The Christian right in America has never before been under such a spotlight, primarily because it has been fascinating from a psychological and a political point of view to see how they have all been justifying (and sometimes not) the force that is Trump. Even here, at ATP, some religious commenters (such as See Noevo) have very strongly espoused Trump, even though he has been morally bankrupt. The cognitive dissonance has been very strong. I set this out in some detail here: “Oh My God, Trump! (And How Evangelicals Square the Circle)“.

There was recently an interesting piece in The Guardian that looked at the uneasy pact that has existed between Catholics and Protestants in this holiest of alliances. It introduces the idea as follows:

For the last 30 years, the alliance between Catholics and white evangelicals has been an enormously powerful force on the right of American politics. It was based around a common opposition to abortion – a cause to which evangelicals came relatively late – and a wider suspicion of feminism. Apart from that, the two groups have little in common demographically, culturally and even economically. The economic model of American evangelical Christianity has been fantastically successful, based around marketing, merchandising and vigorous competition between preachers for congregations. But when you adopt the methods of the entertainment industry, you will also imbibe some of its values. One result has been the growth of megachurches where the American flag is far more conspicuous than the cross; another is the growth of the “prosperity gospel”, which teaches that the rewards God wants for his followers are to be obtained in this world. The big names of that world, such as Paula White, the thrice-married woman who counsels President Trump, were reality stars before the Kardashians, showing off their wealth as evidence that God blessed them.

What is interesting is to see the splintering of Catholics themselves into liberals and conservatives. They have been under pressure, rather like the Church of England, in working out whether to remain true to their historical principles in order appeal to their traditionally conservative base (including foreign conservatives from developing nations) or to modernise in order to appeal to the younger generations and future-proof themselves from sliding into dwindling congregations made up of ageing conservatives.

The White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) and the like are often at odds, in their religious conservatism, with the Hispanic immigrant communities and their overt Catholicism. Thus, ironically, immigration is perhaps a chink in the armour of the brittle alliance between the denominations. Whilst immigrants are more likely to vote Democrat, Hispanics are often morally conservative in the Catholic strain. We have also seemingly seen WASPs become increasingly racist, as, for example, according to Pew Research.

Papal advisors had previously attacked conservative Catholics for supporting Trump:

Two people close to Pope Francis have accused ultra-conservative American Catholics of making an alliance of “hate” with evangelical Christians to back Donald Trump. Catholic priest Antonio Spadaro and Protestant theologian Marcelo Figueroa published a joint article in La Civilta Cattolica, a journal published by Jesuit priests in Rome and overseen by the Vatican, in which they denounced US Catholics for supporting the extremist positions of the American right, saying the world view of hard-line Catholics is “not too far apart” from that Islamist jihadists. They singled out Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s controversial chief strategist who was raised Catholic, as a “supporter of an apocalyptic geopolitics” which had hampered efforts to combat climate change and exploited fears about migrants and Muslims with demands for “walls and purifying deportations”…. The article echoes a lot of Pope Francis’ more muted criticism of the Republican since he entered the White House. In May, ahead of his first official meeting with the President at the White House, he said he would be “sincere” with the Republican about their differences on issues like immigration and climate change. “I will say what I think and he will say what he thinks. But I have never wanted to make a judgement without first listening to the person,” he said.

As World Religion News more recently stated in May in “Rift Builds Between Catholics and Evangelicals Over Politics”:

Catholics and evangelicals differ on Bible comprehension. As per evangelical Protestants, the Bible is God’s sole book in which the Almighty offered revelations to people. The Bible permits them to be in communion with God. Catholics, in contrast, are not dependent solely on the Bible. Other than the Holy Scripture, Roman Catholic Church traditions bound them as well. Policies adopted by the Trump administration threaten to smash this alliance. A few important Catholic leaders even now worry that such policies have led to the United States being divided on religious lines. The same has been vocalized by Archbishop Jose Gomez, who said the U.S. has lost its way. The head of Los Angeles archdiocese, one of the biggest in the United States, said it is now not possible for people of faith to comprehend their national purpose. The opposite opinion was verbalized by Reverend Robert Jeffress of Dallas’ First Baptist Church. He gave a radically different message when he provided opening prayers to the Almighty during the dedication of the new U.S. Embassy located in Jerusalem. The Reverend thanked God for making Donald Trump the President of United States of America. Jeffress is a noted member of President Trump’s evangelical advisory Group, an informal gathering. Although Trump has Catholic advisers, he has increasingly depended on evangelicals. The priorities of Catholics and evangelicals differ from one another. The Catholic church has flagged immigrant welfare as an important concern. Gomez mentioned them in his speeches, saying there is an urgent requirement for a new narrative which will describe the United States and hold its citizens together with common aims. Other than immigration, NPR states there is ample proof that the evangelicals have replaced Catholics as the principal mover of the anti-abortion movement.

As the white Protestant support is solidifying for Trump, perhaps the picture is more complex across the whole religious cross-section. That said, all the pipe dreams the Republicans have had for years appear to be becoming reality.

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