Trump Campaign Apocalyptic and Religious Rhetoric

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"... For all the exhaustive coverage of Trump’s campaign rallies, even before the assassination attempt at one of them in July, relatively little attention has been paid to the prayers that start each one. These invocations aren’t broadcast live on cable news, nor do they typically attract the interest of journalists, who gravitate toward the more impious utterances of the candidate himself. But the prayers offered before Trump speaks illuminate this perilous moment in American politics just as well as anything he says from the podium. And they help explain how the stakes of this year’s election have come to feel so apocalyptically high. ..."

Really interesting article. I also thought that at the RNC, Trump and the speakers on the final night, at least, pretty obviously leaned close to comparing Trump's narrow escape from an assassin with the Resurrection.
 
From Trump's RNC speech (these are more or less his prepared remarks (with his typical embellishments), so intentional language, not just the rambling, loose set of grievances and weird asides that followed his prepared remarks and usually makes up his stump speech/MAGA comedy routine).

"... The most incredible aspect of what took place on that terrible evening, in the fading sun, was actually seen later. In almost all cases, as you probably know. And when even a single bullet is fired, just a single bullet, and we had many bullets that were being fired, crowds run for the exits or stampede. But not in this case. It was very unusual.

This massive crowd of tens of thousands of people stood by and didn’t move an inch. In fact, many of them bravely but automatically stood up, looking for where the sniper would be. They knew immediately that it was a sniper. And then began pointing at him. You can see that if you look at the group behind me. That was just a small group compared to what was in front.

Nobody ran and, by not stampeding, many lives were saved. But that isn’t the reason that they didn’t move. The reason is that they knew I was in very serious trouble. They saw it. They saw me go down. They saw the blood, and thought, actually most did, that I was dead.

They knew it was a shot to the head. They saw the blood.
And there’s an interesting statistic. The ears are the bloodiest part. If something happens with the ears they bleed more than any other part of the body. For whatever reason the doctors told me that.

And I said, “Why is there so much blood?”

...
They just, this beautiful crowd, they didn’t want to leave me. They knew I was in trouble. They didn’t want to leave me. And you can see that love written all over their faces. True.

Incredible people. They’re incredible people. Bullets were flying over us, yet I felt serene. But now the Secret Service agents were putting themselves in peril. They were in very dangerous territory.

Bullets were flying right over them, missing them by a very small amount of inches. And then it all stopped. Our Secret Service sniper, from a much greater distance and with only one bullet used, took the assassin’s life. Took him out.

I’m not supposed to be here tonight. Not supposed to be here.

[Crowd chants “Yes, you are.”]

Thank you. But I’m not. And I’ll tell you. I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God.

And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was. When I rose, surrounded by Secret Service, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead. And there was great, great sorrow. I could see that on their faces as I looked out. They didn’t know I was looking out; they thought it was over.

But I could see it and I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting and started shouting, “Fight, fight, fight.”

Thank you.

Once my clenched fist went up, and it was high into the air, you’ve all seen that, the crowd realized I was OK and roared with pride for our country like no crowd I have ever heard before. Never heard anything like it.

For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening in Pennsylvania. ..."

----
I am the resurrection and I am the light


Drink this in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you, the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ

Trump said "Fight Fight Fight" not "Peace be with you" (the phrase Jesus spoke to the Disciples when he appeared to them), but you get the gist.
 
Franklin Graham's speech and prayer hit on similar themes, IMO.



"... President Trump had a near-death experience ... No question. But God spared his life. ... When President Trump rose from that platform, he rose with his fist raised in strength. ... I cannot explain why God would save one life and allow another one to be taken. I don't have an answer for that. ...
[Prayer] ... our Heavenly Father, ... thank you for saving the life of President Donald J. Trump. In his own words, it was you. And you alone saved him. ... with millions of people seeking refuge and hope in our dry and thirsty land. You're the only one who can fix it. ... We pray for President Trump that you would give him wisdom ... [and] continue to protect him from his enemies. ..."

----
I don't think Graham did some of this by accident -- he pretty directly called back to Trump's 2016 RNC speech when Trump said "I am your voice. ... I alone can fix it." Graham also referred to Trump rising twice in quick succession -- he rose from the platform, he rose with his fist raised in strength. I told my husband when I heard it that night that I thought that Graham was rhetorically comparing the assassination attempt to the resurrection and using Trump's own "I alone" phrasing as the word of God.
 
From the Atlantic article:

"... To understand the evolving psychology and beliefs of Trump’s religious supporters, I attempted to review every prayer offered at his campaign events since he announced in November 2022 that he would run again. Working with a researcher, I compiled 58 in total, the most recent from June 2024. The resulting document—at just over 17,000 words—makes for a strange, revealing religious text: benign in some places, blasphemous in others; contradictory and poignant and frightening and sad and, perhaps most of all, begging for exegesis.

... One might also be tempted to catalog the most comically incendiary lines (“Oh Lord, our Lord, we want to be awake and not woke”). But the most interesting way to look at these prayers is to examine the theological motifs that run through them.

The scripture verse that’s cited most frequently in the prayers comes from 2 Chronicles. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Ryan Burge, a Baptist minister and political scientist I asked to review the prayers, told me that this verse—which is quoted 10 times—is regularly cited by evangelicals to advance a popular conservative-Christian narrative: that America, like ancient Israel before it, has broken its special covenant with God and is suffering the consequences.

... In Wildwood, New Jersey, a pastor declared, “Our nation finds itself in turmoil, chaos, and dysfunction.” In Fort Dodge, Iowa, the sentiment was similar: “Lies, corruption, and propaganda are driving civilization to ruins.” In Conway, South Carolina, one supplicant informed God, “Our enemies are trying to steal, kill, and destroy our America, so we need you to intervene.”

...
The former president no longer needs to be described as a blunt, utilitarian tool in God’s hand. “Cyrus was a way of acknowledging, ‘I know this is an immoral person, but he could still do some good,’ ” Russell Moore, an evangelical theologian and the editor of Christianity Today, who has been critical of Trump, told me. “I haven’t heard Cyrus language in at least five years.”

The prayers at Trump’s rallies reflect this shifting perception. Cyrus isn’t mentioned, but Trump does get compared to righteous, prophetic heroes of the Bible, including Esther, Solomon, and David.

...
Some of the prayers at Trump’s rallies run along these lines, and would be familiar to anyone who has spent time in an American church, myself included. “Give President Trump the strength to make the right decisions both in and out of the public eye,” one man prayed at a Trump event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “Remind him to seek your guidance as events unfold.” I have said “Amen” to a thousand prayers like this in my life, on behalf of government leaders in both parties.

But Onishi, like several of the other experts I asked to read the prayers, was struck by how many of them take Trump’s righteousness for granted. “No one prays for Trump to do right; they pray that God will do right by Trump,” Onishi told me.

... At a February campaign event in North Charleston, South Carolina, Mark Burns, a televangelist in a three-piece suit, squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his right hand toward heaven. “Let us pray, because we’re fighting a demonic force,” he shouted. “We’re fighting the real enemy that comes from the gates of hell, led by one of its leaders called Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”

Although Burns was more provocative than most, he was not alone in using the language of spiritual warfare. This is perhaps the most unnerving theme in the prayers at Trump’s rallies. One verse, from Ephesians, is quoted repeatedly: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” ..."
 
Even as a former Christian, I'm honestly astonished about the projection of - or the association with - the mythology of Christ onto Trump and the numbers of them who have completely bought into it. Maybe I shouldn't be. I hear it constantly from religious family members and I just sit there in stunned silence. They know not to ask my opinion anymore, since it usually devolves into squabbling and the like.

I guess I would think the person they'd conflate with the savior of mankind would actually be impressive or formidable in some respect. But Trump and his entire family couldn't be any further from that description.
 
(cont'd)

"... But it’s easy to see the danger in internalizing the concept of politics as spiritual combat. Trump’s rallies become more than mere campaign events—they are staging grounds in a supernatural conflict that pits literal angels against literal demons for the soul of the nation. Marinate enough in these ideas, and the consequences of defeat start to feel existential. “This is not a time for politics as usual,” a Pentecostal preacher declared at a Trump rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last year. “It’s not a time for religion as usual. It’s not a time for prayers as usual. This is a time for spiritual warriors to arise and to shake the heavens.”

... As I was reviewing these prayers, I wondered what Trump’s most zealous religious supporters would do if they didn’t get the result they were praying for in November. With so much riding on the idea that Trump’s reelection has a divine mandate, what would happen if he lost? A destabilizing crisis of faith? Another widespread rejection of the election’s outcome? Further spasms of political violence?

It wasn’t until I came across a prayer delivered in December in Coralville, Iowa, that a more urgent question occurred to me: What will they do if their prayers are answered?

Onstage, Joel Tenney, a 27-year-old evangelist with a shiny coif of blond hair and a quavering preacher’s cadence, preceded his prayer with a short sermon for the gathered crowd of Trump supporters. “We have witnessed a sitting president weaponize the entire legal system to try and steal an election and imprison his leading opponent, Donald Trump, despite committing no crime,” Tenney began. “The corruption in Washington is a natural reflection of the spiritual state of our nation.”

For the next several minutes, Tenney hit all the familiar notes: He quoted from 2 Chronicles and Ephesians, and reminded the audience of the eternal consequences of 2024. Then he issued a warning to those who would stand in the way of God’s will being done on Election Day.

Be afraid,” Tenney said. “For rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. And when Donald Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States, there will be retribution against all those who have promoted evil in this country.”

With that, he invited the audience to remove their hats, and turned his voice to God. “Lord, help us make America great again,” he prayed."
 
When I was a teenager, I went to more than one Billy Graham revival meeting. I admired Billy Graham for what he said l, what he did, and how he conducted himself. And what Billy Graham said in his "soft" and "indoor" voice helped me understand Christianity and feel better about my beliefs.

But Franklin is a whole different kettle of fish. And by "kettle of fish," I mean one that has been sitting outside, in the sun, for about a week. Franklin really gives off an attitude that Christianity is a business transaction and that believers are just customers to be fleeced on a "pay now and get what you're paying for later' basis. And Franklin has definitely targeted who he thinks are the most gullible marks in the potential customer base.

An example of what I was talking about in regard to Billy Graham's beliefs, in a 1978 interview in McCall's magazine, Graham said, "I used to believe that pagans in far-off countries were lost – were going to hell – if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that. – I believe that there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God – through nature, for instance – and plenty of other opportunities, therefore, of saying 'yes' to God" Note: I purchased a paper copy of this issue of McCall's magazine and the quote is accurate.
 
Trump fan art has been a particularly weird thing for a while, and much of it is NOT religious (more Trump as various types of super-hero), but the stuff that is religious is pretty out there ...

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