I listened to a Republican congressman speaking on the night the Impeachment trial of Donald Trump ended with an acquittal. Exhorting all to move on from the Impeachment, he was celebrating the “achievements” of Donald Trump as president.
Specifically, he talked of the tax cut (which profited giant corporations and the richest Americans, but he did not speak to that), and gains made abroad such as moving Israeli’s capitol to Jerusalem.
He made no mention of the seven people dead from the invasion of the American capitol or of the close brush with death by numbers two and three in presidential succession, the vice president and the speaker of the house. Or even himself and the 600 other congress people who faced death. Or of the 145 policemen injured and battered by trump followers armed with pipes, zip-ties (to kidnap political leaders, both republican and democrat), guns, baseball bats, tasers, confederate flags, Jesus flags, Trump flags, and the rest.
Or the peeing and the smearing of feces onto the capitol walls by those invading the once sacred premises shouting “Lynch Mike Pence” and “Where is Nancy (Pelosi)?”
It seems to me that The Republican Party no longer exists for 43 senators and 197 congress people who acquitted his crimes behind a legalistic façade of “no impeachment of an ex-president.”
It is a façade denied as folly by literally hundreds of constitutional scholars, both conservative and progressive, but a fig leaf nonetheless that presumably let republicans off the hook so that they can follow Trump wherever he leads. Invasion of the nation’s capitol, threatening congressional staffs and elected officials notwithstanding. And slaughtering the outnumbered congressional police notwithstanding.
What is going on here in America? I think we have a movement that is nothing less than a new religion–The Church of Donald J. Trump. The Republican party has been replaced with a Church complete with doctrines and worship.
Forty-three senators who voted to acquit him for his crimes of tyranny constitute the church’s college of cardinals.
One hundred ninety-seven congress people who voted to acquit him constitute his house of bishops.
The missionaries are those zealous members of new religious orders who play the role of guardians of the true faith.
Among them are the q-anon folks (of whom a good number were once evangelical believers), who believe that “others” such as democrats drink the blood of children and are busy trafficking children, etc.
Other missionaries include the religious orders of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and Neo-Nazis. All these zealous missionaries carry the message of the Church of Donald J. Trump to state houses and elsewhere.
Preaching loudly, they are eager to create a new inquisition complete with public hangings of heretics (a heretic being anyone who does not agree with Trump). They carry his message into the world, as all good missionaries do, by holding up his doctrines and mowing over those who do not believe.
We will discuss the doctrines of the Church of Donald J. Trump in subsequent DM’s.
See Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Banner Image: “Trump Lost Rally, 11/7/2020” Photo by Ken Fager on Flickr.
Do you sense the Republican Party breaking apart and one part of it becoming like a church of true believers? What follows from that?
11 thoughts on “Post-Impeachment: The Church of Donald J. Trump”
Dear Matthew- greetings from the UK. We heard you talk in St James’s Church Piccadilly many moons ago & loved Original Blessing. Re the Church of Donald J Trump, do read Nathanael West’s satire of 1934, ‘A Cool Million’ in which a crooked former President, Shagpoke Whipple, sets up the National Revolutionary Party… it is an American Candide and very funny and very prescient best wishes Nick Rankin
The fruit from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil and the fruit from the Tree of Life differ in their pursuit of the good for a few to the pursuit of the very good for all. Life lives in both trees The first Tree because of its dualistic limitations and its limited benefits for a few is not satisfying. This is why Life unconditionally forgives those of us when we eat this fruit, by delivering us from evil. Forgiveness is the only path of of reversing this evil in the eternal Life we are all called to Live. We should not discuss this bitter fruit, it only gives it our own evil judgement attention. We are at a point of universal transformation towards the fruit of the Tree of Life, as witnessed by the many movements. Environmental, Food grown and Forgiveness for those who forgive, Spirituality that is creation centered and offers practical projects to increase the Life of the living Tree. Religions must also only refer to God as a Living God who although transcendent of all things, for the purpose of growing the Tree of Life, to tell everyone the Way of Truth, that the Cosmic Christ is the Life, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in all living things. In this Way equality and equity exist in the hosts of Life. There is no personal importance or power and wealth in this Truth. We are all connected to this One Life that serves all. Life does not need our service and yet the hosts of Life do, in so many ways. Love is a verb and when we say we love the Catholic Church we love it for guarding these Truths of Life and the service pf love every Catholic has given to this Church. It is estimated that the Catholic Church has more land and property globally to amount to the size of the Country of Spain. The beginning of the transformation of the Church from the judgement of the good obtained from the knowledge of evil, is to embark on a practical and Sacramental pursuit of the fruit of the tree of Life. This service in its new beginning is to offer in every Church building the food grown on its land as the Eucharist and the Sacrament forgiveness of others, which includes ourselves in the pursuit of the fullness of Life. The purpose of the birthing of the fruit from Life’s Tree, whose vine, branches and fruit are eternal, is the fullness of Life for all. Deacon’82 Environmental, Global Interdependence.
This is a chilling prophetic commentary on the United States at the moment. The minority has finally been given the right to rule. I pray for this country.
Matthew, I’m curious about your use of “religion” instead of “cult”. His followers seem they’ll follow him anywhere, but not because of shared beliefs per se, but just because of his charisma (capacity to lie in ways that stoke their desire for power, perhaps?). My metaphor for my family members who are Trumpians is that they’re being manipulated by a cult leader and I need to learn how to handle this situation with fierce love and some sort of intervention.
At the same time, I wonder if I am being manipulated to take my eye off the real issue(s): “Inequality and climate change are the twin challenges of our time, and more democracy is the answer to both.”- Heather McGhee, author of The Sum Of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Susan, I agree that ‘cult’ is more appropriate than religion. The many cults of Christianity distorted the teachings of Jesus to glorify the cult leaders.
I find the thought of a church (or cult) run by Donald Trump pretty heart-breaking. Here we are, needing to focus on rebuilding our country and our world so that ALL people can live in peace. love, joy, and abundance, but finding we have to spend time worrying about the former president’s words and actions again. Hard to believe! I, for one, refuse to spend any time watching the news again . . . and spend more time sending Light, Love, and Peace to the whole world as much as I can.
American clinical and cultural psychologist James Hillman published A TERRIBLE LOVE OF WAR in 2004. He specifically explores the intersection of American politics and religion and its roots in war. He warned then about the negative outcome for America if it wouldn’t wake up to its hope beyond reason while ignoring its own dark history. Fox’s blending of religion and politics in today’s expose of ‘the religion of Donald Trump’ seems to follow on Hillman’s insights.
Matthew, this is one of the most significant comments, insights I have experienced from you. The church of Donald Trump. As you learned from Your encounter with The Cardinal, the church can bring much harm. From this experience, we may get other crusaders. The Church can be deadly.
Bill K
Such wonderful and thoughtful responses… and yes, I think you can substitute “cult” for religion. Thanks go out to each of you for your support !!!
If Obama had gone after the bankers, as Rev. Fox points out, we wouldn’t have Trump. Obama also did not END Gitmo–he furthered it. He droned more people than Bush. He was BUSH 2.0. Libs need to address this truth–Trump was Obama’s doing. Obama was not a savior. Obama was just a puppet of the military industrial complex–but a black man. That is the epitome of Orwellian manipulation and deception. People honestly thought Obama was a magical being.
The truth of the matter is that both Obama and Trump were two presidents of our country, and their presidencies must be judge by the good that they accomplished during their time in office. And as for Obama being a savior and/or magical being–I say to each their own…