose of discriminating against transgender persons because of their gender identities.
At the end of the day, it is hard to see much difference between Christianity and Islam on this issue. Certainly it seems obvious that this particular Muslim had plenty of good examples from good Christian Americans for the idea of buying an assault rifle and shooting at other people.
Hate knows and respects no theological boundaries. It’s non-sectarian, non-partisan, and an equal opportunity destroyer of humanity and the bonds that tie us together. Religion- in this case hyper-judgmental Conservative Christianity- merely providing cover and a patina of righteousness to hatred. To some, it probably feels better to hate in Jesus’ name.
If Christians don’t like being tied to horrific events like the massacre in Orlando, perhaps they’d do well to stop believing their faith is so superior as to provide them a platform with which to pass judgment. A little less discrimination and self-superiority and a lot more compassion might go a long way toward demonstrating your commitment to living your faith.
Let’s assume for a moment that Patrick was being truthful and the tweet was previously scheduled. His staff should have caught the tweet prior to it going out. Yes, it was very early on a Sunday morning, normally a very quiet and uneventful time, but that’s why politicians have staff people. Given the seriousness of the tragedy in Orlando, Patrick’s tweet- scheduled or deliberate- was incredibly disrespectful, insensitive, and in exceedingly poor taste. No explanation or justification is going to change that fact.
Sadly, Dan Patrick has become the poster child for calling oneself “Christian,” while not living a Christ-like life. If he was possessed of a bit more self-awareness and a little less self-righteousness, he might come to understand that. Whatever the case, Patrick represents virtually everything wrong with modern Christianity. Making matters even worse is that those who actually DO endeavor to live their faith and lead Christ-like lives remain silent as his actions and words tar them with the same brush.
If Dan Patrick’s a Christian, I’m the Queen of Denmark.
