Attorney General Jeff Sessions, while addressing law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 14, 2018 attempted to justify the Trump
administration's immigration policy of arresting parents at the border and taking their children away from them. You've heard about this. Donald Trump likes
to tell everyone that the policy continues only because the Democrats won't put a stop to it. This is a farce, of course, yet right in line with every other
farce Trump pushes as President. This justification attempt by Sessions, however, takes a little more cynical approach: quoting the Bible as proof that God
would approve what he and Trump are doing. It's a fantastic leap, and you have to admire his audacity, if it didn't make you want to punch him in the mouth
for saying it. And personally, nothing made me want to punch him more than the smirk he gets on his face as he begins to read the quote:
It's also nothing new to exacto-knife the sliver of the Bible that justifies the argument, while ignoring the relevant context of what comes before and/or after such quotes. It's also noteworthy that a scripture that encourages submission to authorities is being invoked to a country born of rebellion. So are we to assume that Jeff Sessions believes we should still be a colony of Great Britain, that we should have submitted ourselves to King George? Or is his "Christian" belief so thin that he only uses it when it suits his purposes, because no one wants to hear his hollow justifications?
And are we, as a country, supposed to read this invocation as Sessions saying that the country will submit themselves to his religious beliefs, regardless of their own? That would be a new twist on religious freedom... And by the by, how can you not smile at the fact that the "Apostle Paul" he is quoting wrote a group of letters during a period of confinement, literally referred to as the "prison epistles," and was later said to have been decapitated in Rome by Nero?
Back to Romans... Romans 12:3 states:
And as for Romans 13, Sessions neglected verses 3, 4, and 8-10:
⬅ ⬅ You heard her, folks. As God would want it...
“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent and fair application of the law is in itself a good and moral thing, and that protects the weak and protects the lawful.”This is not the first or last time a politician invokes God or the Bible as his/her "divine" justification for cruelty, bigotry, discrimination, etc. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”) is trotted out regularly by Republican pols every time one of their brethren floats SNAP and WIC restrictions or elimination. Even Sessions' Romans 13 quote has been used before, by British colonists loyal to King George prior to the American Revolution, and later by southern slave holders arguing against abolitionists prior to the Civil War. It's nothing new.
It's also nothing new to exacto-knife the sliver of the Bible that justifies the argument, while ignoring the relevant context of what comes before and/or after such quotes. It's also noteworthy that a scripture that encourages submission to authorities is being invoked to a country born of rebellion. So are we to assume that Jeff Sessions believes we should still be a colony of Great Britain, that we should have submitted ourselves to King George? Or is his "Christian" belief so thin that he only uses it when it suits his purposes, because no one wants to hear his hollow justifications?
And are we, as a country, supposed to read this invocation as Sessions saying that the country will submit themselves to his religious beliefs, regardless of their own? That would be a new twist on religious freedom... And by the by, how can you not smile at the fact that the "Apostle Paul" he is quoting wrote a group of letters during a period of confinement, literally referred to as the "prison epistles," and was later said to have been decapitated in Rome by Nero?
Back to Romans... Romans 12:3 states:
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”And Romans 12:9-13:
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”"Be devoted to one another in love... Honor one another above yourselves... Share with the Lord's people who are in need... and Practice hospitality." Did our Attorney General refer to this biblical text? No. He instead went to the one quote that has him believing we all must submit to his authority. And if he wants to take your children away from you, God has ordained that it's his right to do so. Maybe we should appreciate the forest for the tree, that Sessions isn't calling for beheadings?
And as for Romans 13, Sessions neglected verses 3, 4, and 8-10:
“(3) For rulers hold no terror for those who do right...But it's all okay, because Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the bulwark of honesty and moral authority herself, was there to assure us all is good and divine in the world, even insulting the intelligence of a reporter for good measure. And she repeatedly follows Trump's false assertion that all of this is Democrats' fault, if only they would close those dastardly loopholes - as if the Democrats have any power at all in a House and Senate that are both owned and controlled by her and the president's Republican party:
(4) For the one in authority is the servant for your good...
(8) Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law...
(9) Love your neighbor as yourself...
(10) Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
⬅ ⬅ You heard her, folks. As God would want it...
