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False Triumph

Whether your concern is for the environment, equal rights for women and minorities, or our ability as Canadians to supply our largest market south of the border with our goods and services, you are probably not happy with last week’s election results in the U.S. And certainly, if you are a Christian you should have misgivings about Mr. Trump’s recent triumph. Our own Fr. Dan made this latter point rather powerfully in a sermon he delivered the Sunday after the election when he said, “What I have heard from him [Trump] so far, is so far from my understanding of the Christian gospel, that I cannot simply acquiesce to the admonition to “get behind him” and “give him a chance”. I tend to agree with Fr. Dan on this point, and I know many who read this blog do as well.

But while it may not be easy to “get behind him”, we should remind ourselves that the one whom we are reluctant to give a chance to, is not the same one that Jesus refers to when he famously rebukes Peter – “Get behind me Satan!” No, Donald is not the one responsible for the sin of the world any more than Hillary would have delivered us from it, although the Evil One would like you to believe that. Misogyny is no more rampant this week than last; we have simply been reminded just how rampant it still is. Similarly, we have not made as much progress as we had hoped on the problem of race relations. And I could go on but you get the picture. It will do no good to project all the evil in the U.S. (and by association all Western culture) on Trump, for this would only serve to deflect our attention and energy away from the source of the myriad social and political challenges we face. Rather we need to ask ourselves what are their root causes. And I’m afraid you just might find it’s you and me. Whatever side of the political divide we find ourselves on, the logical starting place if we are to ever move beyond the hate and violence that undermines our society is with ourselves. We need to work on our relations with our loved ones, our friends, our neighbours, and most of all with God. Mr. Evil won’t like that, but he has no power over it.

Reverend Colin Bowler

Comments(2)

  1. Reply
    Steve & Norma Parrotte says:

    Congratulations and Amen. These things need to be said.

    • Reply
      stpauls says:

      Thanks!

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