Trump has returned to public proclamations by addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference this past weekend. It was the glorious return of Trump and Trumpism. He didn’t disappoint as he picked up where he left off by demonizing anyone who disagreed with him and kept the Big Lie alive at least in his own mind.
There was just one huge problem. Trump and his followers didn’t read their Bibles well enough.
In chapter 12 of the book of Exodus the Hebrews asked Aaron, the brother of their leader Moses, to make a golden calf during the absence of Moses when he is off to Mt. Sinai. When Moses returned to the people and saw them worshipping the golden calf, he broke the tablets on which were written the ten commandments. He then melted down the golden calf, pulverized it, mixed it with water and required the people to drink it. This was an ordeal to separate the faithful who lived from the unfaithful who died later on in a plague.
The people, who defended their faith in God, stood with Moses against the calf worshippers. They were the Levites who formed the Israelite priesthood.
We didn’t have the golden calf at the Conservative Political Action Conference, but we did have a golden likeness of Trump being paraded around. Someone created it and brought it to the conference. In many ways Trump is a lot like Aaron. He did not make the golden likeness but basked in the likeness enjoying his narcissistic god like fantasies. His first words were, “Do you miss me yet?”
Keep in mind what the ten commandments say. If Moses were present at the conference, he would be furious. Trump was a walking and talking self-contradiction. Trump had a message for those who crossed him. “Get rid of them all!” He singled out Liz Cheney as particularly odious for daring to stand up to him. “Get rid of them all!” was quickly followed up with a statement for unity. He spent a good deal of his speech condemning those who were not sufficiently loyal to him. He added that “I will continue to fight right by your side. It’s going to be strong and united like never before.” He was as mean spirited and vindictive as ever.
If Moses were present, he would look at the golden likeness of Trump and look at those conducting the workshops on the “Big Lie” and break those stone tablets on which the commandments are written over his knee. Read them. If you count the thousands who died because of his lack of leadership, Trump has broken every one of them.
Where are the Republicans to act as the Levites did to stand by the faith and what is right, good, and noble in humankind? The Christian tradition has a phrase that speaks to the all-inclusive nature of the Priesthood to stand against any wrong doing. It is referred to as the Priesthood of All Believers where all Christians are seen to have equal access to God and Godly actions with Christ being the Great High Priest.
There is something very “golden” to consider that should have been present at the Conservative Political Action Conference and all political gatherings for that matter. It isn’t the golden calf that raised the ire of Moses and it certainly is not the golden statue of Trump. It is found in most World Religions as is sometimes referred to as the Ethics of Reciprocity. It is the Golden Rule. It was expressed by the Gospel of Matthew (7:12) as, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”
Now that is something “golden” that could breathe new life into the political divide that threatens our nation today.
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