Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our lives

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_huckelberry
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Re: Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our liv

Post by _huckelberry »

MeDotOrg wrote:I know this seems like clickbait, but Michelle Bachmann said it on a Christian radio show:

Michelle Bachmann wrote:[Trump] is highly biblical, and I would say to your listeners, we will in all likelihood never see a more godly, biblical president again in our lifetime. So we need to be not only praying for him, we need to support him, in my opinion, in every possible way that we can.

If smiting your enemies is biblical, Trump's actions can be seen as biblical, but that is not exactly the first word that springs to mind when describing our President. There seem to be 2 rails down the tracks to the Christian Crazy Town Station: The first thought begins with 'God has brought us an imperfect instrument, but one that is here to do God's will." I'm beginning to think of this as the Oskar Schindler theory of Donald Trump.

But the view of Trump as the imperfect instrument is beginning to morph into a portrayal of the President's faults as virtues. He is a man whose biblical sense of purpose gives him the moral authority to override the Constitution in the name of all that is just and holy. Don't think of it as a wall. Think of it as the Red Sea defending Moses from the Egyptians.

Trump and the Christian Right are not ideological soulmates, they are narrative soul mates.

I predict you will be seeing the somewhat contradictory strains of thought more frequently in the next 18 months:


MeDotOrg, I respect your attempt to understand this bizarre phenomenon . It is widespread enough to ask understanding but I am short. Pardon me if I am a bit disappointed in your honorable attempt.

Smiting enemies? I find it difficult to think of a government which does not do this toward serious national enemies. Trump just throws insults and lies toward his personal enemies as his personal smiting.

Schindler starts with not so admirable acts and finds something admirable and against popularity which he does because he sees it as right. Trump starts with various disreputable things and continues doing more of them because they are popular.

I found myself thinking that perhaps seeing Trump as Biblical is as simple as figuring Ahab is Bachman's favorite Biblical person.

Really? I have read people(even here) claim that every report of somebody doing some bad foolish action in the Bible is the Bible teaching us to do likewise . So apparently some choose Ahab as what the Bible teaches as a guide.

But there is a whole Christian subculture thinking this about Trump. It must be more than a weird individual choice of a Biblical individual to emulate.

When I think of Jefferies I think he shows people who are just looking for a strongman authority figure to tell people what to do and condemn outsiders. It seems that it is just a human thing that that is one reason humans have religious attachments.
_canpakes
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Re: Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our liv

Post by _canpakes »

Part of the beauty of being able to internally rationalize any event "because God" is that it also imparts an ability to rationalize any behavior "because God", especially if doing so serves the believer's personal desires.

From mounting Crusades to flying planes into buildings and everything in between, religious folks have let nothing hold themselves back from committing or condoning the worst of behaviors. Holding up Trump as an example of God's best is hardly the worst of that, but it's in no way atypical, either.
_Some Schmo
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Re: Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our liv

Post by _Some Schmo »

canpakes wrote:Part of the beauty of being able to internally rationalize any event "because God" is that it also imparts an ability to rationalize any behavior "because God", especially if doing so serves the believer's personal desires.

From mounting Crusades to flying planes into buildings and everything in between, religious folks have let nothing hold themselves back from committing or condoning the worst of behaviors. Holding up Trump as an example of God's best is hardly the worst of that, but it's in no way atypical, either.

God is the play-doh of philosophy. You can do whatever you want with god because he is as malleable as your imagination.

I honestly cannot see any difference between god notions and someone's Dungeons & Dragons character (except that most D&D players understand the difference between their imagination and reality). Both gods and D&D heroes are a complete fabrication of a person's imagination, an amalgamation of ideas stolen from others and attributes constrained by the person's most sacred values. That image changes only as the person is confronted with new information/situations.

It's kind of remarkable how people don't think too much about how every single god ever mentioned was obviously made up. Talking about god is exactly like talking about Darth Vader or Conan the Barbarian as if they actually existed. Talking about what your god wants, therefore, if fundamentally offensive. All that behavior deserves is a "Screw you with your fantasies."
God belief is for people who don't want to live life on the universe's terms.
_Jersey Girl
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Re: Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our liv

Post by _Jersey Girl »

Uh, I had hoped to get back on here earlier to explain my posts. Didn't happen.

The two links were nabbed directly off the Facebook page of a Baptist minister who is president of a Baptist college. Not having ever seen or heard a preacher discuss politics...EVER...from the pulpit or in casual conversation nor any attempts to influence a congregation politically, I was shocked by these types of posts he's been making ever since the campaign. They are read by family, congregants, colleagues, youth leaders and students.

This person is married to my childhood PK friend and her father certainly NEVER took a public political stand.

The comments weren't much better.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
Chinese Proverb
_Maksutov
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Re: Bachmann:Trump most biblical, godly President of our liv

Post by _Maksutov »

canpakes wrote:Part of the beauty of being able to internally rationalize any event "because God" is that it also imparts an ability to rationalize any behavior "because God", especially if doing so serves the believer's personal desires.

From mounting Crusades to flying planes into buildings and everything in between, religious folks have let nothing hold themselves back from committing or condoning the worst of behaviors. Holding up Trump as an example of God's best is hardly the worst of that, but it's in no way atypical, either.



Brilliant. :wink:
"God" is the original deus ex machina. --Maksutov
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