I left the church behind years ago for many reasons–most of which involved the long journey of accepting the person I was and falling in love with that person. A person the church told me growing up was an abomination. It took leaving the church behind to stop thinking of myself as less than and begin looking at myself as worthy of holding space in this life. I found that what I was reading in the bible didn’t at all match up with how most Christians in my life at that time were putting those words into action. I love the above quote by Mahatma Gandhi, because it hits the nail right on the head. There are a group of Christians in today’s world–and apparently in Gandhi’s time as well– that were not acting in accordance with the way Christ intended.

I have also seen many wonderful examples of what a Christian should be–unfortunately, it’s not the majority of what I’ve experienced and witnessed. I remember growing up in church and seeing WWJD–“What Would Jesus Do” everywhere: Jewelry, t-shirts, tote bags, bible covers. You name it. And now, we live in a time when doing what Jesus would have done is criticized as being “woke,” “socialist,” and “far-left liberal.” Spoiler alert: Jesus was all of those things! But these types of Christians that I’m referencing have a history of demonizing others that are not like them. They’ve done it repeatedly throughout history. It’s hard to sort out Christians that are getting it right and those that aren’t, so I’m throwing it back out to those of you reading this that self-identify as Christian to do your own soul-searching and ask yourself: “Am I living the life that Jesus lived as closely as I can be?” Did you really pay attention to the words in red?

I’ll give you a starting hint: If you voted for Donald Trump, you’re not. Please don’t come at me with that “Oh, I voted for him, because he’ll make the economy better” crap either. The man has bankrupted six of his own companies, and he’s well on his way to bankrupting the United States too. Those egg prices aren’t looking so hot right now, are they? Before you blame that on the bird flu, don’t forget that one of the first things Trump did when he took over again was remove the United States from the World Health Organization.

The Christians that I’m referencing in this post–those that voted for Trump–are missing the mark on Christ. I realize as I write this that I’m talking about my family members as well. But, I’m tired of beating around the bush or otherwise remaining silent on this topic. My family includes some of the most loving people I know, but they missed the mark on this one.

I believe with every fiber of my being that Jesus would not have voted for Donald Trump. Jesus would not have condoned anything that Donald Trump stands for. Jesus would have flipped that man’s table over just as he did to those that were buying and selling in the temple. The Christians and MAGA that voted for him have turned him into an idol. Plain and simple.

The same group of Christians that I’m calling out are the same kind of Christians that have used the bible for hundreds of years as a weapon against those that are different from them. Those they consider less than. They used the bible to justify slavery. They used it to objectify and control women. They’re still using it to villainize the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants. Yes, I said immigrants. Not illegal aliens. This country only exists because people from another country (hell…an entirely different continent) came here illegally and took it from those that were already living here, so don’t sit there reading this thinking you’re any better than anyone else crossing into this country trying to make a better life for themselves.

Jesus is a pretty easy guy to explain, because he’s all about love, compassion, and doing the right thing by other people. He healed people, didn’t ostracize anyone (or build walls to keep them out, deport them, question their birthright citizenship…you get the point…). Instead, he fed those that were hungry, hung out with sex workers and tax collectors, and welcomed those that were different or deemed “less than” by those around them.

Jesus was a role model for how Christians should act, and the Bible was meant to be an instruction manual for how to treat others. Instead, many Christians have turned it into a weapon to spread lies and hate. Jesus made a point of holding individuals like this accountable for their actions.

Let’s take a look at some pieces from the Bible that describe how we should be treating others according to Jesus:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Trump is none of those things mentioned above. He’s racist, homophobic, misogynistic, hateful, self-serving, irresponsible, and deceitful. He’s the farthest thing from a Christian, and it wouldn’t be invalid to label him as the exact opposite of everything that Jesus was about. One of the first things he did when he took the presidency this time was pardon all of the January 6th insurrectionists. Trump has always claimed that he had nothing to do with what they did that day. If that was the case, why did he make an intentional effort to pardon them? They committed treason. They broke who knows how many laws. They were responsible for injuries and deaths for his sake. If he truly had nothing to do with their actions that day, why not continue to hold them accountable for their actions? Instead, he let them off the hook. Because he was with them every step of the way.

Trump, his administration, and his followers’ views on public aid, immigration, and refugees are in direct conflict with how the Bible says people should be treated:

James 2:14-17:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Matthew 25: 34-40:

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

We need to do better, America. And Christian Nationalists, I’m looking straight at you. You’re giving Jesus a bad name.

Some of the Christians that I’ve directly asked “How do you rationalize voting for Donald Trump as a Christian when he’s everything that Jesus wasn’t?” have responded with various deflections: “We have to separate economics from religion,” “Oh, well I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says or does, but I voted for him because of his economic policies,” or my personal favorite–good old denial…”Trump didn’t do any of the things that he’s been accused of. It’s a witch hunt by the democrats to get him out of office.”

My response to all of these: Jesus would be flipping all of your tables.

I’m not writing this to outright bash Christianity. There are most definitely Christians living their lives according to what Jesus called Christians to be. I’m writing it to show the irrational thought patterns behind being a Christian and still choosing to support Trump. Consider it a call for accountability. An invitation to soul search. Can you really look at the person that Trump is and still stand behind him while claiming to be a Christian? Make it make sense…

Religious trauma is real, and it kept me chained to a persona that invalidated and suppressed the person I was meant to be out of legitimate fear that I would be cast out from my family, torn away from my friends, and live out all of my post-life eternity in hell. I thank Spirit every day that I had the loving support of friends and grad school co-workers that helped me begin the difficult journey of coming out to my family, and I’m even more thankful that they found it in their hearts to love me anyway. That is most definitely not the experience for everyone going through their coming out journey, and my heart breaks for those individuals that have been ostracized from their loved ones for living their lives authentically.

It breaks my heart that a religion that supposedly prides itself on holding so much love for other people constantly misses the mark on what it means to live life according to the example of Jesus Christ. As a used-to-be insider, now an outsider still looking in with a critical eye, I’m just throwing this out there: If you claim to want to live your life according to the values and morals of Jesus but support someone like Donald Trump, you’re doing it wrong. Do better. Be better.

The next four years is looking to be one of the worst periods in this country’s history. My hope is that everyone can come together and make this country as great as it can be.