Faith No More

By Bill Maher

One of the most shameful reactions to Trump's post-Charlottesville equivocating is that of his board of "evangelical advisers." Of all the members, only one—Rev. A.R. Bernard from NY—stepped down in protest. 

These people are always asking, "What Would Jesus Do?"? I'm beginning to think it's not rhetorical. They don't have a clue. Otherwise, followers of a man who preached equality would recognize white supremacy is heretical to the Bible and follow Bernard's lead.

In fact, the overall Christian response has been muted. Some "Christian ethicists" released a statement condemning white supremacy? Wow. Take that, Buddhist monk-who-set-himself-on-fire! These hate-mongers support mass exterminations. Doesn't that warrant more than a "statement"? Where's the civil disobedience? Not even a prayer circle? It's especially galling in light of the proliferation of Christian imagery and themes in white supremacy. Their robes carry the Celtic cross. They have names like “Christian Identity”. And don't forget what the Klan loves to set ablaze.

Supremacists' defense of Confederate statues also has Christian roots. As Yale Divinity School professor Willie James Jennings puts it, supremacists believe history has to do with the rise of the white man as God's representative in the world:

"To those who believe in the supremacy of white men, there is no more heroic figure than that of a Civil War hero who fought for the Confederacy and tried to preserve a way of life in which – in hindsight, at least – white men ruled all." 

If we're going to ask Islam to rein in its extremists, Christianity should do the same.