蓬佩奥常常把“虔诚的福音派基督徒”挂在嘴边,表面上看,好像真是这样。

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo often proclaims to be a "devout evangelical Christian". On the surface, he seems to be one.

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来源:中国日报 罗杰

他是“国会山事工”的内阁赞助人,参加白宫的内阁成员查经小组,每周都要跟从牧师学习查考《圣经》。前不久访问埃及时,他在公开演讲中称自己的办公桌上放着《圣经》,时刻提醒自己“上帝、上帝的话语和真理”。

Pompeo is a Capitol Hill patron and member of the White House Bible study group, studying the Bible with a pastor every week. During his recent visit to Egypt, he publicly said that he keeps the Bible on his desk to remind him of "God, God's words and the truth".

一个心中有上帝、跟从上帝话语的指引、追求福音真理的基督徒,他的行事为人应该完全效法耶稣基督、遵照圣经教导,其中最基本的一条就是诚实正直,道德纯粹,“要弃绝谎言,各人与邻舍说实话”,更不能“作假见证陷害人”

As a Christian who has God in his heart, follows the path of God, and pursues the Gospel, Pompeo should be a devout student of the teachings of Jesus Christ. And the most basic tenet of the Bible is honesty, integrity and moral purity, "putting away lying, speak the truth" to all, and to not "bear false witness" against anyone.

新冠肺炎疫情暴发以来,一些美国政客出于一己私利,只求大选连任,漠视人民生命健康,屡屡失机、频繁犯错,导致疫情大流行。

Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, some US politicians, due to their self-interests in the presidential election scheduled for November, have sacrificed people's lives and health by repeatedly making the wrong decisions, which has worsened the pandemic situation in the United States.

蓬佩奥非但没有反省自己抗疫不力,想方设法弥补,防控疫情蔓延,反而疯狂构陷中国,成篇累牍、喋喋不休地制造、散布中国隐瞒疫情、欺骗世界等等谎言,企图栽赃嫁祸,转嫁责任。

Instead of reflecting on their failure to contain the pandemic, Pompeo, among other US politicians, has tried to create a web of lies, saying China covered up the facts of the outbreak to cheat the world, in an attempt to shift the blame for the pandemic on China.

我们实在无法想象这些言行是出自一个秉持爱心的基督徒之口。

Would a Christian who really believes in "love" spread such falsehood?

蓬佩奥以前作过美国中情局局长,他曾坦陈中情局“我们撒谎、我们欺骗、我们偷窃,我们还有一门课来教这个”。

As a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Pompeo has confessed that the CIA "lies, cheats, steals, and has a class to teach these".

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现在,作为国务卿,蓬佩奥较之以往是有过之而无不及。显然,他撒谎、欺骗的这一课要比查经班学得更好,也更拿手。只是,这样做,他处处标榜的基督徒的原则何在?

Now, as US secretary of state, Pompeo, more than ever, is using the same tricks to fool the American public and people in the rest of the world. Which are not in conformity to the beliefs of a Christian.

中国前几个月艰苦卓绝的抗疫、付出了巨大牺牲和代价。但是,美国政府和政客从一开始就把疫情政治化。起初极不负责地质疑指责媒体报道是出于“政治动机”,是假新闻、炒作、夸大其词、反应过度,自己则无所作为;到局面一发不可收拾时又一片混乱,只好在国际上甩锅中国,转移视线,掩盖自己的无能。实际上,正是美国政府当初极力淡化疫情的严重性才导致了美国今天的严重后果。

China has made painstaking efforts to prevent and control the spread of novel coronavirus. But the US administration and politicians have politicized the pandemic right from the beginning, by first claiming media reports on the impact of the virus on the US were "politically motivated", fake news and/or overreaction. And after the epidemic situation in the US spiraled out of control, they tried to shift the blame on China to divert domestic public attention and cover up their failure to contain the virus. But the fact is, the US administration's efforts to downplay the severity of the pandemic led to the devastating situation that we see in the US today.

美国疫情大流行,超两百万人感染,十余万人死亡,我们哀痛不已。近几个月“基督徒”蓬佩奥等人的表现,让我们看到的是他们所一心惦念的不是关心弟兄姐妹、普通民众的生命与福祉,而是以竞选连任、延续权力为目标,以切身利益、政治生涯为考量,为此,他们不得不用一连串不道德的谎言和诽谤来误导舆论和民众,推卸责任。毫无疑问,他的言行表明他已经放弃了对真理的持守,牺牲了他的信仰正直,如果他还有信仰的话。

The virus has infected more than 2.24 million people and killed over 119,000 people in the US. What Pompeo and other US politicians have said and done in recent months — as Christians — are not intended to save the lives and ensure the well-being of their "brothers and sisters" and ordinary American people, but to return to power so they can safeguard their personal and political interests. To achieve their goals, they have used a series of lies and slanders to pass the buck to China, in order to mislead public opinions. Pompeo's words and deeds definitely are not those of a Christian; instead, he has sacrificed his faith and integrity, if he had any, to achieve his political goals.

基督徒的忠诚与党派政治博弈的二元论一定会限制他们效忠于见证基督和天国的能力。他不能又侍奉上帝,又侍奉玛门。甚者,因为他们一再压低自己的道德标准,损害的只能是福音派基督徒的声誉和人们对于福音的认识和理解。他所代表的那个版本的基督教事实上正在弱化他们口口声声所宣称的福音信仰。这是基督徒的悲哀。

His self-proclaimed devotion to the Christian faith and dedication to political pragmatism have limited his ability to bear witness to Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. He cannot serve God and Mammon both. And if Pompeo keeps lowering his moral standards, he would be causing further harm to his faith. Pompeo's remarks and actions are certainly not befitting of a Christian.

《圣经》要求人们行公义、好怜悯,以彰显上帝的荣耀和良善,促进和好。蓬佩奥为甩锅中国,把疫情源头确定为武汉,把病毒称作中国病毒,间接造成了美国国内针对亚裔和华裔的种族歧视事件和暴力仇恨犯罪的增加。不知道蓬佩奥在散播这些谣言,制造这种恐慌时,有没有读一下主耶稣在登山宝训中的教导,“使人和睦的人有福了,因为他们必称为上帝的儿子。”

The Bible tells people to do justice and show mercy to manifest God's glory and promote amity. But by blaming China for the pandemic, claiming Wuhan to be the source of the virus and calling the novel coronavirus a "Chinese virus", Pompeo has contributed to the increase in racial discrimination and violent crimes against Asian Americans, Chinese Americans in particular, in the US. One wonders whether Pompeo, who has spread rumors and created panic, has read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

新冠病毒突如其来,疫情发展不可掌控。直至今天,我们对新冠病毒还有许多的不可知,疫情还充满不确定性,现实和潜在的威胁、恐惧始终存在。

As far as the coronavirus outbreak is concerned, there are still many unknowns, including realistic and potential threats and fears.

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病毒是全人类的共同敌人,在病毒面前,谁也无法独善其身,需要各国政府、全世界人民同舟共济,守望相助。人类对抗艾滋病、埃博拉病毒等的历史经验告诉我们,谣言、羞辱、歧视、排斥、推卸都是违反上帝旨意、违反人类尊严的,只会对疫情蔓延推波助澜。

As such, governments and peoples of all countries need to help each other in such difficult and uncertain times. The fight against HIV/AIDS and the Ebola epidemic has taught us that rumors, stigmatization, discrimination, exclusion and shirking of responsibilities are not the will of God, instead they are damaging to human dignity, which will only contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

基督徒应当做的,是传讲基于事实和科学基础上的真相、反对羞辱和歧视,以爱心传播希望,用祷告和勇气在焦虑中给人以平安,在动荡中给人以信靠。

In such a situation, Christians should preach the truth — based on facts — fight against discrimination, and spread hope and love, so as to bring some comfort to the lives of ordinary people across the world.

疫情发生后,中国政府始终坚持把人民生命安全和身体健康放在第一位,集中患者、集中资源、集中救治,付出了巨大努力和牺牲,取得了重大成果。

In its fight against the coronavirus outbreak, China has given top priority to people's lives and health, directed resources in the service of the people, made extraordinary efforts and sacrifices, and achieved positive results.

在抗击疫情的过程中,世界基督教教会联合会、世界福音派联盟、坎特伯雷大主教、多国教会和基督徒都为中国献上恒切的祷告,给予热心的鼓励和实际的支持,让中国基督徒感受到深切的主内情谊,加添了属灵力量。美国埃默里大学医学院的基督徒微生物学家、参与当年美国本土埃博拉病毒患者救治的伊莱恩·伯德(Elaine Burd)1月底在接受《今日基督教》杂志采访时表示,她为三件重要的事情真切祷告:首先“为中国政府祷告,他们为人民作出了明智的、基于证据的决定……他们对防控疫情作出了恰当的反应”;其次,“努力为中国的医护人员祷告,我知道他们物资匮乏”;第三,“为中国的普通民众祷告,因为人们感染的速度之快仍然令人不安”。这才是基督徒应有的爱心和关切,担当和作为。

Even the World Federation of Christian Churches, World Union of Evangelicals, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and churches and Christians in many countries have offered prayers for and support to China in its fight against the virus. This is the kind of love and care, responsibility and action a Christian should exhibit.

反观蓬佩奥,从他嘴里,我们听不到“叫听见的人得益处”的“造就人的好话”,只有满嘴的谎言。想让他能“以恩慈相待,存怜悯的心”,毫无可能。因为,蓬佩奥已经深陷其中不能自拔了,他弃绝了真理,也就丧失了基督徒的自由。

But what we have heard from Pompeo are lies, because he is so caught up in his own and the US administration's subterfuges and conspiracies that he has come to reject the truth, the backbone of the Christian faith.

他只是一个以基督徒为包装的彻头彻尾的虚伪政客,除了操控利用宗教之外,他对宗教并没有兴趣。

Pompeo is just like any other politician who pretends to be a true Christian but in actuality has no interest in religion except to manipulate and exploit it to fulfill his own goals.

面对疫情,我们有信心,与科学家、医疗卫生人员、政府官员,以及全社会一道,共克时艰,共同努力,最终战胜病毒。对于蓬佩奥,还是要送他一句《圣经》上的话:“你们的话,是,就说是;不是,就说不是;若再多说,就是出于那恶者。

来源:中国日报