“We answer to God in Heaven. You’re not even allowed to say that anymore. Today, if you say that they want to arrest you. If you say that, they want to arrest you.”
— Donald Trump, speaking before a Christian group.
“We answer to God in Heaven. You’re not even allowed to say that anymore. Today, if you say that they want to arrest you. If you say that, they want to arrest you.”
— Donald Trump, speaking before a Christian group.
Donald Trump endorsed displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools, days after Louisiana became the first state in the country to require it, Axios reports.
Said Trump: “I love the Ten Commandments in public schools, private schools, and many other places. This may be, in fact, the first major step in the revival of religion, which is desperately needed, in our country.”
New York Times: Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law signals a broader Christian agenda.
“Eight years ago, needing a running mate to vouch for him among skittish evangelicals, Donald Trump turned to Mike Pence, tossing an olive branch to Republicans wary of the thrice-married real estate mogul who once said he was ‘very pro-choice,'” Politico reports.
“It’s a different story now: To those same voters this year, according to interviews with nearly two dozen religious leaders gathered here for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Trump’s selection is bordering on a forgettable formality — less interesting to them because they’ve already made up their minds to back him, even if begrudgingly so…”
“It’s not that the vice presidential pick is irrelevant to the faithful. Many evangelicals here say they want Trump to pick someone who is sufficiently anti-abortion, or even to Trump’s right on the issue — both because that person could press their cause inside the West Wing and because he or she could be in line to inherit the MAGA movement.”
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“It’s a phrase not commonly associated with legal doctrine: returning America to ‘a place of godliness,'” the New York Times reports.
“And yet when asked by a woman posing as a Catholic conservative at a dinner last week, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. appeared to endorse the idea. The unguarded moment added to calls for greater scrutiny by Democrats, many of whom are eager to open official investigations into outside influence at the Supreme Court.”
“But the core of the idea expressed to Mr. Alito, that the country must fight the decline of Christianity in public life, goes beyond the questions of bias and influence at the nation’s highest court. An array of conservatives, including antiabortion activists, church leaders and conservative state legislators, has openly embraced the idea that American democracy needs to be grounded in Christian values and guarded against the rise of secular culture.”
“Pope Francis on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to gay priests, allegedly repeating a highly pejorative slur in an encounter with clerics just two weeks after the Vatican issued an apology amid reports that he had used the same word in an earlier meeting with bishops,” the Washington Post reports.
“Schools in Louisiana could soon be required by law to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom,” CNN reports.
“The state House of Representatives gave final passage to House Bill 71 on Tuesday in a 79-16 vote, sending it to Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk. Only Democrats voted against the legislation.”
“It is a suicidal attitude. Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box.”
— Pope Francis, quoted by Axios, criticizing U.S. conservatives.
“As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians,” the AP reports.
Said one Trump supporter: “Trump supports Jesus, and without Jesus, America will fall.”
“Many of the T-shirts and hats that were worn and sold at the rally in March proclaimed religious slogans such as ‘Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president’ and ‘God, Guns & Trump.’ One man’s shirt declared, ‘Make America Godly Again,’ with the image of a luminous Jesus putting his supportive hands on Trump’s shoulders.”
“Many attendees said in interviews they believed Trump shared their Christian faith and values. Several cited their opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, particularly to transgender expressions.”
Wall Street Journal: “Graham’s intrigue with the Trump-backed Bible offers a case-in-point to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s stronghold on evangelical Christians, many of them white, ahead of the November election. To many evangelicals, Trump—despite his at times checkered personal life—continues to be their champion with his unapologetic, politically incorrect approach to politics, religion and world affairs. His embrace of Christianity for political promotion and vindication in the face of legal turmoil has only deepened the conviction of Trump’s Christian base, according to officials with his campaign and some evangelical leaders.”
“Republican presidents and presidential candidates have long courted evangelical voters and leaders, but Trump stands out for spurring congregants to pressure their pastors to adopt a more hard-edge political message.”
“United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding ‘self-avowed practicing homosexuals’ from being ordained or appointed as ministers,” the AP reports.
Charlotte evangelical pastor Loran Livingston is in the national spotlight for a fire-and-brimstone sermon denouncing as “blasphemous” and “disgusting” what’s become known as the Trump Bible, the Charlotte Observer reports.
His sermon on the “Trump Bible” has drawn millions of views on social media.
A new Pew Research survey finds protestants remain solidly Republican, and Catholics now tilt slightly toward the GOP.
President Biden is facing criticism from Donald Trump’s campaign and religious conservatives for proclaiming March 31 — which corresponds with Easter Sunday this year — as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” the AP reports.
“In 2024, the March 31 designation overlaps with Easter, one of Christianity’s holiest celebrations. Trump’s campaign accused Biden, a Roman Catholic, of being insensitive to religion, and fellow Republicans piled on.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) tweeted that Democrats “are a Satantic cult.”
“Lawmakers in mostly conservative states are pushing a coordinated effort to bring chaplains into public schools, aided by a new, legislation-crafting network that aims to address policy issues ‘from a biblical world view’ and by a consortium whose promotional materials say chaplains are a way to convert millions to Christianity,” the Washington Post reports.
“The bills have been introduced this legislative season in 14 states, inspired by Texas, which passed a law last year allowing school districts to hire chaplains or use them as volunteers for whatever role the local school board sees fit, including replacing trained counselors. Chaplain bills were approved by one legislative chamber in three states — Utah, Indiana and Louisiana — but died in Utah and Indiana. Bills are pending in nine states. One passed both houses of Florida’s legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) “had a stark warning for the approximately 100 Utah GOP delegates who crowded into a warehouse to hear him speak on Friday afternoon: Malevolent supernatural forces are working to undermine America,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Said Tuberville: “I’ve traveled all over the country — all 50 states — I’ve been in good places and bad places. The one thing I saw, we are losing our kids to a satanic cult.”
He added: “We’ve lost our moral values across the country. We’ve got to get back to the Constitution, and we have got to get back to the Bible. We’ve got to get God back in our country. There’s not one Democrat that can tell you they stand up for God.”
A new Pew Research Center survey “finds that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking – a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been in our surveys.”
“Most Americans who say religion’s influence is shrinking are not happy about it. Overall, 49% of U.S. adults say both that religion is losing influence and that this is a bad thing. An additional 8% of U.S. adults think religion’s influence is growing and that this is a good thing.”
A new PRRI poll finds 67% of Americans reject or are skeptical about Christian nationalism despite its rising influence that’s shaping education, immigration and health care policies.
Some Republicans are openly expressing Christian nationalist views, which have ranged from calls for more religion in public schools to book bans and even suggestions that democracy should die.
Republicans (55%) are more than twice as likely as independents (25%) and three times more likely than Democrats (16%) to hold Christian nationalist views.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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