There was a time when the Republican party was the party of family, morals, and religious freedoms. In this season of Trump, and the new GOP (as I’ve been reminded by rabid Trumpling cultists, time and again), a lot has changed.

CNSNews.com is reporting that a billboard for the upcoming movie, “God’s Not Dead 2,” distributed by Pure Flix, has been rejected for being “too provocative.”

The billboard was to have appeared in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention next week. The sign would have measured 32 feet by 60 feet and featured a picture of Melissa Joan Hart, who plays a teacher in “God’s Not Dead 2” who is sued by the ACLU for quoting Jesus in a class about civil disobedience.

Alongside the image was the text: “I’d rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God.”

Orange Barrel Media are the company responsible for the billboard. They deemed the message too “incendiary” and said they didn’t like the “judged by God” message.

There were other objections. Orange Barrel cited Republican National Committee rules barring “scandalous” signage around the convention. Pure Flix responded that former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appears in “God’s Not Dead 2” and that the GOP has partnered with Pure Flix for a worship service on the eve of the convention, followed by a screening with food provided by Chick-fil-A. Orange Barrel also warned that the city of Cleveland might have a problem with the message.

The message on the billboard has been around for some time. I’ve seen it on bumper stickers and t-shirts, and never once have I seen anyone in the near vicinity burst into flames because of it.

Was this a decision by the RNC? Does this run afoul of their scandalous signage rule? I don’t see how. It’s a movie. It’s a family movie. The Republican party used to be about family and the foundations of American life.

It’s painful to think that the RNC may have had a hand in this, although the announcement from Orange Barrel leaves that questionable.

As Ronald Reagan once said, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”