Not all that familiar with the New Testament, so perhaps some of the good Christians who serve in the Trump administration could explain how this gibes with their deeply held beliefs. Remarkable reporting via a 5-person NYT team. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/w... - ThreadSky

bgrueskin.bsky.social • 4 days ago

Not all that familiar with the New Testament, so perhaps some of the good Christians who serve in the Trump administration could explain how this gibes with their deeply held beliefs.

Remarkable reporting via a 5-person NYT team.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/americas/trump-migrant-deportation-panama.html

Comments

lesliesherman.bsky.social•4 days ago

Here’s a few from both, The Torah and The Gospels……

tcar2000.bsky.social•4 days ago

Using religious texts is inappropriate to justify political stances or create laws in the US. We supposedly have the separation of church & state in the US. Cherry-picking verses you personally agree with simply leads to other people picking their favorite verses they want to force you to live by.

lesliesherman.bsky.social•4 days ago

Well yeah….we know that.
Tell that to White Christian Nationalists….

tcar2000.bsky.social•4 days ago

I have. Pretty much every day.

lesliesherman.bsky.social•4 days ago

😢

pahoward.bsky.social•4 days ago

These are our concentration camps -say something now!

thebombshelter.bsky.social•4 days ago

A separate development that I don't see addressed in this excerpt is: will the USA now deport people to Iran? AFAIK we haven't done that since '79 due to the lack of diplomatic relations.

yogibean.bsky.social•4 days ago

Or to any other country that our country has been built on . Idiots , we are all immigrants

smellslikefreedom.bsky.social•4 days ago

I believe it's "kill them all, God will know his own" Oops! My mistake, that's what the Church said when they rounded up the Knights Templar.

jrcolacchio.bsky.social•4 days ago

We're the nazis Christian? Seems like a pattern.

peter-butler.bsky.social•4 days ago

archived link

http://archive.today/Sd4Gs

georgieb.bsky.social•4 days ago

I'm a former Christian, now atheist. It doesn't fit in with anything Jesus said. Matthew 25:35. James 2:14. Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." I could go on.
The MAGA crowd picks and chooses

beihai.bsky.social•4 days ago

she should have applied for asylum at Canadian embassy in Mexico, for that matter also apply for asylum IN Mexico.

ohiojayne.bsky.social•4 days ago

This is just another example of a person thinking Trump doesn’t mean what he’s saying FOR THEM. For the ‘other guy’ but not them.

csuzanne78.bsky.social•4 days ago

There is no justification for this in the New Testament or anywhere else.

danifroom.bsky.social•4 days ago

Trumpists don't believe any of these people are actually human, it's as simple as that

oldbluebabe.bsky.social•3 days ago

So what we are all doing now about the deportations , basically ignoring them, must of been similar to what the Germans did as Jews were rounded up in cattle cars. I’ve always wondered what the people did to help the Jews or if they didn’t know truth

justharris.bsky.social•4 days ago

Try Luke 14:26. Explains it all:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

beverlymann19.bsky.social•4 days ago

Same.

quercus48.bsky.social•4 days ago

In my experience, those who loudly proclaim that they are Christian, have never read the Gospels.

wingfoot1618.bsky.social•4 days ago

The biblehumpers get much more wound up in the old testement

jackjones23.bsky.social•4 days ago

As JD Vance said, his fellow neighbors (that God obligates to love) are the atheists who live next door to him, not Christians who believe and are willing to die for Jesus Christ.

obregonia.bsky.social•4 days ago

I don't understand how anyone can think this is humane or holy. It seems that people like Stephen Miller and Tom Homan get off on being cruel. It's the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches.

I'm praying for this woman, but I feel like it's useless.

ddeniseg.bsky.social•4 days ago

I think they are reading the Trump Bible.

lagerwhat.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's so sad she thought being a Christian would sway the government. She clearly sees the bias inherent in the system, though.

tonyhig67.bsky.social•4 days ago

So embarrassed and ashamed of the actions of our federal government.

lisahancock.bsky.social•4 days ago

Matthew 25:40 says, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

greatscot4.bsky.social•4 days ago

They are not Christians, they are white nationalists

echo2019.bsky.social•4 days ago

To be fair to any remaining good-faith Evangelicals....

The state is not meant to follow Jesus, individuals are. Would Jesus have a military? No. Is it acceptable that we have a military? Yes.

My problem is that they don't hold to this separation of church and state consistently.

robyneslee.bsky.social•4 days ago

Unfortunately, the "good Christians" in Trump's regime are anything but. These actions do not in any way represent Jesus' teaching of "love thy neighbour."

capcold.bsky.social•4 days ago

Remarkable reporting indeed, but buried deep below the fold by the NYT editors and missing from the Morning newsletter entirely.

leeroy-jenkins.bsky.social•4 days ago

They know they are hypocrites. It doesn't bother them.

courtney01.bsky.social•4 days ago

How sad. How shocking.
But this is the result of
NOT having an
IMMIGRATION POLICY!
We can do better, America.
We NEED to do better, America.

sundburypa.bsky.social•4 days ago

Iranians come in many "flavors": Shiite, Zoroastrian, traditional Christian. What was Ms. Ghasemzadeh originally?

mhobart.bsky.social•4 days ago

what does it matter?

sundburypa.bsky.social•4 days ago

Feel for her. Question, though. Is Artemis her real name? It's neither Islamic nor particularly Christian. "Great is Artemis/Diana of the Ephesians!" was the rallying cry of the pagan idol craftsmen of Ephesus in protest of St Paul drying up their customer base.

ronh999.bsky.social•4 days ago

It was not smart to climb over the wall with trump in office.

jarocats.bsky.social•4 days ago

How sad, thinking conversion to Christianity would save her.

jtown44.bsky.social•4 days ago

Our government is an embarrassment to civilization. Any so called christians supporting this behavior should be shunned.

bklynnative.bsky.social•4 days ago

CINO= Christian In Name Only

ramaha.bsky.social•4 days ago

goodplacejames.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's the ultimate irony.

Like an iron maiden.

aaronibus62.bsky.social•4 days ago

Amen

cancan12312.bsky.social•4 days ago

📌

jaydub2099.bsky.social•4 days ago

That all these people caught up in this continue to believe that they would only go after criminals is laughable. They don't realize that the people behind this are way too lazy to do the actual work to identify deportation targets.

lsw616.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's easier to meet quotas by just grabbing everyone at the boarder. Claim whatever they want and Trump's faithful will buy it.

klaaskid8.bsky.social•4 days ago

I'd give her some grace on this, though. I would agree that is the case for people in our country, but she was coming from a foreign land across the ocean, so she was not privy to the day to day evil we are seeing.

caburritobelly.bsky.social•4 days ago

As it turns out, she was a criminal.

hquain.bsky.social•4 days ago

"Christian" as in "Christian Nationalist" has an entirely different meaning from the same word in "good Christian."

Only outsiders to the religion confuse them and imagine that looking into the New Testament will deliver insight into Christianity-the-thing.

avadecenizas.bsky.social•4 days ago

God, poor woman. None of them - Christian or not - should be deported though

frankoamerican.bsky.social•4 days ago

Name one. Good Christian serving with trump?

popeshady.bsky.social•4 days ago

As a longtime WASEC (White Anglo-Saxon Ex-Catholic) I still retain enough of my Catholic school upbringing to note: “it doesn’t.”

yarnlover.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's doubtful that there are any "good" Christians in the Musk-Trump administration. There are only folks who wear crucifixion jewelry and talk about being blessed while they ignore everything Jesus said and did.

apostatenerd.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's doubtful that there are any good Christians period

davidq-the-guru.bsky.social•4 days ago

CINO - Christian in name only, conservative in name only.

joedmills2.bsky.social•4 days ago

Matthew 25:31-46

The king will answer them, ‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me

snmaher.bsky.social•4 days ago

Many of us question why Revelations is in the New Testament at all.

vero1986.bsky.social•4 days ago

These people aren't Christians.They are Nationalist. They have no idea what the word Christian means. There is no moral compass and no compassion. Jesus will not recognize any of them. They worship the hypocritical blasphemous lying trump because he hates the same people they hate.

goodplacejames.bsky.social•4 days ago

Love it.

"Jesus was a White American!"

...

dude ... seriously?

Let me draw you a map.

vero1986.bsky.social•4 days ago

It would actually shock most nationalist if you told them there are NO WHITE PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE.

orthofirebrand.bsky.social•4 days ago

How you treat refugees ("strangers" in NT parlance) is plainly salvific according to Matthew 25:43. Thus, the "Christians" who support the utterly vile and despicable mutant from hell named Trump are pretty much doomed.

raittafan.bsky.social•4 days ago

I’m not MAGA so I cannot possibly reconcile this to my Christian beliefs - regardless of whether or not she is Christian.

The parable of the Samaritan tells exactly how we should help anyone in need. Even those of another faith, race, or nationality-even perceived enemies. (Luke 10:29)

gordonvincent.bsky.social•4 days ago

The God of both testaments, the resident genocidal maniac of the fertile crescent, had very specific things to say about how you were to treat aliens in your own country, and very specific threats with regard to mistreating them.

And that's how you know no Republican believes in him.

martin012.bsky.social•4 days ago

Perhaps we could ask little marco for an appropriate bible verse.

steveknapp.bsky.social•4 days ago

The cruelty is the point, or, as was once said...
Tuez-les tous; Dieu reconnaitra les siens.
Arnaud Amalric

dtf1947.bsky.social•4 days ago

The problem is obvious. She wasn't male and she wasn't white. Duh.

pattipms.bsky.social•4 days ago

Fucking religious fools, they are doing the very opposite of what they are taught. If there were a hell all these people or (things )are from the pit of hell. Most horrible things on earth.

greykato.bsky.social•4 days ago

They can't.

saneenglish.bsky.social•4 days ago

Just when I'm about to cancel my Times subscription for all the obvious reasons, reporting like this pulls me back in. It's like Peter Baker works for a different paper than these reporters.

treefrogjohn.bsky.social•4 days ago

Something tells me that those beliefs are not deeply held, they are just for show. Although I do not practice any religion these days, I was raised Christian and what these people support contradicts everything I was taught in Sunday School.

fakekimmygibbler.bsky.social•4 days ago

There are no Christians in the Trump administration.

picklesofthecanoe.bsky.social•3 days ago

There are a lot of them. They're simply also hypocrites and sadists. Christians come in many forms, but what makes them Christian is their beliefs in some deity, not whether they actually walk the walk.

Christianity harbors a LOT of this kind of sadism and has foe centuries.

john-alton.bsky.social•3 days ago

Their deeply held beliefs are at odds with the New Testament, and I think they know that.

russellmark.bsky.social•3 days ago

There is a lot to this. There are many who don't read, and are fooled, and there are many, like Catholics, who based on abortion, make all subsequent moral mental decisions based on who will stop them. Like Alito, who feels very self righteously good, but is so evil, Jesus would slap him.

dengelbr.bsky.social•4 days ago

These are Old Testament Christians only. Contradiction? Not for the Evangelicals that never heard anything about Jesus Christ other than Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a musical about this guy. (Selling bibles does not mean that you also read it.)

dawnynmarie.bsky.social•4 days ago

THEY. DO. NOT. CARE.

dakotapiano.bsky.social•4 days ago

I've always noticed that evangelicals, or at least republican Christians, love the fire and brimstone of the Old Testament. But they rarely follow the New Testament, where the Christ part of Christianity comes from.

jimlandine.bsky.social•4 days ago

Thing is, no actual Christians are Republicans.

mert12.bsky.social•4 days ago

No space allowed for comments in NYTimes. Wonder why. Good reporting. Such anguish!!!

docjoe1986.bsky.social•4 days ago

As the southern Baptist convention has always stated, only white Christians are REALLY christians

waterbearer1.bsky.social•3 days ago

Shocking but why do so many folks think they are different? That it won't happen to them. Trump is raging a war against migrants. Your qualifications aren't going to save you.

mfinn3333.bsky.social•4 days ago

Doesn't make up for Sanewashing Trump during the election. But it is good to see.

drryan.bsky.social•4 days ago

They should start here. A good summary of what Christians should be. A better summary of what they aren’t. Take note of what happens to the ones who fall short.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/kjv/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+25:31-46&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyqyIonq5j8zl0ylEF0RnhDiAgBC&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_NC9BhCkARIsABSnSTYOxexlrm-h-3T9oAImEVD-jKIXJOTWC_gQ15uC9TA885O3nuI1YmIaAqPBEALw_wcB

dhpljm266.bsky.social•4 days ago

The DOGEies either arn't even claimed Christians or only as a rebranding of white supremacy a la Vox Day. The self-proclaimed Christians who support this deserve the outer darkness.

romeoecho.bsky.social•4 days ago

It's very simple. Since the election of Trump by a bare plurality of viciously stupid American voters, America is now a force for evil in the world. We are now aligned with Putin, Kim Jong Un, Orban, and every other evil dictatorship.

We are the Bad Guys now.

Does that help to explain?

truscottj.bsky.social•4 days ago

You’re confusing “the New Testament” with “Christians.” In today’s America, the two have very little to do with one another.

ofmarin.bsky.social•4 days ago

I'm sorry, but why are you expecting something else from them? In case you have not noticed, they are treating disabled Americans as an inconvenience. Why do you expect them treat migrants better? I'm puzzled about the response from democrats/critics. Do you not see what's happening?

cantw845.bsky.social•4 days ago

No longer call myself a Christian. Don't really want to be associated. Still trying to be a "follower of Christ" however, Often two very different things

level90.bsky.social•4 days ago

They wear their Christianity like a cloak that gives them the moral authority to do very un-Christian things.

michaleenoge.bsky.social•4 days ago

White Christian Nationalists only do the Old Testament.

jgraydingler.bsky.social•4 days ago

Serious answer: A lot of Christians in America, especially white evangelicals who always vote Republican WANT the world to end so Jesus will come back, rapture them to heaven, and leave the unworthy to suffer hell on Earth.

Shit like this reflects their mindset that non-believers deserve to suffer.

jgraydingler.bsky.social•4 days ago

The Left Behind series showcases this particular Christian doomsday fantasy that's more common (at least in America) than many would think. It's also why they support Israel, cause a passage about nations turning against Jerusalem is one of the signs of the Rapture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXZmZVrYavI

joiningupthedots.bsky.social•3 days ago

Dear Lord, I know I’ve not been much of a church goer but I see how you helped others and I’m asking you to help me out this one time, asking for a friend 🙏

andrewbrook.bsky.social•4 days ago

Looking from afar Christianity seems to have become a cult in America. There are 20,000 murders. More children are shot dead than adults are executed in Saudi Arabia. Might it be time to put religion to one side and rely on conscience instead? Christianity has gone rogue in America.

carolannete.bsky.social•4 days ago

MAGA Christianity is basically ethnonationalism.

5plume.bsky.social•4 days ago

"Good Christians' reasoning things out? Cultists don't reason well to begin with.

blemley.us•4 days ago

Jesus was famously against grace and mercy.

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’” - woke lib, Matt 25:45

nopipbutcpip.bsky.social•4 days ago

My understanding is the argument becomes "well, only some people are my brothers and sisters". So they can justify it to themselves that surely Jesus didn't mean "everyone".

Contemptible, to be sure, but they manage their own consistency.

fenderputty.bsky.social•4 days ago

Yeah ... that's the great thing about religion. People can use it to mean whatever they fucking want it to mean.

erin-p.bsky.social•3 days ago

Of course, Jesus saw that argument coming as well, hence the parable of the Good Samaritan. One may use the Bible to justify greed and cruelty, but not without ignoring large portions of the Gospels, which is kind of a bad look for folks who want to call themselves “Christians”.

maestraoogway.bsky.social•4 days ago

📌

hungrykate.bsky.social•4 days ago

Sorry, who is persecuting Christians?

Sending them to their deaths?

Sure isn't liberals or Democrats.

It's the Banana Republicans.

inside-outside.bsky.social•4 days ago

All they care is that they entered the country illegally. The reasons do not matter. They have cut the heart out of this country and replaced it with…I don’t even know what. Greed, evil, sociopathy, dollar signs…

catladyrn.bsky.social•4 days ago

They represent Christianity like the NSDAP represented socialism and workers.

chrisbastianbkl.bsky.social•4 days ago

My understanding is that the Bible (and most religious scripture) is sufficiently vague as to allow any adherent to find content supporting their personal opinion. Case in point: https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/stringfellow/stringfellow.html

laurachapin.bsky.social•4 days ago

Worth noting, there is a coalition of religious groups suing the Trump Administration for their cruelty: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/christian-jewish-religious-groups-sue-trump-houses-worship-rcna191654

cryptoearthman.bsky.social•4 days ago

have we fully become monsters?

ginainsrq.bsky.social•4 days ago

Not us personally, but our government has

cutterjohn.bsky.social•4 days ago

Congrats to the NY Times, the paper that bent over backwards to make all this not only possible but likely.

trishus.bsky.social•4 days ago

Thank you. 😖

dave-in-sa.bsky.social•4 days ago

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. -- Hebrews 13-2.

klaaskid8.bsky.social•4 days ago

I love this one!

tcar2000.bsky.social•4 days ago

No one should ever have to think that being a Christian is a condition for entrance into the United States. All theocracies are evil.

jasonmather.bsky.social•4 days ago

I’m familiar with the New Testament. To answer your question: it does not.

jmariehh.bsky.social•4 days ago

The Christianity screamed by the MAGA fools is NOT the Christian faith I grew up in. I have noticed that some Catholic converts are high and mighty. Baptized as an infant and spent Kindergarten through HS attending Catholic school. We are supposed to be humble in our faith not boastful.

hagios.bsky.social•4 days ago

"If a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself {Lev. 19:33-34a}."

#HolyBible #WordofGod

thefulltruth.bsky.social•4 days ago

Another fine example of how detaining [ and deporting ] “the criminals”? Despite the presence of a convicted felon, misogynists, extreme “Christians”, and abuser of women, vaccine & climate change denislists, am there are <☠️> some fine people, very fine people, working in the White House. 🤮

rungirl262.bsky.social•4 days ago

Unfortunately, the only part of the NT they're familiar with is the part saying Jesus died for their sins and those who follow him will be saved. They didn't read the part before where Jesus says he's only saving the believers who do Corporal Works of Mercy, like welcoming the stranger.

interestedparty.bsky.social•4 days ago

Forget religion; it's deader than floppy discs.
People who don't watch Fox News are sadly unaware that freedom of religion died in 2012, exactly when Glenn Beck predicted it would. It's time to recognize this reality.

6happy.bsky.social•4 days ago

Social Justice encompasses many issues dorothy day social justice

6happy.bsky.social•4 days ago

As a convert Catholic Dorothy Day devoted her life to all social issues, not obsessed with one while ignoring all the others.Social justice encompasses All issues.She knew they R interrelated. She worked indefatigably to promote peace,social justice, non-violence,&direct aid to the poor&destitute.

6happy.bsky.social•4 days ago

I’m a cradle Catholic,love Jesus,his teachings&
my faith.But,for a decade some US bishops,in step with evangelicals have homed in&focused all their attention on one issue while blinded&choosing to ignore all others in their quest for social Justice! Immigration,the poor,the Dignityof the individual!

drstevenquest.bsky.social•4 days ago

WWJD. Who Would Jesus Deport?

boys-n-berry.bsky.social•4 days ago

russellmark.bsky.social•3 days ago

The new Trump Christians, like my own brother, are no longer basing religion on the Bible, and on what Fox News, or once, Rush Limbaugh. So the new Chirstian now only needs to vote against abortion, especially if you are older man, and you are then more moral than anyone. You can be evil infact.

ranabufo.bsky.social•4 days ago

Trump and Maggots are cruel , phony Christians.

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