On the 1st of June 2020, in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, then-President Donald Trump instructed police officers to use tear gas and other riot control measures to forcefully clear a group of peaceful protestors from Lafayette Square in Washington.
Why?
So that Trump could create a path for him to walk from the White House to St John’s Episcopal Church to pose for a photo opportunity. There, Trump stood in front of the church and held up a Bible for the waiting press.
He didn’t bother with formal speeches or policy updates, but he was refreshingly honest about his intentions. He wanted one thing and one thing only: a perfect photo opportunity. And what better way to achieve it than by striking a pose with a Bible in hand right in front of a church?
But, make no mistake. There was certainly a purpose in Trump’s visit to the church that day, and, for him, it was worth blasting a bunch of peaceful protesters out of the way. You see, Trump was appealing to his conservative Christian supporter base. It’s not a secret that he came to power on the back of the evangelical Christian vote. So, it makes perfect sense that Trump would go out of his way to appear “Christian.”
(It’s a little bit sickening that some Christians were gullible enough to fall for Trump’s false sincerity, but that’s another story.)
Trump is not the first President — nor will he be the last President — to leverage his faith for political reasons. Even though the US Constitution clearly says “no religious test” for any public role, from the top down, let’s be real here: presidential candidates know that the Christian voting block is the size of Bigfoot’s footprints. So, if you’re dreaming of the Oval Office, having a dash of Christian faith in your political recipe book can be as handy as a Swiss Army knife at a picnic. It’s like having a secret sauce that makes voters go, “Hallelujah, let’s put this candidate on the heavenly path to the White House!” Because how can you say, “God bless America!” if you don’t believe in God? That’s part of the President’s job description, right?
Don’t get me wrong… I’m sure many Presidents were real Christians… about as many as were happy to overstate their Christian affiliation.
In fact, if I were to ask you how many US Presidents were not “Christians,” could you name any?
Hmmm…?
Go on, have a guess!
If you said Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, then congratulations! They are the dynamic duo of Presidents who never labeled themselves “Christian”… As for the rest? They were all connected to a Christian denomination of some description (unless you happen to be a devout evangelical who doesn’t count Catholics as Christians. In that case, the list might get even shorter). Time to navigate the murky waters of religious semantics!
A history of Christian Presidents
A recent article by Pew Research gave a fascinating insight into the spirituality of US Presidents throughout history.
According to Pew, over a quarter of US Presidents, including notables like George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt — were members of the Episcopal Church, the American offspring of the Church of England.
Presbyterians, claiming the silver medal in terms of numerical representation, can proudly boast of having eight Presidents to their name. Among this esteemed group, we find the likes of Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower, who waved the Presbyterian flag high during their tenure in the Oval Office. Donald Trump started off proudly donning the Presbyterian label, but during an interview with Religion News Service in October 2020, he dropped a bombshell. Trump declared, “I now consider myself to be a nondenominational Christian.” Like a religious chameleon, he seamlessly changed his colors, leaving us all wondering what denomination he’ll hop to next.
Probably the one who he thinks will vote for him.
Who is he kidding?
Next, we have Unitarians and Baptists — including Clinton and Truman — with the third-largest share of presidents, each with four.
Four Presidents have proudly embraced their “Christian” identity without attaching themselves to any specific denomination. Among this unique group, we have the one and only ex-Presbyterian himself, Donald Trump, alongside the man he replaced, Barack Obama.
Obama’s story is an interesting one. Unlike most other Presidents, he had no Christian upbringing but converted to Christianity as an adult and worshipped at a United Church of Christ. (No, you idiot, he was never a Muslim. You’re just a racist who believes conspiracy theories)
Then there is the Methodists with three — including the younger President Bush — followed by a smattering of smaller, more obscure denominations, including the Quakers, Dutch Reformed Church, and Disciples of Christ.
Finally, we have the Catholics, numbering just two, including our current President, Mr. Joe Biden, and none other than JFK. Given that around 20% of US Citizens are Catholics, this might come as a surprise — that is until you consider that most other protestant denominations have historically not even considered Catholics to be “proper Christians.”
Stupid, if you ask me.
Here’s a super helpful and interesting infographic summing it all up:
What about the naughty non-Christian Presidents?
How on earth to Jefferson and Lincoln manage to get elected without being good church-going men? You get the feeling that they wouldn’t have a hope in this day and age.
So, what do we know about their faith, or should I say lack of faith?
Thomas Jefferson embarked on a religious journey that took him off the beaten path of traditional Christianity. Early on, he waved goodbye to conventional faith and found solace in the concept of an impersonal God as the mastermind behind our wondrous universe. You could say he dabbled in the realm of agnosticism, leaving room for doubt and exploration.
Jefferson’s audacity didn’t stop there. He boldly took a pair of editing scissors to the New Testament, snipping away at references to Jesus’ miracles, but sparing Jesus’ teachings. It’s clear that Jefferson held great admiration for the man himself, but when it came to Jesus’ divine origins, he remained unconvinced.
Unlike Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln grew up in a religious household and had a habit of invoking the Almighty, especially during his presidency. But here’s the twist: he never took the leap to join a church.
Historians have never quite been able to pin down Lincoln’s beliefs. Was he a devout Christian, or did he venture into different territories of faith or non-faith? It’s a mystery that still lingers. Perhaps Lincoln simply preferred to keep his Christian convictions close to his chest, away from the prying eyes of the public. After all, a little privacy can be a virtue in the world of politics, don’t you think?
So, while the jury’s still out on Lincoln’s religious leanings, we can appreciate the idea that he might have held his Christian convictions — if indeed he had any — with a touch of discretion. It’s a reminder that faith doesn’t always require a grand public display. Maybe that’s something our current politicians could learn, yes? Sometimes, the quiet strength of personal beliefs can shape a leader in profound ways. Maybe Lincoln was something of a secret admirer of Christianity.
And hey, that’s not such a bad thing, is it?
All Presidents believe in God
I often chuckle when I hear Christians — usually of the Republican-voting variety — vowing to vote for the “Christian” candidate as if he were God’s chosen leader.
Stupid.
Virtually every US President in history — Democratic, Republican, or otherwise — has been a self-confessed Christian. Face it; it’s helpful for your election chances.
Perhaps, we should judge a president’s “Christian-ness” not on whether he says he is a Christian or not, nor whether he attends Church or not, but on the actions of that President that exude congruency with the life of Christ.
Would Jesus use tear gas to bust through a bunch of protestors so he could pose in front of a Church holding a Bible? Would Jesus pose at all?
I’ll let you be the judge.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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