In 1988 Living Colour released a political commentary entitled "Cult of Personality." This catchy tune was a subtle critique of the tendency mankind has to glorify celebrities, especially political and religious personalities (names such as Kennedy, Mussolini, and Gandhi can be heard in the chorus). As I listened to this song in my car yesterday, I was reminded of something I had seen last week. Down the road from where I work there lives a Trump supporter. In the days before the election he made sure that everyone knew where his alliances lay by putting up multiple Trump signs in his yard. Those signs have since come down, but erected in their place is one of the saddest things I've ever seen. This gentleman has a tall flagpole in his yard. That flagpole displays multiple flags that indicate his local and national allegiances. What, pray tell, do you think sits atop this flagpole? Yep, a Trump flag. I was, simply put, flabbergasted.
This is certainly an extreme case, but I think it reflects a pervasive theme in certain parts of the country: people have happily dedicated themselves to the Cult of Trump. Now, I know several people who voted for Donald Trump DESPITE his downsides. That's understandable, but what I find remarkable is how many people view Trump as a Messianic character sent by God to restore the Republic. The words and actions of his followers are akin to those of a religious cult: they defend every thing he does, they look to him for hope for the future, they react sharply when anyone questions him, and they refuse to allow him to be subjected to objective criticism. Now that his presidency has commenced and he has actually followed through on some of his promises, souls are being added to his number daily. He is the new Crusader, defeating Islam! He is going to build his wall! He is cutting this program and altering that policy and he's dong it all by the swift motion of his pen! I don't think it would be a stretch to say that some Trump supporters have "faith" in him. Now, God certainly uses men in powerful ways to shape the world and to reform his Church, and He can certainly use anyone, even bad men, to fulfill his purposes, but the adherents to the Cult of Trump don't even look at it from that perspective. They see Trump as the new Constantine, recently converted and establishing Christianity as the dominant power in the Empire! Let me tell you, Christendom is in pretty bad shape if our great Reformer is a philandering narcissist!
Rest assured that I don't have any strong feelings, pro or con, about the individual choices Donald Trump has made. I decided not to vote for an immoral man and Trump has yet to make me regret that decision. If anything, he has only demonstrated that he is a big government guy like most of the other options that were in the field this election cycle (Rand Paul 2020!). His actual policies might be better than Hillary's, but that doesn't change his civil philosophy or personal character. Even so, it's not Trump that worries me. Rather, I am worried by his hordes of faithful followers and the demographics that comprise them. Christian brethren, how are we, the Church of Jesus Christ, celebrating the conglomeration of power by a man whose moral compass has consistently been guided by nothing but greed, lust, and a desire for self-advancement? How can we have degenerated this far? How bad are our priorities? How misguided our principles? I'm not sure I want to know.
Back when Obama was elected, many hailed him as the Savior of the nation. His cult was primarily political, though liberal Christianity gave him a good deal of support, and the Right appropriately bemoaned the praises given him. Look at the Right now--bowing down before Trump like pagans of old. The truth is that both sides are zealous for the Cult of Personality. The only difference is the prerequisites for being deified.
I am also slightly worried by what this religious zeal for Trump could mean in the future. This implicit faith looks a little bit like the kind of devotion tyrants of the past received. I'm not saying Trump will become a dictator. I'm not saying that I think he wants to be a dictator or that his policies lean that direction. All I'm saying is that the reception garnered by his litany of executive orders could lend itself to a power grab. That's all I'm saying. Many of history's tyrants, from Caesar to Castro, began as saviors and reformers. At this point, Trump's policies would seem to resist a move towards tyranny, but the beginning of Trump's tenure is eerily similar to some of history's most notorious tyrants.
Before I finish, let me appease a few of my readers. I know there are many of my friends who are just hoping that Trump can do some good. They don't worship him, they don't have faith in him, and they don't even really like him. Nonetheless, there is, without a doubt, a strong Cult of Trump developing in this country. It's unfortunate that there are many professing Christians in it. Let's pray that Trump will do something to disillusion them.
This is certainly an extreme case, but I think it reflects a pervasive theme in certain parts of the country: people have happily dedicated themselves to the Cult of Trump. Now, I know several people who voted for Donald Trump DESPITE his downsides. That's understandable, but what I find remarkable is how many people view Trump as a Messianic character sent by God to restore the Republic. The words and actions of his followers are akin to those of a religious cult: they defend every thing he does, they look to him for hope for the future, they react sharply when anyone questions him, and they refuse to allow him to be subjected to objective criticism. Now that his presidency has commenced and he has actually followed through on some of his promises, souls are being added to his number daily. He is the new Crusader, defeating Islam! He is going to build his wall! He is cutting this program and altering that policy and he's dong it all by the swift motion of his pen! I don't think it would be a stretch to say that some Trump supporters have "faith" in him. Now, God certainly uses men in powerful ways to shape the world and to reform his Church, and He can certainly use anyone, even bad men, to fulfill his purposes, but the adherents to the Cult of Trump don't even look at it from that perspective. They see Trump as the new Constantine, recently converted and establishing Christianity as the dominant power in the Empire! Let me tell you, Christendom is in pretty bad shape if our great Reformer is a philandering narcissist!
Rest assured that I don't have any strong feelings, pro or con, about the individual choices Donald Trump has made. I decided not to vote for an immoral man and Trump has yet to make me regret that decision. If anything, he has only demonstrated that he is a big government guy like most of the other options that were in the field this election cycle (Rand Paul 2020!). His actual policies might be better than Hillary's, but that doesn't change his civil philosophy or personal character. Even so, it's not Trump that worries me. Rather, I am worried by his hordes of faithful followers and the demographics that comprise them. Christian brethren, how are we, the Church of Jesus Christ, celebrating the conglomeration of power by a man whose moral compass has consistently been guided by nothing but greed, lust, and a desire for self-advancement? How can we have degenerated this far? How bad are our priorities? How misguided our principles? I'm not sure I want to know.
Back when Obama was elected, many hailed him as the Savior of the nation. His cult was primarily political, though liberal Christianity gave him a good deal of support, and the Right appropriately bemoaned the praises given him. Look at the Right now--bowing down before Trump like pagans of old. The truth is that both sides are zealous for the Cult of Personality. The only difference is the prerequisites for being deified.
I am also slightly worried by what this religious zeal for Trump could mean in the future. This implicit faith looks a little bit like the kind of devotion tyrants of the past received. I'm not saying Trump will become a dictator. I'm not saying that I think he wants to be a dictator or that his policies lean that direction. All I'm saying is that the reception garnered by his litany of executive orders could lend itself to a power grab. That's all I'm saying. Many of history's tyrants, from Caesar to Castro, began as saviors and reformers. At this point, Trump's policies would seem to resist a move towards tyranny, but the beginning of Trump's tenure is eerily similar to some of history's most notorious tyrants.
Before I finish, let me appease a few of my readers. I know there are many of my friends who are just hoping that Trump can do some good. They don't worship him, they don't have faith in him, and they don't even really like him. Nonetheless, there is, without a doubt, a strong Cult of Trump developing in this country. It's unfortunate that there are many professing Christians in it. Let's pray that Trump will do something to disillusion them.
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