Democrats Are Christians, Too

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

As we celebrate Easter Sunday, nearly 18 months after Mr. Trump won the presidency with about 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, surveys show him retaining nearly all of that support.....

You could open a publishing press devoted to the theological and sociological explanations for this phenomenon — from the unlikely belief that Mr. Trump found Jesus on the campaign trail to the idea that his presidency is all part of God’s plan to the role persecution narratives and Christian nationalism play in the evangelical worldview.

To read more:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/opinion/sunday/trump-evangelicals-christians-easter.html

[trotsky]

1. Yep, many are.

But more of them voted for Trump.

[bearsfootball516]

2. Indeed. I'm a Catholic Democrat.

Regardless of whether or not someone believes in Jesus or God, much of what Jesus preaches are liberal beliefs. Caring for the poor and sick, spreading wealth, being accepting of all people, etc.

[trotsky]

7. Many Republican Christians also support those beliefs.

They reconcile it by noting that Jesus never said that the government should get involved in doing those things. A lot of Republican Christians think that those things should be the responsibility of the church and charities, not government.

[guillaumeb]

11. Well said.

[Angry Dragon]

3. a lot of fake christians

[guillaumeb]

12. Do you think so?

[Angry Dragon]

16. Yes I do

[guillaumeb]

17. Do you feel that they are lying when they call themselves Christian?

Or are confused?

[Angry Dragon]

18. You have to act like a christian to be a christian

JUST SAYING IT IS NOT ENOUGH

[Major Nikon]

21. I disagree

If someone claims they are a Christian or an adherent to any other faith, then that’s what they are.

[Angry Dragon]

22. Can someone claim themselves a god, then thats what they are??

[Major Nikon]

23. Billions have subscribed to that idea throughout history

So as far as the value of any unfalseable claims go I guess the only real difference is how many people believe it.

Apples and oranges regardless. The subject is adherence to a particular faith, not inventing another. If someone claims to be a Christian, they are a Christian by definition. It’s not as if you can check for lack of a foreskin as proof.

[Angry Dragon]

24. My belief is that to be a christian one must actually do "good works"

You can not be a christian and be a bigot nor racist

[Major Nikon]

26. I thought the whole crucifixion thing took care of all that.

At any rate it seems to run afoul of the no true Scotsman thing.

[Angry Dragon]

27. I fail to see how the crucifixion has anything to do with it

[Major Nikon]

29. John 3:16 seems to suggest there's far less conditions on admission to the club

Just sayin'

[Angry Dragon]

32. not good

[Mariana]

25. That makes sense.

Until you realize that every Christian has his own ideas about what it means to act like a Christian. Every one is certain he's right and that everyone else is doing it wrong. Thousands of denominations all preach it differently. Now what?

[Angry Dragon]

28. I am fine with different beliefs but you can not be a racist and be a christian

[Major Nikon]

30. I fail to see why not

The bible has nothing that directly condemns it. Folks didn't seem to run into much trouble using the bible to justify slavery and Jim Crow. The idea of the "Mark of Cain" as a reference to black people was pretty popular among Christians at one time. Anti-miscegenation laws found plenty of support from the bible.

While racism might be morally reprehensible, that doesn't mean it's a disqualifying factor anymore than selling your children into slavery.

[Angry Dragon]

31. Perhaps I just expect more from christians

[yallerdawg]

4. "80% of white evangelicals would vote against Jesus Christ himself if he ran as a Democrat."

Good thing we don't reinforce this message with our anti-Christian views!

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. No. Shit.

We had no idea. How elucidating.

[MineralMan]

6. Some are, certainly.

Some aren't. Do you consider yourself to be one such Democrat who is a Christian?

[guillaumeb]

13. I do.

[marylandblue]

8. The article seems more an attack on conservative Christians

An attack that I think many atheists would agree with. Includes a surprising statistic that only 13% of white evangelicals think Obama is a Christian. I imagine he gets a lot more support and understanding for his religious views from atheists.

[Mariana]

9. I'm surprised it's as high as 13 percent, frankly.

I don't know a single one who claims to believe Obama is a Christian. Some say he's a Muslim, some say he's an atheist. Believe it or not, some still say they believe he's the Beast of the Revelation, and it was only the combined prayers of all the Trve Christians that caused God to send Donald J. Trump and so save the world from Obama's nefarious plans.

What they agree on is that they hate him completely, and they absolutely salivate when they're fantasizing about how he'll be tortured for eternity by their loving god.

[guillaumeb]

14. That is indeed a bizarre statistic.

How much is that the result of Trump claiming that President Obama was a Muslim?

[Mariana]

19. Republicans were calling him a Muslim

as soon as his name first floated up as a possible presidential candidate. That's nothing new.

Of course, when referring to President Obama, "Muslim" is usually code for black, and of course Trump intended it in exactly that way to appeal to his racist supporters.

[guillaumeb]

20. Also a reference to the NOI, and all that the GOP fears.

[nil desperandum]

10. Or maybe

they just voted for who they thought would bring an actual change to the nation and make their economic situation better.

Historically Americans vote their paycheck and their sense of confidence in the party in power to maintain or improve their economic concerns.

Whether we like it or not Forbes magazine had an excellent article indicating how the middle class stagnated and the lower economic class lost wealth under the eight years of Obama.

I think Trump represented something other than the status quo, I think that was overlooked by every pollster and most status quo candidates. Certainly on the Republican side the status quo Republicans laughed off Trump's run until he was kicking their asses all over their own turf.

Conventional wisdom said he was a buffoon and had no real chance, the problem with conventional wisdom is that it's quite often neither of those things.

James Carville made it clear it was "the economy, stupid" almost thirty years ago...he was right then and it's still the case today.

That lesson was ignored and now we have the orange clown prince as president...ouch.

[guillaumeb]

15. Very well stated.

And no matter that Trump is a conman, a con man requires those who truly need to believe that the con is real.

[No Vested Interest]

33. I count myself among those who are Christian and Democrat.

Each belief strengthens the other for me, though I fall short of perfection in both.
Even in Christ's lifetime, his closest friends fell short of the Christian ideal.
We fail, then get back up and get back on track.

[guillaumeb]

35. Well said. Nothing to add to that. eom

[edhopper]

34. So Christian beliefs seem, more tiomes than not

to lead to evil or the support of evil.

Not all certainly but for the majority of Christians.

It seems to always have been so.

[guillaumeb]

36. It seems otherwise for me. eom

[edhopper]

37. polls on what majority of Christians support

and believe seem to support this.