On March 28, following his venture into fashion with the “Never Surrender” gold high-tops, former President Donald Trump launched his latest product: the exclusive “God Bless the USA Bible.”
This edition of the Christian Bible contains the King James Version of the Bible, a historically inaccurate and misrepresentative version of the Bible, and features foundational documents of the United States including the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Additionally, it features patriotic elements, including the hand-written lyrics of “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The “God Bless the USA Bible” combines the two central themes of the Trump campaign — Christian nationalism and American patriotism.
However, Trump uncovered the insanity behind the combination of these ideals with his special edition of the Bible. By creating the “God Bless the USA Bible,” Trump positioned the Bible and American patriotism on equal footing, displaying the absurdity of Christian nationalism.
Christian nationalism in the U.S. argues for embedding Christian principles in public policy and presence in spaces like education and government, citing the nation’s partly religious founding. By embedding this belief system, Christian nationalists may inadvertently — or purposefully — promote marginalization of those who do not adhere to Christian beliefs.
However, this belief system is predicated on lies.
Although our colonies were founded by religious refugees seeking to create a utopia for Christians, our country was founded with a pretext that preached religious freedom. If you do not believe me, simply read The First Amendment, The Free Exercise Clause and The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, created by Thomas Jefferson, a deist. They are all founding documents that stress a separation of church and state.
Oftentimes, Christian Nationalists cite phrases that mingle the church and the state — like “In God We Trust” on our currency or “One nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance — to advocate for Christian nationalism. Unfortunately, yet again, the use of these two rather unimportant, non-legally binding phrases also demonstrate a lack of comprehensive understanding of our country’s history.
These two phrases were not implemented into our country’s narrative by our founding fathers. Instead, they were implemented as propaganda tools against the Soviets during the Cold War to demonstrate our moral superiority. Ironically, the U.S. was claiming religious superiority over another predominantly Christian nation.
More importantly, from a personal perspective as a Christian myself, the ideology of Christian nationalism misrepresents Christianity’s core principles.
Christianity’s unique belief is Jesus Christ as the messiah. Because of this distinction in Christianity, Christians are meant to model their lives after Jesus’.
Christian nationalism — when pursued fervently — often results in marginalization and, at times, violence to those who wronged them, as exemplified by the events of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Jesus, on the other hand, responded to perceived evil with kindness.
Wasn’t it Jesus who said not to resist an evil person? Wasn’t it Jesus that said, “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also,” in Matthew 5:38-39, NIV?
If you do not believe Jesus’ words in the Bible, study his actions. On Good Friday, the day after Trump announced his nationalist Bible, Jesus responded to the threats of Pontius Pilate and those who abandoned him by submitting to evil and dying on the cross. Due to his commitment to peace, each one of his 12 apostles, except Judas, were martyred.
Unfortunately, the intertwining of religion with nationalist ideologies is not a novel occurrence in the history of religious movements.
In both Islamic and Jewish contexts, extremism sometimes arises where religious law is asserted to take precedence in governance. In certain instances of Islamic extremism, violence has been employed to enforce Sharia law, although interpretations of Sharia can vary among individuals and communities. Similarly, in cases of Jewish extremism, there have been attempts to implement Halakha across the state by any means necessary, although such actions do not represent the beliefs of the broader Jewish and Islamic community.
Based on the history of these extremist movements, we begin to recognize what religious extremism or religious nationalism is — a purposeful misrepresentation of religion to achieve political power.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.” However, Napoleon forgot to add that religion is equally as useful for keeping people violent.
Nonetheless, I want to be perfectly clear: Being misguided by individuals like Trump to believe violence is justifiable for implementing Christian morality does not render it morally permissible.
Religion is a commitment. It serves as an explanation of the world’s creation and provides guidance on how one should live their life in accordance with the principles outlined in religious texts. These concepts are incredibly important to one’s life, regardless of whether they are applied in a religious or non-religious context.
If Donald Trump, or any political candidate, seeks your vote, it’s essential you possess the wherewithal to evaluate whether their ideals resonate with the fundamental principles of crucial aspects of your life, like your religion.
