It’s been almost three weeks since the inauguration of our not so new president. It’s been almost three weeks of remarkable silence, or brazenly misleading wishful thinking rationalizations, especially from one sizable group that loomed large throughout campaign season and seems to have been incredibly active in getting this president elected, regarding one particularly striking element of the inaugural ceremony.

Given the onslaught of executive orders and the “muzzle velocity” (term used by Steve Bannon) attack on government function in the same almost three weeks, it’s not surprising that this one striking element has been lost in the shuffle, inadvertently or willfully. It’s a moment that, had it happened with Joe Biden or Barack Obama or any other Democrat, would have been covered 24-hours a day for days and days in certain corners of the news media. In this instance, though, the silence, or small bit of explaining away, has betrayed Trump and Trump enthusiasts for what they are: hypocrites. It’s not like such thoughts were not already swirling around. It’s just clearer now.

Here’s the thing. You might have missed it, especially if you, like me, worked diligently to ignore Inauguration Day. But, something happened that day that has been shockingly ignored, something that ought to be causing a great of concern to anyone who claims that their Christian faith is important AND that Donald Trump has been singularly called by God to “Make America Great Again.”

As he was being sworn into office, Mr. Trump did not place his hand on the Bible. Check out the top photo of this article.

It’s not that everyone failed to notice. Some people did notice, but were quick to dismiss its significance. Franklin Graham, who gave the invocation for the inaugural ceremony, blamed Chief Justice John Roberts for moving too quickly, claiming that the “he started administering the oath before Melania even got up there with the Bibles.” [here’s a link to an interview with Franklin Graham] Does Franklin Graham not know how photos work? The photo clearly shows Mrs. Trump standing there with the Bibles and Mr. Trump standing there with his right hand up, and his left hand at his side. Other prominent evangelical Christians have also been quick to note that the lack of the left hand on the Bibles is “not a concern,” declaring that Mr. Trump somehow may not have seen his wife (maybe he didn’t recognize her under that strange hat?) because he was so focused on the Chief Justice and taking the oath.

There’s just one word: hypocrites.

In the barrage of major announcements and sweeping plans to disable, bend and/or break various elements of the government, it’s no wonder that there’s been little in the way of discussion regarding the placement of Trump’s left hand when he was sworn in. There’s no requirement for a hand to be placed on the Bible, after all.

It is an incredibly despairing moment, though, albeit in a sea of despairing moments, that we have experienced over the last almost three weeks. It’s still more despairing that this incident will not only be forgotten, explained away with casual disregard, but will be ignored by those who ought to be taking it seriously, as a signal that what they believe to be true simply isn’t. For a man who claims that he was saved by God himself to do the work that he is now doing, how can those so-called Christians who voted for him not take issue with the fact that he did not swear his oath with his hand on the Bible, in a display of respect of and some level of deference to God?

And, even if it’s true that the Chief Justice moved quickly, why didn’t this supposedly God-fearing President not pause the moment to wait until the Bibles (there were two) were within reach? Why are all of those so-called evangelical Christians and the like not demanding an accounting, demanding that Mr. Trump explain himself?

Hypocrites.

I realize that there’s a lot going on, and that much of what’s going on is music to the ears of conservative Christians. Yet, by not taking any sort of issue with what happened at the inaugural ceremony, those same Christians fall still further from the faith to which they think they cling. Jesus had serious words to say about hypocrites, including a warning that, while they may look beautiful on the outside, they are actually like whitewashed tombs full of dead bones. (Matthew 23:27-28) Not taking the oath with one’s hand on the Bible may not signal whitewashed tombs of dead bones, but the question is too important not to be asked.