Opinions and Editorials Section
By Christian Cullen, Staff Writer
Since Donald Trump’s rise into the political stratosphere, there has been a slow but steady fusion of the Republican Party and Christianity. This can be seen most clearly in the rise of Christian Nationalism, which advocates for a reorganization of the U.S. government and society under strict Christian fundamentalist principles. It is both a necessary topic to explore and too big for a single Newswire article to cover. However, I would like to focus specifically on the intersection of Trump and Jesus Christ.
The impetus for this article comes from an Instagram post I came across after Trump won the 2024 election. It was a series of AI-generated images of Jesus with Trump celebrating in front of the White House. It was posted on the account @conservative, if you would like a visual image of what I am talking about. In all honesty, I was absolutely enraged when I saw this.
For context, I am a religious individual. I have mourned the blurring of the lines between religion and politics, seeing the identity of Christianity become entwined with Republicanism. Instead of doing the work we were commanded to do in the Gospel, many today care more for “owning the libs.”
Christian Cullen shares his disdain for religious content being used as political imagery, made with new, generative technology.
Within this image, I found a few things wrong. Firstly, the irreverence of recreating Jesus with AI feels wrong in just about every way. Worship and belief are diluted through the use of technology to create an image of Jesus. There is a deep discomfort in a computer attempting to conjure up the savior of the world to be used in a political message.
Secondly, the inherent association of a political candidate with a religious figure is something we should be working to avoid. Many would argue this as advocates of the separation of church and state. That is valid. It may be ever more important to keep a boundary between the two for religion’s sake. You cannot serve two masters, yet many have tried. As allegiance to Trump has catapulted the Republican party down a harrowing path, similar moments have occurred in the religious sphere.
Lastly, this is a visual representation of Trump’s “successful” attempt to associate himself with Jesus. This association both tries to equate Trump with Christ and assert that it is impossible to follow Jesus and not be a die-hard Trump supporter.
You can even see this in Trump’s messaging, where he insists that only he can save this country and that the only path for America’s salvation from its enemies is through him. He is trying to make himself into a Christ-like figure — and to many, he is.
It is a tragedy that the current political climate has created a toxic situation where people are subjected to the pressure of supporting a certain candidate due solely to their faith. Jesus has become a political tool, and I can’t think of anything sadder.
It is not inherently problematic for your religion to influence your politics. In fact, it probably should. As Pope Francis has said, “a good Catholic meddles in politics.” However, there are many people in this country who have allowed politics to become their religion and allowed their politicians to become their God. The golden calf has an orange hue in the 21st century. There are many households in America where the two most important people are Jesus and Trump, and for many, I am not sure of the order of the two.
There needs to be a delineation between the political sphere and the religious sphere. I hope we can return to a political climate where an AI image of Jesus with any politician, regardless of party affiliation, is met with the derision and scorn that it truly deserves.
