Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John's church near White House
Source: Religion News
Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John's church near White House
June 2, 2020
Jack Jenkins
(RNS) Early Monday evening (June 1), President Trump stood before the historic St. Johns Episcopal Church in downtown Washington, DC, and held aloft a Bible for cameras. ... The photo opportunity had an eerie quality: Trump said relatively little, positioned stoically in front of the boarded-up church, which had been damaged the day before in a fire during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.
The church appeared to be completely abandoned. ... It was, in fact, abandoned, but not by choice: less than an hour before Trump's arrival, armored police used tear gas to clear hundreds of peaceful demonstrators from Lafayette Square park, which is across the street from the church. ...Authorities also expelled at least one Episcopal priest and a seminarian from the church's patio. ... They turned holy ground into a battleground, said the Rev. Gini Gerbasi.
Gerbasi, who serves as rector at a different Saint Johns Episcopal Church in Georgetown, arrived at St. Johns Lafayette earlier that day with what she said were at least 20 other priests and a group of laypeople. They were organized by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington to serve as a peaceful presence in support of protestors.
The volunteers and clergy offered water, snacks, and hand sanitizer to demonstrators who were gathered in Lafayette Park across the street which sits directly in front of the White House to denounce racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd. ...But sometime after six in the evening, when volunteers were packing up supplies, Gerbasi said police suddenly began to expel demonstrators from the park before the 7:00 pm curfew announced for Washington residents earlier in the day.
{snip}
The priest later posted about her experience on Facebook, concluding her account with the defiant decree "I am now a force to be reckoned with. (1)
This is a developing story and may be updated.
(1)
Link to tweet
Read more: https://religionnews.com/2020/06/02/ahead-of-trump-bible-photo-op-police-forcibly-expel-priest-from-st-johns-church-near-white-house/
Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?
Link to tweet
Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John's church near White House
Link to tweet
underpants
(182,279 posts)The Trump campaign is already using footage on social media. That is something Rove couldnt do. By the time the re-election campaign started for W, that footage was no good.
It did have that feel though.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)My Dog this is appalling. Trump's military forces priests out of the way so he can use the church as prop.
Lulu KC
(2,547 posts)I'm already seeing stuff on Twitter about how Episcopalians aren't really Christians. You know, gay priests and women as bishops and all that. Oh, not taking the Bible literally. So many sins.
underpants
(182,279 posts)If Trump said something bad about himself theyve attack Trump and defend/excuse him at the same time.
Nevilledog
(50,685 posts)If Episcopalians aren't real Christians, why is their prize pony using an Episcopalian church as a backdrop?
Idiots.
Lulu KC
(2,547 posts)--or any other, for that matter.
Probably the first time he'd ever actually picked up a Bible all by himself.
dalton99a
(81,068 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,676 posts)or at least Moses coming up from the bunker.
The clouds of smokey tear gas, have an element of reality TV to it? Wasn't that an apprentice aura?
SergeStorms
(18,898 posts)and the evangelicals are eating it right up. Donald Trump is the "warrior for god" the evangelicals have been waiting for in our government. He's the one that's going to lead the christian jihad, until they're no longer of any use to Trump, then he'll throw them under a bus, just like he does with everyone else.
I no longer recognize this as the country I grew up in. It's time to move to Canada.
mahatmakanejeeves
(56,897 posts)Trump claimed to be an "ally" of peaceful protestors. Maybe if you exclude those at his rallies and those who opposed his election and those who protested his inauguration and you exclude Kaepernick and you exclude those being tear-gassed as he said it.
Link to tweet
FakeNoose
(32,351 posts)... also those who have been forcibly exported without their children.
magicarpet
(13,941 posts)With tear gas, rubber bullets, and explosive/incendiary devises on peaceful demonstrators.
DownriverDem
(6,206 posts)I almost threw up when I read about this. Why can't we get rid of trump now?
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,283 posts)President Pence?
Maybe better to have a narcissist than a "true believer".
Roy Rolling
(6,853 posts)The loose Biblical prophesy is that a conman will fleece everybody, and force them to worship him.
So Trump politicizes Evangelical Christians to be political pawns of his, thinking he wins. But the end of the story is that the Evil One splits Christians into two groups: Good Christians and bad Christians and the bad Christians are smited or something. 😁
Its a very loose interpretation, but the point is those evangelicals who kiss Trumps ass will be rejected as fakes by Trump AND other Christians in the end. Instead of them branding Trump as more moral, Trump brands them as more immoral for following him and not Jesus.
Ouch.
hamsterjill
(15,214 posts)Im a believer although no fluent Bible person. Thats the part that always gets me about the Evangelicals. Revelations sets out the false prophets and the anti-Christ and yet they still pay no attention.
Doreen
(11,686 posts)The trump far right "Christians" are more than likely the kind who think Episcopalians are bad and godless. I have met those type before.
BrightKnight
(3,567 posts)Doreen
(11,686 posts)Half the Catholics like him and the other half doesn't. I am so glad that my Catholic friends despise him.😁
BrightKnight
(3,567 posts)the KoC want the money (IDK). Apparently he did not stay for the service when visited the Knights of Columbus.
Captain Zero
(6,714 posts)nt
BrightKnight
(3,567 posts)or attend service but the Church has online services now. He would definitely want to clear that with the Bishop first. Also, Im not sure about taking communion. Most Christians can but I dont know his background.
She made it very clear that he is not to use the Church as a political prop.
He put her in a difficult position. She simply could not allow anyone to use the Church like that.
The Rector let BLM medics use the Church but It is consecrated ground and I hope that others will treat it with the respect that Trump did not (regardless of your faith).
Every Episcopal Church in America prays for Donald Trump every Sunday. I am sure that St. Johns does too.
jstephenj
(51 posts)One has to wonder if this is somehow in the bag for Trump for his worst impulses to be on display like this. That's my biggest worry going into November through foreign interference, voter suppression, complacency of media and social infrastructures, and now the outright deployment of Southern Strategy tactics.
I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic, but are there any silver lining precedents worth looking back on to allay much of the concern going on right now?
Warpy
(110,912 posts)on how to start revolutions and topple dictators gives the analogy of self styled strongmen standing on 3 legged stools: one leg is the religious establishment, one is the civil police, and one is the military.
It is beginning to look like the revolution has gotten underway, at least part of the religious establishment is no longer interested in keeping peace among the faithful. Some police forces are starting to see what's really going on out there and who the trashers and looters really are this time. Dummy's threat to use the military to attack US citizens is starting to make the brass hats, even the ones he installed, ask serious questions.
No wonder the big bully is starting to snivel and run to teacher. He's losing his grip on the terrified, and he knows it.
The last time things felt this ugly was 1968, that year was horrific and ushered in 52 years of conservative rule in both parties. Let's hope this year is enough to oust them for at least that long.
Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)
SunSeeker This message was self-deleted by its author.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,154 posts)The 'bible' is a different colour from the rest of the photo, and his thumb looks strangely short. Here's a use of the original, without book: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/66658789/germany-to-reprint-hitlers-manifesto-for-first-time-since-end-of-wwii
He's just holding up his hand to acknowledge the Nazi salutes.
What's just shocked me is I found it in Google results, in the Getty Images catalogue under the title "The Nazis Are So Sexy Stock Pictures" with 66 others. That appears to be a search phrase someone's used, but how have they got it to turn up in Google results?