Posted: July 29, 2024
Now that Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee who will take on Donald Trump, the far-right -- including some pastors -- has gone into overdrive, twisting Scripture to attack her with vile racist and sexist slurs like "Jezebel."
The Washington Post reports that far-right forums are "awash in vitriol aimed at almost every aspect of Harris's identity, mounting what analysts call a smear campaign led by the most intolerant -- and menacing -- elements of Donald Trump's MAGA universe."
Sadly, the religious right is playing a prominent role in pushing these attacks. Jackson Lahmeyer, head of Pastors for Trump, shamefully posted on Twitter/X that "Both Joe + the Ho gotta go."
Many Christian-nationalist leaders are casting Harris as Jezebel, a Biblical character long used as a racist and sexist trope to attack powerful women. Pro-Trump televangelist and self-proclaimed "prophet" Lance Wallnau said that Harris represents "the spirit of Jezebel in a way that will be even more ominous than Hillary [Clinton] because she'll bring a racial component, and she's younger."
Christian-nationalist pastor Clay Nash took his attacks even further -- fantasizing about an assassination attempt on Harris. He recently told his congregation about a supposed dream he had in which he was looking out over the Democratic National Convention and a Jezebel spirit "was shot right through the brain."
Time and time again, Jesus and the Gospel writers centered the voices of women. As Christians committed to peace, love, and equality, we cannot allow today's sexism and hatred to go unanswered.
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.