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How evangelicals, once culturally confident, became an anxious minority seeking political protection from the least traditionally religious president in living memory.
One of the most extraordinary things about our current politics—really, one of the most extraordinary developments of recent political history—is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump. The president won four-fifths of the votes of white evangelical Christians. This was a higher level of support than either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, an outspoken evangelical himself, ever received.
Trump’s background and beliefs could hardly be more incompatible with traditional Christian models of life and leadership. Trump’s past political stances (he once supported the right to partial-birth abortion), his character (he has bragged about sexually assaulting women), and even his language (he introduced the words pussy and shithole into presidential discourse) would more naturally lead religious conservatives toward exorcism than alliance. This is a man who has cruelly publicized his infidelities, made disturbing sexual comments about his elder daughter, and boasted about the size of his penis on the debate stage. His lawyer reportedly arranged a $130,000 payment to a porn star to dissuade her from disclosing an alleged affair. Yet religious conservatives who once blanched at PG-13 public standards now yawn at such NC-17 maneuvers. We are a long way from The Book of Virtues.
Trump supporters tend to dismiss moral scruples about his behavior as squeamishness over the president’s “style.” But the problem is the distinctly non-Christian substance of his values. Trump’s unapologetic materialism—his equation of financial and social success with human achievement and worth—is a negation of Christian teaching. His tribalism and hatred for “the other” stand in direct opposition to Jesus’s radical ethic of neighbor love. Trump’s strength-worship and contempt for “losers” smack more of Nietzsche than of Christ. Blessed are the proud. Blessed are the ruthless. Blessed are the shameless. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after fame.
One of the most extraordinary things about our current politics—really, one of the most extraordinary developments of recent political history—is the loyal adherence of religious conservatives to Donald Trump.
Not that extraordinary if you consider that in a binary situation, Trump was a better choice. Not necessarily a GOOD choice, but a better one. And he, as opposed to many other politicians, has kept many of his promises to those religious conservatives - judges, reduce regulations, cut taxes, work to protect religious freedoms, tried to stop all those illegals from moving in next door. And continues to demonize the "LEFT" in almost the same way that their pastors and preachers demonize "SIN".
They get some of what they want and close their eyes to everything else.
Evangelical Christians have always been blatant hypocrites. Especially those in the southern states who used the Bible to justify slavery.
They read the radical pacifistic, inclusive, merciful, healing, welcoming, fear banishing, self-sacrificial words of Jesus - and go right ahead and interpret those words as support for their personal and institutional practices of racism, misogyny, weaponized nationalism, materialism, anti-forigner, fear mongering, gun giddy, gluttonous, fame-seeking, wolf-in-sheep's clothing approach to living their lives on earth.
Your first hint that they do not follow the teaching of Jesus - nearly all their churches on Sunday morning are racially and ethnically segregated. So called “practicing” homosexual persons are not welcome. And now they are deeply involved in partisan politics. Meaning they back child rapist/trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's longtime good ol’ bud - Donald Trump.
Oh, haven’t you heard?
Trump believes Jeffrey Epstein is “a terrific guy”.
Although now with his LATEST arrest - due to child rape/trafficking FBI investigation anew - Trump is telling the press he “doesn’t know about it”.
As soon as Trump’s good buddy Epstein was arrested, tossed into jail, his house raided - you can best your last dollar Trump, Dershowitz, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and many other wealthy pals of Epstein were soiling their pants.
And let’s include Trump’s Labor Secretary Acosta and Barr’s DOJ among those who are following every move in this new horrific
chapter of the Epstein “raping kids for fun and pleasure” saga.
Will he escape justice once again? Will his victims ever get their chance to speak? Or will Epstein’s collection of influential clients in high places as usual see to it that he gets away with just a slap on the wrist?
What I find interesting about Trump is if you were to believe his supporters that it's all simply some random happenstance that he's somehow always found just steps away from some moral dumpster fire.
I certainly wouldn't make any comparisons to the social circles I frequent with those of Mr. Trump but I can honestly say I've never shook hands with, let alone dined with murderers like Kim Jong-un or Mohammad bin Salman, nor have I have had occasion to pal around with (or be accused of) those who rape, folks convicted of tax evasion (Manafort), lying to the FBI (Flynn), been a losing party to class action suit for operating a phony University, filed six bankruptcies or had a federal investigation into what amounts to as treason.
This is not to say I've not met or associated with any number of high achievers in my professional media career or private life. I have. From business leaders, world-class athletes, men and women of science, the arts, medicine, men of the cloth and, yes even politics. Not a one of them however, or at least that I'm aware of, are felonious. None. Trump must truly be some kind of Forrest Gump or Leonard Zelig to find himself miraculously swept into the sphere of individuates who inexplicably are committing crimes large and small (and oh, by the way there's little evidence that his circles also run to Nobel laureates, humanitarians or men of global peace and goodwill)
I guess this is just to say, like it or not and to no surprise, you are the company you keep.
One female had filed a lawsuit claiming that when she was 13 she was forced by Epstein to allow Trump to tie her to a bed. He then proceeded to rape her - she said - which included him yelling at her and slapping her face with his open hand - to protest her screaming at him to stop.
Allegedly Alan Dershowitz was also partaking of sex with one of Epstein’s underage females on the same excursion - around the same time and place.
Maybe this time Epstein will be tried, - and as he learns he won’t be able to escape justice - will rat out his wealthy buddies - in hopes of mitigating his prison sentence.
Lester - it is also fair to point out that what you say about Trump is nothing new - this was all well known before he was elected. No doubt he associated with some shady people in his social circles. That is the nature of being wealthy and in the entertainment industry. I'm not condoning it, but people act today like these are all new revelations. The Epstein stuff specifically has been known for quite a few years.
SG - what exactly was the outcome of that lawsuit? You seem to have conveniently left that part out. Also - that lawsuit was filed in 2016 not long before the election. Surely if there was any validity to it whatsoever it would have received more media attention at the time.
bmw wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:12 am
Lester - it is also fair to point out that what you say about Trump is nothing new - this was all well known before he was elected. No doubt he associated with some shady people in his social circles. That is the nature of being wealthy and in the entertainment industry. I'm not condoning it, but people act today like these are all new revelations. The Epstein stuff specifically has been known for quite a few years.
Nope.
First, I don't know that putting in a few hours work each week doing what amounts to a 'stand-up' over the course of a two month production schedule qualifies as "in the entertainment industry" except that it did 'resurrect' his image as a businessman. (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019 ... an-success) But a businessman was his career.
Hanging with shady people is of his own making and has just gotten worse over the course of his candidacy and execution of the office of President. Someone who as we now know is glad-handing murderers and obstructing justice was nothing anyone particularly signed up for when they were selecting a leader and as polls show, a lot of folks now regret fully supporting.
As always, feel free to spin excuses that he's just a victim of circumstance, but when lighting strikes the same place often it's usually because you're holding a rod to make it so.
I wish someone could explain to me in clear, simple language how evangelical Christians are being discriminated against. How are they being prevented from worshipping as they wish?
Or is the problem that they don't like having to obey all those nasty civil laws that America, officially a nonsectarian society, expects them to obey?
