Christians, White Christian Nationalists and Vertical Morality

[Dutch Uncle]

As the link below discussion, both Christians and non-Christians are trying to reconcile Jesus Christ's message of love and peace and the actions of both MAGAts claiming to be Christians and the views of Alt-Right Evangelicals.

Vertical Morality vs. Compassion: The ethics behind MAGA Christianity

A Shift from Compassion to ObedienceMany Americans are struggling to reconcile Christian teachings of love and mercy with the harsh rhetoric and punitive policies promoted by MAGA-aligned Christianity.

www.faithonview.com

Many Americans are struggling to reconcile Christian teachings of love and mercy with the harsh rhetoric and punitive policies promoted by MAGA-aligned Christianity. The key to this apparent contradiction, some experts argue, lies in the concept of vertical morality. This moral framework values obedience to divine authority over empathy or compassion, viewing righteousness as submission to God’s laws rather than the impact on others.

Former fundamentalists and Christian advocates argue that vertical morality prioritizes pleasing God above all, even when doing so may cause harm. In contrast, horizontal morality focuses on the impact of actions on individuals, emphasizing the importance of caring for neighbors and the marginalized. Critics say modern Christian nationalism largely ignores this horizontal ethic in favor of authoritarian moral absolutes...

...Consequences of Faith Without Compassion​

Detractors emphasize that an overreliance on vertical morality can foster exclusion and justify suffering. When righteousness is defined only by obedience, people can ignore systemic injustice while believing they are morally pure. Critics cite historical and present examples — slavery, KKK, and MAGA policies — as outcomes of this unchecked framework.

Advocates for reform call for integrating horizontal morality, stressing that faith without love for others is hollow. For many, true Christianity requires a balance between devotion to God and compassion for humanity.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

More on the same subject:

Vertical and horizontal morality – Baptist News Global

If we are to be obedient to God, that obedience flows through the way we interact with the people around us.

baptistnews.com

So, what are we talking about when we say “vertical” and “horizontal” morality? This is a deontological framework, meaning it helps us understand our ethical or moral duty in the world.

When we talk about “vertical” morality, we’re speaking to the duties and responsibilities we have to a higher power. It’s about the relationships that pull us upward, toward something greater than ourselves. It’s where we direct our attention, will and allegiance to something above us — a cause, an ideal, a nation, a leader, a tradition, our religion, our God. Vertical morality is the idea that we are compelled to live in response to something transcendent, something that exists outside and/or above us.

On the other hand, “horizontal” morality is about the duties and responsibilities we have to those around us. Horizontally, our focus is on our fellow humans, on our relationships with the people who are on the same level as we are. Here, our attention, will and allegiance are directed toward our peers, those who share the same space and plane of existence with us. In short, horizontal morality is about how we engage and relate to the people in our lives — our neighbors, our communities, outsiders.

These two directions of ethical responsibility — vertical and horizontal — often shape our decision making. We’re forced to ask ourselves: Which direction do we prioritize? Are we more motivated by our duty to something greater than us, or by our duty to those beside us?...

...“Go and learn what this means! ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifices.’” — Jesus (Matthew 9:13)

Let’s live out our vertical commitments through the horizontal relationships God has placed in our lives. Let’s make room for Christ in the way we treat one another. Let our living sacrifice be shown in our pursuit of justice. And in the manger of Christmas, let us rediscover the God who was with us all along — and let that God change us.

 

[Cypress]

As the link below discussion, both Christians and non-Christians are trying to reconcile Jesus Christ's message of love and peace and the actions of both MAGAts claiming to be Christians and the views of Alt-Right Evangelicals.

Vertical Morality vs. Compassion: The ethics behind MAGA Christianity

A Shift from Compassion to ObedienceMany Americans are struggling to reconcile Christian teachings of love and mercy with the harsh rhetoric and punitive policies promoted by MAGA-aligned Christianity.

www.faithonview.com

Many Americans are struggling to reconcile Christian teachings of love and mercy with the harsh rhetoric and punitive policies promoted by MAGA-aligned Christianity. The key to this apparent contradiction, some experts argue, lies in the concept of vertical morality. This moral framework values obedience to divine authority over empathy or compassion, viewing righteousness as submission to God’s laws rather than the impact on others.

Former fundamentalists and Christian advocates argue that vertical morality prioritizes pleasing God above all, even when doing so may cause harm. In contrast, horizontal morality focuses on the impact of actions on individuals, emphasizing the importance of caring for neighbors and the marginalized. Critics say modern Christian nationalism largely ignores this horizontal ethic in favor of authoritarian moral absolutes...

...Consequences of Faith Without Compassion​

Detractors emphasize that an overreliance on vertical morality can foster exclusion and justify suffering. When righteousness is defined only by obedience, people can ignore systemic injustice while believing they are morally pure. Critics cite historical and present examples — slavery, KKK, and MAGA policies — as outcomes of this unchecked framework.

Advocates for reform call for integrating horizontal morality, stressing that faith without love for others is hollow. For many, true Christianity requires a balance between devotion to God and compassion for humanity.

Service to others is probably the most frequent and fundamental teaching Jesus gave in the Gospel accounts.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Service to others is probably the most frequent and fundamental teaching Jesus gave in the Gospel accounts.

A lesson that doesn't appear to be in the MAGAt playbook. Sad.

 

[Cypress]

A lesson that doesn't appear to be in the MAGAt playbook. Sad.

That's practically all this United Methodist church down the street does: preach service and moral duty to the poor, the disenfranchised, the dispossessed, the less fortunate.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

That's practically all this United Methodist church down the street does: preach service and moral duty to the poor, the disenfranchised, the dispossessed, the less fortunate.

Very Christian of them.

Meanwhile, Trump and his MAGAts, both on JPP and in DC, favor stripping the poor of their medical insurance and food out of the mouths of children in order to better fluff up their bank accounts.

All MAGAts are evil scumbags who will not be missed when they are gone.