In November 2018, I posted an entry titled, “The Gospel According to Aesop.” The point being that storytelling is a powerful means of presenting a message. And the moral of a story did not matter whether the vehicle was a New Testament parable or a fable about animals. Today’s post is a political parable for our times.

In the year 2019, although the field was already overcrowded, a stranger announced he too chose to run for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. There was something mysterious and unnatural about him. Some people thought he was Caucasian. Others swore he was dark-skinned. Some marveled at his flowing blonde hair. Others saw kinky, black locks. Many questioned the stranger’s gender.

On one thing, all could agree. He dressed like a hippie, straight out of the 1960s. When he announced his candidacy at a community center in the Anacostia neighborhood in Washington, D.C. , he was dressed in a hand-woven robe and sandals.

When asked why he was running for president, the stranger replied:

There are too many among us who have lost their spirit and need to be reminded there is hope. I want to give them that hope.
There are too many who have faced tragedy and need to be comforted. I want to assure them we do care.
There are too many who cannot speak for themselves yet have much to offer. I want to give them a voice.
There are too many who want to do the right thing but are not sure what that means. I want to help them find the answer.
There is too much war and violence and those who seek a different path do not believe they are empowered to do anything about it. I want them to know they have an ally.
There is too much injustice, social and economic, perpetrated in the name of false righteousness and ideologies. It is time we are all subject to the same rights and privileges regardless of origin, faith or class.*

If you join me in this crusade, do not be surprised when some insult you, call you names and question your patriotism. And many of these detractors will claim they are doing it in name of their faiths.

Within days, the stranger’s prophecy rang true. The president of one of the largest Baptist universities in America urged his followers to ignore the stranger and support the incumbent. In an interview with the Washington Post, he said, “I can’t imagine him doing anything that’s not good for the country.” (January 1, 2018)

Likewise, the heir to a prominent Baptist minister who drew thousands at his rallies and was hailed as the most influential Christian leader of the 20th century used his inherited platform to suggest the stranger was antithetical to God’s will. “Never in my lifetime have we had a @POTUS willing to take such a strong outspoken stand for the Christian faith. We need to get behind him with out prayers.” (Twitter, December 1, 2017)

The stranger’s message was drowned out. It was replaced by chants of “Lock Him Up” and “Fear the Stranger.” Eventually he dropped out of the race and disappeared from the political scene. And somewhere in America, a pastor at a small rural church quoted Judge Amy Berman Jackson suggesting she might have channeled a divine warning when she said, “I’m not giving you another chance. I have serious doubts about whether you learned any lesson at all.”

As a devout agnostic of Jewish background, I have little or no faith in the concept of a “second coming.” However, I have no doubt should such an event come to pass, there will be a “second crucifixion.” How do I know that? Because so-called modern day disciples of Jesus’ teaching, such as Jerry Fallwell, Jr. and Franklin Graham have already betrayed him.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

*The stranger’s platform is a variation of the Beatitudes from the sermon on the mount as they appear in Matthew 5:3-11.