{"id":13788,"date":"2020-06-03T11:16:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T15:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=13788"},"modified":"2020-09-17T11:03:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T15:03:20","slug":"biden-if-trump-opened-the-bible-hed-learn-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2020\/06\/biden-if-trump-opened-the-bible-hed-learn-something","title":{"rendered":"Biden: If Trump Opened the Bible, He\u2019d Learn Something"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gage Skidmore\/Flickr.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a speech delivered at Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden condemned Trump\u2019s confrontational response to peaceful protestors outside the White House to stage a photo op in front of a noble church.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen peaceful protesters are dispersed by the order of the president from the doorstep of the people\u2019s house, the White House \u2014 using tear gas and flash grenades \u2014 in order to stage a photo op at a noble church, we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle,\u201d Biden said. \u201cMore interested in serving the passions of his base than the needs of the people in his care. For that\u2019s what the presidency is: the duty to care \u2014 to care for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden didn\u2019t hold back his thoughts on Trump posing with the Bible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president held up the Bible at St. John\u2019s church yesterday,\u201d Biden said. \u201cI just wish he opened it once in a while instead of brandishing it. If he opened it, he could have learned something.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cWe are all called to love one another as we love ourselves. It\u2019s really hard work but it\u2019s the work of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday evening, Trump walked from the White House across Lafayette Square to hold a Bible in front of St. John\u2019s Church, after peaceful protestors were cleared from the park.<\/p>\n

The bishop overseeing the church criticized Trump for appearing for photos without praying or addressing the racial issues at the heart of nationwide protests. Other religious leaders have also condemned these actions.<\/p>\n

The forceful dispersal began before the Washington, D.C., curfew had begun, a move that also been widely criticized from people on both sides.<\/p>\n

In the Philadelphia speech, Biden expressed that George Floyd\u2019s death is a \u201cwake up-call for our nation.\u201d Answering our biblical call to love one another would be a major step in our nation\u2019s healing. Ultimately, the vice president called for unity.<\/p>\n

Watch the full speech in the video below.<\/p>\n