1/ I've heard a lot of prayers by religious leaders of different faiths at RNCs & DNCs. But nothing like this. pic.twitter.com/RYfpn58TNi
— Amy Sullivan (@sullivanamy) July 18, 2016
After telling attendees of the Republican National Convention that “Our enemy is not other Republicans but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party,” a South Carolina pastor offered the most explicitly partisan prayer heard at a major party convention in modern times. Pastor Mark Burns, a prosperity preacher and televangelist from Easley, S.C., was invited by the Trump campaign to deliver the Monday benediction that concluded the contentious daytime proceedings on the first day of the RNC in Cleveland. “We are electing a man in Donald Trump who believes in the name of Jesus Christ,” Burns told delegates, before closing his eyes in prayer. The benediction itself, which included Burns’ praise to God for “giving [Trump] the words to unite this party, this country, that we together can defeat the liberal Democratic Party,” was immediately denounced on Twitter by liberal and conservative Christians who called it “blasphemous” and “idolatrous.”
I have no problem with granting others their right to their religious beliefs. I don’t share them- I don’t believe in God in any shape, manner, or form- but in a free country, a citizen has the right to freely exercise their religious beliefs.
Conversely, I don’t think it unreasonable to expect said religious belief to be exercised in a way which doesn’t impinge upon my rights. In short, your right to the free expression and exercise of your religious faith ends when it encroaches on my desire and ability to think, believe, live, and/or love as I choose. You don’t get to force my to live by your narrow moral/theological/ideological framework.
Equally offensive are those who bastardize and cherry-pick the teachings of Jesus Christ in order to support their narrow prejudices and sense of entitlement. For instance, a benediction that declares “[o]ur enemy is not other Republicans but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party” has no basis in Christianity. That Pastor Burns’ prayer was immediately denounced by Christians from both ends of the ideological/theological spectrum is comforting, because it demonstrates there’s a line no Christian worthy of the appellation should tolerate being crossed. By anyone.
Yes, DNC endorses violations of "Thou shalt not murder."
— Ted Olsen (@tedolsen) July 18, 2016
But RNC just took God's name in vain from the stage y'all https://t.co/YZTfRjn4Km
Weaponization of Jesus' name. A violation of the Third Commandment. https://t.co/qMIhUw9JhO
— Tyler Wigg-Stevenson (@TylerWS) July 18, 2016
One thing that immediately popped into my brain was the IRS rule that churches claiming nonexempt status cannot be used for partisan political purposes. Strictly speaking, this means the IRS has grounds to investigate and possibly revoke the tax-exempt status of Pastor Burns’ church. It won’t happen, of course, because…religious freedom, don’tchaknow?
Despite what Pastor Burns may believe, God isn’t a Republican…or a Democrat. Conservative Republicans and the American Taliban may claim the imprimatur of the Almighty, but politics is and should remain a secular pursuit. Nothing good comes from the admixture of religion and governance.
Not only that, do Republicans remember nothing of the reasons this country was settled in the first place?
