BARABBAS IN THE MODERN WORLD

I chose Christianity, not because of childhood indoctrination, but because I read the works of some Catholic mystics while I was living as a Hindu-style nun, and became inspired. Considering that my value system also resonated with Christian principles of morality and social justice, it made sense to explore the faith. I thought I might become a Catholic nun. So I left the Hindu convent, went back to work at a law firm in Beverly Hills, and started RCIA classes in a nearby Catholic Church. I could not do anything else, because I had found The Truth and, although I loved my life in the Vedanta convent, which provided an ideal mix of group living and independence, I could not remain there. I felt I had found the higher truth.

When I first read about the angry mobs who screamed for Jesus to be locked up, and again when they chose Barabbas instead of The Lord, I read these passages with the sense that these people were obviously a primitive lot because no one would be so stupid as to pick a common criminal instead of Jesus. I had picked Jesus, and I was nothing special. Even I could see his greatness. I mistakenly thought that 2,000 years of Christianity must have civilized us to the extent that those angry, misguided people who chose Barabbas over our Lord were just a whisper of dusty history. I was wrong.

The mob howls for Barabbas

The angry mob is here with us today, but, again, instead of choosing the way of our meek and loving Jesus, instead of loving one's enemies and one's neighbors and doing good to the poor, hungry and naked, they're shrieking their approval of a carnival barker styled conman who encourages their selfishness, xenophobia and prejudices.

Trump supporter gives "the finger" to journalists

at a Trump rally 

Donald Trump is not a criminal mastermind. Instead, he is a bumbling Anti-Christ whose callow self-interest and massive narcissism is broadly displayed for everyone to see. Evidently, that is his appeal. The crowd sees him as an everyman like themselves, scarfing cheeseburgers and sodas in his ubiquitous red sports cap so evocative of the common man who toils for his living.

The fact that Trump has never toiled, having been given millions of dollars by his father to start a business, is ignored by the mob. It is enough for them that Trump appears to be like them in a few deliberately cultivated expressions.

It is a relief to them to feel free to express their closely guarded prejudices against immigrants, brown people, gays, and the educated classes whom they dub "the elite." Trump has given them permission to celebrate their basest instincts. He says complimentary things about white supremacists, neo-Nazis and dictators, and they eat it up because the crude and brutal tactics of the authoritarian do not require any finesse, tact, diplomacy or intelligence.  They're tired of waiting around for the fruits of diplomatic discussions. It is beyond their comprehension, and they have no patience for it.

I am not suggesting that the Democratic Party is synonymous with Jesus. It is more faithful to the commandments of Jesus, at this point in time. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and educating the masses are favored by Democrats. The Party of Trump, which used to be the Republican Party, favors an opposite in the extreme.

There is a pretense of the G.O.P. being a "pro-life" party - but it was a Republican majority Supreme Court that legalized abortion in our country, and the Republicans continue to fund Planned Parenthood to this very day. They have no intention of criminalizing it and are only claiming to be pro-life in order to capture the votes from a sector of the Christian community that is obsessed with the topic of abortion and would vote for a cheese sandwich if it had "pro-life" written on it - spelled out in bacon bits.

In fact, the Republican Party violates the entire spirit of the commandments of Jesus who would NOT condone building a wall to keep out refugees and hungry immigrants. He would NOT rip families apart at our borders, kidnap their children and incarcerate them. He would NOT take food out of the mouths of poor families by cutting food stamps, and he would NOT think that giving rich people big tax breaks at the expense of the poor is a good idea. These are obvious truths, but the selfishness of the human heart is so captivating that some people will eat it up if you whitewash it with a patina of fake religiosity.

Donald Trump himself is not Christian. He is not now, nor has he ever been, a church going man. He spends his Sundays on the golf course, at considerable expense to the American public that pays for his entire entourage to be accommodated at luxury resorts. Prior to becoming elected, he criticized Barack Obama for golfing. Trump claimed he would not ever golf when he became president. He would be too busy for that. Like everything else, it was a lie, but his people do not care. As in every cult, they listen raptly to his voice but never call him to account for himself.

"I'm gonna be workin' for you. I'm not gonna have time to

go play golf, believe me." ~ Donald Trump

Trump's apologists sometimes call him a "baby Christian," but Trump does not behave as if he has experienced any kind of conversion.  Instead of expressing remorse for his completely immoral life, he lies about paying off porn stars and models to keep them quiet about his extramarital affairs, and slanders the reputations of more than a dozen women who have come forward with detailed descriptions of his sexual assaults against them. He is the same man who, on an Access Hollywood videotape, bragged about assaulting women by grabbing them by their genitals.

He has lied to and/or mislead the American public more than 3,000 times since becoming President and, despite every Christian being fully aware that the father of all lies is Satan himself, some of them continue to give Trump a pass on his wretched behavior because, "after all, who among us has not sinned?" and other such ridiculous nonsense. He is a completely unrepentant pagan who, when each offense is discovered, doubles down and lies about it, but he feeds his base a mockery of pseudo-Christian pretense that lets everyone off the hook. They all get to fantasize about a great Christian revival in our government while taking food out of the mouths of hungry people at the same time.

Meanwhile, Trump is trying to squash the Mueller investigation while his campaign chairman is being tried in court for conspiracy with the Russians, and all evidence leaked so far indicates that Trump himself conspired with the Russians to hack our political system in order to assure a win for himself. We have videotape of Trump inviting the Russians to do it, but what's a little treason among friends?

Satan tempts Jesus

"I reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises."

~ Baptismal Vow ~

Choosing Jesus and rejecting Satan is a daily task, and it isn't easy because nothing presents itself as purely Satanic or purely angelic in our world. Everything is mixed. Like Sisyphus and his boulder, we have to get behind that which appears to tend more toward the good and push it up the hill toward heaven.

This particular choice was easy for me to make. I did not choose Barabbas. Will you?

Silver Rose