First a note: I know not all Trump voters are the same. Some voted for him in the primaries, and they should bow and repent. I am serious. Some voted for him because he won the GOP nomination for some insane reason. Some voted for him reluctantly in hopes to stop Hillary from winning. Some cheerfully and gleefully voted for him in the general election. They also should repent. Not all Trump voters defend everything about him, but most don't want him criticized....which is unfair if they criticized Obama and had no problem with him being criticized...... but I digress. The point of my note is that I know not all Trump supporters are gaga over everything he does, and does not support everything he has done and said.
This post is aimed at those who feel they must defend and excuse everything the man does.
Note 2: I criticized Obama for 8 years, saying very harsh things about him. No one took issue with it. I don't think he did anything I agreed with, and consider him to be the worst president ever, and believe he hates America and white people. Trump has done some good - and bad - has kept a few promises and broken a few. Obama divided this country like it has not been for years, while Trump has divided the Republican party and Christians...... and I find myself disliking Trump more. When Obama was president, I could criticize him without people harping at me. I didn't have countless people posting countless pro-Obama stuff.....but I do have that with Trump. I weary of this attitude that I can only criticize presidents that are Democrats.
Donald Trump is an enigma. For years, he supported liberals and their causes with his money and in other ways. He fought the Tea Party and helped put our country in the mess it is in with his contributions to and support of the liberals who fight against our freedoms. He has been great friends with the Clintons for years, and trashed the women that came out with sexual allegations against Bill. He said that Hillary Clinton would make a great president. Every position conservatives are for, he was against...... and every position we are against, he has been for. He said Planned Parenthood did a lot of good. He promised to further gay rights. He was for people using whatever bathroom they wanted. He is vulgar, immoral, committed adultery on at least 2 of his wives and bragged about it. he viciously attacked the conservatives running against him and lied about them, even using a tabloid story one of his buddies published. And more. He is not a good man, nor is he a nice man.
And the party that is the party of conservative Christians, that is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and the party that has suffered from policies Trump helped liberals put in..... this same party picked this man over several decent, good, and Christian candidates. I still cannot wrap my head around it. There is nothing about Donald Trump that should attract Christians to him, yet many act like he is a Messiah, going beyond how insane Obama supporters acted with their worship and over the top adulation of that man.
Matt Walsh put it well recently in light of the Stormy scandal: Suddenly Christians don't care about adultery, and liberals do.
There is a segment of Trump supporters who will defend and support anything the man does.....even things they would fight were he still a Democrat.
It was bad for the Obamas to cost us so much in vacations, but OK for the Trumps.
It was bad for Obama to golf so much, but OK for Trump to.
It was bad for Obama to bully people on Twitter and act like an immature brat, but OK for Trump to.
Immorality by a Democrat: bad. By Trump? How dare you judge the man?!
I honestly believe we have lost our right to outrage and to be offended by immorality by picking this man, and then by defending the things in him that so many conservatives and Christians are defending and excusing.
There is something specific that brought on this blog post. A few weeks ago I posted a meme that had Trump blasting Trump jr. for his adultery, and asked where he got such a stupid idea. Jr replied "from you." A very conservative pastor's wife who won't even watch movies and TV because of the violence, vulgarity, and immorality jumped on me and posted "He who is without sin, cast the first stone." Let me tell you something about this lady: some years back, her son's first wife cheated on him and committed adultery. Now be honest here: If someone to this day criticizes her former daughter-in-law for cheating on her son, do you think she is going to chirp "He who is without sin, cast the first stone?" No way, Jose'. Even if she has forgiven that woman, she is not going to defend her adultery.......she very likely will criticize her, and rightly so.......yet she doesn't want Trump's adultery brought up.
We cannot stand against issues and sins in one party, then suddenly be OK and defend them in a man who runs and wins in our party........but that is exactly what this Trump version of Christianity is doing that so many of his supporters possess. As Christians, we are either against immorality, bullying, adultery, vulgarity, arrogance, narcissism, etc..... or we are not. We can't take issue with these things in Democrats, then suddenly be OK with them and tell people not to judge, and quote verses like my friend did to me.
I quipped recently that if Trump decided he was gay and married another man, many Christians who support him would suddenly be OK with homosexuality and gay marriage........ and that is sadly most likely true.
We have blurred and merged Christianity and politics. If you are a Christian, you must vote for the Republican candidate..... no matter how bad they are, and no matter how strongly you feel you should not and cannot. Party above all,including God, convictions, and doing right.
It is possible to support policies a president has and things he does, and not defend the bad...... and there is a lot of bad in Trump.
The Bible commands us to do and be a lot of things: kind, loving, gentle, and more. We are to abhor evil and injustice. If it is wrong for us to act like Trump does and do some of the things he does, then it is wrong for us to like and defend those things.
I saw a statement somewhere this week that said Christians are trying to sanitize Donald Trump..... but it won't work. The man is corrupt and immoral to the core, and he will never change. Oh, I know..... he is supposedly a Christian. Well, Hillary supposedly is, and that idea was mocked and rightly so..... and so should the claims that Trump is.
Christians should be horrified by the Stormy Daniels scandal, but most are either ignoring or defending it. Now imagine if it was Bill Clinton or some other Democrat... Sean Hannity would be having her on his show. Limbaugh would be cheering her on and defending her. Fox News would have her on 24/7.......but since it is Donald Trump, Christian Trump supporters don't care. But Bill Clinton.........
I am far from perfect. I grew up in the church struggling with same-sex attractions, and had no clue how to deal with them. I attended a very conservative church where even listening to Southern Gospel music was condemned by many, not to mention country music, TV, and movies. I never fit in. All of those perfect people.... and me, with my deep, dark secret. I did things I am not proud of, and wondered if God could ever love and forgive me.
I heard the cruel and mocking comments from those in my church circle, some from people in my own church. I worked hard to keep my secret, often lying about why I wasn't dating or married to satisfy people who seemed to have an undying desire to know. I feared judgment and being ostracized.
And then I decided I didn't care. It was a long and winding journey to get to that point, but I realized the people who truly love me, will accept me and not fear they will catch it from me. Things didn't seem to change much. There was no line at my door of people wanting to be my friend and hang out..... but there wasn't before either......... but I did find it freeing. I honestly didn't care who knew anymore, and didn't carry around that fear. I didn't have to sit in the pew and struggle silently anymore.
And I began to change in other ways.
At some point I realized the church was expecting more of me than God Himself. I realized it was OK to disagree with my church on some things, and that I didn't have to do everything the church said to follow Jesus. I didn't change anything too major, but I began looking to God for my beliefs.... not my church and tradition.
I was doing very well, until this election. I naively took the stance that I thought my ultra conservative church would take...... and I was wrong. I took a lot of heat, had people in my own church do what I call outright lying, and began to watch many defend and excuse behaviors and sins in this man that Christians should have been cringing at and fleeing.
It shook my faith hard. Harder than anyone would understand. Maybe. I recently sat across from someone who will remain nameless, that many who read this blog know well. He voted reluctantly for Trump, and he got it when I shared what a difficult time I am still having with this defense and excusing of Trump's behaviors and sins. I was half expecting him to disagree, but he didn't. He told me he has been shocked at what Christians accept and defend in Donald Trump.
I have wondered something: I am not planning on doing it, but what if I decided against this lonely celibate life of a same-sex attracted guy, and jumped into the gay lifestyle..... got a boyfriend, and lived that life. Would the same Christians defending and excusing Trump's adultery and immorality accept and defend mine? Of course not. They still hate that sin, and still find anyone doing it the worst of sinners.
You cannot defend Trump's adultery and immorality and say it doesn't matter, and then take a stand against homosexuality. That is inconsistent and makes you a hypocrite and having a double standard.
During the election, a couple of atheist friends of a friend of mine said they never wanted to hear Christians talk about morality again......and they have a good point. By nominating and electing Donald Trump...... and by this continuing feverish defense of everything the man has done and said and is doing and saying, we have shown we are no better than those we have stood against and fought before Donald Trump came along.
Support and defend the man you voted for when he does something right.... but please in the name of all that is good, don't defend the bad. You are making Christianity look bad, whether you want to admit it or not.
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