I’m just going to get this off my chest here so I can move on with my day.
At the National Cathedral Funeral for President GHW Bush, our current Oval Office resident and his wife stood stood silently as all of the other Presidents and First Ladies recited the Apostle’s Creed either from memory or with the aid of their funeral booklet. Following along with the service is just what classy people do at such occasions. When you do so, you are celebrating the life of the person who has passed by honoring and respecting their faith tradition. Of course sometimes there are things said or done at a funeral that don’t match your own faith tradition. When this happens, it is acceptable to stand or sit quietly and rejoin once again when there is something that aligns with your own beliefs. If you can't participate in the majority of the program due to your beliefs, it is therefore acceptable to let the family’s mourners know in advance that you cannot attend the service but that you would like to be of support and solace to them in other ways.
Its called freedom of religion. Our constitution enshrines it and, through decency and compassion, thoughtful Americans can practice its principles in everyday life.
Easy, right? Not when it comes to Donald Trump. Let me lay out the facts:
- Donald Trump stood silently with his arms folded when the Apostle's Creed was recited by the congregation. The inclusion of the creed was one of the many choices President GHW Bush made about his service.
- Congregants did not need to know this creed by heart in order to participate. It was printed in the program. The other Presidents and First Ladies were seen looking at the passage.
- The content of this creed is a basic outline of fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. Although it is not repeated exactly the same across denominations, Episcopalians (the denomination of this service), Roman Catholics, Lutherans, AME Church and Presbyterians (are there others?) regularly recite this creed in church services.
- Donald Trump was raised Presbyterian. Melania Trump was raised Catholic.
- For Christmas and Easter services, President and Mrs. Trump regularly attend Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida.
- Donald Trump enjoys a more than 70% approval rating by Evangelical Christians. Although most Evangelical denominations do not say this creed (or any creed), the creed espouses their own stated deeply-held beliefs as well: the resurrection of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, that there is only one God, that Jesus will come in Glory to judge the living and dead...and so on.
Thus, the pretzel twisting begins. When faced with the incontrovertible fact that every living President and First Lady (except for the Trumps) participated in this part of the service, the MAGA crowd steadfastly maintains that it is no big deal that Trump and his wife didn’t affirm the tenets of the Christian faith because...
- Evangelicals don’t recite creeds. (Plus, I don’t know it so it why should he?)
Uh-huh. Did I mention that Donald was raised Presbyterian and his wife was raised Catholic? Did I mention that since his election he’s been a C&E-er at an Episcopal Church? Let’s look at this once again.
- How can it be that The Trump Family chooses to attend services of this denomination on their own time, yet also makes a public display of not participating in the denomination’s affirmation of faith because Evangelicals don’t recite creeds? Why regularly attend services of this denomination only to publicly reject its central affirmation of faith? (The content of which, at least, is aligned with Evangelical beliefs?)
I am sure there are many lovely Evangelical churches in the Palm Beach area that would be pleased to welcome the First Family for Christmas and Easter services so they won't be put in a position of making affirmations of Christian faith in the form of a recited creed.