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- Photo: Shutterstock, Helen's Place LLC on the Difficulty Breaking the Chain of Racism.
Helen’s Place LLC Update: August 1, 2024
The rain falls on the just and the unjust, which some say is proof that God isn’t interested in day to day operations or folly of human life. The Creator appears to let humans organize themselves for better or worse, and choose – individually and collectively – whether to be evil or good.
However, there’s a catch to this free will: That is you reap what you sow, meaning that when you choose wisely with respect for others things frequently go your way, but if you cause harm – purposely or otherwise – you suffer the consequences of your actions.
This is why Buddha warned, “Do no harm.”
Often self-generated consequences involve repeat behavior patterns until an “aha” moment is reached when the lesson is learned. This repeat-pattern-business is often called “karma” – one of the key human laws influencing fate.
Karma created by faulty collective consciousness explains why democracies and great civilizations fall to dictators over and over in human history. The human race’s failure to learn from its mistakes occurs so frequently that it’s part of the “human condition.”
There’re signs that the U.S. may be hitting one of the times in history when democracy ends. Could this really be happening?
It appears that America’s repeat pattern started after the Civil War when the fight over slavery wasn’t resolved.
Clearly, the cycle began accelerating in 2016 when a wannabe dictator was elected and nearly reelected in 2020 – but by the interference of Joe Biden and wiser Americans who voted for him to stop it (possibly temporarily).
Since then it may be that America’s luck has simply run out or it’s time to pay the karmic piper -because the nation allowed racist and discriminatory ideas to persist for too long in various forms ranging from slavery doctrine to white replacement theory.
Whatever the time or new misuse of a term – here it repeats again – including the latest iteration – “DEI” (diversity, equity, inclusion). This term in the way it’s used by MAGA, is a dog whistle for replacement theory.
In 2020, America’s version of racism began morphing into something even more sinister.
People began arguing that they were not racist or that America was not a racist country but then confirmed that they were by embodying the Oxford definition of racism:
“Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.”
Today marginalized groups may include people who entered the United States illegally, LGBTQ+ members, the wrong religious, gender, or political affiliation or someone who adopts children or chooses not to have them.
The bottom line is that racism isn’t solely based on the color of your skin or ethnic group anymore – it could be that you’re just not falling in line. The Christian Nationalist movement embodies this hateful, unAmerican, non-Christian reality spreading across America like a cancer.
It’s clear that it’s not going to be easy to stop the racist acceleration before the November 2024 Presidential election because so many American’s are dug in with wrong thinking, and the Trump train is racing downhill.
Evidence of acceleration includes the Supreme Court rulings against women and voting rights, the diabolical Project 2025 and Agenda 47 ready to destroy government institutions, and a huge swath of Christians abandoning the teachings of Jesus to become Christian Nationalists.
There’s a convergence of movements including MAGA, Heritage Foundation’s 2025 group, and Peter Thiel’s Technocrat group (of which J.D. Vance is a part), that are hell bent on winning the November 2024 presidential race, ending democracy as we known it, and installing Trump as the first American dictator.
If this happens, fair or not, all Americans will pay the price except for an elite, select ruling class, because this is how it works in the rise and fall of countries and civilizations. “To the victors go the spoils.”
Unfortunately, in social upheaval – when the dust settles there’s a side that’s identified as more correct than the other and often the wrong side wins. Then the real fight begins to recapture democracy after it’s lost – and the people who put dictators in power are enslaved themselves.
The truth is that even if there are enough votes to save democracy again like in 2020, The right-wing factions are likely to try again until they win, under the umbrella of MAGA or something else.
Rise of Christian Nationalism
What’s at the root of Christians altering their faith to love a wannabe dictator in Trump and believe that he was chosen by God to save America?
At the root of it is pain and the desire to blame others and get even. Many in the MAGA movement have lost a loved one due to Covid, Fentanyl or another drug addiction, a son or daughter in Afghanistan, a job to an illegal alien, a way of life due to a failed business or farm, or difficulty making ends meet due to inflation.
Some are in pain because they’re fearful of losing their way of life, or have lost it and want it back – like a coal miner or factory worker from a plant that closed to jobs going overseas. Some are in pain because they didn’t achieve or get what they wanted in life.
Perhaps they believe they didn’t get ahead because an immigrant, a woman or a minority got the college scholarship, job or break in life and gypped them out of it.
At the core of Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, is the belief that you don’t have to take responsibility for yourself because you’re a victim – and all you have to do is fight to get rid of the “others” – whether they be women, immigrants, democrats, minorities, or whomever you believe caused your problems.
To put it in Trump’s words: “all you have to do is vote for me in the next election and I’ll take care of it for you,” and get even – saying, “I am your retribution, I am your retribution.”
Anger and the need to feel important causes people to engage in diabolical, wishful thinking that makes no sense and causes them to lose their rational minds.
This allows people to believe Trump when he says – that if he’d been in charge instead of Biden – Afghanistan wouldn’t have fallen to the Taliban, The Russian-Afghanistan War wouldn’t have happened, and Hamas wouldn’t have taken Israeli hostages and started the Gaza War.
MAGA members long for Trump to return to the White House, believing they will “never be forgotten again,” have peace and prosperity under their fearless leader, and enjoy participation in retribution against all of their enemies.
The Argument for People of Faith to Stand Up to MAGA Christian Nationalists
Jesus was not vengeful, but he did take a stand against the money changers.
Recently, when the former president gave a speech on July 18, 2024 at the Republican National Convention (RNC), he did so in front of a marquis with his name in lights, and declared that he was the chosen one to save America.
Jesus would literally have raised holy hell if he were alive to witness Trump’s performance because his actions were blasphemous – violating at least 1, 2 and 9 of the Ten Commandments:
The 10 Commandments
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness. (lying)
- Thou shalt not covet.
According to Scripture, the worst forms of blasphemy is to twist sacred truths about God into lies. Mathew 12:31: “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”
Clearly by his words and deeds, Trump claiming to be a savior is a lie. If anything, Trump’s life – spared by an assassin’s bullet – gives supporters a chance to atone for their sins because many of them worship him like a God.
For all people of faith Trump’s speech at the RNC should have been a red flag that Trump and the MAGA Christian Nationalist agenda he espouses, doesn’t follow God’s teachings.
Symbolically, the First Baptist Church in Dallas – notorious for hateful ways, burned to the ground the day after the RNC convention ended. “God is more than a building,” Pastor Jeffers said. Indeed God is.
Perhaps one day more pastors will teach their congregations what happens when people worship false idols – which includes following a human proclaiming to be a savior, anointed by God to save America.
A Prayer for Free Will To Reclaim Christianity
Let pastors identify the guard rails and oversee the protection of their congregations from liars and grifters trying to exploit them. Let all people of faith stop lying to themselves and others – believing in things that aren’t true like the “Stop the Steal Movement,” or that Trump is a savior.
Let pastors find strength and support with congregations and other churches, resolving to tell the truth about the differences between Christianity and Christian Nationalism.
May all Americans renew their commitment to practice religious freedom for all people. This includes Christians standing up for truth and the teachings of Jesus – emphasizing love, kindness, and forgiveness.
May people in the name of God – end racist and discriminatory ways and save America for the good of the world.
Conclusion
The cycle to end racism in America will end when Christians stand up to Christian Nationalists and take Christianity back.
When this happens, right-wing radio stations and television networks all across America, like Fox News and Newsmax, will fall of their own accord because consumers will not be interested in right-wing propaganda anymore.
Perhaps one day America will implement a new fairness doctrine to ensure that false information is identified and labeled in all media sources for consumers in order to prevent propaganda programming from infecting the U.S. again.
Perhaps one day America will understand the devastation of the MAGA movement era as the threat that it was, and ensure that people are taught to be more vigilant in the future to prevent the near destruction of democracy from happening again.
Perhaps one day all people of faith will vote for transformative leadership to preserve liberty and justice for all America in the light of God.
Perhaps one day America will become the country it aspires to be – celebrating diversity and inclusion in the light of truth that all people are created equal.
Perhaps enough American’s will vote for freedom and save democracy from the brink again in 2024. But even if they don’t, and the cycle takes another 100 years, perhaps one day it will happen. Under no circumstances should we ever give up hope.
Related audio/video recording:
Republican National Convention, RNC 24, Trump Speech on Sun 7/18/24 claiming that he was ordained by God to save America:
YouTube, PBS News Hour, Day 4, RNC 24
The truth about Christian Nationalism is exposed in the documentary, “Bad Faith” (check availability on Amazon Prime and Apple+).
Other related books and article you may be interested in:
Bishop Barber’s thoughts on Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention:
Independent Global News, July 19, 2024, “Bishop William Barber: Trump & Republicans Did Not Offer “Unity” at RNC, Only More Lies and Hate.”
An inside look into the rise of Christian Nationalism affecting evangelicals:
Book by Tim Alberta, The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism.
An article about what a new FCC Fairness Doctrine might look like:
Helen’s Place LLC, May 31, 2024, “Without a New Fairness Doctrine, Chaos Engulfs U.S.”
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