Donald Trump and a “Religious” America
Jerry Falwell Jr. has been tasked with “reforming the U.S. higher education system”. Falwell believes that there is too much government regulation in higher ed, looking specifically at accreditation and financing the schools. He will be tasked with deregulating the Department of Education, specifically where it tried to reign in for-profit schools.
Jerry Falwell Jr. is the president of Liberty University. He pushes for creationist education, as well as hosting anti-LGBT policy, and spewing anti-Muslim talk. His father was a co-founder of the Moral Majority. Falwell was one of the first and largest Evangelical leaders to endorse Trump. He supports Secretary of Education Devos’ voucher program to “advance God’s kingdom”.
Donald Trump is a “professed Presbyterian” and has been his whole life. Trump however, cannot state a favorite Bible verse (unless it’s the “eye for an eye” mantra that Jesus condemns). There are reports that he was Catholic, a member of the Dutch Reform Church, a Presbyterian, as well as married his current wife in a Episcopalian Church.He cannot recall repenting for his sins and doesn’t know of a time in his life that he would have to ask for forgiveness. He mispronounced a book of the Bible that he claimed to have known of and liked. He is supposed to with the president to return American to Christianity, but has been married three times even though Christians are supposed to despise divorce. Needless to say, it is hard to peg down Trump’s true religious affiliations, if there are any.
Scandal after scandal, Trump’s Evangelical base continued to support him. Religious leaders were quick to say his condemn his Access Hollywood comments, but then just as quickly said that he was the best of the worst options. Some pointed out the God “used ungodly men to accomplish his will” like that of Nebuchadnezzar. It appears that the religious are not as concerned with hypocrisy and those who lead by example, so as their priorities get accomplished, explaining why Clinton was seen as a horrible choice. Falwell Jr. was also one to condemn Trump’s un-Christian-like behavior and words, but then said “we’re never going to have a perfect candidate”.
This indicates that religion is becoming more and more politicized, and questions where one stops and the other begins. Religion greatly affects and drives, if not pays, for politics and action. On the other hand, almost any political debate or solution to a political problem has at its core some religious foundation. Abortion, clearly with respecting all life, LGBT rights and the condemnation of sodomy, even expansion of U.S. international power from the form of Manifest Destiny and the promised land of god’s chosen, which can also explains why the U.S. would want to be close with Israel.
Questions:
Is it appropriate for Falwell to take charge of reforming the education system? He has experience in education, but supports education policies that the federal government has disengaged from.
Even with religious freedom, the U.S. has an established identity of being very religious. With the advent of supposedly religious Trump, will the U.S. (and thus politics) continue to be very religious or see a decline in religion? Or has the U.S. always been like this and the election of Trump is just drawing light on it?
Is the rise of millennial/none religion out of a dislike/apathy towards established religion? Or out of distaste of fake religion, because millennials have the ability to leave religion, unlike how older generations may feel stuck?
