If you are religious, you do not have the luxury to be apolitical. So many people say that they do not align with a party and instead align themselves with Christ. There is nothing inherently wrong with this statement. Jesus is bigger than party politics, and to be a true follower of Christ is to separate oneself from the world. But that does not mean separating yourself from injustice.
The recent bout of religious nationalism in the United States has caused an intense conflation of religion and politics, despite a separation of church and state. The most important idea that each of us must remember when making any political decisions, is that political parties represent man. Man is imperfect. It is almost impossible to find one political party that will contain all of your values, if that is what you search for. However, maybe that isn’t what we should be searching for.
The thing that I have always found most compelling about any Biblical narration of Jesus is his treatment of others. For me, what separates Christianity from other religions is personal connection. God is not abstract. God was made man and walked amongst people, just like you and I.
When Jesus cured a crippled woman on the Sabbath, he did so knowing that it would cause tension with religious authorities, as the precedent was that no work be done on the Sabbath. Today, it is easy to stay neutral to injustice as long as it is written into our society’s rules or laws. The Sabbath was made to protect human dignity, giving rest to people in society such as laborers who would never have received it otherwise.
Jesus does not reject the rule, but what the rule has become. Thinking of the United States today, law enforcement agencies and federal enforcement agencies are necessary to help protect everyone and uphold the laws of the land. Many of the women and men work tirelessly to protect citizens, but when does this protection become injustice?
Liam Conejo Ramos was the name of the five-year-old boy detained by ICE this past week. The promises made by the Trump Administration was that they were going to deport criminals. The language used was more dehumanizing, but that was what their immigration campaign was centered around. The family arrived at a U.S. port of entry which means they entered legally according to the paperwork supplied by their attorney. Children are the most innocent and vulnerable in our society, and that innocence should never be conditional on their race or their capability to be used as “bait.” Children can not be the means to an end, no matter if you agree with the ends or not.
The example of Christ on the Sabbath illustrates how some ideals are bigger than the principles we follow. The principle of cracking down on immigration should not overshadow injustices it creates. Jesus could have waited until the next day to help the crippled woman, but he chose to heal her when he saw her. Showing kindness, empathy and offering help does not have a designated time. Anyone that looks at injustice and refuses to face it needs to evaluate if their morals in light of the ones taught by their religion. The Bible does not mention Democrats or Republicans, but does mention love, justice and courage. People must learn to view the current events in our world through these lenses, not just through the lens of political parties.
Amaris O'Connor is a sophomore from London, United Kingdom currently living in Flaherty Hall. She is a political science major and spends most of her free time reading or making different iced coffee combinations. You can contact Amaris at aoconn27@nd.edu.
