I've made no secret of the fact that I detest the president of the United States, Donald Trump. There is no point in naming all the reasons why -- this is a blog entry, not my magnum opus. As a Christian I pray that I not hate any human being and God has sent Trump to test my resolve.
That said, I wonder about the Right-wingers in the States who are grumbling that two recent funerals became platforms for dissing the sitting president, and whether they have a point. At the funeral for Aretha Franklin activist, the Rev. Al Sharpton was very specific:
“You know, the other Sunday on my show, I misspelled ‘respect.’ A lot of y’all corrected me. Now, I want y’all to help me correct President Trump to teach him what it means. And I say that because when word had went out that Miss Franklin passed, Trump said, ‘She used to work for me.’ No, she used to perform for you. She worked for us. Aretha never took orders from nobody but God.”
The next day, several speakers at the funeral of Senator John McCain, including his daughter Meghan and past presidents George Bush and Barack Obama made less direct hits on the absent Trump, although there was no doubt about the subject of their remarks. Meghan's rebuke contrasted her father’s legacy with the “opportunistic appropriation” and “cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly.” Even more pointedly she said that the “America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because it was always great.”
While a part of me wanted to cheer these condemnations of a corrupt, immoral excuse for a leader, I gave my head the proverbial shake. What is the purpose of a Christian funeral? I've always felt that it is to uphold Christian hope in the face of death and to honour the person who has died with reflection on his or her life that is affectionate and respectful. Some people who walk this earth are exceptional because of their accomplishments and courage, and that should be recognized. We can be inspired to greater things in our own lives by the greatness of others. I'm not so sure about politicizing funerals, particularly in a time when there is already so much dissension and anger. Would John McCain have been lionized in this way if the political climate of the United States was different?
What did you think about it all, or did it even show up on your radar? Should funerals or memorials be commandeered in this way? Just asking!
I watched the funeral - I think the times required that John McCain be "lionized" in this way - and it was necessary to show the world the America we respected before Trump came to the oval Office. The Christian aspect seemed to take second place to the politics, but it was there...and the example set by John McCain was a great one .
ReplyDeleteI think there were many things written in the bible that reflected the politics of that time. It would be almost impossible to make reference of current events, even knowing that it is there for all to read at a later date when times have changed.
ReplyDeleteWhere's Louis Armstrong when you need him?