On November 8, 2016, Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States, largely thanks to the votes of 80% of the country's evangelical Christians. For evangelicals, as well as other right wing Christians, most of whom tend to support Trump's Republican Party, his victory in the 2016 election was seen as not only a victory for the party, but a victory for American Christians and their values.This was even true to the extent that many in the GOP, especially it's more radical religious branches, claimed that God Himself had chosen Trump for the Presidency. For much of America, including both his supporters and opponents, Trump was the Christian candidate.

I am a Christian. I have attended Church fairly regularly for much of my life. I was baptized Catholic, confirmed as a Congregationalist, and attended services by both denominations. I tend to think of myself as a religious person, and would like to think that I live a life that conforms to the teachings of Christ.

In April, during Connecticut's Democratic primary, I had voted for Senator Bernard "Bernie" Sanders. This was the man that I thought most closely resembled the teachings of my faith. But Bernie Sanders did not win the Connecticut primary, and when the votes were cast at the DNC months later, he did not receive the nomination. Out of anger at the Democratic Party, I quickly changed my affiliation, joining the Connecticut branch of the left wing and Sanders-esque Working Families Party instead. But I still had to vote. With the man I wanted gone, I had a choice: the woman who cheated him, or the "Christian" candidate. As a Christian, the choice was obvious.

So on November 8, 2016, I walked into the polling place at Mansfield Community Center and cast a vote for Hillary Clinton. I did not vote for the "Christian" candidate, nor do I support our new "Christian" President.

I have read the words of Christ in the Bible, and I see little in common with those of the newly inaugurated President Trump. But, try as I might, I can't recognize any of my faith's values in the man that so many seem to believe will protect it. Where Christ calls on us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, Trump's words divide us along lines of race, religion, and political alignment. Jesus fed the hungry, clothed the naked, healed the sick, and in doing so taught us to care for our fellow man, no matter the cost to ourselves. The President, along with his allies in the House and Senate, have already laid out plans to drastically cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and countless other forms of aid by our government to those that need it the most. While Christ says we must welcome foreigners and refugees as if they were from our own land, the new administration only sees them as threats to be -- quite literally -- walled off. Blessed may be the meek, the hungry, the merciful, and the peacemakers, but Trump and his friends seem to only value the arrogant, the rich, the ruthless, and the warmongers.

When I look at the state my faith in modern America, I find it hijacked, used as a weapon of hate by the so-called "religious right" and their new President. Its messages of love and acceptance have been perverted, and used to promote fear, hatred, and even violence. One only needs to look at the sudden surge in activity by hate groups like the KKK and the (admittedly anti-Trump) Westboro Baptist Church to see what happens when the words of God and Christ are used to foster hate. Not long ago, it seemed that this trend of radical, destructive Christian fundamentalism was coming to and end. But now, once again, myself and my fellow Christians must watch in fear as our faith is taken over by those who would use it for evil.

But we don't have to simply sit back and watch, to let this trend continue. We must remember that Christ was not only a prophet and a teacher, but a revolutionary as well. He didn't simply speak out against the evils of the world, he actively fought against them. When in the Gospel, he saw that the Temple in Jerusalem had been taken over by businessmen, taking advantage of the city's poor, he didn't just lecture to them. He went into the Temple and drove them out with a whip, knocking over their tables and spilling all of their money onto the ground. Contrary to what the new administration or the news media might tell you, protest against tyranny is a Christian tradition, and an American one at that; hardly surprising when you consider that one of the defining moments of our early Revolution involved rioters storming onto merchant ships and dumping their cargo into Boston Harbor.

So if you're a Christian, and hate what is happening to our faith at the hands of a President who claims to represent it, then fight. Resist. Make trouble for the administration. That goes doubly so for people that voted for Trump; many voted for the man for their own, often legitimate, reasons, but that means that you more than anymore need to hold him accountable for what he does. If the Trump regime seeks to hurt or oppress our fellow Americans for their race, their religion, their gender, their sexuality, or their political opinions, it is our duty as Christians to stand by their side and defend them. The personal seal of one of our Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, summed it up best: "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God."

The faith and passion inspired by our religion can be used for more than promoting fear and hate. As recently as the Civil Rights movement, religion has been used to promote massive change.

So God bless America, and let's make some change together.