In a curious mixture of religious reverence and political acumen former President Trump has been referred to as the Orange Jesus. No doubt this has to do with the color of his sprayed hair, his exaggerated pontifications and the large number of people around him that mix their spiritual ferver with a view that Trump is their savior.
It is the Christmas season and the time that many people think seriously about the newborn Jesus and the radical change he brought to the world. Among them a belief system independent of others and one dedicated to the salvation of souls.
In this context, Christ came to the world to offer his people a new covenant that enhanced the notion of the “the Chosen” and renewed an Old Testament religion pushed into decadence by Roman masters. His concept of grace and redemption was so unique and popular that it captured the imagination of people outside the Holy Land and around the world.
Jesus’ concept of Love as the basis for true inner transformation contrasted greatly with its contemporary religious practices that combined ritual and ceremony with political power. Jesus’s insistence on “having to believe” at the exclusion of everything else was a cornerstone of his ministry.
In this vane, Jesus was very clear about the separation of religion and politics, and religion and governing.
He expressed this in Mark 12:17 of the New Testament that says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
However, there is a historical tendency for religions to partner with politics and governments that has been hard to resist. This condition occurred from the very beginning of civilizations, as the original leaders of belief systems and ceremonial practices and the politics of governing were in the same hands.
In the Mayan world of southern Mexico and Central America, for example, political leaders beginning with the kings and their households were the first to offer blood sacrifices in seeking God’s favor. It is their offer and their redemption that symbolically made things alright for the people.
In the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Civilizations, the high priests were an official part of the governing structures. The kings and emperors also used religion to maintain unity and loyalty to the realm.
As a matter of fact, that was what Roman Emperor Constantine was looking to do when he made the Christian Church his official religion and sought to repair its fragmented beliefs by convening the 1st Christian Council in Nicaea, Bithynia in 325 C.E.. The Council, made up of 318 bishops, agreed on the nature of God and the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
The unity in the Christian belief system led to a better control of the faith and facilitated Emperor Constantine’s rule. That set the pattern for Christian churches’ official status in authoritarian regimes.
That is also why original settlers in America wanted out of Europe. Among other things, they came to this country in search of religious freedom and liberation from government interference in their faith.
The founding fathers were well aware of religion as an obstacle to freedom and democracy. They knew that the partnership of religion and government devastates a people’s way of life.
Given the history of totalitarian partnership of religion and politics, it was not surprising that the Constitution of the United States was not ratified until important personal freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights that included separation of church and state were guaranteed.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of laVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
