By Matthew Chapman
Raw Story (11/26/19)
On CNN Tuesday, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci broke down why Republicans like Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are suggesting that President Donald Trump was chosen by God.
“They’re signaling to the president that they’re ultra-loyal to him,” said Scaramucci. “Remember, you’ve got to go 13 for 12 with the president. You can’t go 7 for 8, because then they’ll start tweeting about you all kinds of nonsense. They need to signal to him that they’re 100 percent or 130 percent loyal to him. But they’re also signaling to the base that if the baton is going to get passed, they want to be the carrier of that baton. I don’t think that’s possible, by the way. It’s a personality cult. So once he leaves office, I think a lot of that base fractures.”
“The Trump effect doesn’t working on people other than Trump,” suggested anchor Alisyn Camerota.
“I don’t think so, no,” said Scaramucci.
“What’s interesting is we don’t see President Trump go to church as much as we have with all past presidents in recent memory, so why does that kind of language work on him?” said Camerota.
“So listen, I’m a Roman Catholic,” said Scaramucci. “I don’t — I can’t really speak for the evangelical community, but I think in general the evangelicals view the president as a sinner, and they view him as somebody that is out seeking redemption through the presidency…”…
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Anti-LGBT Priest Defrocked After Report Finds He Was Sexually Harassing Young Men In His Church
By Sky Palma
Raw Story (11/27/19)
The founder of St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, Florida, has been removed from the priesthood after a report revealed his penchant for sexually harassing men at his church, ABC’s WTXL reports.
Father Eric Dudley, who has a history of pushing anti-LGBT ideology, resigned from his position as dean of the cathedral back in 2018, but a recent investigation by the Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment (GRACE) found that he engaged in sexual misconduct against several young men under his authority. The new revelations resulted in his removal as a priest of the Anglican Church in North America.
According to GRACE’s report, soon after Dudley founded his church, four individuals came forward with allegations of misconduct, which resulted in his resignation.
“…some of the gifts that Father Eric [Dudley] bestowed upon the victims included all of their meals and drinks together, books, tuition for college course, a clothes shopping spree, a used car, airline tickets, one of his personal cassocks valued at $1,500, sometimes compliments of the rector’s discretionary fund,” the report states.
As Dudley’s grooming of his alleged victims progressed, he eventually began engaging in physical contact with them, such as putting his head in their laps, holding hands, or touching their feet and caressing them. …
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The Pro-Trump Christian Cult’s New Tactic: Accuse Trump Critics As Being Influenced By Demons
By Sky Palma
Raw Story (11/25/19)
Last week, evangelical leader Franklin Graham gave an interview that gained quite a bit of attention, mainly for the fact that he reinforced a popular narrative within far-right pro-Trump Christian circles: namely the idea that philosophical and moral opposition to President Trump is not just a matter of political ideology, but a struggle between good and evil in spiritual terms.
“What do you think of what is happening now?” Christian author and radio host Eric Metaxas asked Graham. “I mean, it’s a very bizarre situation to be living in a country where some people seem to exist to undermine the president of the United States. It’s just a bizarre time for most Americans.”
“Well, I believe it’s almost a demonic power that is trying…” Graham said before he was interrupted by Metaxas.
“I would disagree,” Metaxes said. “It’s not almost demonic. You know and I know, at the heart, it’s a spiritual battle.” …
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GOP Strategist Thoroughly Destroyed On National TV After Claiming Trump Is ‘the chosen one’
By Bob Brigham
Raw Story (11/25/19)
Republican Alice Stewart was shut down on CNN after making the extraordinary claim that President Donald Trump is “the chosen one” and ordained by God.
CNN’s Laura Coates played a clip of Energy Secretary Rick Perry made such a claim and asked Stewart, a former top advisor to Mike Huckabee and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for reaction.
“He’s 100% correct,” Stewart replied.
“Really?” Coats asked.
Stewart said God, not the Electoral College, had actually determined the last four presidents.
“I truly believe, as a Christian, this was God’s divine choice at this time and this is what God wanted,” she argued.
But New York Times columnist Wajahat Ali was having none of it.
“God’s plan was also to give Democrats a blue wave in the House and impeachment hearings,” Ali joked.
But he quickly got serious about why certain religious leaders are making the claim that Trump’s election was the result of divine intervention.
“We should see the ideology underpinning this, because Jerry Falwell, Jr. — one of the many of the white evangelical leaders who supports Trump — in an interview said in January, ‘I will support Trump no matter what. franklin graham recently said he also believes that Trump is God’s chosen one and those who oppose him are demonically possessed — that means a majority of Americans are demonically possessed,’” he noted.
Ali said it derived from “Christian nationalist ideology” and “end of times theology.” …
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(Commoner Call cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2019. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link toe www.thecommonercall.org )