Posted on 06/19/2015 6:03:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Many political experts will not take Donald Trump's quest for the Republican presidential nomination seriously, possibly for good reason. Trump, most notable for his vast real estate empire, wealth, bankruptcies, reality TV show, high profile divorces, and of late, his brash political statements, professes to be a Christian. As The Christian Post reported Tuesday, he even claims he would be "the greatest jobs president God ever created."
While Trump might not be popular with a large segment of the Republican Party, many voters no longer feel connected to Washington or what they see as a professional and entrenched political class. With his populist streak, Trump may appeal to these voters. Below are six facts about Donald Trump and his professed Christian faith.
1. Speaking to CBN News in May, Donald Trump declared: "I will be the greatest representative of the Christians they've had in a long time."
Specifically, Trump was talking about the Christians being slaughtered in the Middle East, especially in Syria, and according to him, Christians around the globe do not have anybody representing them. Trump also claimed it was easier for Muslims to come to the U.S. than persecuted Christians.
2. Trump says he's Presbyterian and previously attended services with the Reformed Church of America denomination.
Trump told Human Events and other news outlets that he is "a believer." In 2011, he told CBN he attended First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica Queens, which is part of the Presbyterian U.S.A. denomination. Some past articles and interviews have listed Trump as a member of the Reformed Church of America, but more recently he has said he is Presbyterian. He says he goes to church on Sunday when he can and always on Christmas, Easter, and on special occasions.
3. After previously making statements favorable toward the right to abortion, Trump now claims to be pro-life.
While Trump has a long track record of making statements and supporting candidates who were pro-abortion, he credits a friend's experience with not wanting a baby and then adoring that baby as a big reason for his shift on abortion. In January, Trump explained his position on abortion, where he allowed for limited exceptions to terminate a pregnancy and talked about his traditional views on same-sex marriage, which he said at the moment "is a state's rights' issue." In the past, Trump has said he "took a lot of heat" for being opposed to same-sex marriage.
4. When asked by Bill O'Reilly if there was a "Muslim problem in the world," Trump answered "yes."
In a 2011 interview, Trump added, "absolutely, absolutely, I don't notice Swedish people knocking down the World Trade Center." Trump backed up his statement later saying, "We have to speak the truth, this country is so politically correct, and it's falling apart."
5. Donald Trump has called the Bible "The Book, it is the thing."
In fact, he collects Bibles because he claims so many people send him Bibles. Trump says he saves and stores them because, "There's no way I would do anything negative to a Bible."
6. Trump has praised evangelical leaders Tony Perkins and Ralph Reed, saying "they have great reputations."
In 2011 Trump declared, "I recently spoke to Ralph Reed and Tony Perkins and I was really impressed, they have great reputations and I have been hearing about them for years." He added that they were "smart people."
It's true that he said it, but whether we believe it or not is another thing. From 2011:
Exclusive: Donald Trump to Brody File: 'I believe in God. I am Christian.'
Donald Trump is, obviously, by far the most amazing and best Christian that God ever put on Earth. Just ask him.
Matthew 7:15-20New King James Version (NKJV)
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits.
"I have a theory," writes Kevin D. Williamson. "I have a theory about Trump and his delusions, based, I’ll admit, on pure superstition. There’s an ancient belief, one that persists into our own time, that our names exert occult influence on our lives. And Trump’s name, while potentially comical -- 'Don-John' -- doesn’t offer much in the way of scrying. But his father’s middle name was -- true fact -- Christ. Fred Christ. Obama’s arrival was announced by a man called Emanuel, but The Donald was brought into this world by Christ himself -- Fred Christ. How could a man like that not have a messiah complex?"
-- from the thread Conservative Media Savages Trump
The only one of these “facts” that is remotely “interesting” is his specious claim that he collects bibles that “people send him”.
Amazing. The man can’t say anything positive at all without some people saying, “Sure, that’s what he says, but he doesn’t mean it.” I mean...I’m amazed at the hysteria of some posts on this board about Trump.
I’m not sure I’d consider stockpiling bibles “positive”, but yes, I’m skeptical of the claim. I find it very bizarre that so many people would send him bibles and that a famous person would not only receive all these packages from perfect strangers, but keep them all because giving them away to people that don’t have 50 bibles didn’t occur to him. It smells like a bizarre attempt at pandering to me.
I’m amazed that anyone is taking this candidacy seriously.
This reminds me of Mitt.
Get used to it. As Trump’s poll numbers rise the hysteria will rise. I’m loving it. :-)
Being that he is a Scot, it doesnt surprise me he identifies with the Kirk...as they say over there.
If Trump “attends” a church regularly, said church should have had nearly a billion dollars in offerings coming in.
I expect there's more than one Church that has benefited greatly from that.
I've attended such small churches that the idea of a billionaire attending and making a 10 percent offering doesn't even make sense. The one church would have liked to have had a paved parking lot for it's 60 members. My current church would like the same for it's 300ish members. Giant churches with giant budgets just creep me out. Money and Christians don't go well together.
Yeah, I do think it bodes well, Georgia Girl! But I’m still astonished, since all that Freepers have been screaming for is what he’s offering.
Okay, I’m keeping track. Now he’s not handling his Bibles correctly. Just wow.
WEll in all fairness Trump has threatened to run many times and then backed out. I hope he really plans to be in it for the long haul. Frankly I have no problem with Trump as President. He couldn’t screw it up worse than Obama or GW Bush. I think a lot of Freepers believe Trump will just drop out in a few months. So we just have to see how it goes.
If Trump’s campaign becomes viable then more people will soften their stance on him. He wants to do all the right things.
Me too.
However, I think Christians and Money are not necessarily evil or wrong in some way.
I don't know the origin of my visceral reaction to large, monied Churches, but it's there. I guess it's the Biblical admonition to help the poor and stay focused on the Word.
Well it's probably the bible. It has many things to say about the temptation of money and look at the examples set by the Lord, the Apostles and quite a few other notable men of old.
Trump is attracting the social liberals and anti-Christian posters here, so that says something about him.
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