Trump's Push To Open Churches Contradicts Jesus' Teaching To Love Neighbors, Clergy Say
Several faith leaders are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s demand that governors allow churches to reopen while the country still battles the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the activist Rev. William Barber, Trump’s push contradicts a fundamental tenet of the president’s Christian faith ― to love your neighbor as yourself.
“It’s a violation of loving your neighbor as yourself to do something that you know could put your neighbor in harm’s way,” Barber told HuffPost on Friday. “That’s a fundamental violation.”
Barber pointed to scriptureverses that lash out at people who cling to religious customs while mistreating the poor, immigrants and other marginalized people.
“Those who will worship and go through religious ceremony, but don’t care for justice and lifting up the poor and fighting for what is right, the Bible calls it hypocrisy, the very thing that God does not like,” Barber said.
Houses of worship are not essential, but true worship is: “When I was hungry, did you feed me? When I was thirsty, did you give me a drink? When I was a stranger, did you invite me in? When I was naked, did you clothe me? When I was sick and in prison, did you visit me?”
— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) May 22, 2020
Trump announced during a White House press conference on Friday that he is labeling houses of worship “essential” and calling on states to allow them to reopen over the holiday weekend. He threatened to “override” governors who defy him, although legal scholars say he lacks formal power to force governors to follow his orders.
“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out houses of worship. It’s not right,” Trump said. “So I’m correcting this injustice by calling houses of worship essential.”
Trump’s push aligns most closely with the priorities of white evangelicals and quickly drew praise from close evangelical allies,...
