Sunday, January 06, 2019

Evangelical Hypocrisy


It's more than ironic that Jerry Falwell Jr. is one of Donald Trump's strongest supporters. Christine Emba writes in The Washington Post:

On New Year’s Day, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. defended his unwavering support of President Trump with a thoroughly confused reading of the Gospel.
Speaking to The Post, the evangelical leader claimed that it was a distortion of Christ’s teachings to suggest that because He taught love and forgiveness, “the United States as a nation should be loving and forgiving.” According to Falwell’s creative theology, Christ “went out of his way to say that’s the earthly kingdom, I’m about the heavenly kingdom,” and loving your neighbor as yourself only applies to the latter.
The man whose institutional mission includes being “a voice for the voiceless” then meditated on the uselessness of the poor — “A poor person never gave anyone a job. A poor person never gave anybody charity, not of any real volume. It’s just common sense to me.” He then suggested that it might be immoral for Christians not to support Trump.
Even the Son of God might have raised an eyebrow at that.

Junior follows smugly in his father's footsteps, convinced that God is on his side and that he has been saved. I don't claim to know how God thinks. But I suspect that He's almightily pissed off with Junior.

Image: The Washington Post

16 comments:

bcwaterboy said...

Indeed, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Still scratching my head how the Falwell's of the world continue to dupe the masses with their self-serving bible interpretations- but following a fraud like trump comes as no surprise, the evilgelicals love following frauds.

Owen Gray said...

Appareently, Falwell posseses a law degree from the University of Virginia, waterboy. Thomas Jefferson must be wondering how he got through.

Lorne said...

It seems that every time these evangelicals speak, Owen, they indict themselves. I still don't understand how they command such devotion and loyalty, unless it is because they confirm and 'sanctify' their followers' own innate prejudices.

Owen Gray said...

It's my experience, Lorne, that for evamgelicals, religion is all about emotion. Logic and critical thinking gets in the way of Truth. The Word comes from Above and what is Below can be blown away in one deep breadth.

Anonymous said...


Christopher Hitchen had old man Falwell's number and it's very true, the road apple doesn't fall far from the horse.

- J.

Owen Gray said...

That comment deserves to be memorialized in a place where there is a lot of public traffic, J. There is such a thing as trickle down economics. There is also such a thing as trickle down theology.

The Mound of Sound said...

As Keven Philips relates in his 2005 book, American Theocracy, Britain also experienced a wave of these fundamentalist lunatics in the course of its decline. In uncertain times the public can be drawn to this nonsense.

Owen Gray said...

We are living in a time when lunacy has become the conventional wisdom, Mound. And the consequwnces -- rather than being laughable -- could be catastrophic.

JMacDuff said...

Owen, could be, is to optimistic a thought. The King is mad and his followers, do not care. It will not come to good. Strange days indeed, Momma.

Owen Gray said...

The American Republic was born during the reign of Mad King George, Mac. It may succumb during the reign of Mad King Donald.

John B. said...

Mr. Falwell's God obviously doesn't have the same problems that we do.

Owen Gray said...

Mr. Falwell's God thinks that the poor are a nuisance, John.

the salamander said...

.. seems there's some 'search for the holy grail' .. and 'holy moly crusade' to supercharge the toxic political minefield. To those who in any which way ascribe to the lunatic pronouncements of The Fallwells .. as allies of the Trump or Harper 'administrations', well 'goodnight snd good luck' .. tha North American land of 'the Loud & the Proud' is what we've come to.. the built in farcical faker & fuckery of America's Two Party system of gerrymandering, overt electoral racism.. rkses to its fruition in Trumpism - and here cometh Canada and Andrew Scheer to twist the toxic electoral knife in the Northern Latitudes.. 'Politics' as we thought we knew it.. is not a fault line after the first 7.5 Richter hit.. the big one is ripe to be a 9 .. .. They call it 'all that winning' and 'nation building'

Owen Gray said...

A truly sad state of affairs, sal.

e.a.f. said...

I read the article and a number of American articles and blogs who weren't amused by his comments, including some religious organizations.

Some of these people aren't Christians. They make a really, really good living off of the religion business. That's it. What is disgusting is that churches continue to support him and his hate.

its nice to know that he can interpret the Bible. He is no different than the Taliban. And may they all rot in hell and unfortunately as an atheist I don't believe it that either.

Owen Gray said...

The Bible has been used by lots of folks to justify lots of injustice, e.a.f