Don't you wonder why Evangelicals are drawn to Donald Trump?

[Girard442]

Is it possibly because the Evangelical conception of God bears an amazing resemblance to Trump? They say that people who have been in an abusive relationship are at risk of falling into another one. Could it be?

[JI7]

1. because they are actually white supremacists .

[LovingA2andMI]

2. This....

Period.

[Garrett78]

5. Yep. They aren't really much different than his non-evangelical supporters.

[JI7]

6. and why they are always separated by race . "white evangelicals"

the groups that tend to be the most religious in the US are blacks and latinos who are mostly christian. yet the white evangelicals were always the ones the media looked to as the religious/christian voice of the country.

[Garrett78]

10. For the same reason the media and some on the left obsess over appealing to...

...*white* working class voters and their "economic anxiety" (that working class persons of color presumably don't experience).

The burgeoning narrative now is that Democrats took back the House because the American people want to see more compromise (with Nazi-sympathizers). I vented about that here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211470855.

[malaise]

30. Ding ding

We have a winner

[ck4829]

41. Yep

[raccoon]

54. Amen! (if I may say so) nt

[java108]

55. Boom.

They also want their little storybook Armageddon so desperately, they've resorted to throwing their collective weight behind a demon in a cheap human suit.

Evangelicals are cockroaches.

[Runningdawg]

56. 100% They want permission and patriotic validation for genocide

[bitterross]

3. There has been research on this. Basically, they're sheep.

They are raised in authoritarian environments where everyone follows the leader. Whether that is the head of the house, the church or the GOP. Questioning authority is not something that is done.

It is entirely normal and predictable they would be drawn to Trump because all their leaders are telling them to be.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. I read an article a few weeks ago that explained that phenomenon.

Also, there are people, like my boss, who will always vote Republican because they feel that it represents their Christian principles.

Because everyone "knows" that Democrats are lazy, over-educated, pot smoking atheists who rely on government benefits that are paid for by those hardworking believers on the right.

[canetoad]

34. Hey!!

I'm an over educated, pot-smoking atheist and I resemble that remark.

[Arkansas Granny]

35. Oops! My bad. No offense intended.

[BlueInRedHell]

53. Exactly. Altemeyer's research describes those who are authoritarian followers and r/o

also double high authoritarians who score high on both being followers and being leaders. Trump would be a good example.

[zaj]

7. Both are all about Authoritarianism

That's everything.

[SharonAnn]

50. Yes. Strong belief in Authoritarianism!

[msongs]

8. because they share the same ethics, morals, and hatreds nt

[Xolodno]

13. Bingo!

...but use the Bible to justify it. And if Christianity wasn't the dominant religion and Flying Spaghetti Monster was..then FSM "texts" would justify it.

Whatever Religion gives them the legitimacy for their hatred. Outlaw religion? Guess what, they would use that as justification to oppress.

In the end, religion is just the enabler. But the person is still the person.

[GulfCoast66]

9. Not at all. I grew up evangelical, if a light kind.

But any group of people the belives a loving god will happily send billions of people to an eternity in hell is taught to love hate. The think love is hate.

And they love them some hate.

[Garrett78]

11. Of course, the "god" of the Christian book of fairy tales was quite the asshole.

[GulfCoast66]

14. Yep. We obviously agree.

They could take anything they wanted out of their book. But they choose hate.

It astounds me that so many people consider the oral history of preliterate sheep herders as the word of their god. That said, at one time I did.

And I am not an atheist. Can’t prove god one way or the other. I consider myself a deist.

[Garrett78]

15. And I consider myself an atheist. The burden of proof is on those making the extraordinary claim.

It's really no different than not needing to disprove Santa Claus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Tooth Fairy or Russell's teapot.

But to each his/her own.

[GulfCoast66]

16. I respect your beliefs. Although different from mine

You, madam or sir, have a nice evening. I am going to bed!

[AZ8theist]

23. Couldn't have said it better myself, Garrett

I've always felt religion and belief in a deity was childish...much the same as believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.

It's exactly why religions have to indoctrinate new members when they are children. Research shows human brain development is most susceptible to brain washing of this sort between the ages of 3 and 12.

I see it every Sunday in Arizona outside Mormon churches. Rows of little kids sitting in chairs while an adult male lectures to them. Also while another adult male stands behind them as a guard. It's really pretty creepy. By the time they are teenagers and off on their "mission", it's too late. They've bought into the bullshit so deep there's almost no return. I say "almost" because some of the more introspective one's can sometimes break free of the cult. No adult ever joins the church, they only leave. The only way they can grow is by having families with 10 or 12 kids.

[stopbush]

26. Christianity is Santa Claus for adults.

He knows when you are sleeping...he knows when you’ve been bad or good, etc. The thought police.

And, if you’re good, you get rewarded!

[lilactime]

29. Perfect analogy.

[Lunabell]

12. No

They believe he is doing the things that will usher in the end times. Restoring the temple in Jerusalem (the embassy) is one of their signs. They don't care if he murders children as long as it fulfills their biblical prophecies about jesus' return. It's all about that.

Trump doesn't believe their crap, he's just using them for their power.

[NanceGreggs]

17. I believe that a lot of Evangelicals ...

... didn't vote for Trump - they voted for Pence.

Many of them assumed that Trump's own non-Christian ways would eventually lead to his downfall - thereby handing the presidency to Pence.

It's just another factor that renders Trump expendable. A huge chunk of "the base" would be more than happy to switch their allegiance to Pence - who they see as a "true Christian" who should have been in the WH to begin with.

[rusty quoin]

18. Makes more sense than I can understand.

[hexola]

21. Pence is key to keeping the Evangelicals with the Nationalists.

The Evangelicals might be adrift without Pence...

[A HERETIC I AM]

47. And THAT is the truly scary bit

If Pence is somehow allowed to become president, kiss this country, and the world for that matter, goodbye.

He is one scary, deluded asshole.

[Midnight Writer]

19. It's a personality imprint. People who love an authoritarian God love an authoritarian leader.

[GoneOffShore]

38. This about a thousand times over.

[hexola]

20. They've been pre-conditioned for decades

Read this

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211470563

[democratisphere]

22. Nutcase zealots supporting another nutcase zealot certainly makes sense to me.

[stopbush]

24. It's simple: religious people are indoctrinated to believe that make believe is factual,

so they are predisposed to believe the make believe that Rs throw at them when it comes to economic plans, etc.

Plus, Xians love to play the victim, and the Rs appeal directly to that by asserting that they are, indeeed, victims.

[octoberlib]

25. Evangelicals are morally bankrupt. They're all about

power not religion. Also, studies have been done and they’re the most bigoted segment of our population. Against anyone different in any way.

[juxtaposed]

27. Religion doesn't kill people, people kill people.

[safeinOhio]

28. Then there are also those Libertarian, Radical Free Market, Ayn Rand loving Atheist

that love some trump. Not a fan of that group of either, I find them as ugly as the religious right. Perhaps even more dangerous.

[Duppers]

43. I left a southern atheist group because

It had too many of those shits and leadership didn't call them out.

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Don't Completely Agree

I think "love" is overstated. The enjoyed and supported his rhetoric and KNOW they won't get that from the other side, so they get stuck with voting R or capital L but the latter is a losers' game.

Their vote wasn't so much that they thought the moron was a good idea, just that they are so indoctrinated in their 2 dimensional philosophy that they held their nose and voted that way.

I do concur about their ugliness, however.

[Mike Nelson]

31. I used to think...

… the Evangelicals were the ultra-religious, like missionaries, but here... always preaching God, love... giving food and care. Ethnic groups don't matter... Jesus loves all...

They're not like that at all. That's not important to them... what's important... their Passion... is different. It's being against abortion, gays, climate change, gun control... they are passionate about being against things. They say they are all for the Christian part, but nothing gets them going like a transsexual in the bathroom.

It's really WEIRD.

[Duppers]

44. Nailed it! ☝

[lancelyons]

33. No I don't think it's anything to do with trump

The Christians view liberals as a risk to their future which is not true. That’s why liberals should somehow explain they are not against religion but for a neutral position on religion.

[beachbum bob]

36. the simple reason is....they are getting their kind of judges appointed, everything else is noise

[Soxfan58]

37. There prone...

To fall for bullshit!

[Vinca]

39. I've always thought they've got themselves convinced he's the Second Coming.

Their love of Lord Don is bizarre. He's closer to Sadam Hussein than Jesus Christ. Did that throne at Mar-a-Lago come from Iraq???

[Urge For Going]

40. new rule

Maher talked about this a few weeks ago.

[Girard442]

45. Looks like Maher was way ahead of me.

[rockfordfile]

42. Trump and Bushco are the same. The Conservatives have always been like this.

[crazycatlady]

46. Evangelicals embrace the patriarchy

And Trump is the patriarchy's poster child.

[MineralMan]

49. In part, it's a willingness to believe improbable things.

If you believe that some sort of supernatural entity controls things, then you can believe that Donald Trump will solve our problems.

Neither belief makes an real sense, but if you can believe one, you're likely to be able to believe the other.

It's the whole "Let go and let God" or "Let go and let Trump" thing. Neither leads anywhere, really.

[Adrahil]

51. No... religion has little to do with it.

The hate in their hearts is what drives it. He hates just like them.

[C_U_L8R]

52. My sister is one and I don't get it

Her fundie obsession was always a bit weird - and it took an even stranger turn to discover she's a goddamn Trumper. I have no idea what kind of cognitive dissonance helps her justify Trump's bullshit and clearly unchristian immoralities. But bless her heart, she's off posting the most untrue and heinous rightwing agitprop throughout social media - so much that I had to report her for hate speech more than once. My own f'n sister. There is nothing Christian about these creeps. Nothing but fear and self-interest.

[MyNameGoesHere]

57. A group of people buying blindly

Into a fairy tale. Nope can't see any reason why they would be magats

[cemaphonic]

58. Not really

I figured out they were hypocritical assholes back in the 80s, when I was still a child. And easily led by charismatic mass-media hustlers.