Trump invokes Christian nationalism at Liberty University

[n2doc]

Last edited Sat May 13, 2017, 03:43 PM - Edit history (1)

President Donald Trump outlined a deeply religious vision of America while speaking to graduates of a conservative Christian college on Saturday, invoking his own version of Christian nationalism and touting policies friendly to right-wing faithful.

Trump received a warm welcome at Liberty University, the largest Christian college in America, where most students claim a conservative evangelical faith. The venue was an especially safe one for the president, as white evangelicals offered Trump resounding support on Election Day and still view his presidency favorably. What’s more, Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. has been a longtime backer of Trump — recently describing him as a “dream president for evangelicals” — and lauded the businessman during his introduction for taking action on issues dear to right-wing faithful such as appointing a conservative Supreme Court justice.

Trump’s previous visit to Liberty during the campaign resulted in a much-maligned gaffe when he referred to a book of the Bible as “Two Corinthians” (it is traditionally described as “Second Corinthians). This time, however, the president took a more polished approach: As some graduates looked on donned in Make America Great Again hats, he proclaimed a faith-fueled version of American history and society, lifting up a version of Christian nationalism he first introduced during his speech at Inauguration Day.

“In America we don’t worship government, we worship God,” Trump proclaimed, to thunderous applause.

“America is a nation of true believers…When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they prayed,” he said. “It’s why we proudly proclaim that we are one nation, under God, every time we say the Pledge of Allegiance.”

more
https://thinkprogress.org

At least one person got it right

[tblue37]

1. He is sucking up to the American Taliban's vision of a Christian theocracy. nt

[workinclasszero]

14. Beware of "Y'all Qaeda," "Vanilla ISIS," "Yee Hawdists," "Yokel Haram," "Talibundy"

They hate freedom, democracy, peace and choice as much as any other terror org you can name.

[shenmue]

2. School founded by Jerry Falwell

[underpants]

9. Rev. Moon at the beginning

Jerry was underwater and Rev. Moon provided a really low interest loan to keep him afloat. Moon and others knew that someone like Falwell was the perfect southern white preacher to be the face of their cause on the newly created cable TV. CNN went right along having Jerry on all the time.

Rev. Moon was a major finder of the Reagan Revolution. He wanted anti-gay pillars in the construction which is a big reason Atwater included it in God Guns and Gays.

[vlyons]

3. I don't pledge allegience to the flag

I do stand out of respect for the feelings of those who feel deeply about the flag. But to me, the flag is only a colored cloth that SYMBOLIZES the conceptual virtues of liberty and justice. Liberty and justice are not cotton threads woven into a colored cloth. There is no liberty and justice in the flag. Liberty and justice exist only in the minds of people. You can burn a flag, and it won't destroy the concepts of liberty and justice in the minds of people.

[n2doc]

4. "Under God" was added to the pledge in the 1950's

Founders wouldn't have allowed it. And the person who wrote it was a minster and He didn't have it in there.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-wrote-the-pledge-of-allegiance-93907224/

But anyone who thinks Trump is a 'Godly person" is a deluded moron.

[delisen]

10. and the "one nation indivisible" phrase in the Pledge was

was divided by inserting "god" between "one nation" and "indivisible". This was a deliberate .
We need to go back to the original pledge.

[JHB]

26. Well. if there's no video how can anyone really know? Oh, wait...

[Solly Mack]

5. and he ended with - when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that "I Alone" carried you

[hatrack]

28. Bullshit, Jesus, Those Are Obviously My Footprints

Sorry to have to break it to you, Jesus, but those are obviously my footprints.

Look closely. See how those footprints have that wavy tread pattern on the bottom, just like my docksiders? If they were yours, they'd make a sandal mark, like the footprints next to mine a little farther up the beach when I was going through better times.

See the footprints at the time of my divorce? You'll notice that the sandaled footprints drift off from the docksider ones. They lead to that picnic bench over there, the one with the cigarette butts scattered all over. It appears that in my darkest hour, instead of carrying me, you sat on a stump and had a couple of smokes. Real helpful, Jesus. Real helpful.

Sure, the sandal footprints came back when I got that big job promotion, but right at the point where my son Tommy died, they veer off again. Actually, now that I look again, it seems like there's an unusually large distance between each of the sandal-wearer's footprints around the time of my son's death, as if the person were actually running away.

I'm sorry, Jesus, but your whole story about carrying me during my worst moments just doesn't gibe with the facts. Besides, you'd certainly think a person would remember being carried by the Son of God, right? That's a pretty memorable thing, wouldn't you say? Well, either I've got amnesia, or you're a liar, because I don't recall ever being toted around by the Messiah. The only thing I do remember about my worst moments on the path of life is the horrible feeling of plodding along the cold sand all alone while icy rain fell in sheets and chill winds assailed me.

So thanks, Jesus. Thanks a bunch. You were really there for me when things got tough. Asshole.


http://www.theonion.com/multiblogpost/it-was-then-that-i-carried-you-vs-bullshit-jesus-t-11542

[Solly Mack]

29. Nah..that was Trump doing all the carrying. :)

I remember that Onion layer.

Thanks!!

[Thomas Hurt]

6. By his own acts and words.....

it is clear that fat fascist 45 is a false prophet and all these so called showed up and applauded him.

Like Hitler manipulating the hundreds of years of European antisemitism, Trump is playing christofasicst theocrats like a fiddle.

Idolatry at Liberty U.

[Initech]

12. And didn't Jesus say not to worship false idols?

[LongTomH]

25. Well, sometimes it's hard to get real ones!!!

[Buckeyeblue]

7. When i say the pledge i use the original version

The original does not have under god in it.

[yuiyoshida]

8. "dream president for evangelicals"

Meaning a wet dream for them, since he is the type of person who will cozy up to any white supremacist hate group.

[Cattledog]

11. Only a fool would believe tRump is a christian or religious.

[MedusaX]

13. No, donnie, when the pilgrims landed they plotted and conspired on the best way to steal the land,

& Get rid of the existing inhabitants ... whom they deemed "uncivilized savages"
Simply because they
spoke a different language,
had their own set of spiritual beliefs,
were a different color,
Dressed differently,
Had their own architectural styles,
Followed cultural norms which were different than that of the newly arriving immigrants fleeing their own land allegedly in search of religious freedom.


Sound familiar????????

[randr]

15. Besides having broken every Christian commandment

He has no idea what the Pledge of Allegiance means or lived up to the pledge he professes to make.

[Takket]

16. i find it hilarious a guy with 0 history of religious engagement is beloved by evangelicals

Talk about seeing something because you want to believe it is true! Trump is the antitheses of every lesson the Bible has ever given.

[onethatcares]

17. I, for one, just can't wait

to see his fat camel ass get stuck in the eye of that needle.

[NastyRiffraff]

18. Whenever anyone says America is a "Christian nation"

I tell them that it's not; it's a nation with a lot of Christians in it. There's a big difference in those two concepts.

[Initech]

19. And nowhere in the constitution or the declaration does it say America is a Christian nation.

This is a product of Ralph Reed and his ilk. One of those things where if you repeat the lie long enough people will believe it.

[NastyRiffraff]

20. In fact, the Constitution doesn't mention "God"

Not once. Tell that to a fundie and watch their heads explode. Try it yourself; do a "Find" function here: http://constitutionus.com/

Many of the Founding Fathers were, at best, deists. Some were undoubtedly agnostics or atheists. Yes, there were Christians too, but they didn't write the Constitution. Jefferson and Madison won that one so we have a legally secular nation.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

21. I don't worship anything or anybody,

too many people commit crimes for their god$.

[KingCharlemagne]

31. I worship the Scientific Method (and Scientific Socialism) - nt

[CK_John]

22. A large percentage of graduates end up as government employees.

[phylny]

23. Liberty has so much money that I heard they

demolished a perfectly good field house to make more room for graduation. They'll just build a new one.

[kskiska]

24. He must have refused to wear

the traditional cap and gown when receiving an honorary degree.

"Trump himself, who was awarded an honorary degree, did not don the traditional academic regalia of commencement speakers, delivering his address in a suit and tie."

[Freethinker65]

27. As a non-believer, this is especially frightening, even if it is just Trumpian pandering

[KingCharlemagne]

30. The black person in the photos belongs to Jews for Hitler. - nt