In light of the fact that a solid majority of everyday Republican Christians continue to support the amoral Donald Trump, my longtime suspicion - that many everyday Republican Christians have been conditioned to not ACTUALLY care as much about “values” in the political/social realm as they’ve claimed that they do - appears to be confirmed.
It, unfortunately, appears that they’ve been quite poorly-discipled in ways that serve the Religious Right’s pursuit of authoritarian political power. (But there’s good news too, so please read through till the end).
Trump's continued support among many everyday Republican Christians has not been eroded by the recent revelation that Trump cheated on his 3rd wife just after she had given birth to their son. Were that not enough, he committed adultery with numerous porn stars, who he then paid hush money to, including physically threatening one if she wouldn’t keep quiet about the entire affair.
As a contrast, when Bill Clinton committed adultery with an intern, the Religious Right called for his impeachment and deemed him wholly unfit morally to serve as President.
I agreed then - and I feel the same way now about the current POTUS. But as for the current POTUS, the Religious Right has argued many different rationalizations and justifications for the immoral behavior.
(As an aside - many of them who I interact with have rationalized voting against Hillary because Trump is “pro-life.” (1) The narrow, inadequate definition of the term “pro-life” by the Religious Right leaves much to be desired when compared to the Consistent Ethic of Life Christian teaching. (2) Actual abortion rates tend to increase under Republican presidencies because the economy performs worse and social program funding is often cut. (3) Roe v Wade was made law by a conservative-majority Supreme Court. Subsequent conservative-majority Supreme Courts have not overturned it. (4) A man who threatens nuclear holocaust isn’t pro-life, so this entire rationalization - unfounded and spurious as it was based on the 3 previous points - doesn’t even hold water given Trump’s threats to wipe out North Korea with nuclear weapons).
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So, what does this ethical inconsistency demonstrate? In my assessment, it demonstrates that even though many everyday Republican Christians may identify themselves as “values voters,” in reality they’ve been conditioned to be just as partisan as any other special interest group.
They don’t emulate Trump’s behavior in their own lives (thank goodness, or society would be an unmitigated disaster), but they’ve found ways to justify or rationalize all kinds of behaviors of Trump’s that they cited as disqualifying in previous political leaders.
These everyday Republican Christians are the people who, in my youth, taught that values and morals were the most crucial issues in the political and social spheres; they were the baseline criteria upon which all political and social decisions should be made.
But in light of their continued support of Trump, many us of are asking ...
- Were those teachings and beliefs ever really”fundamental?”
- Or - perhaps - were these everyday Republican Christians simply unquestioningly passing along the franchised propaganda that Religious Right leaders provided/said to?
- When the opportunity for authoritarian political power presented itself in the golden calf of Trump, did they SUDDENLY change what they really believed and cave to a novel temptation, or did it confirm what - all along - Religious Right leaders have groomed them to be?
I believe it to the 2 latter possibilities and not the former. It sure appears to confirm the conclusions I reached 19 years ago when I shed what I've taken to calling the "Fundacostagelical" bondage and converted to actual Christianity.
Sadly, this ethical inconsistency has discredited my faith to onlookers outside of the evangelical cloister. This has only worsened as Religious Right leaders have defended neo-Nazis and pedophiles.
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Now, I did promise that there is good news.
The good news is that it’s possible to break free of the Religious Right’s spiritual bondage and wholly inadequate theology/moral vision.
Trust me, I did it - and you can too! I can’t even put into words how free it feels to live free of that oppression. I have lived in both worlds and there's no comparison; life after Fundacostagelicalism is better by far.
