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Special to United Methodist Insight |n April 9, 2026
I do not know how to process the President of my country publicly announcing his intention to commit war crimes.
On a Sunday morning.
On EASTER Sunday morning.
In a vulgar, profanity laced post.
On a Sunday. On EASTER Sunday.
In front of cameras at the White House, this same President listened to his spiritual advisor compare him to Jesus Christ. Franklin Graham compared him to Esther. After a 45-minute rant of personal grievances, insulting other countries and their leaders, derogatory comments about immigrants, our President read a statement of Christian faith from a piece of paper in front of him. That was April 1.
But on the day of resurrection, this President was threatening the destruction of infrastructure civilians depend on. Action forbidden by the Geneva Convention and multiple other treaties and international law.
The adulation people feed the President has not helped him. It has created a man who feels like he can do anything he wants. That self-absorbed illusion is a prescription for disaster -for the President and for our nation.
I have no words. I do have a prayer. Fervent and constant prayer. I am praying that somewhere in the government, there are advisors who can tell the President that he is planning war crimes. I am praying for advisors and leaders who tell the President that we are a nation of laws and we are only safe when we live by international laws. I am praying there are advisors who can convince him it is a mistake for this great country to violate the Geneva Convention. I am praying that someone can get through to prevent him from becoming a war criminal. We have a rich heritage of fighting against people who committed war crimes. It is devastating to our honor and our values to think we would even consider being the ones to commit war crimes.
I will pray for honest advisors unceasingly today. They will, in my opinion, have to be Republicans as the President consistently demonizes anyone who is not in a Republican. He has shown that he will also demonize anyone in his party who disagrees with him. The man who demands endless flattery and unquestioning agreement is a dangerous and foolish person absolutely unfit for leadership.
The President needs our prayers. Today, especially, I am praying for someone(s) he will listen to who can speak the truth to him and steer him off the dangerous cliff his words have built for our nation and the world.
Mary John Dye Ident
The Rev. Dr. Mary John Dye is a retired clergy member of the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. This post is republished from her Facebook page.