“And God Said It Was So”: Donald Trump Is the Spittin’ Image of Bad Theology by Carol P. Christ

Carol P. Christ by Michael Bakas high resoultionI try very hard this election season to avoid reading about, watching, or listening to Donald Trump: the man is a liar, a cheat, a bully, a narcissist, a racist, a sexist, the list goes on. Yet even progressive commentators are talking almost exclusively about him. And now I am joining them–despite my best intentions.

Reflecting on why facts seem to matter so little to Trump, Patricia J. Williams characterizes his campaign as an exercise in one-way communication:

Freedom of expression is reduced to an arbitrary insistence upon one-way communication, a barked order. Making America “great again,” by this measure, is a command, not a hope. . . This assumption—the belief that communication flows in one direction only, that it is the role of some to speak and others only to listen—is a paradox that stifles rather than encourages debate.

On recent episode of All In, Chris Hayes played a clip in which Donald Trump was asked how he felt about his insistence that Barack Obama was born in Africa now that the President’s birth in Hawaii is a matter of public record. Trump responded, “A lot of people don’t agree with you on that.” In other words the truth does not matter!

Polls show that white men without a college education are Trump’s strongest supporters. Let’s be truthful here: white married women, especially those without college degrees, also support Trump. It is becoming increasingly clear (to me at least) that these men and their wives care about very little else other than the fact that Trump projects an image of white male power.

They don’t care if he has stolen money from white working men or whether he likes Putin. They don’t care if he cheated on his taxes or if he intends to provide tax breaks for the rich. They don’t care if he sexually harasses women or raped his former wife. They don’t care if he was prosecuted by the Nixon administration for discriminating against black people. They don’t care if his wife posed nude or was an illegal immigrant. There is only one fact that matters:

Donald Trump is white, male, and powerful, and he stands up against anyone who would challenge the right of powerful white males to rule the world.

Many of Trump’s strongest supporters are conservative Christians. Journalists puzzle about this, given that Trump’s lifestyle–including partying with underage girls while married–flies in the face of the conservative Christian moral code. It has been suggested that Trump’s supporters ignore that fact that he does not share their theology. But what if he does?

What if the main thing Trump and his supporters share is a very bad theology in which an omnipotent God created the world by fiat, created powerful white males in his image, told them that their word is law and that like God, they can do what they like without listening to or sharing power with anyone else. The idea that America is destined to rule the world is a simple corollary to this premise.

The white men who support Donald Trump are not, for the most part, economically powerful: nonetheless, like Trump, they assume that as white and male, they are meant to rule the roost. We can be certain that they are the kind of husbands and fathers who tell their wives and children how to behave. The white women in these families learn that women must do what men tell them to do. (I know this: I grew up in such a family. Because I refused to conform, I was viewed as a trouble-maker.) For these white men, Christian values mean that they are the chosen ones: women, minorities, and those who are not Christian need not apply.

Donald Trump is the image of the omnipotent God. The men who support him are affirming their right to rule in his image. Very little else matters to them. This view is rooted in theology—very bad theology, but theology nonetheless.

And this is why theology matters!

Good theology is discussed in the newly published Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology by Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow–order now. Ask for a review copy (for blog or print) or exam or desk copy.

Listen to Judith and Carol’s first interview on the book on Northern Spirit Radio.

Carol P. Christ leads the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete. Space is available on the fall tour October 1-15. Join now and save $150. With Judith Plaskow, she is co-editor of Womanspirit Rising and Weaving the Visions. Carol wrote the first Goddess feminist theology, Rebirth of the Goddess and the process feminist theology, She Who Changes.

 

Author: Carol P. Christ

Carol P. Christ is a leading feminist historian of religion and theologian who leads the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete, a life transforming tour for women. www.goddessariadne.org

90 thoughts on ““And God Said It Was So”: Donald Trump Is the Spittin’ Image of Bad Theology by Carol P. Christ”

  2. This has really been concerning me too. Trump has been very present on the Canadian news and current affairs shows; not a day goes past when he hasn’t been featured on both. Negative comments (from my point of view) but clearly playing to his support base. But be careful what you wish for. Hillary is now the lead in the news, but in a way that is more helpful to him than to her (although he is older than she is!).

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  3. Brava! You’ve got it right. It suddenly occurs to me to wonder if The Donald and his supporters also believe the world is flat. I bet he’s the god that created the flat world. This is the scariest election ever. Does anybody else think it’s worse than Watergate? Indeed, how would we survive if he were elected??

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    1. The thing is they believe what they want to believe. They have already determined that science is wrong and the press is wrong and elite academic types are wrong. What they think is what is right and what is true.

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    2. You people are hysterical in your misguided view of the world and men, like Donald Trump, in particular. You appear to be baby boomers, just as I am, and yet your views are so contorted by radical, second-wave feminism that you can’t see the forest for the trees. This routinely happened to women our age, who substituted the ideology of radical feminism for the tenets of their Christian faith while in college. This regrettable set of circumstances has left millions of older feminists afraid, lonely and still searching for the bogeyman feminism promised, but has failed to deliver! There are NO male, chauvinist bogeymen! It’s just a scam to keep you in the fold, and harping, until it’s too late for you to retrace your steps…. Compared to Hillary, Trump is a saint and to think otherwise, denies the FACTS, the TRUTH about Clinton. And this is a perfect example of why feminism is not the holy grail, but instead, is a vicious ideology that deprives women of the love, comfort and devotion they deserve because it creates hateful, bitter, sarcastic, crude, rude, misinformed, obnoxious, irrational, unloveable women, who infuriate and repel normal people, with their egocentric, selfish, know-it-all, all-about-me, look-at-me BITCHING. NOTHING’S ever good enough for this type of demanding woman and so, at the end of her life, her feminist reward is that she can look back, and reflect on her “achievements”, to see that she’s left with NOTHING too. What a total WASTE of good womenhood.

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  4. I mostly agree with you, Carol. But I think it’s a little more complicated than that. I heard a very interesting interview that Terry Gross did with a guy who calls himself a “hillbilly” from Appalachia (who got out and got a Ph.D. but remains conservative). Although the author Terry interviewed is against Trump, all of his family back home support the Donald. According to this man, it’s because they can relate to him, that he talks like they do, that he’s one of them (so ironic, given his billionaire status, etc.). He’s not a Washington wonk. In other words, Trump’s popularity has to do with American anti-intellectualism. Having grown up in a small Republican town, I know this part of our American culture first-hand. It’s dangerous, just like the bad theology you describe.

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    1. I read something by that guy too. I know that kind of person as well. I think there is often a connection between Christian fundamentalism and anti-intellectualism. After all, if God created the world in 6 days then all the intellectuals and scientists are wrong. Also, I would say that the idea of divine fiat-omnipotence and passing it on to white men is so much part of the culture that it doesn’t have to be articulated.

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      1. Christian fundamentalism, as do all forms of religious fundamentalisms, depend on a denial of proven fact in order to maintain what they’re told they must believe in order to be saved. I grew up in it, I reject it as a way of truth, even as I was chastized for increasing my own education. Fundamentalism depends on ignorance in order to thrive, and is the basis for all the anti-intellectual, anti-education forces that have gotten control of so many local school boards in our country. Those who learn are more likely to leave fundamentalism, and are accused of having “lost their faith.” In my case, I found faith only after I left indoctrination.

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    2. NANCY – WELL SAID. Trump relates to we ‘ordinary,run of the mill’ people that are sick and tired of corrupt government no matter where a person lives – government is government and FOR THEMSELVES, NOT THE TAX PAYING CITIZENS who are paying the bills and their exhorbitant salaries while the very people who pay the bills go hungry and/or go without healthcare and fund someones so called Foundation?

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  5. Maybe part of the solution is to work hard for the saner candidate and ignore DT. The more attention he gets, the more people think of him. He reminds me of a dog that keeps jumping up on people for attention. Even scolding and punishing is attention.

    But it is a fascinating study in people and society. Scary, but fascinating. And I keep thinking of the post about national myths.

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  6. “Polls show that white men without a college education are Trump’s strongest supporters. Let’s be truthful here: white married women, especially those without college degrees, also support Trump. It is becoming increasingly clear (to me at least) that these men and their wives care about very little else other than the fact that Trump projects an image of white male power”

    I find the tone of your blog today offensive. I have all of the characteristics you and the pollsters label as a Trump supporter. You could not be more wrong. The blanket statements made here reflect an intellectual superiority that surprises me. Bad theology? No. His angry supporters are willing to buy into lies and hate. Theology has nothing to do with this debacle.

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    1. “In the two-way contest for support, white men with no college experience back Trump over Clinton, 57 percent to 32 percent; for white women, 53 percent to 34 percent.” http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-09-08/trump-beats-clinton-least-educated-whites

      This is not to say that all white people without college degrees support Trump, only that they are more statistically likely to do so.

      I have also been somewhat disconcerted as a white woman to learn white women as a group tend to vote Republican, because I am part of that group, even though I do not vote Republican. Breaking it down, white women who are married are the ones most likely to vote Republican.

      It is hard to write without offending someone, but I am sorry I offended you, Roxanne.

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    2. I agree with you Roxanne, that angry supporters are buying into Trump’s lies and hate. The question is why? Many of these angry supporters consider themselves to be good Christians, so I am not sure that theology has nothing to do with it.

      For example, those who believe that God created the world in 6 days and that evolution is false, must deny the “facts” that science presents. This mindset could lead them to deny a lot of other facts as well.

      I don’t believe science has all the answers, but I am not interested in denying evolution.

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      1. We’ve certainly seen bad theology in the recent past. LGBT rights put hate filled Christianity in war mode. We can agree some of those same people are waving Trump signs now. They are joined by a large population of voters with no theology. So be it.

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    3. You are quite right to object ,there is a curious belief that education is the solution to all our problems. Many highly educated men and women are members of the Islamic State. I might add that the intelligent can and do succumb to the propaganda of fundamentalism. The driving force behind Trumpism is selfishness and the migrant crisis has accentuated the swing to the right across the civilised world.

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  7. Oddly I just tried to “share” this post on facebook and it was rejected,saying it contained material that could be considered offensive to some people. So goes the world of white male domination.

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      4. Thanks for this post, Carol. I just copied the link and pasted on FB and it worked fine. My extreme frustration with media coverage of the Trump campaign is the seriousness with which the media treats this racist candidate’s every utterance. Even Charlie Rose and Bob Costa last night on “Charlie Rose This Week” were engaged in earnestly trying to deconstruct DT’s intent in starting the birther “show me your papers” abomination. Really? This needs more analysis? Bob Costa said he found that DT was really “interested” in the issue. The media would not cover the mad man with the sign at the street corner saying “The End is Near.” DT is not a whit more deserving of the slavish, serious coverage they give him. The intellectual prostitution by journalists one expects more from is horrible to watch as is the craven submission to the pursuit of ratings on which ad income is predicated. And I became an American last year in order to be able to vote after 15 years in this country and 21 years married to an American. What a year to cast my first vote! I was an ardent Bernie supporter but he did not make it. HRC does not make it easy to be enthusiastic , but I try every day to do something to win a vote for her. It is too frightening to contemplate the alternative.
        Thanks again, Carol.

        Dawn

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  8. From what I’ve heard from Trump (usually can’t listen for more than a minute), and about him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t follow any religion. Re: his link to fundamentalism, I think he is trying to get their votes. I think don’t think he cares what their beliefs are and will say anything just to get their votes (similar to when he visited the African-American church).

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  9. FYI, I found this article via Facebook, posted by The God Article, a progressive Christian group. I think one of your statements can summarize Donald Trump’s campaign in a nutshell:
    Donald Trump is white, male, and powerful, and he stands up against anyone who would challenge the right of powerful white males to rule the world.

    Now, as an African-American, multiracial, highly-educated, born-again Christian woman (but never a right-wing Republican) from Queens, NY who has read many online articles about Trump, I can tell you that many conservatives and many evangelical Christians and other Christians are turned off to Trump, his policies, and his failings of character. Unfortunately, quite a few Christians, including a few in or formerly in my church, are on his side, I suspect for the reasons you stated. Fortunately, many of my churchmates are firmly against him. My pastors intend to preach about the political climate, without backing any particular candidate, in October.

    Donald Trump stands against many things that Jesus and the Bible preach about. Trump wants to build a wall against Mexico and deport thousands of immigrants, which flies in the face of Leviticus 19:33-34:
    “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

    Donald Trump has bankrupted his companies four times, cheating his creditors and his employees. He created the fraudulent Trump University, cheating his customers. He flies off the handle at criticism and readily insults anyone who disagrees with him, which is against the Bible’s call for patience, mercy, and respect. He has made fun of a disabled person. Trump has married three times,. cheated on his wives, and had numerous affairs (and he blames Hillary for not controlling Bill!). His desire to ban Muslims from entering the USA frighteningly echoes Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jews. He is careless about foreign policy, foreign alliances, war, and nuclear weapons. As a Christian, I wonder if Trump will help usher in the Apocalypse.

    He relies on racial stereotypes to rally those people, particularly whites, who suffer from the current economic inequality as all of the “99 percent” do, but would rather rail against some convenient vulnerable scapegoat (Mexicans, Muslims, people of color) than to confront the rich and powerful. They want to join the rich and powerful!

    Well, I apologize for ranting for so long. But I just want to say that although Donald Trump has captured the support of some conservative evangelical Christians, not all conservatives, evangelicals, or Christians support him. Many are turning their backs on him or even actively fighting against him. They see that a Trump Presidency would be disastrous for the dissidents and the marginalized, and may even be a threat to America itself and to the world.

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    1. . . .but would rather rail against some convenient vulnerable scapegoat (Mexicans, Muslims, people of color) than to confront the rich and powerful. They want to join the rich and powerful!

      Love that last line!

      Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Carol,
    As others have voiced, you certainly nailed the pathology behind Trump and his male/female supporters. I would love to see this reposted on something like Huffington Post, something beyond our tribe of readers perhaps. It’s really quite good and necessary for our times. Here is the link to HP:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/contact/
    Thanks for articulating one of the many Trumpisms.

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  11. Reading this made me think about the runaway success of Fifty Shades of Grey. These toxic scripts go deep, deep in the dominant culture. Theology is relevant, as Carol says, and so is history, the archaeological layers of how the genuflection to these authoritarian patriarchs was (and is) constructed. People have been emotionally magnetized to it, conditioned to accept it.

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    1. I think you will find that Charles Darwin had a very low opinion of women’s capabilities which he outlines in ‘ The Descent of Man’. Now Darwin was not being sexist he was merely stating what he saw as evolutionary evidence. Today’s world is a very different one strength and hunting abilities no longer matter so by a long slow process women have closed the gap they are now just as useful as men. Naturally we now have a a discrimination in brains those who are smarter get higher up the financial ladder.

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      1. Darwin’s interpretation of evolutionary evidence *was* sexist, by any definition of the word. And his sexism occluded his view of the status of women in hunt-gather societies, about which he was not well-informed. A large number of anthropologists are of the opinion that women had more freedom in those foraging societies than in the class-stratified agricultural ones. Women have always been “as useful as men,” in fact more so; it is women who hold up the foundation and do the most work.

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      2. By the term useful I do not imply useful to men but useful to progress. Steven Pinker points out that we have less conflict not because we are more peaceable but because conflict prevents progress. Up until quite recent times men dominated women but now it is holding up progress the practice is slowly dying out. What counts now is brain power not muscle power. We will be ruled by brains and we may well see moves towards eugenics in this area. Morals may prevent the elimination of low IQ persons but I have my doubts for we are largely ruled by ambition at all costs.

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    2. Barbara Cooper: “I wonder how many Fundamentalist Christians support Trump because of their belief in a “Second Coming” and see him as part of some prophecy?”

      Jesus might have something to say about that. I might be taking this Scripture out of context, but it might apply to those who do evil things in order to bring about the end of the world.

      Matthew 18:6-7 (NIV)
      6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

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      1. Trump is courting the Christian vote beyond doubt but then who can define the label Christian or any other label come to that . They come in every shape sex colour and denomination ‘ what’s in a name ‘?

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  14. I don’t disagree with you at all and I want to add another element. Bessel Van Der Kolk (The Body Keeps Score) says that 75% of Americans are traumatized. That bad theology you talk about is traumatizing to the human psyche (which needs belonging to thrive (see Brene Brown) and trauma locks fear in as the primary response to the world. Trauma is self replicating viscious cycle and I think it also plays a huge role in this election and the current state of the union. White men are dying younger now, have higher levels of drug addiction and lower economic status (as many of Trumps supporters are) includes a whole lot of stress. This group is also largely uneducated and that also includes no emotional education. The kind of intelligence that helps people make better decisions is emotional intelligence and yet we live in an extremely emotionally ignorant culture. Basically the only thing white men ever had going for them (after being traumatized as children) was their dominant position and feeling included in the same group as the ruling class. Now, add to that how attention spans are reduced (even seeing this trend in myself) with the onset of social media and sound bites, etc etc. There are many many factors at play here, but I think it is very important to look at the impact of trauma and I think trauma is a huge marker of patriarchal society and also one of the ways that patriarchy perpetuates itself.

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    2. I think you mean survival of the fittest and in modern society that means earning capacity. Intelligence and the good luck to born into a rich country are big factors. The world is , and has always been, a pyramid of wealth. Men and women climb it by hook or by crook. There are millions in India who defecate outside while heart transplants are taking place in rich nations. Billions of dollars are being spent on going to Mars while we face an antibiotic apocalypse.

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  16. Hi Carol and now share with us what you really feel about trump. I am glad you changed your mind and decided to write. I needed a head-clearer after inundation by the so-called media. Have a safe trip.

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  17. Dawn, I understand your frustration with the coverage in general by the mass media. There are some exceptions, imo. For example, if you have cable, try watching MSNBC, especially Rachel Maddow (9 p.m ET) and Lawrence O’Donnell (10 p.m. ET). Maddow has been outspoken for a long time. But seems to me O’Donnell has become outspokenly and effectively critical of Trump in the last couple of weeks.

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  19. Thank you so much for writing this post! It is people like you that are helping to spread awareness and shed light on the ignorance right in front of us (that many people refuse to see). This part of the article really hit home:
    “Donald Trump is white, male, and powerful, and he stands up against anyone who would challenge the right of powerful white males to rule the world.”

    I definitely will be sharing this article with my networks!

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  22. 1. I’m an Evangelical Christian Conservative.
    2. I’m pro-life, pro-gun and pro-limited government.
    3. I’m absolutely, 100%, unabashedly, unashamedly and totally opposed to either a Clinton Presidency or a Trump Presidency. As a member of the armed forces, I regard them both as the worst case scenario for my Commander in Chief.
    4. For all of the above stated reasons, I’ve chosen to vote third party in this election. Of all the candidates I’ve looked at, I’ve only been able to find ONE I can morally support. I’m done voting for the “lesser of two evils”, I’m voting with my conscience from here on out, regardless of whether my chosen candidate stands a snowball’s chance or not.

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        1. The whole election is a farce..no one in America wants either..better the devil we know. Let’s face it. He hasn’t done a bad job..not the best but there are far worse.. If only the constitution could change..

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      2. As one who has sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution, someone who has seen life under other governments, and one who has spent a lot of time carefully considering each and every step, my opinion stands. Our best option, as a society, is to stop voting for the lesser of two evils. No matter which way you go, you still get evil. We need to start voting with our conscience and our morals.

        Now, I get what you’re saying, about changing the Constitution, though I’m not sure which changes you’re proposing. However, this is a subject in which I strongly urge caution. Constitutional Conventions are fraught with all kinds of political intrigue and danger. There’s the Law of Unintended Consequences to consider.

        We could initiate one, with one idea in mind, and end up with another. That’s where I have a problem. I strongly believe in these facts:

        1. The Constitution doesn’t grant us a single right. Instead, it guarantees protection of what the Founding Fathers believed were pre- existing natural, God-given rights.

        2. The purpose to the Bill of Rights is to define what the government can and can’t do. It is meant to limit the powers of the government. It wasn’t ever meant to limit the people, or their autonomy.

        3. There are those within our government who would seek to undermine the above stated priciples, and they aren’t above using influence and money to undermine the whole thing.

        As for President Obama, and his performance as a President, I must disagree. He’s done more to undermine the standing of the U.S., within the international community, than anyone else. Not even Bush was as much of an embarrassment.

        A shining example would be Daesh (aka- ISIS). Their Caliph, abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, spent time at the same Theater Internment Facility (Camp Bucca) that I was assigned to; albeit we missed each other by a few years.

        He wouldn’t have had even the sliver of a chance at a single victory, if Obama hadn’t failed at establishing a S.O.F.A. Without that agreement, our forces were required to pull out at the end of 2011. I think it’s safe to say, based on current events, we left way too soon. I do know that we were winning the war, when my unit left.

        This is just one example, out of many. I’ve noted that he certainly has a rather disquieting disconnect with reality, when it comes to the topic of Islam. Personally, I haven’t beem able to determine if it’s cowardice or willful ignorance on his part, but it’s an incredible danger to all of us.

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        1. Am not in defence of Obama, yes you are right. He has had his flaws.
          I know one of his election pledges was to pull out masses of troops from Iraq and Afganistan. Which to some extent he has done.

          The military budget had a huge deficit and it was affecting the US economy. Something in world opinion he has now stabilised.

          Yes, he didn’t see ISIS coming nor Syria coming. Not many people in congress saw that. Staying a bit longer in the Middle East ? I really don’t know.

          Streamlined Guantanamo as promised..approved millions of dollars for Israel and backed them in congress and the Middle East. One of the best obligations he has succeed at.
          So he is not a Islam sympathiser, far from it. He is just probably a peace maker. Some people just don’t like committing to war. Britain followed the same suit.

          Muslims have killed more Muslims than the US and UK put together. It’s time they take responsibility for themselves and stop blaming the West.

          Your experience as you say with the ISIS leader is fascinating. If only you knew the outcome.

          I really respect your opinions and your experience. Stay blessed.

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          1. Yes, he honored his promise to pull troops out by failing to come to a standard Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. As I mentioned, when my unit finished its tour of duty, we were winning the war, on multiple fronts. Of course, Bush was still in office, then. It’s more than clear that our forces were pulled out too soon, and Obama made the final call on that.

            Perhaps it’s ironic that G.W. Bush was right, when he described what would happen if we left too soon. Everything he described has come to pass. Not that I was overly crazy about Bush, but at least he owned his mistakes and bad decisions. Not to mention he unabashedly loves his country.

            There isn’t any reason I can think of why the military budget would have a detrimental effect on the economy. To answer the age old question of what war is good for, it’s good for two things. It drives innovation and it can either build up or destroy an economy.

            As very little of the Global War on Terrorism has been fought on our soil, it would only have a beneficial effect on the economy. Consider how much it costs to equip, feed and train a new Soldier going through Basic Combat Training.

            On average, it costs between $70,000- $100,000 to train an individual Soldier. That covers food, uniforms, gear, weapons, housing, pay, health care, etc.

            Typically speaking, the medical personnel in the hospitals that take care of Basic Trainees will be civilian contractors. The same goes for the staff in the Dining Facilities.

            Most of those contractors are hired from local communities, which is one of the ways money is circulated into the economy. It’s paid to the contractors, who then go spend it in their communities. Makes sense, right?

            None of this takes into account the other civilian staff on military bases, whose job it is to keep the post running. This includes many of the instructors, shop workers, garbage collectors, etc. All of those people who have jobs, because of their local military bases. Seems pretty beneficial to me.

            Then, there are the companies who make money from manufacturing all of our weapons, vehicles, equipment, buildings, etc. Government contracts aren’t cheap, and most of that money goes into the pockets of the people who work for those companies, as well as to the companies who manufacture the supplies they use to do their jobs. All of those people spend their money in their local economies, paying bills, putting food on the table, etc. I’d say that’s rather good for the economy.

            In all, there is an absolutely endless number of companies, from small businesses to major corporations, who benefit hugely from military spending. That’s why I question your assertion that the military budget is harmful to the economy. Those companies must employ people, all of whom must spend money.

            Now, I did mention the effect that war has on innovation. As an example, I’ll go with what I know best, which is emergency trauma.

            Thanks to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been tremendous improvements made in the fields of emergency medicine and burn care. Injured troops on the battlefield are indirectly responsible for the improvements made.

            For example, prior to the wars, the use of tourniquets was actively discouraged, because they were believed to do more harm than good. We now know that they can be left on a casualty for up to six hours, before they cause any tissue damage. It goes without saying, this is of extreme value to the victim of severe trauma to one of their arms or legs.

            Another prime example is computers. Were it not for war, I most likely wouldn’t be typing this out on my phone; which is little more than a pocket-sized computer. Yet, the first computers were developed for war-time applications.

            In the U.S., the first computer was the size of a room and was used to tabulate artillery firing tables during WWII. In the U.K., it was the Turing machine, which was used to break the Nazi Enigma Code.

            As for the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, I question the wisdom of closing it. Why does it exist? Because the people housed in it were considered too dangerous to be housed in a Theater Internment Facility nearby to the people who would try to break them out.

            Not that it matters now. All they have to do is capture one of our deserters, and they’ll have five top commanders returned to them, and they know it. Thanks Taliban for giving us a chance to execute Berghdal as a deserter.

            These are monsters, who have abandoned their humanity, who would kill you without hesitation, and who wouldn’t shed a tear over a single drop of innocent blood.

            Yet, we’re supposed to worry about whether or not they were water boarded? Parenthetically speaking, U.S. military Special Forces troops go through water boarding as part of their training. It isn’t fatal, it just makes the person going through it feel as if they’re about to die.

            I mean, it’s nothing like being burned alive in a cage, drowned in a cage, having your head sawn off, being shot in the back of the head or having your head blasted off by a length of det cord, right?

            Look, I don’t buy that he’s a closeted Muslim. What I do buy is that he has, time and time again, left the American people twisting in the wind, in order to pander to people with proven terrorist links, all while denying that those like al-Qaeda and Daesh are followers of Islam.

            He most certainly sympathizes with them, and the only part that I question is whether his sympathy for them stems from ignorance, stupidity or cowardice. By this point, it has to be one of those three.

            If he’s unwilling to commit himself to war, then he shouldn’t be in the Oval Office. He’s authorized to use our entire nuclear arsenal. If it ever comes to that, God forbid, and he’s unwilling to take that step, then he’s a failure as our President…again.

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          2. What do you think of a flotilla of Russian warships heading to Syria?
            Newspapers here says Russia has killed more civilians than ISIS..
            Am also informed that the 1 billion a day spent on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan during its peak nearly crippled the US economy.. That money now has boosted the economy at home..

            Do you think the current US government didn’t want to commit any mass troops in Syria or Iraq as the presidency nears the end? Hoping the republicans face the commitment or is America just War weary?

            Trump and Russia? It will be fantastic if both powers could unite and spearhead joint exercises against terror..

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  23. After reading your post which I enjoyed very much, I just thought you’d get a kick out of this crazy dream I had about Trump the night before I had surgery.

    I don’t like to share anything political, but this was too bazaar to hold back.

    Its 5:30 am, and I have to get this dream down before I forget it, although I don’t know how anyone could forget this one.

    I was praying to God with my eyes closed and when I was done I opened them and there sat Donald Trump.
    “Hey! Where’s God?” I asked.
    “I fired him,” Trump said.
    “Why?”
    “Because He and His archangels have turned this world to rubble, and I alone am the only one who can fix it, I alone! Listen to me it’s true honest to God. It will be a whole new system when I’m president. Not only will I be in charge of the America, but I’ve decided I want to rule the whole world, and the universe, and I alone am the only one who can do it. I alone! There will be all new generals and archangels, and a new congress too.
    By the way when you wake from your operation don’t be surprised when they hand you a mirror, and you notice your face is orange and your hair looks like mine. When I am elected everyone will be required to do the same so that when they look in the mirror and at each other they will see me and me alone me, me, me, me,” his voice carried on getting louder until it woke me up.

    Tom laughs at me, “no more cheese cake for you before bed,” he says

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  24. I’m afraid that Trump will start WWIII with his mouth alone. I think you are right about everything that you said, but neither Trump nor Hilary are fit to be president. I pray that something major happens and the third party wins, but that is most likely not going to happen.

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  25. I’m watching America from the sidelines..I must say as a country you are at crossroads..Though I don’t understand why Trump is being projected as the bad guy? Doesn’t Clinton have her flaws too?

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  26. My husband and I are VERY different politically. Before the debate he says to me, “I think I’m voting Trump, I do not agree with everything he says but he has some very valid points and ideas for change.” I looked at him and asked what flavor the kool-aid was. Going into the debate I knew my vote was for anyone but Trump or Clinton and this point I think I trust my husbands ex-wife to make a better leader and well…shes sketchy at best.

    Five minutes into the debate I hear my husband say… “Johnson sounds better every minute. I will not be voting for either one of these morons.” YES! My husband did not drink the kool-aid after all!

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  27. This is an amazing post. People so quickly shout “racists, fascists, morons” at Trump supporters, but you’ve acknowledged that we need to go deeper. We need to understand exactly why Trump appeals to these people and how we can deal with that. I’m genuinely worried at the outcome on the 6th November.

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  28. Fundamentalism in Christianity does not exit..I really do not know how the word was formed..As Christians we leave everything to the Lord to Judge and it’s our duty to forgive those who trespass against us. If God or Satan bring Trump to the Helm so be it..but whoever brings him, there has to be a reason and a purpose.. Not my cup of tea though..

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  29. Upon reading your post really send chills my blood. Tbh, why Trump? Is America really lack of very good leaders? Its irony to see Trump being up as potential leaders.

    I just hope he lost.

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  30. I actually admire America right now, people know what they want. In Kenya, many people are so stuck behind with tribalism instead of listening to what other candidates have to say. We are a long way from change.

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  31. Splendid job. This was a honest and direct. Trump is salesman who is only worried about himself. I do not believe he has the country’s best interest in mind.

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  32. In the Declaration of Independence it states that “all men are created equal.” So why is it thought to be a good idea for a wall to be built to separate us from people who we are not better than? I agree that immigration is a growing concern for many, especially for native born citizens who are finding it harder to be employed; however instead of being the “wonderful” people most Americans think themselves to be, why are we cutting ourselves off from a world of famine, poverty, and various other forms of corruption instead of trying to help them?

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  34. “Yet even progressive commentators are talking almost exclusively about him. And now I am joining them–despite my best intentions.” I’ve felt the same way! However, it is better to speak up than not to, so thank you!!

    Conservative Christians are the only ones I know promoting Trump right now. It’s painful to watch, and HIGHLY inconsistent with the concept of a good God. Again, thank you for writing- I look forward to reading more :)

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  36. Great article, you put all those feelings, emotions and anger I have this election in words that express the feelings of many! Has the world gone crazy? The final straw is how most evangicals are standing by this man even with all the solid evidence agaisn’t him….the really scary part though is how someone like him made it this far!!!

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  37. Thanks for putting this in the context of what is really a sort of syncretistic theology. It’s particularly true because the other candidate is, in contrast, a woman. White, yes, but still very much stands against the religion of patriarchy just by virtue of her underling gender.

    I wrote a post about how masculine language for God contributes to sexism, and, I would add after reading your article, how it contributes to the patriarchal religion of this country:

    http://www.mothergodexperiment.com/masculine-only-language-for-god-and-rape-culture/

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    1. Thanks SJM for your words and your essay. You are right that Hillary challenges patriarchy just by being a woman. On the other hand, she supports the military industrial complex and American exceptionalism in foreign policy. Patriarchy is a many headed monster.

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  38. As a white male who is only “coming of age” in his knowledge of both white privilege and male privilege, I appreciate your ability to pin theological thought with political viewpoint. I have had some fruitful, and some very disappointing conversations regarding this years election, and many of them pivot on whether or not that person has rigid hermeneutics in their biblical interpretation or not.

    Thank you for attempting dialogue within religious circles. I pray God’s blessing upon your pursuit of truth and the application of it in this world.

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    1. I agree with you that rigid hermeneutics is part of the problem. If you believe that we all interpret scriptures and traditions from our own standpoints, then you cannot be so certain as to what what the will of God is. And then you have to think twice about imposing your interpretations on others.

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  39. I’m glad you wrote about this, I think it’s very important to speak out against Trump’s supporters who profess misogyny and racism but purport to be Christians, especially now that we’ve seen how his administration is going to look. This alt-right movement and breitbart group have me worried about what’s happening to Christianity today, it seems very radical and unloving. What should we do to stop these ideas from fellow Christians?

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  41. Thank you for your post. It is very thought-provoking, and rooted in a dark reality. I wanted to inject some food for thought for you as you have for me. There is a strong argument that Trump is a narcissistic sociopath. These people use there charisma and psychological set to lure people like the pied piper. I hope you take a look at my post and add this perspective to your meaningful perspective. Thank’s again. B. Ashley https://twoifbycharmwordpress.wordpress.com/

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  43. “Donald Trump is white, male, and powerful, and he stands up against anyone who would challenge the right of powerful white males to rule the world.” just re- read this post. Of course, Trump embodies the punishing male god. Somehow I missed this important point before the election.

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  44. Pingback: Authoritarian Followers: What’s Feminism and Religion Got to Do with It? by Carol P. Christ – MAGO POOL CIRCLE

  45. What if your opponents see Trump not as a projection of male power, but as a real human, with faults, who has a great wirk ethic? Im from MN. IMO, President Trump’s appeal is like Ventura’s, that he is NOT another polished liar. A diamond in the rough. Plain-spoken.

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    1. Is it a great work ethic when you don’t pay the money you owe to subcontractors and are routinely sued and then make deals to pay them less than agreed? This is good for number 1, but in my book a good work ethic means you treat other people fairly and honor the contracts you make with them.

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  46. Interesting read. I have tried to understand what a poor, out of work coal miner, or factory worker feels they have in common with a guy who was born into extreme wealth, never really had to earn anything because his wealthy father provided all things, never had to work a job in high school or college, never had to take out a student loan, had a father that would guarantee 10 of millions in loans from banks so he could play in New York real estate, lives in a golden penthouse, inherited an enormous profitable company from his father, bankrupt his company several times, was forced by banks to turn his giant estate in Florida into a resort when he went bankrupt. The last one may seem insignificant, but really demonstrates his lack of business skill. He was not able to see Mara Largo as a potential source of income, the banks had to explain it to him.

    Beyond all of the tremendous character flaws, my concerns has always been he can’t help the majority of folks because he really has no ability to empathize with them. He sees the world through his and only his ability to be comfortable, rich, and powerful. Trump has proven he is more than a polished liar, he is a masterful liar.

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  47. Reblogged this on Would You Consider? and commented:
    Serious minded readers occasionally need to read stuff like this to remind us what real thinking and understanding is NOT. This is what happens when Self is on the throne. “The natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God.” Women too.

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