Communities of faith cringe at Trump’s multiple mockeries

While many Christian leaders in the U.S. are appalled at the blasphemies of the MAGA movement, they cannot stop them. Alan Austin reports.

THREE WEEKS into his second presidency, Donald Trump announced he had hired a YouTube evangelist as senior advisor to the White House Faith Office.

The media release claimed Paula White-Cain has been:

‘... ministering, fighting for religious freedom and humanitarian rights and advocating for the voiceless.’

Sounds great. Has Trump made a good call – at last – after his long history of holding the Christian faith up to ridicule?

Sadly, no.

This ‘Special Government Employee’ preaches the false doctrine known as the prosperity gospel, which asserts that folks who give money to their spiritual leader will receive even more money from god.

Trump's Gaza: Make chaos great again

Just when you thought the Trump Administration couldn't be more shocking, along comes Donald's plan for the U.S. to turn the Gaza Strip into a resort.

Last week, White-Cain promised her followers miraculous healing, longer life and lots of money for the low, low price of US$1,000 (AU$1,588) — payable to her by cheque, credit card or internet transfer.

Her emotionally manipulative Easter message ended with this:

I believe that when you honour god on Passover... you can receive these seven supernatural blessings... God will assign an angel to you. He'll be an enemy to your enemies. He’ll give you prosperity. He'll take sickness away from you. He'll give you long life. He'll bring increase in inheritance and he'll give you a special year of blessing.

You are not doing this to get something, but you are doing this in honour to god, realising what you can receive... For your special Passover offering of one thousand dollars or more, as the Holy Spirit leads, you will also receive a beautiful ten-inch Waterford crystal cross...

The shame this brings upon Christendom worldwide is not because another religious charlatan has been added at taxpayers’ expense to the clown-car of criminal grifters, conspiracy theory nutters and grasping billionaires comprising Trump’s Administration. The embarrassment is that there has been no effective resistance from America’s established faith communities.

Yes, there have been token objections, as recorded by Newsweek and elsewhere, which the White House has easily brushed aside.

Shameful history of misconduct tolerated

Sadly, many episodes in church history are recalled with dismay and disgust by believers and non-believers alike.

These include the crusades in the Middle Ages, persecution of scientists in the 16th Century, priests selling indulgences before the Reformation, acquiescence with slavery through much of the last two millennia, support for Hitler and the Nazis in the 1930s and sexual abuse of children in the 20th Century.

The dishonour in all these derives from both the intrinsic evil and the indifference of ecclesiastical authorities who should have stopped them.

Religious hypocrites exposed

Most Christians worldwide were appalled that so many American professing believers backed Trump over Kamala Harris in last year’s Presidential Election.

Throughout his life, Trump has been contemptuous of church teachings. This is evident in his multiple adulteries, the abortions he has likely paid for, his divorces, his pride, his business bankruptcies, multiple convictions for business fraud and tax evasion, his adverse court findings for defamation, sexual assault and personal injury, and his alleged theft from a child cancer charity, in which a judge ordered him to pay US$2 million (AU$3.18 million) in settlement.

Kamala Harris was not only innocent of all these sins, but had regularly preached the Christian gospel throughout her public life.

U.S. assaults surge as Trump’s hate escalates

Donald Trump continues to preach hate as politically-motivated physical attacks surge across the USA — Kamala Harris' proposed solutions show signs of hope.

The two main issues on which American evangelicals supported Trump over Harris were same-sex unions and “killing babies” via abortion and the IVF program. The latter requires fertilising multiple embryos, most of which are inevitably discarded.

Trump assured these evangelicals that he was their guy and would end LGBTQ+ rights and abortion. So they overlooked his proven crimes and personal moral failings.

Of course, he dudded them spectacularly in February when he announced that IVF would continue. Just last week, he bragged about expanding it further.

Did America’s evangelicals then disown him? Of course not.

Signs of hope

In a rare moment of enlightenment, Episcopalian (Anglican) bishop Mariann Budde challenged Trump personally at a January prayer service in the Washington Cathedral attended by the newly-installed President and his inner circle.

Her 15-minute sermon closed with this plea:

“In the name of our god, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

The bishop highlighted “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families” across the country “who fear for their lives”. She defended undocumented immigrant workers who “are not criminals” but “good neighbours”.

Predictably, Trump rejected the entreaty and angrily labeled the bishop a 'radical Left hardline Trump hater'.

Republican Congressman Mike Collins responded:

'The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.'

Effective action pursued

Christian churches may succeed, however, in defeating Trump’s draconian attempts to eject non-White residents.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sued the Trump Administration over its decision to reverse refugee resettlement, describing it as unlawful and harmful to families. This follows Pope Francis’s passionate letter urging American bishops to resist Trump’s malicious expulsions.

America abandons the free world, enters the Age of Stupid

As Trump attempts to humiliate his ally, JD Vance waits to play his hand.

Other policy decisions which faith communities are actively opposing include destroying the Federal education department, slashing foreign aid, extending the death penalty and removing protections for the environment.

Success, if achieved, will take time.

Australia also implicated

Other countries, including Australia, have their own religious groups espousing agendas diametrically opposed to the tenets of their faiths.

The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism lists two Christian organisations as hate groups – Australian Christian Lobby and Rise Up Australia – which are both included for hostility to LGBTQ+ and transgender people.

Fortunately, few countries have so many citizens as gullible and stupid as Americans. But the promise is certainly appealing... a personal angel to smite our enemies could come in quite handy.