Pizza and Religion

Pizza is often referred to as a comfort food. Likewise, many people find comfort in religion. With pizza, most would agree that a good crust, robust tomato sauce, and good-quality mozzarella cheese make for a delicious slice. Now, top that pizza with mushrooms, anchovies, and pineapple and you will start to find some disagreement. Oddly, you will probably get more acceptance for the fungus than the fruit or salty fish.

Pineapple and Anchovy Pizza

With religion, the fundamentals are just that. You can start with something like the Ten Commandments or a basic set of acceptable rules and get a consensus. Most religions will define acceptable behavior within the tenets of that specific faith. According to Wikipedia and Pew Research, roughly 49% of Americans are Protestants, 23% are Catholics, 2.5% are Jews, 1.8% are Mormons, and 1.3% are Muslims. This list accounts for around 77.6% of Americans so we also have about 22% with no religious affiliation who may be atheists or agnostics.

Most of us would agree that many of those who identify with a particular faith don’t strictly adhere to all its teachings. We have so-called “cafeteria Catholics” who might take birth-control pills or only go to church on Christmas and Easter. I’m sure other religions have terms for the more casual members of their respective faiths.

All of these religions have similar guidelines of what it takes to be a member in good standing within their teachings. The Golden Rule would be at the core of all these religions which answers the basic question posed by Rodney King, “Can we all get along?”

This, however, is not about comfort food or finding comfort in religion. This is about a particular group of people who now claim that their specific brand or interpretation of Christianity is the one true faith and needs to be force-fed to the rest of the heathens. To them, separation of church and state means they can dictate to the government, but the government better stay out of their business. Just as they misinterpret or twist the written word in their Bible, they also want to mold the writings of our Constitution to their will.

As abhorrent as this sounds, it might be more acceptable if these same people at least followed their own faith or were even casual adherents to its basic tenets. If all they wanted to do was use the Ten Commandments as a guide upon which to make and enforce our laws, the majority of Americans might be acceptant at that level. The serious problem here is that this small group of people, using the shield of religion, just want to make and enforce laws that benefit them financially. Their actions reek of hypocrisy.

Savior of the Religious Right

Case in point. In a recent exchange with someone who claims to be a Christian, that person excused Donald Trump’s lying and deceitful behavior to get a more favorable business arrangement, as just the way people do business. It is OK to try to deceive the government or another business and it is the duty of that entity to understand that everyone does this. That was his justification. To him, the Golden Rule is caveat emptor. I know I am not a biblical scholar, but I don’t remember that logic being taught by the olive-skinned Jewish man who wore sandals.

More realistic version of what Jesus looked like.

To these Christian revisionists, laws are meant to be broken if you can afford to fight it out in the courts and defeat those weaker than yourself. If you steal mainly from large financial institutions, who have you hurt? Certainly, that elderly schoolteacher who gets a small income from the stock she has in that business won’t feel much of a loss. To many in this new twenty-first-century Christianity, greed is good, and he who dies with the most gold wins.

Donald Trump is the new savior who literally brags about the commandments he has broken. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” means that Trump knows what’s best for you and if you put someone else above him, he will smite you. Given that the man worships wealth above all things, curses at anyone who doesn’t bend to his will, doesn’t attend church, has committed adultery so many times he has lost count, stealing is business as usual, bearing false witness against his neighbor, his judge, the judge’s clerk, his generals, his previous lawyers, disabled veterans, political rivals, and coveting anything he doesn’t have, means he has broken all of the commandments excepting perhaps five and six. I am assuming here he honored his father and mother and hasn’t personally killed anyone, yet.

The Ten Suggestions

Yes, the religious right has cornered the market in righteous indignation, and they will not be happy until Trump’s second coming. Perhaps, instead of descending a golden escalator, he can walk the length of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool wearing a long robe and a pair of Prada brushed leather fishermen sandals. The golden escalator at Trump Tower might be unavailable while in receivership.

Trump walks on water and brings his Bounty to the faithful.

Now, choke down that anchovy and pineapple pizza and I don’t want to hear any complaints.