Now the rest of us know what the "J" in Donald J. Trump really stands for. Christian nationalists and some evangelical denominations made that particular leap of faith long ago, willing to excuse his countless sins--both venal and mortal--because of an apparent belief he is of divine origin--or at least divinely ordained.

As long as he keeps pushing their agenda of preventing abortions, regardless of individual circumstances; putting religion (the "correct" Protestant version, that is) back in the public schools where it rightly belongs; rounding up and deporting anyone who looks, speaks, and worships differently than the rest of "us"; denying medical care, nutritional assistance, and other humanitarian relief to all those other "thems" he can't arrest and send packing--all while claiming to have the blessings of the Almighty--those on the far "religious" right seem comfortable turning a blind eye to his numerous other decidedly irreligious activities. Although few, if any, of them are willing to turn the other cheek when the occasion calls for it. Trump certainly doesn't subscribe to that advice, nor to any of the Ten Commandments he apparently wants to plaster on every classroom wall.

But his recent outrageous social media post (it's impossible to keep track of them all since there are usually several each day) portraying himself as a thinly disguised Jesus confirms what his True Believers have thought about him all along.

Of course, when much of the rest of the world immediately took exception to what some ministers (including local ones) from mainline Protestant denominations labeled "blasphemous," among other criticisms, and the whole thing blew up in his face, Trump quickly launched into his standard weasel-wording and excuse-making mode, claiming he was misunderstood, only intending to show himself as a kindly doctor, trying to heal all the ills of the world.

This has always been his response for such frequent egg-on-his-face incidents: First use the "taken out of context" claim, then blame some underling or the "fake news" crowd, and when all that fails, resort to the "I was only joking" explanation. Never an admission of wrongdoing or an apology, because--to use one of his favorite words--he's "perfect." (Does that sound like anyone from the Christian tradition?)

Evidently, I need to drastically alter my choices of personal health-care providers if I want to stay around much longer. Like many septuagenarians, I regularly receive treatment from a primary-care physician, gastroenterologist, dermatologist, podiatrist, and ophthalmologist--but apparently none of them use the same medical clothing supply company as Trump, with his radiant white robe, draped with what appears to be a combination of a red clerical stole and a superhero's cape. Nor do any of them have blindingly bright laser beams emanating from the palms of their hands to assist in the healing process, or an unearthly aura surrounding their entire body.

Alas--also unlike Trump--my doctors' medical support team members don't include angels, fully armed levitating combat soldiers, and warplanes circling overhead. They'd all need much bigger examination rooms to accommodate such a formidable posse. Some of my MDs do occasionally wear white lab coats or scrubs, but they're woefully inadequate compared to Trump's snazzy accessories.

As usual, Trump displays his basic lack of knowledge when it comes to all matters theological (can anyone ever forget his famous--or infamous--quoting of that verse from "Two Corinthians" a few years ago, or the time he initially held an upside-down bible for that clumsy photo-op in front of the church near the White House during the Black Lives Matter protests?).

Otherwise, he'd have at least consulted the Liturgical Calendar to see that Christians are still in the season of Easter Time, which would call for a white stole, not red, as part of any pastoral vestments. It's still several weeks until Pentecost, when the crimson changeover will occur. Perhaps his color choice was just to remind everyone of his political party affiliation.

And what about that poor patient "Doctor" Trump is laying his hand on to relieve his suffering? Was it by design, or just coincidence, that he bears an uncanny resemblance to comedian (and frequent harsh critic of Trump) Jon Stewart? Well, Stewart noticed, and posted some hilarious comments about the incident online, including, "I didn't realize my look had reached leper territory. I mean, from the picture, it looks like it was touch-and-go with me for a while."

Whatever "medical" school Trump attended, an accounting of his life indicates he obviously didn't sign on to the Hippocratic Oath upon graduation. However, a good case can be made that he's a vigorous adherent of the Hypocrite's Oath. Perhaps he needs to take heed of the words of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke: "Physician, heal thyself."

Doug Szenher of Little Rock retired from public/media relations with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality after previously working as a newspaper reporter in Hot Springs and Texarkana.

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