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What Does Ra’ mean for JD Vance & Alex Pretti?

What Does Ra’ mean for JD Vance & Alex Pretti?

Last updated on: January 25, 2026 at 11:01 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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What Does Ra’ mean for JD Vance & Alex Pretti? 2026-01-25T23:01:14-05:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

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This weekend, VP JD Van’s made headlines for his comments defending ICE and their law enforcement practices while visiting Minnesota to try to calm tensions, including the murder of Renée Good earlier this month.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

During his visit, the VP backtracked on his previous comments that ICE had absolute immunity to enforce laws. He clarified that the agents should be held accountable for any wrongdoing and policy violations, except for any violation that the president himself condones:

Deception
Murder
Division

Then late this week, the vice president spoke at a March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C., where he once again declared he is pro-life. The hypocrisy of VP Vance being pro-life, yet condoning the taking of life from a US citizen whom he disagrees with, is clear.

Let me be clear, I agree that abortion is wrong and goes against both Christian and ethical principles. My point is that all life matters, regardless of politics, color, or nationality. You cannot only defend life when it is in the womb, because everyone is created in the image of God (Genesis 1: 27).

I firmly believe that it is wrong to take any life, because only God is a just Judge (Psalm 9:7-8, Hebrews 10:30). Let me restate this, wrong is wrong, and regardless of political party, it is unethical and unbiblical to justify anything God calls evil (Proverbs 17:15, Isaiah 5:20, Romans 1:32).

What Is Wrong

It has become clearer than ever that we live in a fallen world that is full of broken people, even within the church. Broken people break things and do what is wrong, because man is naturally bent to do what is wrong because of our sin nature (Romans 3:23; 7:18-19).

Image by Pixabay

Wrong is defined as “An injurious, unfair, or unjust act; a state of being incorrect.” Wrongness can manifest itself in many ways: physically, mentally, spiritually, and even politically.

Our human nature is inclined to do what is wrong or counter to God’s perfect standard. We are all fallen creatures that get things wrong and deviate from God’s divine nature and plans for us.

That is why the Bible has a lot to say about what isright and wrong (Proverbs 14:12, Romans 1:21, 1 Timothy 2:15). We are called to speak out against what God calls wrong and evil and to have nothing to do with it (1 Corinthians 5:11, Ephesians 5: 11, 1 Thessalonians 5:22).

We cannot continue to do what is wrong, because that is a sin and that is unacceptable for the people of God (Romans 6:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, James 4:17, 1 Peter 4:17-18, 1 John 3:4-6). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about what is wrong and why we should avoid it.

Ra’

The Torah tells us that sin entered the world when mankind chose to do the wrong thing by disobeying God (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6). The first Adam wanted to be like God and know good and evil, so he chose to do the wrong thing and listen to the devil (Genesis 3:4-5).

The very next generation failed to do what is right and sinned also (Genesis 4:7). From then on, the creation kept going the wrong direction, away from God (Genesis 4:16; 6:11-12 12).

The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for wrong is raʿ, and it can also mean “Bad, evil, sad, wicked, unpleasant, or unhappy,” depending upon the context it is used in.

That is why God called His people out of this dark world to show the world how to do what is right (Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 26:18-19). So God gave His people the 10 Commandments to help keep them from going the wrong way like the world (Deuteronomy 5:1-22):

I am the Lord thy God.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Do not take my name in vain.
Honor and keep the Sabbath.
Honor thy mother and father.
Do not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Do not lie.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
Do not covet your neighbor’s home.

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He warned His followers that He did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill it. Because He knew their hearts were corrupted and that they couldn’t keep the law (Matthew 5:17-20).

Image by Pixabay

Jesus reminded His followers that their hearts were evil and did what was wrong (Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:21-23). Our Rabbi knew that His followers praised Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8).

Our Lord rebuked the Pharisees who believed their head knowledge of the law justified them (Matthew 23:1-36). Then, Jesus upped the ante by reminding the religious leaders that they, too, were sinners going the wrong way (Matthew 5:27-28, John 8:7).

Alex Pretti

In other big news this weekend, another US citizen was brutally murdered in Minneapolis by ICE agents. Initial reports and video/photos show VA nurse Alex Pretti filming ice agents attempting to conduct an arrest and knocking a woman to the ground.

Image by Wikipedia Commons

Then, as Alex tried to help the woman up, he was attacked by agents who began beating him to the ground and removed his legally concealed weapon, which he never pulled. Then they fired 10 shots into an unarmed American citizen in broad daylight.

President Trump has already defended the murder of a U.S. citizen. Once again, MAGA is trying to justify this evil act of murder, which contradicts the basic teachings of Christianity and Judaism. The pro-life party is proving they are not so pro-life after all:

Love thy neighbor
Care for the least of these
Do not murder
Care for the foreigner

I don’t care how religious or political you are, it is dangerous to rationalize what God calls evil and wrong (Proverbs 17:15, Isaiah 5:20, 3 John 1:11). When we claim to be good, yet justify what God condemns, we are nothing more than hypocrites.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people have a history of calling evil good and good evil (Ezekiel 22:26, Malachi 2:17). The Bible is clear that we are all capable of doing what God calls raʿ (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23)!

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