Henry Idema: Why Christians must not vote for Trump
There are many political reasons not to support Donald Trump for president. Trump added almost $8 trillion to the national debt, he inspired rioters to storm the capital on Jan. 6 and now promises to pardon those convicted of crimes committed, his tax policies favor the rich, on and on.
What I am concerned about here is why Christians must not support Trump. I will list seven reasons:
Trump's recent campaign to sell Bibles for $60 to help defray his legal expenses. This is blasphemy! This particular Bible mixes religion and politics, and even puts an American flag on the cover. If he's a billionaire, he ought to give away Bibles. Isn't he aware of the story about Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the Temple? Or how about the story of worshipping the golden calf?
Trump said he has never asked God for forgiveness. Can any Christian say such a thing? He committed adultery while being married to all of his three wives. Doesn't he realize the Bible he's hawking condemns adultery? Isn't he aware of the story of the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus forgave her and instructed her to sin no more? The Trump Bible should be an edition where teachings about adultery, the worship of money, fidelity in marriage and forgiveness are printed in bold red. I wonder if Trump asked Melania for forgiveness after having sex with a porn star right after she gave birth?
Jesus taught us that what comes out of our mouths reflects what is in our hearts. Trump made fun of a reporter with a disability, he called Mexicans rapists, he recently made fun of Biden because he has a stutter. He also recently attacked a judge's daughter, which puts her in danger. He constantly calls people names. This is not Christian behavior.
On Jan. 6, for 187 minutes he did nothing to call off the rioters who were beating police and were threatening Mike Pence with a hangman's noose. Some of the rioters actually built a gallows in front of the capital building. A Christian responds to people crying out for help, not turning his back on them.
He recently put on social media a picture of President Biden hogtied in the back of a pickup truck. Is that something a Christian does?
Trump does not attend church, not even on Easter, to my knowledge. You can be a Christian without attending church, but to be a Christian you must be a person who has compassion, who is concerned for the poor and the sick, the stranger, and immigrants (remember Jesus and his parents were immigrants going into Egypt. They did not have to deal with razor wire blocking their entrance!).
Christians must resist evil. Trump has supported Putin in his brutal invasion of Ukraine. Putin is pure evil and a mass murderer. Christians do not support such people. Putin is using money and social media to get Trump elected, because Putin believes Trump will no longer support Ukraine. Such an action would be supporting evil, which Christians must never do. One of the great mysteries of this election cycle is why so many Republicans are doing what Putin wants them to do, i.e., resisting giving aid to Ukraine. This is not the party of Reagan! Voting for these politicians and voting for Trump is a vote for a Russian asset (not an agent to our knowledge — yet). A vote for Trump is a vote for Putin.
Eighty percent of white Evangelicals supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, which remains a mystery to me and is a black mark against Christianity, and one reason why so many young people are rejecting the religion.
This paper prints letters to the editor. I invite Christians and especially pastors to refute one or all seven of the reasons I have given of why Christians must not vote for Trump. I also invite Muslims and Jews or members of any other religion to share publicly their view of Trump from their own religious perspectives. More than ever we need our local newspapers to support this debate in print, perhaps the most important debate in our lifetimes for the future of our country.
— Henry Idema lives in Grand Haven. He can be reached at henryidema3@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Henry Idema: Why Christians must not vote for Trump
