One of the most degrading, humiliating, and distressing aspects of American politics in recent years is the extent to which the Republican Party has allowed itself to be obliterated and remade or transformed into an image of an absolute, messianic ruler named Donald Trump. The distressing part of it is the extent to which people are prepared to sacrifice long-held values and their moral consciences to unquestioningly buy into a narrative that they could become subservient to one person. As a result, their cultic loyalty to one man has served to blind them to the real dangers that he represents, both to their own personal futures and the country they claim to love.

It is even more pathetic to see the extent to which the evangelical Christian community has bought into this narrative and has bowed the knee to this golden calf. Let us be clear that American evangelicalism is not as monolithic as some people believe. There are still significant numbers of evangelicals, especially in the black community, who have not been taken over by the messianic complex that plagues white evangelicalism. They have not bowed the knees to Baal. So, it must be borne in mind that the political mindset that governs whites, especially in the southern parts of the country, sometimes referred to as the Bible belt, would find no problem easily accommodating itself to cultic, messianic cleavages. Incidentally, it is in the states of this demographic, including states like Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee, that have some of the highest divorce rates in America.

It is arguable that the fertile ground for this messianic loyalty to Trump was long laid in the Republican Party. It is nonetheless frightening to see the collapse of long-held religious values and how easily these can be pushed aside to accommodate him. This is why I am not surprised that they could see the direct intervention of God in saving Trump’s life at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of the interesting things about evangelical Christians is the extent to which they claim or purport to know the mind of God. By a literalist interpretation of scripture, they appear to know the mind of God even better than he does. They can tell you what the furniture in heaven is like and the temperature in hell. They often leave no room that their interpretation could be wrong.

Since I do not know God’s mind as well as they seem to, I will not venture a thought that God could not have had a direct hand in saving the former president’s life. God is God and he can do whatever he wishes. But is it not a stretch to suggest that God turned his head and spared him from the assassin’s bullet in order for Trump to do his work “to the glory of God” And what is this glory and purpose that is being hearkened to? To carry out massive deportations of illegals, disrupting families and causing untold hardships on the society? Is it executing the blueprint of Project 2025, with all the hallmarks of chaos and confusion that is likely to ensue in the society? Is it to continue the oppression of minority groups such as those in the LGBTQ community; to seek revenge and retribution against perceived enemies; to continue the oppression of women as you remove from them the fundamental decisions over their reproductive health? Is it to give tax breaks to the richest individuals and corporations while giving tokens, if any, to the poorest and most vulnerable in the society.

If all of these things, and much more, that is being offered by Trump and his team reflect the glory of God, then we all must be worshipping different gods. Certainly not the God of the prophetic tradition in the Old Testament who stood solidly on the side of the poor against the destructive behaviour of the rich. Read the eighth century prophets like Amos, Micah, and others to get an idea of what I am talking about.

I do not expect that those who subscribe to the notion of Trump’s almost divine status will quit doing so any time soon. If anything, it would appear that Trump’s messianic status has been elevated since the ill-fated attack on his life. And all well-thinking people must condemn this action, and, yes, thank God that he was not killed.

But I would urge that subservience or unquestioned loyalty to a mere human being to a point of ascribing divine qualities to him is a threshold that those who believe, commonsensically even, in the sovereignty of God, should never reach. Elevating a person to this status, especially one with Trump’s calibre, is to fly in the face of God. This is not a criticism of religious belief but of a cult fashioned according to what are clearly autocratic and dictatorial principles. A toxic mix of religion and political fascism is not only sacrilegious, but a dangerous brew that is not good for the health of any democratic society.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator and author of the books: Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. Check out his podcast, Mango Tree Dialogues, on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.