I wanted to avoid, at least for a while, talking about the current state of Christianity in the United States. Then I heard Ron DeSantis yammering about the incident on a New York City subway where a man named Daniel Penny placed Jordan Neely, an unstable homeless person, in a chokehold resulting in Neely’s death. Whether the deceased was truly threatening is irrelevant. What DeSantis said was, “We stand with “Good Samaritans” like Daniel Penny. Let’s show this Marine... America’s got his back.” Now you might think Christians would get a little bent out of shape about this “fake scripture,” but I haven’t noticed. Maybe there’s a whispering campaign I haven’t heard.
An accurate representation of Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan” would be more like this actual fake news:
August 1, 2023; Florida Governor and Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was severely injured in a parade celebrating his anti-woke accomplishments today after the group of men and women bearing his palanquin down Main Street suddenly dropped the Governor’s platform and rushed off in a stampede with the entire crowd. One bystander claimed that just before the incident someone with a megaphone called out that former President Trump was at a McDonald’s in the next block. “I couldn’t believe all the people who just walked right past him - even the church people. He was badly hurt - there was blood everywhere and the Governor was weeping uncontrollably all alone there in the middle of the street,” observed a different witness. Fortunately, a group of LGBTQ protesters rushed to the Governor’s aid, calling 911 and administering first aid. Former Marine Corps medic Darlene Dalton, well known around town for her Drag Queen story hour before the library was shuttered earlier this year, said DeSantis’ injuries were the most serious she has treated since Fallujah. The Good Samaritans even transported the Governor to the hospital when an ambulance was unable to get through the crowd around McDonalds. “It wasn’t easy getting him into my VW Beetle,” said a young woman wishing to remain anonymous, “but we stayed with the Governor until we knew he would be OK.” The one outstanding question we’re waiting for the Governor to answer as he recovers from his injuries - which, of all these people, is your neighbor?
The Good Samaritan in Jesus’ story, you see, didn’t attack or kill anyone like Daniel Penny or any of the other imaginary “good guy with a gun” hero fantasies of the Republican right. In fact, what the original good Samaritan did was care for an injured Jewish man — a complete stranger — who had already been attacked and robbed on the road to Jerico, and who had already been ignored by two men of notable Jewish religious roles (a priest and a Levite) who both crossed to the other side of the road and “passed by.” And Jesus likely chose a Samaritan for his story’s hero specifically because Samarians were roundly despised by the Jews, who called them half-breeds. The whole story was in response to a question — who is my neighbor? — about the command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” And the rhetorical question returned by Jesus after his story was to ask which of the three was “a neighbor” to the injured and robbed Jewish man — the priest who passed without helping, the Levite who passed without helping or the hated Samaritan who tended his wounds and paid for lodging during his recovery? It sort of has that “don’t judge a book by its cover” vibe — maybe a don’t hate people because they’re different or just because your “crowd” hates them. But a true and accurate reading of the parable of the Good Samaritan doesn’t really serve the Republican mission. Come to think of it, a true and accurate reading of almost anything doesn’t really serve the Republican mission.
It would seem to me that Jesus himself wouldn’t really appreciate his stories being twisted in such a way that not only are the lessons lost — the unexpected empathy and charity of the hated Samaritan — but the hero becomes one who doles out “righteous” violence. This is just one more small way that Christianity has allowed itself to become represented by hate and intolerance, misogyny, racism, misinformation, ridiculous conspiracies, blind acceptance that those with different views are evil (pedophiles), and an apparent belief that THEY are the persecuted ones. Why are there not legions of Christians confronting the hypocrisy of their public representatives’ claims the “evil” left is “trying to destroy the country? Didn’t I see with my own eyes MAGA idolatry literally trying to destroy the country, cheering to execute the evangelical Vice President of our country and now promised pardons (give us Barabbas?)?
Tim Scott, an evangelical I think (“Jesus is my life”), opened his presidential campaign with the Christian-right standard slogans — “the radical left is retreating from patriotism and faith,” and “the radical left is pushing us into a culture of grievance….” Radical? Patriotism? Grievance? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
He got the retreating from faith correct though - but does he wonder why? How about HIPOCRACY for starters? Organized religion, for instance, has been perhaps the most successful pedophilia and sexual abuse ring of the modern age, but “left-wing elites” can be casually painted as evil pedophiles? How did the shameless persecution of children struggling with gender dysphoria become a Christ-like action item? How does the utter disregard for a woman’s life to save a fetus square with the utter disregard of children’s lives to save an assault weapon? It does appear at a glance that Christians don’t even see this rhetoric as cruel and divisive and, importantly, bullshit.
I’m going to stop. I know, or I hope, that if “good” Christians read this they will be offended by the broad brush — we aren’t all like that!! I’ll even believe (or hope) that the majority are very offended by this toxic connection between Christianity and right-wing politics. My question — where are you? I don’t hear you! I don’t see you! There are some notable exceptions of course. But the extent to which right-wing politics and Christian Nationalism has corrupted the image of Christianity — love thy neighbor as thyself — demands an equal and opposite response from those of the faith. Christianity has been beaten and robbed by right-wing politics -where are the good Samaritans?
Christianity and other religions have been used and twisted to wield power and wage war "in the name of God" through history. There have been the rare notable exceptions, such as Mother Teresa, who have followed the teachings of Jesus, but most of us stay silent in the face of the hypocrites.
Excellent read! Well researched, and it is the bible not a science text being a source!
I was hoping for a footnote from Fantasyland, since we both hold that book in high esteem because it lays bare the hypocrisy of Christian based religion in America.