DEFEAT FASCISM

One observer of the American experience believed that the “… the main reason for the quiet sway of religion over [America] was the complete separation of church and state.” This was Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1800s.

A modern writer believes that the current instability of our government derives from the meddling of a powerful religious cult—right wing evangelicals—into politics. This author, Tim Alberta, examines the cult thoroughly in “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism."

The book details the movement of vast numbers of so-called “Christians” who moved their emphasis from spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to spreading the power of a political party. It was not the Democratic Party.

No, in fact Alberta points out that one of the results of the right-wing evangelicals was to make the Galilean the “mascot of the Republican Party.’

Another delicious observation rests on how the cult achieved “The Christianization of Donald Trump.”

That was the trick of all political tricks. It rested on the mythology of “the flawed messenger.” They are quick to use King David as an example citing that even though he sent his best friend to die in battle because he, King David, could hook up with his friend’s wife, he nonetheless became a famous religious icon.

We should overlook the flaws of one who achieves  the goals that we seek.

Oh, so that would apply to President Bill Clinton as well, considering his dalliance in office while balancing the national budget and reducing the national debt.

“Oh no,” the evangelicals cry,” the flawed messenger” tribute only applies to Donald Trump among our presidents. Others can go to hell.

This is not the first book written about “the scorched-earth spirituality” of modern evangelicals. What makes it different is that the author is, himself, a born again evangelical. He mourns about what the right wingers have done to his church, crediting them with doing more than any group in making some Americans distrust Christianity and others despise it.

America is not the only institution in danger these days.