America has been blessed with authority and power. Power is meant for service in accord with God’s wisdom for the flourishing of every human on earth. Every human, regardless of race, ancestry, religion/creed, or sex is made in the image of God. The image of God doctrine and dogma means that humans are intelligent by nature (and so above every other earthly creature). The image of God includes that humans possess inherent dignity regardless of IQ, social status, health condition, developmental status from conception to natural death, and that their human rights are inviolable. Most importantly, the image of God means humans are made to participate in the transcendent and Eternal One and so must be treated as sacred as they have a destiny beyond this world. Made in the image of God, it places humans above every other creature on earth and so it is an authority and power meant for service. It makes humans stewards of creation.
Based on its mature doctrine of the image of God, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity [maintaining valid apostolic succession] carry the wisdom principles within it which are needed to treat every human fairly for the just and universal application of civil and international laws (within natural moral law). Despite their many human failings to which they admit and constantly repent of, the principles of their Christian faith are morally superior to any other religion on earth because of their divine origin and recognition of the equality of every human before God. Regardless of some foundations and similarities in natural moral law principles, neither religious Zionism (which did not represent Judaism before the 1900’s) nor Islam can serve as the basis for universal application of just civil and international law for every human.
Such religions or religious movements currently either lack a doctrine of the image of God which is applicable in law to the inherent dignity of every human (discrimination based on race in religious Zionism and thus apartheid) or they discriminate in civil law against humans who do not worship according to their creeds (Islam lacks any doctrine of the image of God in humans as an ontological reality and regularly discriminates against religious liberty). Similarly, in its worldwide ambitions of domination, atheistic Marxism refuses to acknowledge the image of God and inherent human dignity and so also eliminates itself automatically from consideration as a carrier of justice and flourishing.
In 2009, Benedict XVI gave sage advice in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate:
…while it may be true that development needs the religions and cultures of different peoples, it is equally true that adequate discernment is needed. Religious freedom does not mean religious indifferentism, nor does it imply that all religions are equal. Discernment is needed regarding the contribution of cultures and religions, especially on the part of those who wield political power, if the social community is to be built up in a spirit of respect for the common good. Such discernment has to be based on the criterion of charity and truth. Since the development of persons and peoples is at stake, this discernment will have to take account of the need for emancipation and inclusivity, in the context of a truly universal human community. [#55.2]
As an American conservative who believes that Christian gospel principles serve best as a basis for healthy cultures, human freedom, and the economic flourishing of humans throughout the world, it is frustrating to see the superior Christian vision of flourishing get drowned out in American political commentary and news coverage. It is drowned out by modern religious Zionism dominating American media narratives and American politics in the Middle East; and, so gives the appearance of American Christian support for ethnic cleansing. It is drowned out by Islam appearing in the moral high ground against clear religious Zionist racism and war crimes (while minimizing the evil of terrorism against civilians also committed by Islamic movements). It is drowned out by Marxism offering false policy deliverance from clearly corrupt economic dominance of elites, corporations and oligarchs who are impoverishing the working class. It is drowned out by the silence of Christians not offering Christ and his doctrines as the true answer to humankind.
What makes the frustration worse is that Islam and modern Marxism must borrow from previous authentic Christian culture and so distort it in order to find support for their moral claims against injustice. The leftist policies they develop together in modern societies are not grounded in the image of God and its intrinsic vocation to the virtues of Christ and full realization of the image of God. All the while, religious Zionism (via Kahanist ideology) works against the Christian security of the universal adaptation of the image of God doctrine which always awaited the Messiah (Christ) for its full recognition and completion. Christians themselves are drowning in the above false ideologies, live too hypocritically and sinfully, and lack the courage and Gospel knowledge to assert their own specifically Christian convictions (which would give true light in the political darkness). Lord, have mercy. Come, Lord Jesus Christ!
Watching media coverage favorable to Islam and atheistic China (& BRICS overall), and watching White House and NATO narratives unable to respond in a convincing manner of moral superiority, I asked Grok to provide the following: “In competition with the ethos of media [that is unfavorable to current American foreign policy and instead favors Islam, China, Russia, Iran, etc…], what policies should the US government do to treat its enemies with fairness and simultaneously accomplish a greater embrace of Christian principles throughout the world?” I asked this question after trying to get background on the ethos of “Going Underground,” the UAE based show in which American foreign policy is devastatingly criticized and so serves as talking points to America’s left as well as conservative Christians alert to the problems within American foreign policy.
Grok’s reply was interesting and so I share it with Catholic 460 readership. I never mentioned the “image of God” doctrine in my questions, but Grok immediately went to it as the answer...
Grok’s full reply [this is also a link]:
Here is a coherent set of U.S. foreign-policy changes that would (1) directly compete with the anti-imperialist, multipolar, “Axis of Resistance” narrative that Going Underground pushes, while (2) being defensible on explicitly Christian ethical grounds (justice, mercy, truth-telling, protection of the innocent, peacemaking, and the equal dignity of every person made in God’s image). These are not “liberal internationalist” or neoconservative policies; they are deliberately designed to undercut the moral appeal of the Russia/China/Iran-led bloc without resorting to crusading, regime-change wars, or excusing past American sins.
1. Public Repentance and Truth Commissions on Past Interventions
Declassify and officially acknowledge the most egregious U.S.-backed coups, assassinations, and proxy wars (1953 Iran, 1954 Guatemala, 1973 Chile, 2003 Iraq WMD lies, etc.).
Create a bipartisan “National Commission on Truth and Restoration” with subpoena power, livestreamed hearings, and a mandate to recommend reparations where feasible.
Christian rationale: National repentance is biblical (Nineveh, 2 Chronicles 7:14). It instantly removes the main moral weapon that Going Underground and its guests use against the U.S.
2. End All Unilateral Sanctions That Primarily Harm Civilians
Shift to narrowly targeted “smart” sanctions only on regime leaders and their immediate financial networks (the “Magnitsky model”).
Explicitly lift broad sanctions on Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and North Korea unless the U.S. Congress votes every two years to renew them with public evidence that they are saving more innocent lives than they cost.
Christian rationale: Collective punishment of entire populations violates “do unto others” and the Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant just-war criterion of discrimination between combatants and non-combatants.
3. Offer a Standing, Permanent “Grand Bargain” to Iran and Its Allies
Public, written offer: full sanctions relief and security guarantees in exchange for verifiable caps on ballistic missiles, regional proxy funding, and uranium enrichment—negotiated transparently and with Gulf states at the table.
Make clear the U.S. will never again seek regime change in Tehran.
Christian rationale: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Turning Iran from existential enemy to normal regional power undercuts the entire “Axis of Resistance” narrative that Going Underground relies on.
4. Lead a Global Treaty to Abolish Assassinations and Political Kidnappings
Propose (and unilaterally renounce) targeted killings abroad, rendition, and drone strikes on foreigners outside active battlefields.
Invite Russia, China, Israel, Iran, and others to join a new “Vienna Convention on the Sanctity of Life.”
Christian rationale: State-sponsored murder violates the imago Dei and the Sixth Commandment, regardless of how “bad” the target is.
5. Create a Major New “Debt Jubilee and Development Fund” for the Poorest Nations
100 % cancellation of all remaining official bilateral debt owed by HIPCs (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) plus a $100 billion endowment (U.S. seed: $25 billion) for zero-interest development loans tied only to anti-corruption transparency, not ideology.
Explicitly invite China to co-chair the fund—turning debt-trap competition into cooperation.
Christian rationale: Leviticus 25 / Deuteronomy 15 jubilee tradition; the early church’s radical care for the poor.
6. Champion an International Treaty Protecting Religious Minorities in Every Signatory State
Binding, reciprocal protections for Christians in Muslim-majority countries and for Muslims, Jews, Yazidis, etc., in Christian-majority countries.
Independent monitoring and automatic trade/diplomatic penalties for violators—no exceptions for allies (Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, etc.).
Christian rationale: Reciprocal love even for enemies; “whatever you did for one of the least of these…”
7. Withdraw U.S. Forces from Syria and Iraq (with Conditions)
Complete withdrawal within 24 months contingent on an internationally monitored ceasefire and power-sharing agreement that protects Kurds, Christians, and other minorities.
Replace military presence with a massive reconstruction fund administered by the UN and local churches/NGOs.
Christian rationale: “Turn swords into plowshares”; end complicity in the destruction that created the refugee waves Going Underground constantly highlights.
8. Recognize Palestine with East Jerusalem as Its Capital—Simultaneously with Full Security Guarantees for Israel
Move U.S. embassy to West Jerusalem; open a second full embassy to Palestine in East Jerusalem/Ramallah on the same day.
Offer NATO-like security guarantee to Israel and a multilateral security guarantee to Palestine.
Christian rationale: Justice for the oppressed (Psalm 82); love of neighbor extended to both Jews and Palestinians who bear God’s image.
Net Effect Against Going Underground’s Narrative
The U.S. would instantly seize the moral high ground: public repentance + ending civilian suffering + peacemaking + debt relief + protection of persecuted Christians and other minorities.
Russia, China, and Iran would be forced either to match these moves (difficult for authoritarian regimes) or look like the new imperialists by comparison.
The global South and the Western left would find their main anti-American talking points neutralized without a single new war or regime-change operation.
This is a foreign policy that is simultaneously realist (it accepts multipolarity), repentant (it owns America’s sins), and aggressively, publicly Christian in its ethical framework—making it almost impossible for outlets like Going Underground to portray the U.S. as the uniquely evil empire any longer.
….end of Grok response
Conclusions
Readers can decide for themselves what is accurate, what is worth pursuing, and what is in accord with political prudence. What is certain is that the Christian image of God doctrine is needed now more than ever to work towards justice and human flourishing. It is a doctrine every religion can and should uphold to be a welcome partner in building a better future for every human.
Consider this book on how the image of God destines us for deification:
A Catechesis on Deification, Transfiguration & the Luminous Mysteries
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