The Three Things We Learned About the Religious Right and Trump on Election Day

The non secular proper received and misplaced on Election Day within the following 3 ways.

1. The Non secular Proper Has Misplaced Management of the Abortion Difficulty

Whereas Donald Trump was sliding to victory on election day, so have been the overwhelming majority of abortion rights poll measures. Seven states enacted new rights protections together with Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, and New York. Three didn’t, however of these three, the South Dakota measure was not supported by nationwide abortion rights teams and Florida missed by solely 2%, leaving solely Nebraska with a clear win for the non secular proper—although it didn’t enshrine the draconian six-week bans in different states. Not less than at 12 weeks, which Nebraskans selected, the particular person ought to know they’re pregnant!

That is unhealthy information for the non secular proper, as a result of the best to abortion has taken on a lifetime of its personal. The success of the abortion rights measures in deep purple, purple, and blue states in a mere two years tells us that this motion is natural. So as to add insult to damage to the pro-lifers, these new rights are sometimes extra capacious than Roe v. Wade, as a result of the conservative Justices had permitted the best to be whittled down over time. There isn’t a motive to suppose that there received’t be extra pro-abortion measures sooner or later. The deaths and sterilizations of women and girls getting insufficient care as a result of bans will proceed to drive a wedge in opposition to them.

The non secular proper put Trump on a sizzling seat concerning abortion, which he didn’t love, however he did know find out how to play. Trump simply mentioned that he would veto a federal ban and the difficulty was over for him now the states have it. That was the best reply to get re-elected although, in fact, not what the non secular proper desires to listen to. It’s now in his curiosity for abortion to spin off into its personal universe, and his curiosity guidelines. Let’s face it, he hates being a loser.

With Trump’s betrayal of the non secular proper’s core concern, they’re trying somewhat foolish for beatifying him. He used them till they have been inconvenient, like everybody else in his orbit. I do surprise if they’re now asking their God for somewhat perception into whether or not he actually is their modern-day savior. Maybe they don’t seem to be unsure, as a result of he did ship different wins for them.

2. The Demonization of the “Different” Is Alive and Properly

There’s a lengthy historical past of religions demonizing others as a present of energy and pressure. Let’s not neglect America’s beginnings featured the Salem Witch Trials. It certain isn’t Jesus’s love method, however he’s straightforward to neglect while you maintain energy. The non secular proper fought like hell to forestall homosexual marriage as a result of they didn’t consider in it. I’ll always remember listening to a frontrunner of the motion declare to a gathering that the coup de grace of the same-sex marriage motion could be to bolster the “ick issue.” Properly, it didn’t work, however they proceed to combat to exclude LGBT folks from their areas. In 303 Inventive v. Elenis, a case with fabricated info to fabricate standing, the Supreme Courtroom’s conservative supermajority granted the non secular proper’s want to exclude homosexual {couples} from their companies. They’ve additionally obtained the ability to exclude LGBTQ people from their workplaces by way of the Non secular Freedom Restoration Act’s nullification of Title VII. Teams like Mothers for Liberty combat to maintain them out of faculties in books, as a result of once more, the objective is to construct a world the place those who disagree with their beliefs can’t trouble them. They’re means past looking for non secular liberty. As a substitute, they need the best to impose their Christian Nationalist religion on everybody else. It’s all about them, as I focus on right here.

Setting apart abortion, Trump is delivering.

The simplest demonization through the 2024 election, in fact, was the Trump marketing campaign’s business about transgender people that gained traction to the purpose it was performed repeatedly in a single NFL sport after one other for the bros, who clearly selected Trump. Within the background, you could possibly simply hear the non secular proper and their political puppets like relentless hammering of trans for the “sin” of fixing their start gender.

In all my years of finding out and writing about faith, I’ve discovered that the antidote to spiritual unhealthy actors is to reply with the reality. The Harris marketing campaign’s failure to reply to these commercials with the truth that the coverage they slammed was really a product of the Trump administration is unfathomable to me. Regardless, transgender athletes in sports activities just isn’t a straightforward concern, and good minds are debating find out how to cope with it, however Trump was in a position to distill it right into a business taking part in on hate with the picture of a full-grown man taking part in on a lady’s basketball staff. The non secular proper received that spherical.

3. The Trump Marketing campaign Did Not Characteristic the Non secular Proper’s Energetic Threats to Kids, Which May Have Soured Many on Trump

There are very critical threats to kids coming from the non secular proper, with efforts to cut back obligatory schooling, vaccination mandates, and to roll again little one labor legal guidelines as I mentioned right here. They search parental rights with out duty for hurt to their kids. Whereas Trump had a dialogue at Mothers for Liberty, the marketing campaign didn’t spotlight the obligatory schooling and little one labor legislation threats, which ought to have apprehensive many dad and mom throughout the nation.

Trump did fawn throughout rabid-anti-vaxxer RFK Jr., after he dropped his marketing campaign, however solely talked about that he may management vaccine and medical care entry very late within the marketing campaign. The non secular proper’s energy seize from science could effectively triumph with him as a well being czar in Trump’s orb as talked about right here.

As we enter the chaotic bubble of one other Trump administration, it’s crucial that we watch the non secular proper’s agenda and perceive that the non secular proper consists of conservative evangelicals and conservative Catholics. Some of the harmful threats to democracy is Opus Dei, a Catholic cult that has shut ties to the notorious Leonard Leo, amongst many others on the best as I focus on right here. The agenda and actions of the non secular proper have to be adopted, examined, and judged by the press and all Individuals to forestall the creeping theocracy they search, the place all different believers change into outsiders.