Singing With the Heretics

AMONG MY LEAST FAVORITE people is Karoline Leavitt, Trump's schill. She isn't too far behind Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, Charlie Kirk, etc.. She recently said, I am informed, that the Dmocratic party consists of Hamas members, terrorists, raedical left wing ANTIFA criminals, commies and so forth, and so on. Her intent to give insult was greatly overplayed. She could have said that the Democratic party is made up of black and brown skinned minorities, LGBTQ people, women, and so on, and she would have been right. But, no ma'am, nobod from Hamas is in the party, Democratic or Republican. There is a difference between stretching the truth and outright lying. she crossed the line. I flipped a coin, and this Sunday I attended a Presbyterian rather than a Unitarian service, although I am a Unitarian, not a Presbyterian. Shorter drive. Our minister, a good friend of mine, said that he is tired of listening to people preach hatred from the Christian pulpit. He was, of course, talking about you know who's. Your basic, everyday, Protestant, white, heterosexual, capitalistic fundamentalist Pentecostal conservative MAGA Trump supporter. Those people. Those congregations. They're up there on the pulpit amplifying conservative lies, embracing Trump's agenda, doing everything you can do witout saying straight up that Donald Trump is Jesus Christ. Hatred of Gays. Hatred of illegal immigrants. hatred of socialists.The usual suspects, the usual spew. Chris Hedges has come right out and said what nobody else has; that embracing Trumpism as a Christian is heresy. Heresy, because the Trump agenda is the exact opposite of the message of Christ: welcome the stranger, give unto the poor, cast not the first stone, and so forth. What I want Christian ministers to tell us is to welcome the stranger, try to d something to help a stray dog, cat, or Latin American if you can. Yes, let 'em pick fruit, somebody's gotta do it, and don't put 'em on I.C.E., so the speak. Yes, we do need all those people we are deporting, and we should not be deporting them. Slitting our own throats, as they say. Sunday and Monday I conclude my religious weekend, for on Monday mornings at ten we sing gospel at the senior center, an activity I love despite my aversion to most gospel music. Our little old lady piano player told one of my fellow singers that she is worried about my eternal soul. I don't think she needs to do that, and would be willing to tell her so, but she probably wouldn't listen to me. Iam not one hundred percent sure, but I think that a big majority of my friends a the senior center are Trumpers. We get along, and seem to like each other, but I never talk about religion or politics, like my sixth grade teacher told me not to. If somebody ever praises Trump to me, I will cut lose, but nobody ever does. Weird, that I hang out with a bunch of right wing evangelical Trump Christians, and get away with it, and actually enjoy it. On the other hand, it might be considered portentious, auspcious. If I can do it, anybody can. I still say that if you believe in hell, and that I am going to go there, you are mentally ill, and a cruel bastard to boot. Most of my "comrades" at the senior center lkely believe that. hey can think what they want. I think they're a bunch of fascists and heretics. They sure are nice people though.