Americans would be honored guests at God’s banquet, so it’s OK to spit on the Bible. 

There’s a giant misconception among so many Americans—the notion that, somehow, a Christian God loves our country more than all the rest.

Even worse—and mostly inconceivable to the rational—a shocking number of the so-called “Christian Right” actually believes that God is, somehow, at the center of their corrupt and treasonous MAGA movement, and that their felon candidate is God’s chosen. It makes me choke!

Tragically, at least for the moment, these deluded zealots are the face of the Republican Party. They are the proverbial “tail wagging the dog,” and seem to have sworn allegiance to God’s evil counterpart.

So, what does it mean for God to have declared America his favorite, and what are the functional problems that can arise from such a lofty designation?

By even a non-professional’s assessment, for a father to play favorites would be the height of poor parenting. It would be bound to foment jealous feelings between siblings, and it would marginalize anyone who wasn’t “Daddy’s Pet.”

Even worse, such a practice of favoritism might give the “favored” the idea that they can do almost anything without making Dad mad, while the un-favored are forced to live with the futility of knowing that, no matter what they do, they can never win their father’s favor (i.e. Trump’s designated “shit-hole” countries).

Having favorite kids is disastrous to families. It is also ruinous to our world, allowing God’s “favorite” to determine what countries and causes should be embraced by our “family friends.”

(Of course, there are some perks that accompany being a citizen of God’s favorite country: It greatly simplifies the process of selection for eternal rewards, giving a set of shiny wings to every dearly-departed American and anyone our country chooses as an ally. St. Peter will be tired of repeating, “Oh, you were an American” or “I see you were a friend of the U.S., so your permanent heavenly visa is approved.”)

Somehow, it doesn’t seem fair. It will mean that all Americans, and their privileged friends, regardless of their moral offenses, will be seated at the banquet table of God.

(Actually, that won’t be all so great because, as a respecter of all life, it turns out God is a strict vegetarian. At such an elegant setting, you’ll be in the mood for an expensive cut of beef and some buttery escargot, but you’ll be lucky to get a soy-based veggie-burger with a side of tofu. Yes, the menu in heaven ain’t so great, so are you sure that’s really where you want to go?)

The mere idea that America is God’s chosen nation and established by Him as a bastion of human rights is a sort of sacrilege. After all, that would cut against the premises that “all men are created equal,” and that “God is no respecter of persons.”

Even the most dimwitted can see the contradiction encompassed in the notion of “God’s favorite.” Not so different from the powerful division that gives religious groups a sense of entitlement and superiority, the belief that our country is God’s favorite can only create and perpetuate division and suffering in our world. The reality is that national anthems of virtually all countries contain at least some reference to their God and their special status as “the chosen.” We’re really not so different.

The flip side is that many nations enjoy no privileged status, and they’re cursed and victimized by the “greater nations” that are “God’s” favorites.

The delusion of being favored by a supposedly all-embracing deity, while certainly not an exclusively American theme, is a concept any universal God would stridently reject. But it’s the big reason why a large percentage of our population won’t bat an eye over the daily deaths of hundreds of Palestinians while, at the same time, applauding Netanyahu’s bloodbath in freeing a few hostages.

Somehow, we’ve decided that Israel should sit under God’s umbrella while the rains of death deluge its Arab brothers. Somewhere along the way, Uncle Sam took Israel under America’s blanket of protection and, now, Israel can do no wrong. Biden has teetered and vacillated over an official condemnation—something that is necessary if we are to occupy the moral ground—but he’s still giving the murderous Netanyahu the benefit of a doubt.

Many Americans are able to sit and watch as hundreds of innocent people are murdered every day. Whomever your God is, he’s surely asking: “Where did I fail as a father?”

Frankly, it’s sick. And despite all the pomp, ceremony, incantations and unction of supposedly Christian religions, America’s misunderstanding about what it means to be a “chosen people” has been an act of spitting on the Bible. I may be confused; I was so sure that “Thou shalt not kill” was one of the stone commandments that Moses’s Sherpas carried off the mountain.

The Israeli/Netanyahu situation is a powerful reminder of how the U.S. can loudly, duplicitously decry humanitarian abuses while giving a murderer a free pass, and how our country can justify the value of some lives, while failing to protect the weak and vulnerable.

Leaders of all religions—not just Christian—should be demanding an end to the carnage in Gaza. If they can’t waken their brain-dead adherents, what is their value in our sick and troubled world?

The author is a retired businessman, novelist, columnist and former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and their adorable and ferocious dog “Poppy.”