“Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” The very day Melania Trump introduced her “Be Best” initiative, her husband proposed cutting $7 billion from CHIP.

United States border agents are ripping children as young as 53 weeks old from the arms of their parents and housing them in virtual cages until Health and Human Services can find foster homes for them. Such treatment is deemed a deterrent to aliens crossing our southern border. Fifteen hundred such children under the custody of HHS cannot be found. Some have fallen into the clutches of human traffickers. Reportedly, President Trump railed at his Homeland Security director because she was not separating children from their parents fast enough. The United Nations has condemned the United States as a human rights violator because of this practice. The United States — which has always led the fight for human rights around the world!

When I think of the good Christians I have known, they have similar character traits. They are humble, kind and slow to speak ill of anyone. They rarely lie, and certainly they don’t lie about other people in order to hurt them. They do not worship money. They are rarely dishonest in their business or personal lives. They are charitable and the first to quietly help those in need. They try not to be judgmental. They are not braggarts. They do not seek glory or credit. They are trustworthy. They are not name callers, and they do not encourage people to hate other people. They try to obey the Commandments. They put other people’s needs first.

Yet Evangelical Christians supported and continue to support Donald Trump, who exhibits none of these Christian characteristics and has done all of the awful things I listed above. He also seems not to possess the most fundamental aspect, perhaps, of being a Christian — that of recognizing that one is a “sinner” and must confess one’s sins to those one sins against and to God and to humbly ask forgiveness. Trump says he doesn’t repent or ask for forgiveness because he doesn’t do anything he needs to be forgiven for. Really? Adultery? Business fraud? If Satan is the father of lies, 3,500 lies surely makes Trump a disciple.

Most Evangelicals are obsessed by the issues of abortion and homosexuality. Jesus never mentioned either issue, but he did love children and spoke out strongly about mistreating them. I can only imagine the anger he would feel at seeing terrified young children being taken from their parents at our borders. I think the rage he felt about the money-changers at the temple would pale in comparison to how he felt about that. Our president said these children are not innocent. I think Christ would disagree. I believe he would also be angry that we allow so many children already born to starve every day.

If the money-worshipping mega-church pastors and our current president are the new definition of what Christians are, I have no desire to be one.

Lonna Van Gooden

Northwood