Separation of State and Church is a fundamental concept of the US constitution so that the fundamental right of religious freedom can be protected by preventing that any one particular religion is dominating other beliefs. The separation of State and Church has been challenged by conservative politicians including the current House speaker Michael Johnson, who says for example that separation of church is a “misnomer” and if anyone wants to understand his thinking “about any issue under the sun” should: “go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.”
OK, if Republicans truly believe that the bible should inform current policies, then it begs the question how would Jesus’ view current policies? Would the Democratic or Republican standpoints be more aligned with Jesus’ teachings? If Jesus were a US citizen, how would he vote in 2024?
Jesus on paying taxes: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17)
Democrats would like to support more the IRS so that they can conduct larger audits on large taxpayers/entities who are more likely to not properly pay their taxes because everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. Republicans want to reduce funding for the IRS, which is known to result in an increase in the federal deficit.
Jesus blessed the children: “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)
Democrats introduced the expanded child tax credit as part of the 2021 Rescue Plan from the pandemic economic down fall. It slashed child poverty by 30% to historic low levels. Unfortunately, all Republicans in the Senate and democratic Senator Joe Manchin voted against making this child tax credit permanent (see npr article here.)
Jesus heals the sick: ”As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one.” (Luke 4: 40)
Obamacare brought the number of uninsured Americans from about 45 Million to about 30 Million in part because of the provision that nobody should be rejected by health insurances due to preexisting health conditions. It also lowered the annual premium increases from about 8% to about 4.5% (see this Forbes article). Republican politicians and conservative judges have been working on dismantling Obamacare since it became law. Republicans announced many times that they would provide a better healthcare plan, but never did.
The team of President Obama left a “69-page National Security Council guidebook, developed in 2016 with the goal of assisting leaders in coordinating a complex U.S. Government response to a high-consequence emerging disease threat anywhere in the world. It outlined questions to ask, who should be asked to find answers and what key decision should be made” (quote taken from this PBS article). The Trump administration not only ignored that and other similar documents but even lied about having never received such guiding documents when the COVID pandemic emerged. The botched response to the pandemic by the Trump administration led to preventable sickness and death in the hundreds of thousands.
The Democrats support health science and research including increased funding for the National Institute of Health (NIH). They support National and World agencies devoted to public health. President Trump proposed every year lower budgets for NIH (as well as for the National Science Foundation and Environmental protection agency). He left the US. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board defunct. He prompted the US leaving the World Health Organization. Trusted scientists and health experts such as Dr. Fauci were targeted to the point that they needed to fear for their own safety.
The Democrats seek regulations that protect the public from chemical hazards and pollutants. Republican lawmakers seek deregulation so that large companies can continue to pollute allowing increased profit margins. The conservative Supreme Court majority has also led to numerous environmental de-regulations (see this 2022 article).
Jesus on the truth: “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18: 37)
Democratic New York State Attorney General Letitia James shared without hesitation a 168-page report on an investigation that revealed the truth that Democratic Governor Cuomo was “engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State Law”. Governor Cuomo then resigned. Former President Trump was found guilty of sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll. He is still running for the Office of President.
Trump lied more than 30,000 times during his presidency (see this Mother Jones article). He and many other Republican politicians as well as Republican leaning news outlets are still lying about massive election fraud during 2020 and that he won the 2020 election. Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit by Dominion voting machine manufacturer for $787 Million, where uncovered emails clearly showed that Fox News hosts knowingly lied. Another lawsuit by voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic is still ongoing.
Christ Jesus, the eternal Word, existed from the very beginning and created everything: “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make.” (John 1: 1-3)
The Democrats acknowledge the adverse consequences to our planet Earth of human activity and are seeking more sustainable ways of providing energy and sustenance for living. Former Democratic Vice President Al Gore has been working for decades to raise awareness of the dangers of climate change. President Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. President Bush withdrew the US from this agreement. President Obama had the US enter the Paris Climate Agreement. President Trump had the US withdraw from the Agreement. President Biden signed on his first day in office the instrument to bring the US back into the Paris Agreement. Many Republican politicians still deny man-made climate change and generally want to stick with fossil fuels.
Jesus on how to detect false prophets: ”You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit… A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit”. (Matthew 7, 16+18)
When in February of 2021 a strong Winter storm caused in Texas massive Blackouts with devastating consequences, Democratic New York State House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised about $5 million Dollars within a week after the storm to help Texas. Republican Senator Ted Cruz left Texas during the storm for a family holiday jaunt to Cancun in Mexico.
Despite a mere 5-vote majority in the House and a split majority in the Senate, Democrats under Biden passed in 2021-2022 major bills: The American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Bill, a major gun-safety bill, the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and support for Ukraine. Since Republicans have a 5-vote majority in the House in 2023, the House has brought forward no significant bills and has still to pass the budget for 2024.
President Biden is well-known for his empathy and is frequently referred to as Consoler in Chief. Former President Trump is known for his hate-filled speeches that are intended to arouse fear and anger.
Former President Trump filed six times for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Lawyers, political advisors and high-level employees who have worked with him either plead guilty or were found guilty in court of a variety of white color crimes.
Jesus is selfless: “As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” And then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the covenant between God and his people.” (Mark 14: 23-24)
Democrats have put time and again the people over party, willing to work across the isle to find compromises. Republicans, have time and again be obstructionists. As some current examples, Republican Senator Ted Cruz has been blocking diplomats from being confirmed leaving critical Ambassador positions vacant. Republican Senators Rand Paul and Tommy Tuberville have been blocking US military nominations and promotions, which has become an acute security risk for the US. Senator Rand Paul has also blocked bipartisan efforts to pass Ukraine aid and a bill that would keep personal information about judges off the internet.
These are just some examples of biblical verses that quote what Jesus did and spoke. If he were to live today in the US, he would likely dwell with the marginalized in our country, perhaps among the homeless or the wrongfully detained or the ones who battle addictions. How Jesus would vote might be a moot point, especially if he lived in a Republican controlled State because he would likely have a hard time getting registered as a homeless, or may not have a voter ID to be able to vote. He may not be able to vote because of a prior felony conviction. If he is registered, he may not have the means to get to the voting station and if he does get there, he may find himself supporting the many others who are waiting in line rather than standing in line so that he can vote himself. If he actually manages to get to the polling desk, he may find out that he belongs to the thousands that have been purged from the voting rosters by the State. If he after all somehow does vote, his vote may not make a change because his and neighboring districts were extremely gerrymandered. If you care like Jesus about our marginalized US citizens and want to ensure that their voice is heard in future elections, if you want true and fair democracy with equal access to the ballot box to all Americans, you need to vote for the Democratic Party, because the Republican party supported by many Federal Society birthed Republican judges plainly seeks to keep power at all costs, even if this means that our democracy turns into autocracy.
Written December 5, 2023.