Shadi Hamid on Morning Joe. The single worst guest I think I have ever seen on that show.

[Hortensis]

16. :) You can hold to that belief with religious-level dogmatism even

as you live through what people who've abandoned the precepts of Christianity for political passions are doing? As the OP suggests, Whatshisname on Joe is just plain wrong, a real goofball at best, promoting the evils of religion for what's probably a suspect agenda?

To me that looks like clinging to faith over fact. People of zealous religious faith are more similar than otherwise to those who are equally passionate and aggressive in pursuit of secular beliefs taken on faith. Just look at all the genocides caused by ethnic, racial, economic, geographic, political, etc, etc, kind of hates. Over farming versus grazing?

The big, important difference isn't in religion or secularism. It's between those who can respect and tolerate different groups, who are able to just plain respect that others have a right to be themselves, well enough to live together amicably -- versus those personal dispositions won't let them believe in the rightness of "live and let live."

In any case, Trumpists lie to themselves that they're still following the principles of their religion, but the reality is the radicalized secular political behaviors of people who've transferred their allegiance to an earthly clown. They chose him to lead them to political victory over those they are unwilling to "let live."

Their abandonment of religion while still claiming its cloak is perfectly understandable to thoughtful religious leaders. They've always known that in significant percentages of their supposed followers religion, and commitment to its precepts, is as shallow as a label "people like me" wear.