Letter to the editor: GOP has warped view of Christianity

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you” is the mantra addressed by GOP politicians to the survivors of mass shootings in our country. Kind sentiments, but meaningless without action to solve the wave of massacres. G’d, presumably the one to whom prayers are addressed, has nothing to do with this crisis. Humans are responsible, and it’s our problem, and one solution is to monitor the ownership of weapons and control the sales of firearms and ban assault rifles from civilians.

A long introduction to my issue, invoking G’d in any public debate. The GOP is increasingly using “Christian” ideology to justify its attacks on women’s health issues, the LGBT community, and on other marginal members of the citizenry. (Remember Trump’s failed ban on Muslim immigrants?) Formerly a fringe movement, “Christian nationalism” has become another GOP platform, one that advocates a racist agenda, a white Christian-only America, “the great replacement theory.” for instance? One case in point, their immigration policy. Another example, at the state level, requiring a display of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue, Aseret HaDivrot) in all schools. At least four of these precepts deal directly with the worship of G’d in the Abrahamic (Biblical) tradition: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And for others, of different faiths, or with no religion? An imposition of religion prohibited by our First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.