this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2023
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United States | News & Politics

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Why do so many evangelical Christians support former President Donald Trump despite his decades of documented ungodly behavior?

An in-depth report from The Economist shows that it has a simple explanation: They believe that God personally appointed him to rule the United States.

In fact, the report cites a survey conducted by Denison University political scientist Paul Djupe that around 30 percent of Americans believe Trump "was anointed by God to become president."

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[–] ersatz@infosec.pub 46 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So he withdrew his support of trump in 2020? No they'll say, that election was stolen. So democrats are more powerful than God? Sounds like you chumps are worshiping an inferior being. Get with it. Biden for God, 2024.

[–] blindsight 16 points 10 months ago

There's no use using logic to argue someone out of a position they didn't arrive at by logic in the first place.

They just hand wave anything away as "this is a test of faith in this life, but it is only the eternal afterlife that matters." There's literally no arguing with it.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Both the RawStory and The Economist articles are quite vague about what specific 2021 Pew poll they’re talking about. I’m very skeptical of this 30% number. The Economist article itself made no such claim.

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

In fact, the report cites a survey conducted by Denison University political scientist Paul Djupe that around 30 percent of Americans believe Trump "was anointed by God to become president."

Not a Pew Research Poll.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/full-armor-of-god/2B21DC6F17E88C6DF7275F45A66DF104

I'll see if I can find it on open scholar or something similar.

EDIT: Here we go!

https://annas-archive.org/md5/da76eb110551fd4028c9c0a8e185f0ce

You can thank Cambridge for paywalling scientific knowledge for why the article is so hard to find.

I mean it took me about 10 minutes, but I guess most people do not know how to do research on the internet.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 6 points 10 months ago
[–] aew360@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

My mom believes it and told me at her Bible studies they all talk about how God put Trump on Earth to protect America. So there’s that. It’s mostly old ass Christians, but unfortunately for us America is mostly old ass Christians because the Baby Boomer generation was FUCKING HUGE. Hats off to the leftist Christians who actually understand Jesus’ teachings

[–] roguetrick@kbin.social 18 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Divine right of presidents theory would also make all the Democrats appointed by God. But this shit is evangelical personal relationship with God nonsense, so I guess God told them personally that he appointed Trump to be president.

[–] lili_thana@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Knowing how Evangelicals are, they'd claim that the dem presidents are Satan deceiving people or, like in the case of Obama, are potential Antichrists. They need Satan to be powerful enough to fear and they use anything they can to reinforce that.

[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So either their god is powerless to stop this single fallen angel, or they don't love their creation enough to care.

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[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 11 points 10 months ago

“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”

― Steven Weinberg

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

30% of Americans or 30% of voters?

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 months ago

About 10 or 20 minutes after I posted the story, I found the actual study by Dennison University that is the basis of many of the claims.

Here is the /official/, paywalled, abstract only link on Cambridge's journal or study publishing site:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/full-armor-of-god/2B21DC6F17E88C6DF7275F45A66DF104

And here are various links to the full study provided by scientists amd volunteers who believe information should be freely available:

https://annas-archive.org/md5/da76eb110551fd4028c9c0a8e185f0ce

I have not had enough time to read it but given that 40% + of American adults believe in the Biblical Creation narrative of the world and do not believe in evolution, I'm pretty confident the 30% figure refers to basically American Adults, ie potential voters, in this context.

[–] phorq@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 months ago

30% of Americans that were willing to take the survey... So the most enthusiastic voters...

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 10 months ago

Saw this unhinged video on the old site about a week ago. Woman being interviewed was going on about how much the shitbag cares about USA and how much he cares about us. These people cannot reason about anything logically. He gives no fucks for anyone but himself, yet this asshole was saying he gives a fuck about his supporters / USA citizens. I hate stupidity. I hate gullibility.

I had a sociology professor who stated that we hate most in others what we fear most in ourselves. Checks out.

[–] jtk@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 10 months ago

despite his decades of documented ungodly behavior

Because they also have decades of documented "ungodly behavior" (dumb phrase given god is a complete asshole) and want someone in charge that will let them continue it. Why do people insist on equating "christian" with "good"? If you saw some dude with "Good Guy" tattooed on his forehead, would you trust them? That's exactly what the cross has symbolized since it's inception.

[–] max@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 10 months ago

Like the king is king because god wants.. Wait why is this so similar to 1300DC?

[–] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 3 points 10 months ago

[they believe that] God will use Trump to crush opposition to Christian nationalism and restore Christians as the nation's rightful political rulers.

i've said for years that all the so-called "hypocrisy" of the christian right supporting the decidedly unchristian donald trump vanishes when you account for one fact: he'll let them hurt who they want to hurt.

[–] jlow 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Never believe in a survey you haven't forged yourself.

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 10 points 10 months ago

Never do your own 10 minutes of research to discover this is the result of an in depth academic study by scholars and instead equip cognitive dissonance armor for +2 snark, - 1 INT, and the ability to off hand disregard as a forgery any information that doesn't fit your worldview!

[–] MeetInPotatoes@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 months ago

And their votes somehow still count 😦

[–] Marthirial@lemmings.world 2 points 10 months ago

White Christian Conservatives are one of the most scary things out there. Those fuckers are twisted, hateful and dellutional.

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah, I'm glad there's a voice of reason in the comments because there's no fucking way this is accurate even with now completely idiotic our nation is.

[–] itsonlygeorge@reddthat.com 1 points 10 months ago

In other news, rednecks are fucking idiots.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 10 months ago

I read "Trump was appointed by President God" and I was wondering how I missed the election of a whole ass Deity into the executive branch.

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 10 months ago

This is truly adorable.

[–] pan_troglodytes@programming.dev 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

very difficult to be God Emperor without divine intervention