Posted: May 17, 2023
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other MAGA Republicans are taking dangerous vigilante worship to a whole new level -- and they're twisting one of Jesus's most important parables to do it.
When Daniel Penny was arrested and charged with manslaughter for strangling a Black man suffering from mental illness on a New York subway, DeSantis rushed to his defense. He posted a fundraiser for Penny's legal fees on Twitter, saying "we stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny."
DeSantis invoking the parable of the Good Samaritan to defend homicide is an offensive and absurd distortion of Scripture. Jesus praised the Samaritan for showing mercy when no one else would -- and to someone who would usually be considered his enemy -- not for hurting others. As the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis of Middle Church said:
"The Samaritan picked up a wounded stranger, took him to a hotel for care and paid the bill so he could live. He healed the suffering; he did not restrain the suffering one to death. Stop lying. Lynching is death."
As Christians, let's stand for justice and against the hijacking of our faith, and gather 10,000 signatures to show the far-right that warping Jesus's teachings of love to oppress the homeless and even defend homicide is unacceptable.
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.