Why do so many evangelical Christians support former President Donald Trump despite his decades of documented ungodly behavior?
An in-depth report from The Economist shows that it has a simple explanation: They believe that God personally appointed him to rule the United States.
In fact, the report cites a survey conducted by Denison University political scientist Paul Djupe that around 30 percent of Americans believe Trump “was anointed by God to become president.”
Was talking to my masseuse and when she heard I went to catholic school, she asked “so you’ve read the whole Bible prolly right?” And I was like…“ya, more than once. Is that not common for your side of the aisle?” She just chuckled. She is by no means a fervent believer, but her circle is and she still found it uncommon that I read it.
Not all Protestant denominations are guilty of this, but a huge number of them are basically just cults of personality that follow the guy who stands up on the podium and tells them who and what to hate.
As a kid I actually read the Bible. And found outright contradictions all over the place, either within the text itself, or with what was espoused by the Pastors.
Then, the logic they used to justify some views on why to follow or not follow some verse was contradictory and didnt make any sense itself.
Lots of people are unaware that the Bible actually condones abortion and explains how and when to perform it.
Oh and my favorite, none of us are supposed to be wearing mixed, hybrid fabrics in out clothes.
Or get tattoos.
Jesus does say we are not supposed to change one jot nor one tittle from the Old Testament, so all that stuff is still in play.
all that stuff is still in play
Not really, at least not in the sense of needing to follow the commandments and whatnot given to ancient Jews. Jesus came to fulfill the law, that means the law that existed is still important for edification, but he established a new law to take its place.
So the value of the old testament is mostly to understand how God delivered his people and expects obedience. Jesus has the same message, but the new law is simpler:
- Love God
- Love your neighbor
There are some new observances expected (e.g. baptism, taking the bread and wine, etc), but those are merely part of the two great laws (you’ll obey God if you love him, you won’t kill a neighbor you love, etc).
The old laws of sacrifice, passover observance, etc are all fulfilled and replaced with a simpler law, which is possible because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The old law isn’t changed, it’s replaced in it’s entirety.
That said, there are additional proscriptions in the new testament, such as obesity, drunkenness, etc (see 1 Cor. 6:12-20) because your body is a temple. But again, that circles back to the first law, God gave you your body, and mistreating it disrespects him (e.g. how would you feel if you gave a gift to a friend and they destroyed it?).
Jesus doesn’t seem to expect the old law to be enforced (see the prostitute that Jesus forgave instead of carrying out the Jewish law of stoning), but instead replaces it with a more flexible law, but that law carries greater personal responsibility because you’re judged by your intent, not the actions themselves.
A lot of denominations just skip to the interesting parts, like pulling random verses to demonize their enemies and justify their actions. That misses the whole point since the entire gospel is about love to God and your fellow man.
