Recently, Pope Francis told reporters that the candidates for president of the United States are both “…against life” and American voters will need to “choose the lesser evil.” Are both candidates evil? Although the Pope has a larger congregation than I do, we are both in the same vocation — communicating what it means to love God, neighbor, and self in the same way. That’s the vision God has for the world, and we’re to help people find their way in that vision.
Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don’t.
I didn’t like the pope putting Vice President Harris and former President Trump in the same bucket. If we lived closer, I’d invite him to my office and say, one preacher to another, “Love, do you really think Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are the same kind of person?” I would start right there. But the pope and I agree that being Christian means welcoming the stranger and caring for orphans, widows, and immigrants. In fact, Jesus was an immigrant; his parents took him to live in Egypt to avoid an infanticide. That’s why Middle Church works with partners to welcome “new” New Yorkers and have been to the U.S.-Mexico border several times, advocating to keep families together and for compassionate policies. I strongly disagree with the pope’s characterization of abortion as “assassinating” a baby. I am not a scientist, but my research shows that the pope was not accurate when he said that at one month, a fetus has all the human organs. Most of the science says 12 weeks (about 3 months); and that a fetus is viable at 22–24 weeks (about five and a half months). You can look that up as well as I can, but I am not making a scientific argument. I am talking about faith and politics here. I have never had an abortion, but I believe fervently in a person’s God-given right to choose what to do with her body. Our government has no business in that conversation, and neither does the church, unless invited for counsel, prayer, or support.
Most faith-full folks agree about abortion
A report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows that Americans of various faiths and denominations believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 93% of Unitarian Universalists, 81% of Jews, 79% of Buddhists, and 60% of Muslims also hold that view. In fact, many parts of Judaism require an abortion in some cases. Researchers also found that most people who adhere to the two major branches of Christianity — Catholicism and Protestantism — also believe abortion should be legal, save for three groups: white evangelical Protestants, Latter-Day Saints, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Historically, the Catholic Church has opposed abortion, but the poll found that 73% of Catholics of color — PRRI defines this group as Black, Asian, Native American, and multiracial — support the right to have an abortion, followed by 62% of white Catholics and 57% of Hispanic Catholics. The breadth of religious views on abortion reflects the breadth of religious diversity in our nation. Some parts of the Christian faith community want to impose what they consider to be moral and ethical on the bodies of people who are not even Christian. Women — cis or trans — should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies. Choice matters; bodily autonomy matters.
Complicated thoughts on Harris and Trump
I agree with Vice President Harris’s views on reproductive justice: choice. Affording abortion care is not evil. I agree with what I’ve heard from her on the economy. Quite frankly, I’ve disagreed vehemently with the current administration’s views on Gaza, and to whatever degree she is party to that, I disagree with her. We’ve been funding a horrific sacrifice of innocent life; it’s unethical, and I’ve been loud about it. I admit it is difficult to tell exactly where presidential candidate Harris is on Gaza. I think she has spoken both “ceasefire, now” and “continue to support Israel.” Can both of those be true? I want to know. I need to hear and see ceasefire, peace, the end of the violence. No more bombs. That’s my truth. I’m praying she is the one who I can work with — whom we can work with — to make the nation we want. My thoughts. Trump traffics in lies. His election-denying lie led to the Jan. 6 insurrection, destruction, and death. Lying to cheat on his wives, lying about simple things like sizes of crowds and more complicated things like bleach could cure COVID-19. He is a sexual predator, and one of his wives accused him of rape. Trump will dismantle our democracy. Is Trump evil? Who can know the heart of a person, but I think he is vile; his behavior abhorrent; his intention for our nation menacing. He is not to be trusted, and he is dangerous. My thoughts. What are yours? If we reduce our analysis to who is the lesser evil, we will miss important nuances as we decide our future. What if, instead of speculating about “the lesser evil,” we asked ourselves, “Who can help us achieve the greater good?” We must each ask, “What is right? What is just? How can there be the greatest good in our communities, in our nation, and in our global neighborhood? Which candidate will partner with our humanity to get us there?” Those are choices we make at the polls.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to building a just society with fierce love, Lewis champions racial, economic, and gender/sexuality justice. The author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible,” her work has been featured on NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, and NPR, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines. Follow her @RevJacquiLewis.