Our Deep-Rooted Suspicion of Each Other — Do We Have Christianity to Blame for This?

FFRFMCC Commentary

We recently had another National Day of Reason come and go, and I’ve spent the past several days that followed contemplating how sad it is that this event is something which gets little or no attention from the press, as it is heavily overshadowed by its religious counterpart, the National Day of Prayer, held on the same day each year.

Those who gathered at the White House during this past NDOR/NDOP included many representatives from the world’s religious traditions, including hundreds of evangelical Christians – many of who most likely have never heard of the National Day of Reason.  And those who have are more likely to condemn it as an attack on their “religious liberty,” and the so-called “historical significance” of prayer and religious piety in this country.  They were there to listen to the person currently occupying the Oval Office, someone who, without question, has had very little use for religion throughout his life.  They were there to listen to him shovel out exactly what they wanted to hear — that being our need for faith in God and prayer to solve problems.  Like many before him, the current president is someone who has blatantly kowtowed to the religious right, enabling them with more and more power (which they, of course, do not deserve), and who continue to push our society in a backwardly direction.

It can be difficult to watch the national news on each NDOR/NDOP, as we are typically inundated with many exaggerated talking points about religion and prayer, with little or no nod to those of us who choose rationalism and common sense over superstition.  Those of us who celebrate the NDOR understand that, while it may be difficult sometimes, we must put our trust (or faith if you prefer that word) in people.  And, more importantly, our own abilities to solve problems and take care of each other, rather than reliance on an invisible deity who, for some odd reason, just doesn’t like making cameo appearances.

Trust is not something that comes easy for humans.  There certainly is a lot to be said about being careful whom we trust, as we typically make a point of getting to know someone very well before we comfortably put our trust in them.  There is little doubt, however, among non-theists that when help is needed, it can only come from our fellow human beings.  Honestly, we don’t waste our time hoping that help will come from above.

It seems very apparent though that those who cling to religion as a guide for their lives do have a more difficult time extending as much faith/trust in their fellow human beings as they do in the god they have never met.

With all that said, trust is indeed a complex matter with people.

But how did we get this way?

A commentary written recently by Franklin Graham as a tribute to his father, the just-deceased evangelical mega-preacher Billy Graham, revealed how having a lack of trust in our fellow humans is very much a Christian tenet.  The focus was on his father’s ability to avoid scandal in his 100 years of life.  According to Franklin Graham, Billy Graham accomplished this by refusing to spend any time alone with a woman who was not his wife – not even dinner in a public restaurant.  This became known as the “Billy Graham Rule,” and according to legend, it stemmed from the elder Graham returning to his hotel room one day to find a naked woman on his bed, in an attempt to seduce him and ruin his ministry.  As the story goes, Graham turned and wisely ran away from the situation as quickly as possible.  This “rule” has become a guiding principle adopted by many a high-powered preacher or businessperson who might have a lot to lose by allowing themselves to get into a compromising situation.  Many may know that Vice President Mike Pence has been the target of the comedy circuit for being one who has adopted the “Billy Graham Rule.”  There are others of course in the Executive Branch who seem to have no fear of being caught in such situations (anyone in particular come to mind?).  One must wonder though, why Billy Graham, Mike Pence, and all other devout Christian men who follow the “Billy Graham Rule,” do so only when it comes to women.  How do they know the man they find themselves alone with in an elevator is not gay, and just as eager to tempt them into breaking their vows?  Or, is it only women who can be the sexual tempters?

But, according to Franklin Graham, the “Billy Graham Rule” is more than just a principle that was the result of a famous, powerful and rich evangelical minister not wanting to give in to carnal temptations that might cost him millions.  In fact, the younger Graham explains that this principle was not only enacted to protect his father and mother, but also to “protect the name of Almighty God.”  Says Franklin Graham, “There were a lot of opportunities he could have had to be with a woman, and he just did not allow that to take place because he lived up to this principle. He knew that, if he made a mistake — if he failed — then it wasn’t just Billy Graham who would be hurt, but it would hurt the name of the lord, Jesus Christ.”

Oh, poor Jesus!

Billy Graham took this principle to such an extreme that he would not even minister to a woman unless someone else was present.  Putting aside the misogynistic viewpoint that women are nothing but evil, seductive sirens out to seduce and destroy every rich and powerful man, let’s focus again on the word “trust” and why it is so hard for us to rely on our fellow human beings.

We know very well that the root of much of the misogyny in the world was exacerbated by the writings found in religious texts, particularly among the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  But what do these religions say about “trust?”

To answer this question, we need look only to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible:

• “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9)
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
• “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25)

The entire foundation of Christianity lies in the concept of betrayal which, in the case of Jesus, led to his crucifixion and subsequent “resurrection.”  At the heart of this betrayal was one of Christ’s own apostles, Judas.  So, from the very beginning, Christianity teaches us to trust no one.

Yet, to hear Christians speak today, we are told that Christians are the ones who should be considered the most trustworthy.  Unfortunately, they are instructed to not trust anyone else.

The Bible does give some advice about trusting others even if we have been hurt by them.  But, it stresses that trusting God is the first, most important step, and no matter what men will do to men, God will be the one who is always there, faithful, true and trustworthy.  So, it is perfectly acceptable to not trust your neighbor, as long as we know God is there for our reliance.  While the New Testament is often hailed by Christians as the book which teaches us to love our neighbor:

• “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”— Luke 10:27

It also teaches that love must be tempered with a dose of suspicion.

• “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:5-12)
• “Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.” (Micah 7:5-6)
• “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
• “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Billy Graham witnessed how vulnerable his brethren were, from Jim Bakker, to Jimmy Swaggart, to Ted Haggard, to Bill Gothard, and the list goes on.  Franklin Graham believed his father was acting like a true Christian by putting his trust only in God, and not in his fellow human beings.  Especially if they happened to be a woman.

Donald Trump graced us with his presence on the National Day of Prayer to tout his new “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative,” a revamped version of George W. Bush’s “Faith-Based Initiatives” which of course was only a ruse to funnel taxpayer dollars away from their secular purpose to help fund religious (predominantly Christian) organizations.  But, that large contingent of evangelical leaders who perched themselves on the White House lawn came to listen to the greatest religious hypocrite ever to hold the most powerful office in the land.  The president’s hypocrisy did not matter to them.  They know he cannot be trusted to be a true Christian.  What they wanted to do was show the world how much they have the president’s attention, and impress upon everyone that, as Christian leaders, they are the ones to be entrusted to “make America great again.”

How many of those religious leaders will be mired in scandal at some point in their careers?  One can only guess.

What we do know is they have not shown they can be trusted to honor the constitutional principle of the separation between state and church, or to protect the rights of women to choose what happens to their own bodies, or to prevent discrimination against the LGBT community and all others they feel are an offense to their deeply held religious beliefs, which they want protected in the guise of “religious freedom.”  They exert much time and energy selling their religion as “good,” something that will heal all our societal ills if we just give it a chance – if we go to church; if we put prayer and Bible study back in public schools; if we disregard science and just put our trust in God.  But, while they wait for all humans to finally accept the lord as their savior, they will continue to use their power to tell us how to live, who to love or not love, what kind of medical care we should or should not receive, or whether we are even worthy to consume the goods or services they have to offer.

Despite all the bigotry and intolerance that is pontificated in the name of God, our elected officials and even our press (the components of our democracy we empower to tell us the truth), will continue to con us into believing religious leaders must be singled out as the moral backbone of our country.  And, no matter how many of these so-called leaders will be found to have strayed from the “Billy Graham rule,” we will still be told they are the ones in whom we must place our trust.

But, I for one know these “pillars of morality” should not be trusted.  How do I know this?

Because the Bible tells me so.  Which is another reason why Christians should read their Bible.