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“Behold the Man” (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump has come to be associated with many unsavory things. Racist housing practices, mob ties, hell, his taste is so bad it would probably make Gordon Ramsey insult a small child for catharsis. But like most lost souls trying to get over breaking bad, he’s found God. Of course, he’s done so with his traditional flair for fanfare and almost saying the quiet part outload.

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President Donald J. Trump speaks at the Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida: "Because we are Americans, and Americans kneel to God, and God alone." pic.twitter.com/krSA2Rkmdr

— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 24, 2022

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This is another step in the powerful trend of all religions being equal, with Christianity being more equal than others. Trump, along with the politicians and SS flag wavers that are under his wing, are sounding a lot like that Bremerton coach:

“The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church,” she said last month. “That is not how our founding fathers intended it. And I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk that’s not in the Constitution.” – GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert

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Not all Christians are cool with what’s happening in their name.

"'Christian nationalism' contradicts both the teachings of Christ and the core tenets of the U.S. Constitution. As Americans, we can have a democracy or we can have a theocracy. We cannot have both." https://t.co/jqWLYJK29O

— Matthew Sitman (@MatthewSitman) July 24, 2022

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It is even giving some folks in the Pro Trump camp pause.

I really don’t like this direction Trump, MTG, etc. are going in when it comes to God and religion. It’ll just make us look bad in the long run. https://t.co/v8gWZjOjCL

— The Right-Wing War Elephant 🐘 (@Teh_Elephant) July 25, 2022

At around this point, the devil’s advocates will be asking “What’s the danger of a couple people openly professing their personal religious beliefs? The State being in a position to prohibit thought is a far greater threat than these people merely professing their allegiance to Sky Daddy.” Fair in theory, but the First is not an absolute right. Just as there are limits to speech like not being able to yell fire in a crowded theatre, there should probably be some limits to religious speech from public officials advocating for religious stances that support violence and insurrection:

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A CNN report published Sunday asserts an even darker side to the ideology, claiming Christian nationalists use theology to justify sexism and racism as a means to attain an ideal White Christian America. The report said such ideas were becoming increasingly common in churches around the nation.

After Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried crosses or invoked theology to justify their actions, some argued the insurrection also represented a “Christian revolt.”

If only our Forefathers had the foresight to throw a clause or some verbiage in the Constitution that would defend against the onslaught of private beliefs on the public. Guess you can’t expect men from 1800 to handle every problem in the 2000’s. In the meantime, I think we should retire comparing each moment Christian Radicals running for office compel more Godly behavior from the nonbelievers to the Taliban or some other Middle Eastern group. Religious extremism is as American as apple pie.

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Trump Says ‘Americans Kneel To God, And God Alone’ As Support For Christian Nationalism Grows Among Republicans [Business Insider]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

Topics

1st Amendment, Bremerton, Establishment Clause