It has been hard enough for me, as a Reagan scholar, to forebear claims by Trump supporters of alleged commonalities between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Some lost soul, in a fit of madness, composed a list of 15 uncanny "similarities" between the two. The list has gone viral and has been sent to me too many times. I've resisted responding to it, and -- pray God -- I will not need to.
But speaking of God, other analogies are being made by Trump supporters that wrench my stomach so hard that I need to vent as a form of therapy.
It started about six weeks ago when a family friend posted something on Facebook. It was an Old Testament verse, a prophetic one, invoked in the name of and alongside a photo of Donald Trump. I initially thought it was a joke. I will not repeat it here. It's plainly blasphemous.
Then, three weeks ago, another incident during one of my regular appearances on a syndicated Christian talk-show that I do frequently, a wonderful show run by a terrific group of people. I will leave it nameless to spare embarrassment, especially given that they were surely as stupefied as I was. A woman called in with a list of "seven parallels I have discovered in the lives of Jesus and Donald Trump." She informed the stunned host that these were based on her own "research." Here are some of her comparisons:
"First of all, Jesus' father, Joseph, worked hard all his life and he taught Jesus a trade, and Donald's father worked and he got Donald started in the business." Both men worked hard, the caller explained, and taught their sons the same. Parallel number one.
"Second, Donald's words are often twisted, as Jesus' words were often twisted."
Next, the caller pointed to a Republican debate (I'm not sure when this was, if it was) in which all the other candidates rudely ignored "Dr. Carson." (The caller had been a Ben Carson supporter before becoming a Trump convert, as seems the case with many of the type I'm referring to here.) "Donald, very much like the Centurion, went forth and tried to help poor Dr. Carson."
"Point four, the Powers That Be want to crucify Donald, just like the Sadducees crucified Jesus."
One more example: "Jesus was 30 years old when he started his ministry, which was old for his time, and Trump is old for his time." The Donald, like Jesus, has begun his ministry late in life.
Next came an email that I received during Holy Week, on the eve of the Easter Triduum. It was sent from a group called Permission to Trump, connected to Phyllis Schlafly, a great woman whom I will always respect, despite her enthusiastic Trump endorsement. The emailer is an anonymous pro-life activist. Here is the full text of the email (cut and paste, unedited):
Dear Fellow Pro-Lifer,
I am not ashamed. Not confused. Not anymore.
First, my letter is written anonymously because I am a highly visible leader of a prominent non-profit and it would be impossible to state my position without it being construed as the organization's endorsement -- which is neither appropriate, true or prudent.
With that being said, allow me to share my thoughts.
Over the last several months, I have moved very cautiously from a disinterested & casual observer of Donald Trump's bid for President, to a skeptical critic, to an intrigued researcher to a cautiously open minded evaluator, (particularly after other very conservative, very pro-life, very successful friends hesitatingly admitted that they too were surprised by their own interest in him) and finally, in the last few weeks, an (sometimes terrified), energized rider of the TRUMP TRAIN.
Admittedly, there are brief spasms, (when he says something that could easily be misconstrued as racist, sexist or at minimum insensitive), that I feel panicked -- for a moment. But then I carefully rehearse the solid, difficult but needful tenets of his platform... most importantly his clear commitment to defund PLANNED PARENTHOOD (he conveys this position amongst a fountain of complimentary platitudes about their OTHER services, which is a BRILLIANT STRATEGY btw) -- and I am confident once again.
[snip]
I think we may need a wildly passionate, principled, untethered, successful, winning maverick to take on Washington. I believe that he can make the changes in our economy, sovereignty and culture of life necessary to redirect our brilliant nation away from the gaping jaws of a fascist "hell on earth".
Our future hangs in the balance and it's going to take a hurricane like force to course correct our path. Despite his raw packaging, silly ego and gruff delivery, I have decided that THE DONALD is God's pick for such a time as this. In fact it is sooo God to pick the least likely man so that He gets all the glory.
[snip]
With that being said, I agree that there is a measure of risk in putting our hearts, minds, values and futures into the hands of this "force" named Donald J. Trump.
[snip]
The Chinese symbol for "CRISIS" is opportunity riding on the wings of danger...that sums it up for me.
For these reasons, and as a "single issue" voter (pro life) , I am throwing my support solidly behind Donald Trump. I am officially "in".
Let us pray that God's man is revealed, anointed and appointed for our country's sake and in Jesus' name.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27
Sincerely,
Anonymous
I have thought of Donald Trump as many things as I've watched him cruelly excoriate those who dare to criticize or not endorse him, lambast his vast assortment of "liars," "losers," "idiots," "morons," "chokers," "bimbos," and "ugly" women, and encourag his disciples to "knock the hell" and "knock the crap out" of dissenters at his rallies. I do not think of 1 Corinthians. Least of all, I never thought of him as a pro-life crusader, let alone as "God's man," the revealed and anointed one, the deliverer "appointed… in Jesus' name." This person, however, discerns that "THE DONALD" is "God's pick." He is the Good Lord's good man for this time. In fact, he is "sooo God."
I will give one more example of this thinking.
Another such pro-life evangelical, who I'll call "Carol," emailed me on March 31, After denouncing me as an "establishment GOP/RNC type" (I've been a conservative longer than her and absolutely longer than the Donald), she asked rhetorically, "The question is not whether Mr. Donald Trump is capable of being the American President… the question is, will the religious become faith filled again instead of religious and trust Christ for the answer?" She concluded her passionate defense of the anointed Donald by quoting from the Book of Revelation.
Alas, where to go with this? What can I say? Really, little needs to be said. But I'll conclude with this.
Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Christians, this is insanity -- misguided sentimentality at best, hysterical blasphemy at worst. Okay, I realize that some of you like Donald Trump. I can't comprehend it, but I see it. Got it. But please, I beg you, literally in the name of God, please stop comparing your Donald to Jesus Christ or invoking him as some sort of political Messiah or some form of God's chosen one.
We didn't like it when secular liberals were engaging in their Obama worship. This is just as bad. I thought people on our side were smarter than this, and certainly more grounded in their faith. Enough is enough.
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