The National Prayer Farce and Christian Sectarianism

Did any “Christians” at the Prayer breakfast call out the President of the United States for his shameful statements and treatment of immigrants in America?

In between pancakes and coffee, did anyone speak to the hypocrisy of Donald Trump attending the event, considering his well-documented dishonesty, vindictiveness, and unrepentant sexual immorality, or was there just a hushed acceptance of this “flawed man”?

Did any of the “Christians” in attendance voice their concerns about the Trump administration’s cutting of USAID, which will lead to millions of deaths by 2030?

Did those in attendance lend support and prayer for marginalized people, and justice for young girls trafficked and abused by the rich and powerful, as documented in the Epstein files?

Seems like a prayer breakfast would be the perfect place for talking about all these things.

From what I’ve read, rather than promoting unity, spiritual reflection, and reconciliation, the Orange Ayatollah of Ice Brigades and Sexcapades turned the once venerated event into a boastful campaign rally brimming with self-promotion and partisan political attacks. Like every other institution he encounters, the president torched norms and obliterated traditions, while religious bigots in attendance bowed down to their true king.  

One thing about Trump you can’t deny: there’s very little subterfuge when it comes to his bigotry, vindictiveness, and hate. And his unvarnished take on anyone who defies or challenges him has laid bare the true morality of his religious base, who have revealed themselves as people who care more about power and control than grace and humility, who want to subjugate and dominate, and who would sooner punch you in the face than turn the other cheek.   

The National Prayer Breakfast is a National Farce. What used to be a bipartisan and unifying event has become a partisan pigpile, obscuring the event’s original, inclusive, ecumenical nature.

Examples:

• President Trump used the breakfast to criticize political opponents, claiming they “oppose God and religious freedom.”
• He also used the platform to attack political enemies along religious lines, turning the event into a partisan stage rather than a shared spiritual gathering.
• Trump mocked Democratic lawmakers and questioned why “people of faith would ever vote for a Democrat,” despite the event’s bipartisan leadership.

Trump’s rhetoric excludes Christians who refuse to align themselves with the undeniably Christian Nationalist identity of the MAGA movement. Through words and actions, the President continues to make a mockery of Christianity, and that mockery gets amplified by conservative Christian leaders who to turn a blind eye to Trump’s amoral behavior.

The quote “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross” describes perfectly what occurred at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast and what’s happening in America today. The president’s remarks are indicative of the dangerous merger of nationalist demagoguery and religion.

How long before Christianity in America undergoes a full-blown sectarian split?

As America struggles to maintain Jefferson’s wall of separation between church and state, Atheists, Agnostics, and religiously unaffiliated need to unite behind the version of Christianity that promotes kindness, empathy, and love.

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My Paper, My Words is a collection of essays, stories, and poems that reflect the challenges of a middle-class husband and father trying to navigate a rapidly changing political, religious, and technological landscape of post-911 America.