What to do with the worshipers of the false idol of Donald J. Trump.
Thomas Geoghegan was written an article entitled “Leviathan” which is published in the April, 2024 issue of Commonweal magazine. The subtitle of the article is “How Trump liberated the religious Right from religion.” Geoghegan writes:
Erik Erikson’s classic religious study, Young Man Luther, argues that a new religious leader can arise by working out an identity crisis in the culture. Of course, Trump is no Luther, and he is certainly not working through any religious crisis of his own. But his cult ends the embarrassment of following Jesus, of taking as a model someone whose mission ended in failure, and whom Trump would call a loser. Instead of following Jesus the loser, Trump’s followers seek someone who can win “bigly,” and claim to have won even when he’s lost. It’s in Trump’s interest that his supporters leave the churches. Doing so strips them of even the small social capital that comes from attending church. He wants them isolated, with no connection to each other, and with no trust in anyone but him.
Further, Geoghegan writes:
Now that Trump himself has become a kind of religious leader, he is liquidating the authority of Evangelical ministers. There is no longer any need for them, as they merely offer more secular political ideology, and as Trumpism itself has become more like a real religion. The secular Left may take satisfaction in Trump wiping out the churches, but they shouldn’t: Trump grows stronger by atomizing everything around him and leaving his supporters with no alternative to him. This makes him a bigger threat.
In case you missed it, Donald Trump has published his own edition of the Bible which at Easter time he started marketing for $60.00.
Many people have observed that many so called Christians don’t follow the teachings of Jesus and even more concerning don’t seem to understand the most basic principles of His teachings like caring for the poor, being kind to immigrants, and most fundamentally loving not hating one’s enemies. Being alienated from the fundamental teachings of Jesus it is easy for people to attach themselves to a false leader, an idol.
Church attendance in mainline Christian churches is falling precipitously in the last few decades and people report increasingly that while they are spiritual they are not religious. This raises interesting questions about where these disenchanted people turn for fellowship? The answer is no where and that is why there is concerns about an epidemic of loneliness in the United States especially among middle aged members of the society. It is understandable how all these lonely people turn to Trumpism and QAnon to provide a sense of belonging.
More than ever there is a need for people who actually understand and follow the teachings of Jesus to reach out to the Trumpers and people caught up in conspiracy theories and let them know that while we may not agree with their beliefs we love them and want to hold them in fellowship with us. All we can do is offer them love. Whether they accept or not is not under our control.