A man sitting on the ground next to a pillar.

The GOP has bastardized God to elicit the approval of Trump

By Johnny Trlica

Commentary: Instead of banning politics at the table or family gatherings, we should encourage more frequent open discussions. Politics do not have to come between members of a family. I have many relatives who are Republicans and Trump fans. Despite our differences, we manage to be civil with each other and engage in healthy debates.

One relative holds out hope that I may eventually come around to her way of thinking and sends or forwards emails with a right-wing slant to me.

I recently got this one that shows how enmeshed the GOP is with Trump. This is part of the email, edited for space reasons. 

“A Message for Christians about Donald Trump (The original title is “The Drowning Man)â€

“A deeply faithful Christian man is stuck on the roof at home with massive flooding up to the second floor. Rowboat comes. He says, ‘No, I’m waiting for God. I prayed and I know he’s coming.’ Second rowboat. ‘No, I’m waiting for God.’ the Third rowboat. ‘No, I’m waiting for God.’ Water rises. The man drowns. Now he’s meeting God in heaven. The religious man says, ‘Where were you, God? I prayed. I was faithful. I asked you to save me. Why would you abandon me?’ God says, ‘Hey, I sent you three rowboats.’â€

The rest of the email story takes a decidedly irrational defense of Trump.

“Did you ever consider Trump is our rowboat? Maybe God is trying to tell us something important — that now is not the time for a ‘nice Christian guy’ or a ‘gentleman’ or a typical Republican powder puff. Maybe now is the time for a natural-born killer, a ruthless fighter, a warrior. Because right about now we need a miracle, or America is finished. Maybe the rules of gentlemen don’t apply here. Maybe a gentleman and ‘all-around nice Christian’ would lead us to slaughter. 

“…Maybe God is knocking on your door loudly, but you’re not listening. Maybe God understands we need a ‘war leader’ at this moment in time. Maybe God understands if we don’t win this election, America is dead. It’s over. The greatest nation in world history will be gone. Finished. Kaput. Adios.

“…I guess you think God is only nice and gentlemanly. Really? Then you’ve missed the whole point of the Bible. When necessary, God is pretty tough. When necessary, God strikes with pain, death, and destruction. When necessary, God inflicts vengeance.

“Maybe you think God couldn’t possibly be associated with someone like Trump. Trump is too vicious, too rude and too crude.

“When we won WWII, was God ‘nice?’ Were we gentlemanly when defeating Hitler? Were we gentlemanly when firebombing Germany? Were we gentlemanly when dropping atomic bombs on Japan? Is God ever ‘nice’ on the battlefield? Or does he send us vicious SOB’s like General George S. Patton so the good guys can defeat evil?

“It’s pretty clear to me God sends unique people to be ‘war leaders.’ That’s a different role than a pastor or church leader. God understands that.â€

“…God is about miracles. We don’t need a ‘nice guy’ or a ‘gentleman’ right now. It’s the 4th quarter and we’re losing 14-0. We need a miracle.

“So let me repeat my message to Christians: ‘YOU’RE MISSING THE BOAT.’ I believe Trump is our miracle. I believe Trump is our rowboat. Except he’s more like a battleship!

“No one is saying Trump is perfect. No one is saying Trump is a perfect conservative. But he is a patriot. He is a warrior. He is a capitalist. He is the right man, at the right time. Yes, he’s a bit rude and crude and offensive. But that may make him the perfect warrior to save America, American exceptionalism, capitalism, and Judeo-Christian values. The choice should be easy for Christians.â€

Trump is the Chosen One (to them)

That story is hard for a lot of us to swallow but that craziness may help one understand the cult-like obsession with Trump. It proves that Trump’s supporters know what kind of man he is. They just do not care.

God-fearing, good Christian people are making excuses for a man lacking morals because they believe he is the chosen one to achieve their agenda.

The story conveys a message of winning is all that matters, that the devil himself would be welcomed as long as he delivers the goods. Fear-mongering is a long time GOP playing card. (“Maybe God understands if we don’t win this election, America is dead. It’s over.â€)

In their efforts to elicit the approval of Trump, they have bastardized what most of us believe God to be. He is a loving God, He does not “strike with pain, death, and destruction.†He is not vicious and full of vengeance as the story infers.

“The choice should be easy for Christians.†Trump is the exact opposite of what being a Christian should look like.

Achieving an agenda is important, but so is how it gets accomplished.

Johnny Trlica is the manager of the Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page, your source for the latest LGBTQ news and information. Contact him at HRHeditor@gmail.com.

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