• kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    8 months ago

    Prefacing this… Fuck Trump. I’m not religious and not conservative (far from it on both counts). That being said, I grew up around some very religious Christians and this is not people worshiping Trump. This is people “praying over” him.

    It’s not uncommon for Christians to pray for somebody’s safety, success, health, etc. And they’ll often do so in their presence by holding a hand or both hands out with their palm(s) pointed towards the one they’re praying for. I guess, kind of a way to kind of channel their prayer through them or something. Religious conservatives have enough hypocritical and unethical/immoral views and practices without misconstruing benign and normal practices as aberrant.

    • cranakis@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      35
      ·
      8 months ago

      I wouldn’t say it’s “benign.” The whole gesture has a self aggrandizing tone to me. “Look at me and how hard I am praying.” Only the most full of themselves types of Christians pray this way and in front of cameras.

      • PapaStevesy@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        ·
        8 months ago

        Yeah, it’s extremely performative and, from the outside, very occult. Of course they would rage at that idea, which makes it even more idiotic.

          • PapaStevesy@midwest.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            8 months ago

            Yeah, the Bible also says to love your neighbor and give your excess wealth to the needy, these people are well past scripture-based arguments.

            • gedaliyah@lemmy.worldOP
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              7
              ·
              8 months ago

              Not excess wealth. A fixed portion of your wealth weather you consider it excess or not.

              It also warns against allowing anyone in your society to become excessively wealthy in the first place (Deut 17:17)

      • kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        8 months ago

        Well sure, I’m not saying it’s good or acceptable to be performative for a monster like Trump. But it’s not literal worship, which is what the post claimed.

        • PapaStevesy@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          8 months ago

          I mean, I guarantee Trump thinks it is, and his supporters have been saying he was Chosen by God for years now. It’s close enough for me.

          Literally, if you say you’re a Christian and you support Trump, you care more about Trump than Jesus. Give me all the No-True-Scotsman bs you want, it’s objectively accurate according to their own holy texts.

      • TragicNotCute@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        8 months ago

        Matthew 6:1

        Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

        Matthew 6:5-6

        And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

        Totally normal on-brand Christlike behavior from the right.