Freethought-Now

Blasphemy!

That was the sound of Christian religious leaders when President Trump posted an AI image on April 12 of himself as Jesus, allegedly healing a bed-ridden man.

Well, blasphemy, as we all know, is a victimless “crime.” When someone yells “blasphemy!” I hear, “How dare you say anything bad about my imaginary god!”

To Trump supporters, this president seldom, if ever, does anything wrong. That’s why it was surprising to see the quick backlash from Christians, many of whom have been OK with Trump’s policies that go in direct contradiction to what Jesus supposedly stood for, such as helping the needy, welcoming immigrants, turning the other cheek and promoting peace.

But, really, of all the things Trump has done, THIS is what gets Christians upset? Posting an AI image?

“I don’t know if the president thought he was being funny . . . or what possible explanation he could have for this OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy,” wrote Megan Basham, a prominent conservative Protestant Christian writer and commentator, as reported in the Washington Post. “But he needs to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”

Um, Megan, I think God is probably doing all right on his own . . . mostly because he’s make-believe. However, if one assumes he’s real (as Megan does), in the compendium of grievances and harms done throughout history by humans, I’m guessing an AI image is pretty low on the list of godly slights.

But let’s get back to the indignation.

David Brody, an evangelical journalist with the Christian Broadcasting Network, said of the AI image: “This goes too far. It crosses the line.”

Rev. Tony Suarez, a longtime Trump adviser, said it’s “an offense to allude or depict that a human can compare to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

Brilyn Hollyhand, a conservative Gen Z political commentator and outspoken Christian, said in a video posted to X that “comparing yourself, even jokingly, to Jesus . . . undermines the very value that many of us hold dear. This is gross blasphemy.”

And former member of congress Marjorie Taylor Greene posted to X, “It’s more than blasphemy. It’s an Antichrist spirit.”

Bowing to pressure, Trump did remove the “offensive” image and then claimed he wasn’t trying to depict himself as Jesus, but as a doctor or a Red Cross worker.

As Jon Stewart remarked on “The Daily Show,” “Do you even care about lying to us anymore? Is it over? Has this relationship gone stale? Your lies used to have a real spark: ‘They’re eating the cats and dogs.’ ‘Venezuela stole the 2020 election.’ And now the best you’ve got is: ‘Oh, it wasn’t Jesus. I’m a doctor.’ You need to find your happy place — and fast. We expect better lies, sir.”

And, finally, regarding the AI image, Sean Feucht, a conservative Christian activist and Trump supporter, said, “There’s no context where this is acceptable.”

Well, except maybe in Freethought Now or Freethought Today..

Disclaimer: The views in this column are of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

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