Trump Lays Bare the Moral Bankruptcy of the Religious Right

[rug]

The movement’s top leaders crown the foul-mouthed casino owner as their savior.



GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, speaks alongside Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University during a campaign event in Sioux City, Iowa, on January 31, 2016. (Photo: AP/Patrick Semansky)

ADELE M. STAN
JUNE 29, 2016

The business of saving souls has always had its charlatans. In the United States, the religious right often seems to serve up more than its share. Take Ralph Reed, for example. The political operative who rose to fame as executive director of the now-defunct Christian Coalition, Reed has long used his evangelical cred to feed his for-profit businesses, as he did when lobbyist Jack Abramoff hired Reed’s firm, Century Strategies, to rally his Christian soldiers to oppose the casino-building plans of one American Indian tribe in order to serve the gambling interests of a competing tribe. (This scheme, along with others, landed Abramoff in prison for bribery.) It should come as no surprise, then, to find him as a lead evangelist for Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Today, Ralph Reed heads the Faith and Freedom Coalition, yet another religious-right organization treated as a credible institution by both the media and right-wing evangelical Christians. For Reed, the nonprofit organization maintains his place as a leader of the faithful, a place that is critical to his ability to bring in business to his for-profit political consulting firms, Century Strategies and Millennium Marketing.

Reed would have you believe that he began his friendship with Trump seven years ago because of the tycoon’s change of heart on the matter of abortion, but I’d personally bet it was the gambling. And the money.

Asked by NPR’s David Greene in a June 22 interview just how Reed and his fellow evangelicals could possibly support a thrice-married casino-owner as their candidate, Reed replied: “There’s a myth out there that they’re driven by identity politics. … That’s just simply not true. They have supported candidates who had … theologies they consider to be anathema, like Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, for example. And they voted 78 percent for Romney.” And if Reed has his way, they’ll vote for a foul-mouthed philanderer who swindled a lot of people out of their money, whether through his Trump University enterprise, or by using the bankruptcy laws to stiff his creditors.

http://prospect.org/article/trump-lays-bare-moral-bankruptcy-religious-right

[Scientific]

1. Fascinating, revealing photo

Trump looks like who he is. Mark his graven image well, and all the shadows it portends.

Foulwell, Jr. cannot repress his feral ecstasy in having found a huuuge false prophet to pimp to the proles. Dial 1-800-sucker. Be sure to have your credit card handy.

[rug]

2. He looks as nervous as a thief on an ATM camera.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. Look at Falwell's feet

He's on his toes like he can't wait to leave.

[PJMcK]

9. What's he holding in his lap? (wink)

Sorry.

[keithbvadu2]

3. Political Christians rather than Christians of faith

[Dustlawyer]

4. Religeous folks seem much easier to con just by uttering a few "Praise Jesus" and

"...this suffering and economic woe I will just have to give it up to God!" It's why so many go to churches with Pastors who are just in it for the money and the thrill of taking advantage while hiding in plain sight!

So many businesses put out the fish symbol to make the customers think they couldn't be taken advantage of by a religious business person.

[PdxSean]

6. Apropos.

Trump is the epitome of Republican Christianity in America. I'm only shocked that people are shocked that the "religious" right would follow him.

[uponit7771]

7. +1

[sulphurdunn]

8. The American right is the greates show on earth,

with lots of performers, animals and clowns. To remain the greatest show it must always present new acts, new thrills and more chills. The only way to keep the circus profitable is to keep moving further right. That's why it has clownish bathroom police and grifting ring masters who channel PT Barnum.

[rug]

11. Its past favorite ideolgies have been racism and nationalism.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. All circus, no bread.

Pretty lousy circus too.

[world wide wally]

10. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with God or religion

I think I will make a pitch for some "Christian" money