Christians And The False Story About The US Election

The US election is one of the critical factors which influence the world’s affairs. Therefore, besides the Americans who are very interested in who wins, many non-Americans are very much interested too. Both Americans and non-Americans are so much interested not in any candidate, but the candidate who stands for their values

Nevertheless, I’m surprised with what i’ve seen lately going on around the world, particularly Nigeria, with some Christians who aren’t even Americans holding prayer so that Mr. Trump could win. The reason being, as claimed, that Mr. Trump stands for Christianity.

While I respect such a decision and I believe in Mr. Trump—as human— I see this as a total misunderstanding of what Christianity is all about. Do Christians need politicians to embody God to creation? A Christian could be a Politician, but i don’t believe his biblical vocation is to defend ideology. I don’t know whether Mr. Trump is a Christian or not, but I don’t think —be it a Christian or not —is a saviour as many Christians around the world seem to be placing him. They are projecting fear and insecurity on him. The story many Christians are constructing around him is a story of a victim who needs a saviour to rescue him from the hands of the enemy. This saviour is Mr. Trump. The enemy is seen as the Democrat(Biden, Obama and the likes). It’s believed that Mr. Trump is put there by God as a saviour to fight this enemy. It doesn’t matter what he does —moral or otherwise — the means justifies the end.

However, this is a constructive fallacy. Trump is a great man,undeniably. However, everyone is part of the problem. God’s Spirit works through people, but only those who avails themselves of the love. I am not saying Mr. Trump doesn’t avail himself of this spirit, but the constructive story around him is fallacious. He’s a man who himself is limited,so also are the Democrats.

Some people have concluded that Biden, Obama, and the likes are evil. What makes them evil? Some say because they support abortion, gay, and the likes. But the question is has any Republican been able to stop this, including Mr. Trump? Absolutely not. That Obama, Biden, and the likes support these doesn’t mean they are intrinsically evil. And Trump not supporting that doesn’t mean he is a good man, either. All of us are potentially evil and good.

I agree that, on moral ground, there are things we shouldn’t do, but that doesn’t mean someone is a god for his awareness of the sense of morality. The same bible who discourages abortion also discourages violence, adultery, maltreating the poor, hatred towards one’s neighbors. God wants us to care for his creation. The same bible tells us to love our enemies and pray for them. If Jesus was in The White House, he wouldn’t approach situation how Mr. Trump does.

I must recognise the fact that the Democrats promise some utopia themselves. They believe humans could save themselves by the power of science and the likes. But i think this is just a fairytale. Either Democrats or Republicans; Nigerian, or American, we all need to avail ourselves of God’s loving spirit. When the heart becomes transformed, how we live is changed.