In most of my circles, I’m the token religious guy. I’m the guy that doesn’t cuss, rarely drinks. I’ve been a backup pulpit minister (aka preacher) at various churches, even traveling to preach at a few churches in college to get a little extra money. I’ve been a song leader. I was a deacon for several years across three different churches. I’ve likened myself to Flanders in a bit, though one friend’s wife dubbed me “Padre.”
Due to this, being a far Left guy who votes Democrat and consistently leans towards Socialism makes me a bit of an odd duck in the church. I tend to stick out, as the only guy who doesn’t own a gun or who has a wife not only working outside of the house but earns considerably more than I do. I ended up not speaking on much about anything political for fear of being ostracized. That’s all out the window now.
Today I’m thinking of the other leaders around the world who were horrible. Sure Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein… the list is numerous. Looking through the Bible we also find many leaders like the Pharaohs or Caesars who were equally horrible. In America we’ve had leaders on all levels who have done evil, and they’ve always had their supporters. This will be no different in that regard. I fear though the psychological ramifications though will be drastically different.
How did this come to be?
Let’s reference the scene in Ep. I where Palpatine attains control of the Senate. That’s not where we are but it’s not too far-fetched to imagine. I think trump will try some things and with the Senate and House. Who knows how far he’ll get? But I’ve come to a conclusion: t—- is indeed a puppet. I don’t think anyone in the know, which is to say anyone around him, thinks he’s good. I think everyone from his VP Vance down the line to the folks helping him not fall down on camera are all aware the man is a demented shell, being manipulated constantly. I think the only ones who do NOT know this are the MAGA voters, and trump himself. He’s being used like a tool, almost (and forgive this) as exquisitely as Palpatine used JarJar to make the call for a vote of no confidence on Chancellor Valorum.
We know the guy isn’t a Christian. He’s stated he doesn’t believe he’s ever asked God for forgiveness. By definition, this means he hasn’t obeyed the Gospel. Eventually he gave up all pretense and admitted he isn’t a Christian.
So this makes me think of two groups supporting the felon: general MAGA supporters, and the Puppeteers.
First let’s consider the Puppeteers. These are the rich, mostly white, mostly men who know t—- will put through policies that benefit them. I saw a fascinating look at a famous rich gay man who was pro-t—-, despite everyone knowing trump hates non-cis folks. Ultimately though this guy wanted his money more than respect (in my eyes), and was fine supporting trump. Now apply that to everyone else, regardless of where they’re from. These guys know they can goad t—- into policies that prolong use of fossil fuels, give the rich tax breaks, fund schools to indoctrinate the next generation, etc. I’d imagine most of these people don’t like trump at all, and I doubt ANY of them would trust him with their wife or kids. That doesn’t matter though, he’s the means to an end, he’s the tool they’re using and then discarding. The end game is the same: money, and lots of it.
The other group is the general supporter, or in my mind, “the street level moron.” I think most of these are simply uninformed. Some are likely well meaning, others are likely purely racist, misogynist homophobes who want to see anyone not white cis male suffer. I don’t have an answer for this as it’s pure hatred (which, as we all know, comes after fear, which leads to anger, which leads to hate before giving way to suffering). Some are victims of sunk cost fallacy and will follow the orange stain to the poorhouse. For further reading, look for any of the “leopards eating faces party” memes along with the “first they came for the X” reminders of previous history.
What Happens Now?
I don’t know how these next four years will play out. I’m concerned for those populations who have historically been marginalized, ignored, left out, or otherwise intentionally hurt. As a Christian I expect a lot of push back from these hurt souls, wondering how someone calling themselves religious would willingly vote for a convicted felon and his cadre of creeps. It’s hard to worship with anyone knowing they voted this way. I am though continuing my super informal study of people who have left the church. If you want to participate or share that survey, it’s right here and totally anonymous.
One scripture I’ve always taken to heart is Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I’m never one to sew or seek strife. I am though already removing from my life any and all who support stances against verse or any of the myriad of related scriptures advising of Godly living and interactions with everyone, whether they voted my way or not, live in my country or not, or any of the other aspects of diversity which make humans incredible. For now it seems the easiest way of preserving my sanity while staying in the Light.
