I'm fully comfortable believing that God protected Donald Trump, whilst also feeling no obligation to believe that is somehow a sign that he is God's chosen anointed. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.
Understood. Frankly, I am not taking a stand on that issue. The point of my post is to argue that The New York Times political team failed to take this issue seriously -- thus warping what could have been an important feature about a subject that millions of people ARE DISCUSSING.
The NYT is the tip of the negative world spear. Of course they failed to take it seriously. To the NYT (and most of our elites), religion is to be taken literally but not seriously. That's why they quote mostly dispensational fundamentalists and not serious Catholic or Orthodox or even Calvinist theologians.
Re: I don’t think the average person could withstand a tenth of what he has gone through.
Uh, OK. I amy not be an "average" person-- in fact I decidedly am not. But I've been through much worse than Trump, including close brushes (note: plural) with death. And I have the PTSD to prove it.
But really: A guy who was a mediocre shot tried to shoot someone at a considerable distance, He missed, but managed to hit other people, one of whom was killed. This is the providence of God? What god would that be? Sounds like a lazy and careless one.
And yes: the question of theodicy is the (IMO) the most pressing of all theological questions to which we must struggle to find answers.
What you posited in the end is essentially the same as... why did God allow Peter to live on and condemned James the Greater to die (Acts 12)? It is pretty easy theology and has been answered a long time ago.
After my emotions settle, and I listened to a few commentators for, and against President Trump. I have many questions that may never have an answer. For example, if it was a miracle, then, for who? Meaning, who is converting? Who gained their faith? And as far as religion goes, what effect will this event have in our future? Will it be a bump or a thud? Is it confirmation bias for us? Will this miracle make us believe more in God, or President Trump? Why President Trump was saved, but one man died and others injured? Those are but a few questions I have, and admit, they may never be answered.
One thing is clear. The wickedness of many has shown. For example, one particular YouTuber used very foul language and showed extreme lack of empathy towards anyone who supports President Trump, and is very glad a man lost his life, by his own admission. He is just one example of many, whom have chosen to show their claws and despicable ways. Many hearts are hardened. My wife just got done reading a commentator in Univision, the Spanish station, which they wrote that, a fist in the air represents white supremacy since the 80’s. Why suggest him using the fist is evil? What did they expect?
On the other hand, I have heard (although very little) people who believe President Trump has been anointed by God. And that is not how anointing works, at least as far as I understand it. So, that creeps me out. They treat it as if it was similar to the Transfiguration.
Others simply use hyperbole, to get their base energetic.
Complaining that President Trump yelled “Fight, Fight, Fight” after shots were fired at him, I believe fails to comprehend the adrenaline, human emotions and state of mind of that moment. One thing President Tump has not done after, is talk of an eye for an eye. As I see it, those who say he failed to bring unity in his speech, are people whom will not vote for him. Do they wished he would bend the knee to them? And to be fair, it would truly be a miracle of Trump had united everyone. Even those who hate him.
There was a lot of talk of God in the RNC convention. But there is huge elephant in the room, literally (Republicans). Were they really praising God? Or were they using God for votes? I do not know the answer, because I do not know their hearts.
Always test everything, even if it is something good for you.
Trump’s ‘heart of hearts’ theologically is still a mystery. At best, like most politicians regarding church worship, he’s a ‘CEO’ (Christmas and Easter only). We would know more of his true heart , if he would only get out of his own way! Unfortunately, a humble heart is a foreign concept to him. If there is humility under that red tie, it certainly is well hidden.
I don’t remember many RNC/DNC convention speeches, but I do remember Jesse Jackson sharing at a DNC convention years ago. I’m paraphrasing, but I remember him looking down as he said ‘please be patient with me: God isn’t finished with me yet.”
If Trump could ever digest and begin to live out the concept of humility and that God is in control (and not him), he would have the hearts of the American people, and would win the election in a landslide.
In my opinion, to date, he is his own worst enemy.
Sadly, most media elites (like NYT editors) look upon evangelicals from the fly over states like a zoo visitor gazing curiously into the glass cages at the monkey house.
“Well, they sort of look like us….”
You can see it in the tilt of their heads and in their eyes, as they fish with sophomoric gotcha questions and listen to your spiritual answer with deaf ears, then walk away, scratching their confused heads.
Spiritual answer is correct. But I would say that it's even worse than that. When religious leaders quote the ancient or just historic teachings of their faith group, journalists tend to hear this information (even when from the Catholic Catechism) as mere personal opinion. They do not believe that they are hearing FACTS about the statements of doctrine, since religious beliefs cannot be facts, as they define that term. Of course, the same thing is true with about 80-90% of most political debates, but, as we said for years at GetReligion, stating this common (not not universal) newsroom attitude: Politics is real; religion, not so much.
I'm fully comfortable believing that God protected Donald Trump, whilst also feeling no obligation to believe that is somehow a sign that he is God's chosen anointed. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.
Understood. Frankly, I am not taking a stand on that issue. The point of my post is to argue that The New York Times political team failed to take this issue seriously -- thus warping what could have been an important feature about a subject that millions of people ARE DISCUSSING.
The NYT is the tip of the negative world spear. Of course they failed to take it seriously. To the NYT (and most of our elites), religion is to be taken literally but not seriously. That's why they quote mostly dispensational fundamentalists and not serious Catholic or Orthodox or even Calvinist theologians.
Re: I don’t think the average person could withstand a tenth of what he has gone through.
Uh, OK. I amy not be an "average" person-- in fact I decidedly am not. But I've been through much worse than Trump, including close brushes (note: plural) with death. And I have the PTSD to prove it.
But really: A guy who was a mediocre shot tried to shoot someone at a considerable distance, He missed, but managed to hit other people, one of whom was killed. This is the providence of God? What god would that be? Sounds like a lazy and careless one.
And yes: the question of theodicy is the (IMO) the most pressing of all theological questions to which we must struggle to find answers.
What you posited in the end is essentially the same as... why did God allow Peter to live on and condemned James the Greater to die (Acts 12)? It is pretty easy theology and has been answered a long time ago.
After my emotions settle, and I listened to a few commentators for, and against President Trump. I have many questions that may never have an answer. For example, if it was a miracle, then, for who? Meaning, who is converting? Who gained their faith? And as far as religion goes, what effect will this event have in our future? Will it be a bump or a thud? Is it confirmation bias for us? Will this miracle make us believe more in God, or President Trump? Why President Trump was saved, but one man died and others injured? Those are but a few questions I have, and admit, they may never be answered.
One thing is clear. The wickedness of many has shown. For example, one particular YouTuber used very foul language and showed extreme lack of empathy towards anyone who supports President Trump, and is very glad a man lost his life, by his own admission. He is just one example of many, whom have chosen to show their claws and despicable ways. Many hearts are hardened. My wife just got done reading a commentator in Univision, the Spanish station, which they wrote that, a fist in the air represents white supremacy since the 80’s. Why suggest him using the fist is evil? What did they expect?
On the other hand, I have heard (although very little) people who believe President Trump has been anointed by God. And that is not how anointing works, at least as far as I understand it. So, that creeps me out. They treat it as if it was similar to the Transfiguration.
Others simply use hyperbole, to get their base energetic.
Complaining that President Trump yelled “Fight, Fight, Fight” after shots were fired at him, I believe fails to comprehend the adrenaline, human emotions and state of mind of that moment. One thing President Tump has not done after, is talk of an eye for an eye. As I see it, those who say he failed to bring unity in his speech, are people whom will not vote for him. Do they wished he would bend the knee to them? And to be fair, it would truly be a miracle of Trump had united everyone. Even those who hate him.
There was a lot of talk of God in the RNC convention. But there is huge elephant in the room, literally (Republicans). Were they really praising God? Or were they using God for votes? I do not know the answer, because I do not know their hearts.
Always test everything, even if it is something good for you.
Trump’s ‘heart of hearts’ theologically is still a mystery. At best, like most politicians regarding church worship, he’s a ‘CEO’ (Christmas and Easter only). We would know more of his true heart , if he would only get out of his own way! Unfortunately, a humble heart is a foreign concept to him. If there is humility under that red tie, it certainly is well hidden.
I don’t remember many RNC/DNC convention speeches, but I do remember Jesse Jackson sharing at a DNC convention years ago. I’m paraphrasing, but I remember him looking down as he said ‘please be patient with me: God isn’t finished with me yet.”
If Trump could ever digest and begin to live out the concept of humility and that God is in control (and not him), he would have the hearts of the American people, and would win the election in a landslide.
In my opinion, to date, he is his own worst enemy.
Sadly, most media elites (like NYT editors) look upon evangelicals from the fly over states like a zoo visitor gazing curiously into the glass cages at the monkey house.
“Well, they sort of look like us….”
You can see it in the tilt of their heads and in their eyes, as they fish with sophomoric gotcha questions and listen to your spiritual answer with deaf ears, then walk away, scratching their confused heads.
How sad and dark is the state of lostness.
Spiritual answer is correct. But I would say that it's even worse than that. When religious leaders quote the ancient or just historic teachings of their faith group, journalists tend to hear this information (even when from the Catholic Catechism) as mere personal opinion. They do not believe that they are hearing FACTS about the statements of doctrine, since religious beliefs cannot be facts, as they define that term. Of course, the same thing is true with about 80-90% of most political debates, but, as we said for years at GetReligion, stating this common (not not universal) newsroom attitude: Politics is real; religion, not so much.