And the false Christ shall deceive even the elect ... A chronicle of Trump, the anti-Christ & deceived Christians
By Ranting Panda, 17 June 2020
It has been common for Christians (usually the right-wing Evangelical/Pentecostal types) to warn of the 'Anti-Christ' who would deceive other Christians into following him ... And yet, these same right-wing Christians are blinded by the blatantly obvious corruption of Christianity manifesting in the form of Donald Trump! Not that Trump is the Anti-Christ! He's too stupid for that. But his behaviour is the very antithesis of Christ's teachings. If evangelicals can follow Trump with his blatant lies, corruption & hate in the name of Jesus, they'll follow the 'anti-Christ' & crucify anyone who criticises him.
This is not surprising considering that many conservative Christians follow a parody of Christ: they don't believe in treating others as they would like to be treated or loving their neighbours AND their enemies or that the peace-makers, merciful and meek should be blessed, or turning the other cheek ... the real teachings of Christ are all too politically correct for them.
Confront these so-called Christians with evidence of Trump's unchristian behaviour, such as his compulsive lying, narcissism, racism, sexism etc, and they will make all sorts of excuses for him. Challenge them in the face of these flimsy excuses and ask how they can possibly claim that Christians should vote for Trump, and they will invariably retort with his anti-abortion stance, because defunding abortion and contraception is more important than anything else in their eyes. It's too bad that whenever Republicans have done this, it has resulted in higher incidences of abortion. Believe it or not, without contraception there are more unwanted pregnancies. Trump's anti-abortion policies are so ill-thought out, that his funding cuts to family planning clinics are estimated to result in an extra 6.5 million unwanted pregnancies, 2.2 million more abortions, and more than 21,000 women dead from illegal abortion procedures over four years (Almendrala 2017). It is clear that being 'pro-life' has nothing to do with saving lives when these policies cause more abortions, more deaths and more suffering than what they claim are being prevented.
But hey, don't let this stop the fundamentalists from using it to justify all of Trump's other faults.
Trump is driven by power rather than philanthropy. He is driven by blood-lust rather than benevolence. He would rather encourage murder and mayhem, than mercy and love. He promotes violence, vilification and vengeance, rather than peace, grace and humility. He favours lies over truth. So you can see why Christians support him, huh? Perhaps, they should read the Bible ... or at least start with the Sermon on the Mount. You know, the uncomfortable stuff about 'blessed are the meek ... blessed are the peacemakers ... blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ... blessed are the merciful ...'. Nope! Not seeing Trump meeting any of that. Then there's the bits about loving your neighbour and your enemy ... those parts are probably a bit advanced for these hypocritical Christians ... and don't get started on turning the other cheek!
Trump's incompetence, narcissism and extremely fragile ego have resulted in thousands of deaths.So much for pro-life. His horrendous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has directly contributed to more than 100,000 deaths of Americans. Yet, these 'Christians' who claim to be pro-life, still don't care. They continue to blindly support Trump. Remember, before the election in 2017, Trump stated that he could shoot someone in Fifth Avenue and people would still vote for him. Well, here we are. His 'Christian' virtues have resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and yet, people still defend him in the name of Christ.
Trump's behaviour is racist, sexist, xenophobic. He is corrupt to the core. He has epitomised nepotism through the appointments of members of his family into positions for which they are clearly not qualified. Trump is selfish, greedy and only looks out for his own interests, not those of the nation.
Trump is not the anti-Christ, but he sure is a harbinger of that which is coming, when it is this easy to dupe evangelical, Pentecostal, fundamentalist Christians by simply distracting them with a policy that looks Christian, when it clearly is just a band-aid to cover abhorrent behaviour.
In what can only be true Trumpian dystopia, at the height of protests and riots across the USA following the murder in custody of a black man, George Floyd, Trump decided to pose for a photo opportunity in which he was holding a bible in front of a church. Nothing wrong with this? Well, consider that this came moments after he threatened to unleash the military and shoot US citizens, then had the Secret Service pepper-spray peaceful protesters on the way to the church, as well as pepper-spray the clergy at the church, then had the gall to hold up a bible in front of the church sign which said 'All are welcome' (Walters 2020).
There is nothing Christian about this, yet his unbelievably gullible Christian supporters got down on their knees and thanked the God of Peace and Love for placing a 'Christian' in the White House. In the name of the Prince of Peace, they revere this violent, lying, corrupt narcissist.
Clearly Trump, nor his brand of fundamentalist fanatics, have any concept of the difference between 'pray' and 'pepper-spray'.
Think about this. Trump was holding a bible, which says to 'love your neighbour' AND 'love your enemy', and which says 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. He was at a church that he doesn't normally go to, in front of an 'All are welcome' sign. This from a man renowned for his xenophobia, a man who banned Muslim migration, who characterises Mexicans as rapists, who characterises black people as criminals, and who praised white supremacists (Leonhardt & Philbrick 2018). Trump dared to declare that the white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan who marched in Charlottesville were 'very fine people', even though they spouted messages of hate, division, intolerance and most tragically, one of those racists drove a car into counter-protesters, killing Heather Meyer (Capeheart 2019).
It is blasphemy for Trump to hold up a Bible in front of a church where 'All are welcome', while he is blatantly racist and openly praises Nazis, white supremacists and the Klan.
It is important to call out Trump for his racist, white nationalist, white supremacist views. The whole reason for the Black Lives Matter protests is because policing in the US is less about law enforcement and far more about enforcing white supremacy. The treatment of black people, regardless of whether they are suspects or not, is much harsher than the treatment of white people. Imagine if it was a white woman who had done what George Floyd is accused of doing, namely being suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Would police drag her from the car, throw her on the ground and then drive a knee into her neck, taunting her to get into the police car, all the while suffocating her until she dies? (Butler 2020). Of course not.
His Christian followers continue to defend these racist, hate-fuelled behaviours. They fail to acknowledge the systemic racism that has permeated the United States for centuries. They become apoplectic when they hear of Black Lives Matter. Instead, they will haughtily claim that 'All Lives Matter', which demonstrates their ignorance of systemic racism and the white privilege they grew up in. These very same people who claim 'all lives matter' actually don't believe that. Their idea of 'all lives', excludes people groups, such as black people, refugees, Palestinians, Muslims, LGBTIQ+, homeless, drug users, or other ostracised groups. Is it any wonder that we see them demonise George Floyd to minimise and justify his death. They are as racist as Trump. They continue defending systemic racism.
People who claim that 'all lives matter' are the same people who praised Trump for demonising asylum seekers, for imprisoning refugees, for tearing children from their parents arms so they would never be seen again - all because they were seeking safety and help. Asylum seekers and refugees are the 'least of these' that the bible talks of in the parable of the sheep and the goats, yet Trump's deluded Christian followers are happy to see lives destroyed, while claiming they are pro-life and that 'all lives matter'.
Where are they when Palestinians are systematically displaced, imprisoned and massacred? These Christians don't just defend Israel's crimes against humanity, they participate in them; they ethnically cleanse history of Palestinians and will argue that Palestine was never a nation and that Palestinians do not exist. Yeah ... but all lives matter.
'Then the Lord said to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.“ Then they also will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?" Then He will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.' (Matthew 25:44-46).
So yeah ... all lives matter, but some are not treated as well as others, so need to be assisted, supported, and protected from those who are oppressing them. The systems of oppression need to be overthrown, not just by the oppressed, but by all who value justice, equality, peace and freedom. Which, funnily enough are the very things that Christ talks about in the Bible.
One of Christ's many parables in the Bible, is the parable of the lost sheep, where the shepherd leaves the flock of 99 safe sheep, so he could find the one that was lost. That is representative of why Christ, the shepherd, wouldn't sit around holding up inane and ignorant 'all lives matter' signs, but instead would support Black Lives Matter. Why? Because some people are safe, and some are not. Some people are privileged, some people not.
- Revelation 13:5 - The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
- Mathew 24:24 - For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect
Trump's actions throughout his presidency have slid further and further into fascism. His violent and divisive response to the riots and threats to unleash the military, show just how fascist he is. Combining authoritarianism, nationalism and Christianity, Trump epitomises the old quote, 'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross'.
The Bible warns against deceivers. Psalms 52:2 has an interesting and applicable take on such a person: 'Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit'. Trump is a compulsive liar who has created division and caused destruction throughout the nation, yet his self-declared 'Christian' supporters still blindly follow him. His lying is on a scale hitherto unseen in politicians ... which is quite the feat. Since he became president in January 2017, he has made more than 18,000 false or misleading claims (Markowitz 2020).
One could be forgiven for thinking that his supporter base would become disillusioned by a man making so many demonstrably false statements, yet his die-hard supporters continue to defend him. According to them, he is misunderstood or taken out of context, regardless of how much evidence confronts them. Then when they can't convince anyone of Trump's humbugging, they resort to the old faithfuls: Hillary's emails, Obama's birth certificate, Benghazi! But why wouldn't they defend Trump. After all, most of his lies are dog-whistling to racists, xenophobes, bigots, white supremacists, and the ignorant ... which is his supporter base.
A recent tweet by @CoreyReynoldsLA summed up why Trump's followers are so blindly devoted to him. It's not because of what Trump does for them, it's what Trump does against people who they dislike. They are sustained by Trump's tormenting of others. So ... the Christian followers of Trump should have a problem with this, but they don't. They seem to have forgotten the scripture that says to turn the other cheek. In fact, the verse also says not to sue others; meanwhile Trump revels in suing anyone and everyone. Just a reminder, the verse in Matthew 5:38-42 says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you". Nothing in this scripture resembles Trump's behaviour or that of his followers. Instead, they want retribution on anyone who they perceive as having wronged them in some way, even if it is that person's colour, religion, or sexual identity. And ask them for help? Well, just look at how they treat refugees.
While Trump was campaigning for president in 2015, he mocked a New York Times reporter named Serge Kovaleski, who has a disability (The Guardian 2015). Trump's puerile and vulgar impersonation should have brought howls of protests from anyone who claims to love and respect other people. Instead, Trump's followers, including the Christian ones, howled with laughter. It is as though they are in a cult, deceived by a leader whose every false word and evil deed they see as true and good.
While running for president, Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' in Washington. In other words, to get rid of entrenched bureaucratic corruption. Since becoming president, Trump has placed members of his family directly into high-profile jobs that they are clearly not qualified for. He appointed his daughter and son-in-law to key advisor roles in the White House. However, this flagrant favouring of family members pales against the criminals he has pardoned. To date, he has issued 11 presidential pardons for and two commutations; mostly for people convicted of corruption offences, as well as three for war crimes (Rogers, Taylor & Murphy 2020), including:
While running for president, Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' in Washington. In other words, to get rid of entrenched bureaucratic corruption. Since becoming president, Trump has placed members of his family directly into high-profile jobs that they are clearly not qualified for. He appointed his daughter and son-in-law to key advisor roles in the White House. However, this flagrant favouring of family members pales against the criminals he has pardoned. To date, he has issued 11 presidential pardons for and two commutations; mostly for people convicted of corruption offences, as well as three for war crimes (Rogers, Taylor & Murphy 2020), including:
- Joe Apaio - pardoned 25 August 2017, convicted one month earlier of criminal intent for defying a court order to stop detaining people on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
- I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby Jr - pardoned 13 April 2018, convicted of four felony charges, including perjury and obstruction of justice.
- Dinesh D'Souza - pardoned 31 May 2018 after pleading guilty to making illegal campaign contributions in 2014.
- Conrad Black - pardoned 15 May 2019, convicted in 2007 for fraud and obstruction of justice. Black had skimmed millions of dollars from his media company. He had also written numerous pro-Trump articles and published a flattering book about Trump, called 'Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other'.
- Clint Lorance, Major Matthew Golsteyn, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher - pardoned 15 November 2019, regarding war crimes. Lorance had been sentenced to 19 years imprisonment for the murder of two civilians. Golsteyn was facing murder charges for killing an unarmed Afghan. Trump reversed Gallagher's demotion after he was acquitted of murder charges, but was found guilty of a lesser offence in a high-profile war crimes case.
- Rod Blagojevich - commuted 18 February 2020, convicted in 2011 for trying to sell or trade the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he was elected president. Blagojevich had been sentenced to 14 years jail. In 2010, while he was awaiting trial, Blagojevich was a contestant of Donald Trump's reality TV show, The Apprentice.
- Edward DeBartolo Jr - pardoned 18 February 2020, former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, convicted in 1998 of concealing an extortion plot.
- Bernard Kerik - pardoned 18 February 2020, former New York City Police Commissioner, convicted for tax fraud and lying to White House officials.
- Michael Milken - pardoned 18 February 2020, former Wall Street financier and billionaire, who was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy charges.
- David Safavian - pardoned 18 February 2020, former procurement official under President George W. Bush, was sentenced in 2019 for obstruction of justice and making false statements. He covered up ties with Jack Abramoff, a disgraced lobbyist, who became a symbol of Washington influence peddling.
- Roger Stone - commuted 10 July 2020, sentenced to three years imprisonment on seven felony charges brought on by him lying to protect Trump, including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering. Stone was charged as part of the Mueller investigation into interference by Russia in the 2016 election that brought Trump to power. Stone could have directly implicated Trump in criminal misconduct, but lied to protect him. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi described the commutation as 'an act of staggering corruption' and that Congress would ensure that no future president could 'pardon or commute the sentence of an individual who is engaged in a cover-up campaign to shield that President from criminal prosecution' (Stracqualursi 2020). Senator Mitt Romney described the commutation as 'Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president' (Baker 2020).
Trump didn't drain the swamp: he is the swamp.
God knows what image of Jesus that Trump's followers have, but it clearly isn't the Christ of the Bible. Rather than Jesus guiding Trump, it is a far more sinister and evil influence.
One of the things for these Christians supporting Trump is that they believe the world is in the 'end times': the period of Armageddon described in the Bible. Paula White, one of Trump's advisers, claims that she had a vision of Trump riding 'alongside Jesus on a horse made of gold and jewels'. White took this 'vision' to mean that Trump 'will play a critical role in Armageddon as the United States stands alongside Israel in the battle against Islam' (Blackmun 2020).
Trump may not be the anti-Christ, but his character, words and deeds are antithetical to those of Christ. Don't believe in the anti-Christ, so what's the harm in these political views? Remember, Hitler claimed to be Christian and he duped Christians too.
Reference
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Updated: 12 July 2020
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