Democracy in Decline? God Help Us

 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots,  and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.  He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.  He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.  He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle[a] and donkeys and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.  

And on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.” 

 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! We are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.”  When Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord.  The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the Israelites, “Each of you return home.” 

1 Samuel 8: 10 -22 NRSVue 

In what was an unsettling but not unpredictable ruling the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the formerly democratically elected and accountable President is actually above the laws of the land. This was a decision about presidentially immunity from prosecution, a ruling never needed before formerPresident Trump was charged with a bevy of serious crimes, including attempts to overthrow the last election.

 What is unfolding in the US should be deeply concerning to people in other nations, including Canada. As voters lean to the right in many countries the democratic principles we've cherished are threatened by potential tyrants and strongmen. 

The man who once claimed "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" has been told that this isn't far from the truth. It's a sociopath's dream come true. 

What I find deeply disturbing is that millions of right-wing Christian voters enthusiastically support this decision swayed by the theologically conservative Christians on the Supreme Court and continue to support a former president who should be held in disgrace as a convicted felon.

 I've heard the false prophets trot out arcane scripture references to justify their support of the Orange Menace. They never refer to the story of the prophet Samuel who tried to dissuade the people of Israel from  anointing a monarch, and who tells them they will eventually regret their decision. In the story from 1 Kings, God essentially shrugs God's shoulders and tells Samuel "let them have at it." 

Since 2016 the unreserved support for Trump has been downright blasphemous and idolatrous. What has happened to these supposed Christians, including members of our family who live south of the border? 

There are prophets out there, sounding the alarm, but will the people listen? God, I hope so, including here in Canada. And there is still the ballot box...for now.