“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God.” Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
Have you noticed how the Galilean posits a reward for each
of the announced traits? The merciful shall obtain mercy. Those “persecuted for
righteousness' sake” shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who “hunger and
thirst after righteousness” shall be filled. The “pure in heart” shall see God.
And so forth.
But to be called a child of God, one must be a peacemaker.
That would likely come as a surprise to the current occupant
of our nation’s office. He’s been in office going on a year, and never once has
he
- Called for a unified America
- Called for peace among those of differing faiths
- Called for a truce in our war against God’s planet
- Called for a truce with those who criticize him for the most
apparent mistake
- Called for peace between his base and other Americans
- Called for peace among nations
One can hear a diehard supporter respond, No problem. We’ve
had presidents before who chose not to wear religion on their sleeve. Abraham
Lincoln never made a public confession of a religious belief. Neither Thomas
Jefferson nor Andrew Johnson professed any religious affiliation. George
Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Tyler are often identified as
having some degree of deistic beliefs. Most presidents attended church, but none
as sincerely and devoid of guile as Jimmy Carter.
So, they would assert, Americans have a First American right
to worship, or not worship, within or without any religious belief. This right even
extends to the President of the United States. The current occupant has no
legal stricture to follow a Beatitude or any other of the Galilean’s teachings.
There you go. Peacemaker? Forget it. We like him just as he is, free not only
from human restraints, but religious ones as well.
A true believer might observe that the Galilean is watching.
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| Artwork by Lisa Casey |
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