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Evangelicals chafe at Trump’s blasphemy + Christian songwriter losing his faith

#1
C C Offline
Evangelicals chafe at Trump’s blasphemy (speech style)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/1...ty-1456178

EXCERPT: . . . Here’s what he would have seen: Trump crowing, “They'll be hit so g--damn hard,” while bragging about bombing Islamic State militants. And Trump recounting his warning to a wealthy businessman: “If you don't support me, you're going to be so g--damn poor.” To most of America, the comments went unnoticed. Instead, the nation was gripped by the moment a “send her back” chant broke out as Trump went after Somali-born Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, an American citizen.

But some Trump supporters were more fixated on his casual use of the word “g--damn” — an off-limits term for many Christians — not to mention the numerous other profanities laced throughout the rest of his speech. The issue has recently hit a nerve among those who have become some of the president’s most reliable supporters: white evangelicals — who constitute much of Hardesty’s district. The group was key to Trump’s 2016 win, helping bolster his standing in critical swing states, and Trump likely needs to maintain that support if he wants to win a second term.

But some are growing fatigued with the irreverent language that is often spewed at Trump’s rallies and official events. “I’ve had people come to me and say, ‘You know I voted for [Trump], but if he doesn’t tone down the rhetoric, I might just stay home this time,’” Hardesty said in an interview, adding that he has yet to hear back from anyone inside the White House after urging the president in a formal letter to “reflect on your comments and never utter those words again.”

Using coarse language is far from the president’s only behavior that might turn off the religious right. He’s been divorced twice and has faced constant allegations of extramarital affairs. He previously supported abortion rights, and he has stumbled when trying to discuss the specifics of his religious beliefs, once referring to a book in the Bible as “Two Corinthians” instead of Second Corinthians. Yet to this point, Trump has maintained broad support from evangelicals, including the unwavering backing of some prominent conservative Christian leaders.

“We all wish he would be a little more careful with his language, but it’s not anything that’s a deal breaker, and it’s not something we’re going to get morally indignant about,” said Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., one of Trump’s earliest supporters among religious leaders. Trump’s penchant for profanity dates back decades — from guest appearances on "The Howard Stern Show" in the 1990s to... (MORE)



Famed Christian Songwriter Renounces Religion: “I’m Genuinely Losing My Faith” ("losing my religion" style)
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019...-my-faith/

EXCERPT: Another prominent Christian is now publicly saying he’s no longer a believer. (For once, Joshua Harris started a positive trend!) This time, it’s Australian songwriter Marty Sampson, well-known in the contemporary Christian music scene for his work with the bands Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, Delirious?, and Young & Free.

[...] In a now-deleted post on Instagram, Sampson shared his doubts about faith, miracles, Hell, and the Bible. Below is a slightly edited version of the post via RELEVANT:

Time for some real talk. I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me. Like, what bothers me now is nothing. I am so happy now, so at peace with the world. It’s crazy.

This is a soapbox moment so here I go … How many preachers fall? Many. No one talks about it. How many miracles happen. Not many. No one talks about it. Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it. How can God be love yet send four billion people to a place, all ‘coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it. Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet—they can also be some of the most beautiful and loving people. But it’s not for me.

I am not in any more. I want genuine truth. Not the “I just believe it” kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion. Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God. Got so much more to say, but for me, I keeping it real. Unfollow if you want, I’ve never been about living my life for others.

All I know is what’s true to me right now, and Christianity just seems to me like another religion at this point. I could go on, but I won’t. Love and forgive absolutely. Be kind absolutely. Be generous and do good to others absolutely. Some things are good no matter what you believe. Let the rain fall, the sun will come up tomorrow.


As someone who spends a lot of time talking about it, kudos to this guy for finally getting it. (MORE)
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#2
Yazata Offline
(Aug 13, 2019 04:05 PM)C C Wrote: Evangelicals chafe at Trump’s blasphemy (speech style)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/1...ty-1456178 

EXCERPT: . . . Here’s what he would have seen: Trump crowing, “They'll be hit so g--damn hard,” while bragging about bombing Islamic State militants...

But some Trump supporters were more fixated on his casual use of the word “g--damn” — an off-limits term for many Christians

Really? Or so says some writer for left-leaning Politico, who recently has been making appearances on hard-left MSNBC promoting the same line.

Quote:The issue has recently hit a nerve among those who have become some of the president’s most reliable supporters: white evangelicals —

Or so Politico and MSNBC would like people to think. One wonders how many writers for Politico even know any Trump supporters, actually hang out with them, socialize with them or talk to them. Traveling occasionally to 'Red states' and acting like anthropologists scrutinizing some exotic tribe while doing it, won't give them much insight.

But that's not the point. The point of opinion-stories (they aren't news-stories) like this is to hopefully generate a split between Trump and Christian 'evangelicals'. All based on his saying "God damn" I guess. (Except that anyone who knows evangelicals has heard them say "God damn" many times. It isn't a big deal with them.) Besides, if this writer really wants to influence Trump voters, she needs to get off Politico and MSNBC where shes merely speaking to the democratic-party converted and actually address Trump voters, trying to convince them that they should abandon Trump because he occasionally swears and is divorced.

Even if white evangelicals don't like Trump saying "God damn" (and I don't think that most of them even care) who else on the political horizon is better from their point of view?

The democrat Presidential hopefuls are supposed to be more attractive to evangelicals than Trump? When all of them seem to think that America's biggest priorities need to be totally open borders, amnesty for illegals and their eligibility for free government services paid for by the taxpayers, elimination of biological male and female (talk about "science-denial"!) and normalizing transvestites?

That's the challenge that the democrats face appealing to white evangelicals. The party's whole message seems intentionally designed to repel them.
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#3
Syne Offline
Really? So supposedly evangelicals can overlook infidelity and sexually crude comments but they can't overlook him saying "god damn"? That's complete nonsense. And divorce is only an big deal for Catholics.

Anyway, blasphemy is more than saying "god damn", although many still believe the simplified version they were taught as children. Blasphemy is "taking the name of god in vain", just as a woman would "take the name of" her husband. IOW, calling yourself a Christian without striving to behave christ-like is blasphemy.
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#4
C C Offline
(Aug 13, 2019 06:23 PM)Yazata Wrote: . . . But that's not the point. The point of opinion-stories (they aren't news-stories) like this is to hopefully generate a split between Trump and Christian 'evangelicals'. All based on his saying "God damn" I guess. (Except that anyone who knows evangelicals has heard them say "God damn" many times. It isn't a big deal with them.) Besides, if this writer really wants to influence Trump voters, she needs to get off Politico and MSNBC where shes merely speaking to the democratic-party converted and actually address Trump voters, trying to convince them that they should abandon Trump because he occasionally swears and is divorced.


No doubt the Jim Bakker class of evangelicals do everything under the sun behind closed doors. And if you follow the average Christian around long enough (especially the younger ones), they'll engage in general profanity, though arguably less frequent than the irreligious. However, the hard-core ones (an ever rarer species) do seem to make an effort to avoid blasphemy (i.e., enhancing their vulgarities with "God" or "Jesus").

Quote:Even if white evangelicals don't like Trump saying "God damn" (and I don't think that most of them even care) who else on the political horizon is better from their point of view?


Yep, the "why" behind the last resort of a Trump to begin with. Except for possibly a partial nod to Mitt Romney, the past has well demonstrated they either can't get an "evangelical" or "highly religious" oriented politician through the filters of the primary process or have one that could win POTUS if they did.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_ima...itt_Romney

"...some social conservatives and evangelicals criticize Romney for not being Mormon enough..."

[...] Romney's Mormonism means that he abstains from swearing, instead using words like "good grief", "flippin'", "good heavens" and "for Pete's sake"; former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Thomas Finneran recalled that when annoyed, Romney would "let loose" with phrases like "go to H-E-double hockey sticks."

[...] Romney's choice of words and manner of speaking has also drawn attention. His use of words such as "guffaw", "brickbats", "dickens", "smitten" and "the big house", exclamations like "gosh", "golly", "darn" and "heck" and the qualifier "if you will" led to The New York Times saying that he "can sometimes seem like an editor in chief, employing a language all his own. It is polite, formal and at times anachronistic, linguistically setting apart a man who frequently struggles to sell himself to the American electorate."

Friends and advisers have called his verbal quirks "Mittisms" and described his language as "old-timey", "1950s" and "the Gomer Pyle routine", while Democratic strategist David Axelrod once remarked that Romney "must watch Mad Men and think it's the evening news."
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#5
Syne Offline
(Aug 13, 2019 11:45 PM)C C Wrote: Yep, the "why" behind the last resort of a Trump to begin with. Except for possibly a partial nod to Mitt Romney, the past has well demonstrated they either can't get an "evangelical" or "highly religious" oriented politician through the filters of the primary process or have one that could win POTUS if they did.

The reason conservatives had to go with Trump is because the left is so nasty. A good guy, like Romney, called Obama ineffective, and Obama called him evil. The left has been hitting below the belt for decades, and the right finally got a fighter in their corner. Leftists don't have TDS because he's racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc.. They are deranged because the right finally started fighting just as dirty as they always have.
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#6
Zinjanthropos Offline
Obviously one does not have to be Christian to be a Christian song writer. That would be in line with every job related to the religion (ie priests, nuns, Sunday school teachers, bible printers, etc), would it not? Because of this I might think this is not exclusively Christian or that it has shock value, as in a sensational news story.
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#7
Leigha Offline
So the religious right are turned off by Trump's ''coarse language,'' but turn a blind eye to his womanizing, paying off a porn star, having a close friendship once upon a time to Epstein (attending some of his parties), his comment ''grab 'em by the...,'' and his obvious narcissism?

He finally crossed the line! lol

A laugh to start my Monday. Big Grin
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#8
Syne Offline
(Aug 19, 2019 04:34 PM)Leigha Wrote: So the religious right are turned off by Trump's ''coarse language,'' but turn a blind eye to his womanizing, paying off a porn star, having a close friendship once upon a time to Epstein (attending some of his parties), his comment ''grab 'em by the...,'' and his obvious narcissism?

He finally crossed the line! lol

It's not hard to understand. You can always like the person while disliking the behavior. That is pretty central to Christianity, i.e. love the sinner but hate the sin. And the left certainly turned a blind eye to Bill Clinton's womanizing and palling around with Epstein. Trump attended some "Epstein-hosted events", but Clinton "took international trips on Epstein’s plane..., including a trip... with Kevin Spacey." (Vox) Or is taking advantage of a subordinate (you know, sexual harassment on top of an affair) somehow better than sleeping with a porn star? O_o And Obama was the definition of a narcissist.

Yes, in order to fight in the culture war, you have to use the kind of language many people do. And no one on the religious right expects any politician to be a paragon of pious virtue.
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#9
Leigha Offline
No one is expecting a paragon of pious virtue, but it's just odd that Trump ''taking God's name in vain,'' is what riles up many evangelicals over all of the other immoral behaviors that he has blatantly displayed.
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#10
Syne Offline
(Aug 20, 2019 03:21 AM)Leigha Wrote: No one is expecting a paragon of pious virtue, but it's just odd that Trump ''taking God's name in vain,'' is what riles up many evangelicals over all of the other immoral behaviors that he has blatantly displayed.

There's a difference between sinning and blaspheming. So you were once a Christian, huh? I'd have never guessed it.
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