A Return to Idolatry

“Idolatry is the worship of an idol or cult image, being a physical image, such as a statue, or a person in place of God.”

Everyone knows a true Trump sycophant – a MAGA hat wearing, coronavirus denying, misinformation spreading type, unable to see any wrong in the man. With very few exceptions, these are also members of one Christian faith or another.

It seems to me that Christians have to abandon their values in order to embrace Donald Trump. Don’t take my word for it, though. Google ‘Christian Values List’ and you get THIS as the top result.

The #1 item on the list is ‘Worship Only God’. Let’s leave that for now and come back to it. How does Trump fare with the rest?

#2 Be Kind to All People Um…no.

#3 Be Humble No again.

#4 Be Honest Not even close.

#5 Live a Moral Life No.

#6 Be Generous with Time and Money You can give him some points here for donating his salary as president to charity. It does seem a bit hollow when he has taken in several times that in profits just by taking the presidential entourage to his own properties. Not to mention his tax plan benefitting himself enourmously. I think it’s fair to call him a camel in the eye of the needle on this one.

#7 Practice what you Preach; Don’t be a Hypocrite Trump claims to be anti-abortion, but when push came to shove, he took a medicine derived from cells of an aborted fetus to save his own life. He sucks up to evangelicals in public and mocks them in private. He couldn’t shut up about Clinton’s emails jeopardizing national security then discussed national security issues at Mar-a-Lago surrounded by club members. He criticized Obama about golfing and golfs more than he did. He complained about the cost of Obama’s presidential vacations and his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago cost $3.6 million each. Examples go on and on. No.

#8 Don’t be Self-righteous Here I could be taken to task for this entire post. Judge not lest ye be judged, right? I would argue that it is our duty in the selection of whom we give responsibility to judge. On one hand, we all fall short of perfection and on the other we shouldn’t hire Charles Manson to run a preschool. Self-righteousness is bigger than just the sin-shaming definition from christianity. It’s the odious attitude that your personal beliefs and convictions are completely unassailable. Trump and his followers are just one side of this coin with virtue-signaling democrats and rabid statue-murders on the other. Self-righteousness is practically oxygen in Washington. That’s a big no.

#9 Don’t Retaliate Yeah. No.

#10 Forgive Others This one is kind of funny. Trump never forgives but often forgets. Do anthing against him and suddenly you’re a loser he barely knows. Just ask his departed staff. His supporters are certainly quick to forgive all of Trump’s faults while damning anyone who dares speak against him for all their faults, real and imagined.

So back to #1 Worship Only God I don’t think we have to examine Trump himself here, but his followers. Most claim to adhere to the above values, yet support someone who clearly does not. They back him to the point of absurdity and attack anyone who dares disagree.

Thus their idolatry – Trump has become their golden calf. As the authors of this list put it: “…anything that takes the place of our devotion to God becomes an idol or false god.”

Not all Trump supporters are so idolatrous. Some recognize his faults and rationalize their choice as a necessary evil. That’s a defensible position so long as on the balance, his opponent and/or their platform embody the opposite of their values. Some close examination may be in order, though.