Tump and the Evangelicals

[Brainstormy]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I believe that the election, and Trump's antics, has done more to increase the population of "nones" than anything imaginable. The extent to which Evangelicals have gone to rationalize Trump's behavior has been revealing, even causing lots of the hardcore faithful to recoil and re-think. At the very least, I think that the Franklin Grahams, et al, are losing their political influence.

[vi5]

1. Again.....

Same thing as with the whole idea of the demographic shifting "Emerging Democratic Majority".......I've been hearing about both things for more than 20 some years now. "The Demographics are shifting away from old white people!!! The Republicans will have no base left!!" and "People are fed up with Evangelicals!!! Their power is drifting away!!!"

And yet here we are in 2018 and things are worse than they've ever been on both fronts.

[Angry Dragon]

2. +1 so true

[vi5]

5. The problem is....

...that too many in our leadership just want to take both those facts as truth and use it as an excuse to play things safe and not rock the boat, hoping that the long promised implosion is just going to happen on it's own and the Democrats will reap the benefits.

That may happen to a small extent but the fact is at the same time we need people out there selling our policies and pointing out just what we have to offer. We've seen just as often that dissatisfaction with the Republican part does not automatically equal satisfaction with the Democratic party. And that's where we've got to see much more movement, activity and good sales people out there getting the word out.

[Brainstormy]

4. Color me naive

But I think 2016 was an anomaly, if not a completely rigged election, and I think all those statements you made really are (mostly) true. As for your last statement, that one's gospel.

[Pope George Ringo II]

12. Also, Americans will start really following soccer.

Don't forget that one.

[DetlefK]

3. The Evangelicals cling to Trump bc they desperately need him:

The days of Huckabee, Santorum, Bachmann are over. The power of Evangelicals is declining. They are on the road to political irrelevance when suddenly...

Suddenly a philandering, lying, impious sinner rises to power. He's not at all like the Evangelicals, but they share some common goals.

So what do the Evangelicals do? They try to profit off him and his power by declaring him one of their own.

The Evangelicals co-opted Trump for their own glory and power.




The Evangelicals need Trump. If they admit that Trump is the opposite of a good Christian and their natural enemy, then they cut the last threads that bind them to political power.

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. Unlikely.

The "nones" are growing, but not because people are abandoning Evangelicalism. Conservative Christianity's numbers have remained more or less constant over the years. It's liberal religion that is hemorrhaging membership and feeding the nones. Franklin Graham has nothing to worry about.

[Brainstormy]

7. You don't think?

https://thedailybanter.com/2017/12/evangelical-christians-are-fleeing-trump/

[Act_of_Reparation]

9. That article is about Trump.

Evangelicals might be fleeing him, but they're not fleeing their churches in significant numbers. There's no reason to suspect they'll be voting Democrat next election.

[progressoid]

8. I wish.

I just saw two Franklin Graham shares on Facebook by a fundies. I think they've dug in for the war.

However, I do think it is keeping some others from joining their merry band of loonies. Just a little too crazy.

[Freelancer]

10. Abortion, abortion, abortion...

Decades have been spent by fundamentalists making anyone who even tolerates abortion to be evil incarnate. They will tolerate anything in a candidate if he promises to load the supreme court with like thinkers. He is their guy.

[Freelancer]

11. Trump and fundamentalists are a perfect marriage

Fundamentalism and toady-ism are completely interwoven. Fundamentalists have made chasing after an aloof, praise-hungry, capricious figure -- without question -- into an art form. Trump fits that outline to a T.

He's also SO rich and SO white. They're perfect for each other. The more wrong he does, the more they'll be cemented together.