"There are plenty of reasons to not like Donald Trump if you're a liberal like I am, but I'm especially confused by the fact that he has so much support in evangelical circles.
Here's just a brief rundown of what he's done in terms of religion recently:
-- He said he doesn't ask God for forgiveness if he makes a mistake. He just tries to fix the problem himself. I love that answer as an atheist, but if you're Christian, asking God for forgiveness is a big deal!
-- He atoned for that comment by saying he always eats the "little cracker" as if that should count for something. I mean, he called a communion wafer a "little cracker."
-- He uses mild swears in his speeches, like "damn" and "hell." Again, I don't mind, but you'd think evangelical Christians would.
-- He claimed that his book The Art of the Deal was only his second favorite book because the first was the Bible. "Nothing beats the Bible." He says that line all the time now because he knows it gets applause. I just don't buy the sincerity of it.
-- Trump was asked about his favorite Bible verse, and he said it was personal. Like he was offended by the question. I'm surprised he go all Sarah Palin and just say "all of them"
-- When he was asked if he's an Old Testament or New Testament kind of guy, he said, "Probably equal." What sort of answer is that? The answer is the New Testament! That's the one with Jesus!
So Trump isn't your typical evangelical Christian favorite. He's so obviously pandering to them by saying a few buzzwords... and they're totally falling for it.
That has to infuriate guys like Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. They have been courting the Christian vote their entire careers, and Trump comes in, says I love the Bible, gives a thumbs up, and evangelicals are swarming around him!
It shouldn't make any sense!
What's also amazing is that Trump doesn't seem to match supposed evangelical ethics in any real way.
He says horrible things about immigrants, he reduces women down to their looks, he's been married multiple times, he's obviously greedy, he's thinks everything is all about him, not Him.
But they don't seem to care.
I think they're just so desperate to back a winner, that they'll go after any bone a Republican front-runner will throw their way.
It seems like what evangelicals want isn't someone who agrees with their values. It's someone who will pander to them while demonizing everyone they don't like.
If you think about it, that is what evangelicals do, isn't it? They just love tearing into people who don't agree with them.
They talk about how their God is all about love... then use the Bible to discriminate against LGBT people.
They talk about helping the less fortunate, but they allow megachurch pastors to make millions of dollars with no transparency whatsoever and they support politicians who oppose minimum wage increases and who want to overhaul the welfare system.
They claim to be pro-life but they supported George W. Bush, who took us to war.
Evangelicals tend to be all talk. They love chatting up how great they are. But in practice, we see the horrible consequences of their beliefs.
They'll even file lawsuits in order to keep discriminating against people.
So I guess in a way, it does make sense that they support Donald Trump.
Mike Huckabee had it all wrong; they weren't looking for someone who embodies their values and speaks their language.
They were looking for someone who's as big of a hypocrite as so many of them are."
https://youtu.be/pEpnwxC1DeU
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