TRUMP REVEALS HYPOCRISY

We hear a lot about the "war on Christianity."  Frankly, I don’t believe there is any war on Christianity in the United States.  Unfortunately, however, I think there may be a mass defection from organized religion.  It seems many churches are in trouble, and there are fewer and fewer in regular attendance in churches which represent organized religions. 

Politicians like Ted Cruz keep emphasizing and relying on the fact there are millions of Evangelical Christians out there whom he believes could unite and carry the day in almost any national election.  However,  it seems the current presidential election is revealing some startling facts about the so-called Religious Right.  It appears they may be right of center, but not so religious.  Donald Trump continues to boast about the large percentage of Evangelicals who are supporting him and helping him close in on Ted Cruz, even in Iowa.  He then bested Cruz in South Carolina where the Evangelical vote was supposed to be very close, or carry Cruz to a victory. 

The startling thing about Trump’s apparent support from those claiming to be Evangelical Christians is how they could do so and still remain true to their faith.  It seems only a short time ago that any politician with the “warts” that are on Trump would not even get out of the starting blocks in a contested race.  Trump has flouted traditional Christian standards in multiple ways, and yet still claims a substantial amount of support from so-called Christians.  Trump boasts in his autobiography of having numerous affairs with women who were married, of having a child out of wedlock, and marrying for a third time.  Even more revealing is Trump's failure to reveal his favorite passage in the Bible, which he claims he loves so dearly, on the grounds that it is very personal to him and not to be revealed.  I suppose he has overlooked all the chapters about witnessing your faith.  

The saying goes that all the world loves a righteous man but loves a repentant sinner better.  That is probably true because most of us can more readily identify with the repentant sinner than with one who parades his righteousness.  The scary thing about Trump, however, is he apparently is a sinner but not repentant.  When asked if he ever has asked God for forgiveness, Trump is evasive, and basically has said he didn’t feel the need to do so.

I confess I have written much about hypocrisy.  I will also confess there is enough hypocrisy to go around in both major political parties.  While most politicians tout their religiosity and boast of their good qualities, it looks as though many of our better individual qualities and better tendencies as a nation go unpracticed.  While it is often said we are a Judeo/Christian nation, how is it then that we continue to allow children in this nation to go to bed hungry? or allow babies to go without adequate medical care in a nation of plenty?  How can we, or a substantial portion of us, appear to flock to a candidate who has forgotten “love thy neighbor” and instead would substitute “watch thy neighbor”?  

If we are truly a nation of deep-seeded Christian beliefs, we should do better than endorse politicians who, to all appearances, confuse good policy with nasty rhetoric.  Unfortunately, both parties are reaping what they have sown–one party too dependent on government to do what we as individual caring people should do, and the other party too ready to turn their backs on those less fortunate and in need. 

  

It appears some so-called evangelistic people who boast of their Christianity are more dedicated to right wing politics than they are to following Christian teachings.

While I do not believe there is a threat to real Christianity in America as long as we have our constitutional protections for religion, I do fear for the Christian movement based on defections from within.  Unfortunately, the main thing that clearly comes across when assessing the large support of so called Evangelicals for Donald Trump, with all we know of him, is that there is a vast movement in this country of religious hypocrites.