An open letter to Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

Dear Peninsula Solidarity Cohort: you may have missed the outcome of the last general election. President Trump is doing what the majority of US citizens asked him to do. Your pontification indicates that you are out of step with most in this country and you should not be surprised of a further emptying in your pews. The bishop is a brat who believed she had a captive audience but it backfired on her. Morality and self-preservation are not mutually exclusive.

The bishop's behavior - chastising a newly inaugurated president and vice president and their families from the pulpit- was disgusting, no matter what your political beliefs are. Over half of the electorate voted for Trump/Vance, and such behavior only serves to divide Americans. There is a time and place for criticism of policy and this was not it.

I'll also add that the Bishop's comments about "transgender children" were morally abhorrent. Children are beautiful the way they were born and are never in the "wrong body." Gender dysphoria should be addressed as a mental health condition, not making kids into life long medical patients. Somewhere near 80% of Americans agree that we should not allow children to be rendered sterile and sexually dysfunctional by puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Many European countries have banned these practices. Do the authors who claim to be religious leaders believe that God made kids who were "born wrong" and need to be subjected to medications and surgeries to appear as the opposite sex?

They say that God works in mysterious ways. They say the devil does too. There is currently a Pope who rails against nations who won’t open their borders and allow invaders. Meanwhile, this same Pope has walls around the Vatican and has established penalties for those who would invade. Isn’t hypocrisy a sin? Then we have the so-called Bishop Budde who covets the spotlight with a woke rant. Isn’t “Thou shalt not covet” a thing anymore? It’s no wonder the Catholic and Episcopal Churches have been losing adherents throughout the years. Prideful folks like Budde aren’t helping. What’s the old saying, “Pride before the fall”? Seems the fall has been occurring for a while. Is “unity” no longer a message or a tool in their toolbox? BTW, I’d recommend folks provide tips if their church is aiding and abetting invaders. I understand that ICE, using their discretion, can now enter churches, and just about everywhere else. Let’s help them, and our country, succeed.

Thank you for recognizing that all of us of so many faith backgrounds share the common values of compassion, love, and mercy. For example, Jesus taught that mercy is a central tenet of the Christian faith and that people should show mercy to others as God shows mercy to them. My own faith helps to center me in recognizing that each of us has value and dignity, no matter our backgrounds, abilities, or beliefs. I am glad that Bishop Budde spoke that truth, which holds the weak and the powerful both to a higher moral standard. A grounding in morality far transcends the pettiness and even anger that we often see in politics.

" We join you in proclaiming the shared religious values of justice, mercy and compassion in the face of dehumanization and vitriol."

You know what this is called? Self Righteousness. Its beyond crazy to me that mere mortals think they have the right to revise what Our Father had ordained. To make the claim that because things are "progressive" now - we have to throw out old traditions and rules. You know what this is called? Satanism.

The lack of decorum in this situation was appalling. It was neither the time, nor place for lecturing and admonishing the newly elected President about her own personal beliefs. Yet, she knew it was the time and place for her to get her "15 minutes" of fame as her first stop afterward was a guest appearance on "The View."