The world was divided over the pros and cons of the Iraq War, which was started in 2003 by George W. Bush of the United States. In Moscow, a "Russian joke" involving two politicians, Bush and Putin, was being whispered.
Of course Putin, but Bush at the time was also the same in that both were a "Tyrannical Politicians" who disrespected the international community and public opinion. At a bar in a foreign settlement on the left bank of the Moscow River, a Russian journalist winked and held a beer mug in her hand. She said.
—— One day, Bush visited the church. When he knelt down and prayed, "Lord, please approve of my war," then heard God's voice say, "There should be no war." Bush left the church in tears. Then Putin came along and proudly prayed, "Please recognize the great achievements of my war." Then, God walked out of the church with tears in his eyes.
The journalist sneered at the foolishness of politicians to put on religious authority and use it for ideology and propaganda. It may have been a sad joke about the fact that God does not exist in Russia, where religion was exterminated during the Soviet era. Russians are good at channeling their repressed feelings into humorous short stories.
But the real world goes beyond this joke.
Like Bush, Trump, who is enthusiastically supported by the religious right, has stoked division and hatred and disregarded the lives of non-white people, immigrants, and people affected by the coronavirus. In June 2020, protests spread over the death of a black man who died after a white police officer put pressure on his neck, and a demonstration in Washington was forcibly dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets. Shortly after, Trump appeared in front of the church with the media and held up a Bible. The attitude of pretending it was God's will was also criticized by the clergy.
In March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin was surprised to make a "religious remark." On the anniversary of Russian "annexation" of Crimea, tens of thousands of civilians gathered in stadiums filled with propaganda encouraging invasion. Putin, standing on stage, quoted the words of Jesus Christ at the climax of his speech.
"Do you all know these sacred words? There is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Less than a month after the invasion, the Russian army had suffered many casualties. "Soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder, protecting themselves from bullets like brothers," Putin said, quoting in the context of glorifying war. I had checked out the video at this moment, the huge stadium fell into silence for a moment. Did the audience feel overwhelmed with emotion, or did they get scared that they should take the initiative and sacrifice their lives for this war?
These words of Jesus are an anecdote from the Gospel of John in the Bible. However, the context before and after is important. Before that, Jesus first commanded them, "Love one another." Furthermore, he had a premonition that he would be crucified on the cross, and preached the value of sacrifice for love. Of course, he did not order them to risk their lives to kill each other in order to steal their brothers' land.
Now in 2024, Trump is aiming for a comeback. Will the American people one day applaud this man who is trying to survive disgraceful trials that have tested his qualifications as President? Like the people who greeted Napoleon when he escaped from Elba and marched on Paris. The lesson of tyranny is to substitute stratagem for wisdom in times of crisis. What can a person do when evil invades the "holy place" of a person's heart?
Why not look for the answer in the Bible that Putin and Trump held up? "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it."(Matthew 24, NIV)