(My apologies to all my non-Christian readers but I feel I need to say this. Feel free to read the blog, anyway, but I’ll understand if you give this week a miss.)

I saw something on Facebook extolling the wonders of religious liberty being rediscovered in the USA. Now, under Trump, Christians can no longer be bullied for refusing to help patients, whose life-choices don’t meet their approval.

So a doctor who refused to treat a child whose parents were lesbian, is now excused. A theatre nurse who refused to give post-operative care to a woman who’d had an abortion, was just exercising her religious freedom.

I call this bunkum! There are only two occasions on which a religious person can refuse to be involved on grounds of conscience and moral/religious beliefs: performing an abortion and assisting in a case of euthenasia. There are plenty of people – not just Christians – who have conflict of conscience over these two things. and that should be taken into account. But, that’s it.

I can’t speak for other religions but as a Christian, married to a pastor, I reckon I can have my say about Christianity. We have been commanded by God to love our neighbours … in fact, we’re even commanded to love our enemies. We are exhorted to give aid where and when it’s needed. “If someone asks for your shirt, give them your cloak as well.”

Jesus didn’t seem to have any prerequisites when it came to giving medical aid. He healed a Caananite woman (those people sacrificed their babies and infants to their god, Moloch, by throwing them – live – into a fire). He touched and healed lepers (social outcasts who, supposedly, suffered from this terrible disease because sometime, somehow they’d committed some horrendous sin that needed punishment). He healed a Roman (the invading oppressor of his people). He healed many, many people who didn’t believe in him, weren’t his followers and never did become a follower. In fact, the only people he had problems/issues with, were the religious leaders.

We don’t pick and choose who we help. We don’t judge. That’s God’s business. We’ve been commanded to love, to help, to care. Please stop pretending you’re being righteous, when you’re just being an uncaring jerk.

Here endeth the lesson.