Trump Announces Change in Religious Affiliation

[Left Coast]

Very well then. Let's say what the word soul represents then, one's depth of love for life, for the world, and for others, is nonexistent in Donald, whereas in Biden, it's abundantly formed.

Lol, let's not canonize the guy. He has character flaws like everyone else. And as a politician he has supported plenty of things we should denounce. Is he vastly preferable to Trump? Of course.

 

[Left Coast]

Probably best we shouldn't get into the details. For my blood pressure, ya know. If you think that's a joke, I do in fact get very angry when I think about Biden's character with contrast to the amount of approval ratings he gets from his base.

Politics gets many of us riled up, I do understand.

Meditation helps (me, at least).

 

[metis]

One week before the national election, Trump has announced a change in his religious affiliation. He no longer considers himself a Presbyterian, but rather a "non-denominational Christian."

He's catering to the Evangelicals, and his last two pastors say he has not shown up for any services at their church.

 

[Secret Chief]

a whiff of desperation

I love that smell.

 

[Yazata]

One week before the national election, Trump has announced a change in his religious affiliation.

I'm a Trump supporter and I hadn't heard that.

He no longer considers himself a Presbyterian, but rather a "non-denominational Christian."

I don't think that he's particularly religious at all.

Presbyterianism is a mainline Protestant denomination and is more liberal these days than the typical conservative church, complete with female pastors and gay marriages. Many Evangelicals, by contrast, identify as "non-denominational."

Should we believe this is anything more than political pandering to Trump's right-wing Evangelical base?

That sounds pretty far-fetched to me.

I suspect that he's identified as Presbyterian largely for ethnic reasons. He's of Scottish descent on his mother's side and it's probably the church he went to however occasionally as a child. But as you say, like the other (shrinking) "mainline" protestant denominations in the US, the Presbyterians have been veering left. And since he's turned into an object of such visceral hatred on the left, it means that he's likely been getting a lot of grief from his ostensible fellow religionists.

So why should he continue to put up with that?

Given that personally he's not very religious, becoming a "none", a 'nothing in particular' is probably more accurate anyway. The unaffiliated 'nothing in particular' religious (non)affiliation is America's fastest growing. (I'm one of them.) Doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[Left Coast]

I'm a Trump supporter and I hadn't heard that.

I don't think that he's particularly religious at all.



That sounds pretty far-fetched to me.

I suspect that he's identified as Presbyterian largely for ethnic reasons. He's of Scottish descent on his mother's side. But as you say, like the other (shrinking) "mainline" protestant denominations in the US, the Presbyterians have been veering left. And since he's turned into an object of absolute hatred on the left, it means that he's likely been getting a lot of grief from his ostensible fellow religionists.

So why should he continue to put up with that?

Given that personally he's not very religious, becoming a "none", a 'nothing in particular' is probably more accurate anyway. The unaffiliated 'nothing in particular' religious (non)affiliation is America's fastest growing. (I'm one of them.) Doesn't bother me in the least.

Do you think his support on the Right would remain as strong as it is if he identified as a None?

 

[Windwalker]

Pffffffffffff.

And let's not get into all of ol' Joe's many, many character flaws.

we all have character flaws. I'm more concerned about a lack of human empathy in our current POTUS, especially during a pandemic. That's more than a reasonable expectation. Joe knows how to have true empathy. It shows. For a leader right now, that's what's needed most. One who understand loss. Donald can't understand that, as he is a broken child.

 

[Kenny]

One week before the national election, Trump has announced a change in his religious affiliation. He no longer considers himself a Presbyterian, but rather a "non-denominational Christian."

Presbyterianism is a mainline Protestant denomination and is more liberal these days than the typical conservative church, complete with female pastors and gay marriages. Many Evangelicals, by contrast, identify as "non-denominational."

Should we believe this is anything more than political pandering to Trump's right-wing Evangelical base?

President Trump's Q&A with Religion News Service | The White House

Which Christian base could he change to and it not be political (in someone's eyes)

 

[Kenny]

Do you think his support on the Right would remain as strong as it is if he identified as a None?

If he continued doing what he is doing... yes. Christians who voted for him in 2016 didn't vote for him because he said he was a Christian.

 

[Yazata]

Do you think his support on the Right would remain as strong as it is if he identified as a None?

Being a "none" doesn't necessarily mean 'no religion'. It isn't synonymous with 'atheist'. It means 'no denominational affiliation'. I don't know what, if anything, he believes in his heart.

I don't think that this will hurt his support with evangelicals. Just look at what he's running against. I don't actually know any more about Biden's personal beliefs (Catholic?) than I do Trump's but my impression is that neither is very devout. But look at the parties that they head up. One is much more Christian-friendly than the other. Evangelicals know this, they know that Trump doesn't dispise them and doesn't reduce them to an evil caricature. Even if Trump doesn't match their mental image of a perfect evangelical, he's the best choice from their perspective.

Among those of his supporters who like my agnostic self aren't even Christians (right isn't synonymous with evangelical), it might even be a welcome change.

 

[Windwalker]

Actually, Trump is a devout follower of Norman Vincent Peal.

Do you consider that faith, in the sense of surrendering to God's will? Or maybe more along the lines of God for self-profit? I lean to the latter in my thoughts about this. I wouldn't call that a devotional faith at all. Faith as a scheme for success, more like it. God profits me, emphasis on me.

 

[Kenny]

Being a "none" doesn't necessarily mean 'no religion'. It isn't synonymous with 'atheist'. It means 'no denominational affiliation'. I don't know what, if anything, he believes in his heart.

I don't think that this will hurt his support with evangelicals. Just look at what he's running against. I don't actually know any more about Biden's personal beliefs (Catholic?) than I do Trump's but my impression is that neither is very devout. But look at the parties that they head up. One is much more Christian-friendly than the other. Evangelicals know this, they know that Trump doesn't dispise them and doesn't reduce them to an evil caricature. Even if Trump doesn't match their mental image of a perfect evangelical, he's the best choice from their perspective.

Among those of his supporters who like my agnostic self aren't even Christians (right isn't synonymous with evangelical), it might even be a welcome change.

Well said.

 

[Left Coast]

Being a "none" doesn't necessarily mean 'no religion'. It isn't synonymous with 'atheist'. It means 'no denominational affiliation'. I don't know what, if anything, he believes in his heart.

No no no. Identifying as a "non-denominational Christian" does not at all carry the same connotation as saying "I have no religion." Let's not conflate those two.

I don't think that this will hurt his support with evangelicals. Just look at what he's running against. I don't actually know any more about Biden's personal beliefs (Catholic?) than I do Trump's but my impression is that neither is very devout. But look at the parties that they head up. One is much more Christian-friendly than the other. Evangelicals know this, they know that Trump doesn't dispise them and doesn't reduce them to an evil caricature. Even if Trump doesn't match their mental image of a perfect evangelical, he's the best choice from their perspective.

Many millions of Democrats are Christians. The majority of them, I'd bet. The notion that the Democratic party is somehow hostile to Christians is just untrue. Literally every Democratic President has been a Christian. The Republican Party appeals to a specific type of Christian, ie the fundamentalists.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Do you think his support on the Right would remain as strong as it is if he identified as a None?

For the younger demographic, yes. Strident conservative Christians are mostly elderly now and young rightists don't care much about religion, like younger people in general. The Christian right will be dead and a on-starter in about a decade or less. It's already lost on basically every issue it pushed

 

[Left Coast]

For the younger demographic, yes. Strident conservative Christians are mostly elderly now and young rightists don't care much about religion, like younger people in general. The Christian right will be dead and a on-starter in about a decade or less. It's already lost on basically every issue it pushed

How much of Trump's support comes from Millennials and Gen Z?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

How much of Trump's support comes from Millennials and Gen Z?

That's irrelevant to what I said. I'm talking about where the Republican Party is likely to go in the future as the generations change, and it ain't going to be continuing the Christian right agenda.

 

[Windwalker]

Lol, let's not canonize the guy. He has character flaws like everyone else. And as a politician he has supported plenty of things we should denounce. Is he vastly preferable to Trump? Of course.

Admittedly, after going through a parched wasteland of any sort of truth or integrity for the past 4 years, Biden looks like the entire Great Lakes chain, right about now. A real Human! Oh my God!

 

[Left Coast]

That's irrelevant to what I said. I'm talking about where the Republican Party is likely to go in the future as the generations change, and it ain't going to be continuing the Christian right agenda.

But I'm talking about the Republican Party now. Trump isn't going to be here in the future.

How much of Trump's support comes from Millennials and Gen Z?

 

[Brickjectivity]

Next stop, Judaism.

The yarmulke wouldn't fit on his head.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

But I'm talking about the Republican Party now. Trump isn't going to be here in the future.

How much of Trump's support comes from Millennials and Gen Z?

I would think it varies by location.