Posted on 02/25/2016 10:19:03 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has made a number of comments about the Bible in the past few days, from suggesting that Secretary of State John Kerry hasn't read it, to claiming that no one reads it more than himself.
Trump told CBN's Pat Robertson at Regent University on Wednesday that the United States has made a number of foreign policy mistakes during the past couple of decades, including the recent nuclear deal with Iran which lifted economic sanctions from the Islamic Republic in exchange for limiting its nuclear program.
"When you think of how Iran is doing lately, right? Between the Iran deal, we give them $150 billion — we got nothing for it," Trump said. "We should have gotten our prisoners back long before we started negotiating ... (Secretary John) Kerry — this is the worst negotiator I think I've ever seen."
The billionaire businessman then said:
"Obviously Kerry did not read The Art of the Deal. Probably didn't read the Bible, either."
Kerry is a devout Catholic. He spoke about his faith in a Dec., 2013, interview with ABC News, and described how reading the Bible helped him understand that suffering is part of God's plan.
"You read the letters of St. Paul and you read other parts of the scripture and it talks about suffering and it talks about adversity. And I sort of began to put that in a better place. Not see it so much as, you know, a determinative God who makes every decision for everything that happens. But rather creates a framework within which we're responsible for making things happen," Kerry said at the time.
The Hill pointed out that on Tuesday, Trump touted his engagement with the holy book:
"Nobody reads the Bible more than me," Trump declared ahead of his third consecutive win in the GOP primary in the Nevada caucuses.
Trump has insisted that he is a committed Christian despite making some gaffes related to the Bible.
He described "Second Corinthians" as "Two Corinthians" at Liberty University earlier this year after the verse was provided to him by Family Research Council's Tony Perkins. Perkins said that he can accept the blame for Trump's gaffe at the time, since he wrote some helpful notes which referenced "2 Corinthians 3:17," but said that Trump's mistake "shows that he's not familiar with Bible."
Trump called the Bible his favorite book back in August 2015, but then refused to name his favorite verse when asked repeatedly in an interview on Bloomberg's "With All Due Respect."
"I wouldn't want to get into it. Because to me, that's very personal," Trump explained at the time. "The Bible means a lot to me, but I don't want to get into specifics."
Then later he claimed his favorite verse is "never bend to envy," which is not in the Bible.
Trump says he is a Presbyterian and a member of Marble Collegiate Church, but Marble Collegiate is not a Presbyterian church and has no record of Trump being a member.
The GOP frontrunner has also insisted that he has a "great relationship" with God and with evangelical voters.
"I live a very different life than probably a lot of people would think," Trump has said.
"I'm talking about over the last number of years, I'm leading a very good life. I try to lead a good life and I have."
Before the Iowa Caucus, he attended a church service in Iowa as part of his outreach to Evangelicals. But the church he attended was a Mainline Protestant denomination that supports gay marriage. At another Iowa church service, he put money in the communion plate, mistaking it for the offering plate.
Some conservatives, such as TV personality and radio host Glenn Beck, have dismissed the entire notion that Trump even reads the Bible.
Beck, who is a Mormon, said at a Ted Cruz rally earlier in February that "too many people are looking at Trump and believing that man has ever opened a Bible … that's the biggest crock of [expletive] I've ever heard."
"I'm going to be very blunt with you tonight," Beck added. "Donald Trump is very dangerous in my opinion."
Not to me they don’t. At least a lawyer has some use, a snake oil salesman has absolutely not use.
No, I’m not. I’m just pointing out that Trump isn’t exactly a truth teller and is known for questioning the faith of others, including Dr. Carson and Sen. Cruz.
To question his faith is wrong, and his questioning of others; faith is also wrong.
I do have my own opinions, however, based on his publicly known conduct.
Show me the video and let me see what he really said and in what context.
And even if he did say it, I’d still vote for him. The next two candidates are ineligible. Cruz doesn’t understand the economy and used deceptive tactics in his campaign. Rubio wants amnesty and hasn’t kept his word in the past.
I’d take a braggart with a pretty good heart over two ineligible liars any day.
“2 Corinthians” doesn’t show he is unfamiliar with the Bible. It probably shows that he doesn’t attend Sunday school very much, since that’s where he would hear “second Corinthians” the most. You don’t get than from reading the Bible.
Plus, he’s an all hole-in-one golfer!
How can FReepers defend this guy, who is cynically using God to promote his campaign?
They’ll find a way.
Fantastic. We're now one step away from Trump claiming he actually wrote it. Or that he could do a better job writing it.
He said he would bring back Merry Christmas and he did.
It was everywhere this past season.
That matters.
Trump is the only candidate to point out the global persecution of Christians and vowed to fight for their security. That was last year before it was politically popular to say so.
He has lead the fight on every major issue, taking great polititical risk and has come out on top.
That counts.
And yet look at the people rushing to his defense.
Here’s one thing he told the truth about: He really can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. He can lie about his knowledge of scripture. He can take position A this week and position B next week and never pay a price for the inconsistencies. He can ridicule the disabled, POWs and people’s looks, and his Trumpanzees just cheer even louder. Up is down. Down is up. Maranatha.
Yep, and Trump actually knows 10 times more about 2 Corinthians than Kerry.
“I think you had better NOT start judging another’s faith if you are a Christian.”
Baloney. I’m fully allowed to evaluate the faith of others. I’m not to *condemn* them to hell, but I am allowed to evaluate.
By all appearances, Trump is a liar, using God to promote his campaign.
Trump is pathetic. As are his die-hard supporters.
Donald Trump is the foremost biblical scholar. Anyone who disagrees is a communist and a Jeb supporter!
Haven’t you heard, tRump doesn’t ask for forgiveness. I don’t care if he reads a Bible, I care that he lies about it.
His favorite books of the Bible are Odus and Ex-Odus.
Well, his momma did give him that Bible, so shouldn’t he read it?
yeah, he will be walking out reading a bible, because he reads the bible more than any else, and he is going to make the bible great again.
No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith.
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-response-to-the-pope
Trump has now questioned the faith of Carson, Cruz and now Kerry (I’m sure there are others I’ve neglected to mention).
By his own calculus, Trump is not a leader.
But he’s gonna build a wall.
I’ll accept a lot of his talk as his typical bluster but, PLEASE, Donald, stop judging who’s a Christian and who isn’t. It’s above your pay grade.
It insults my intelligence every time he tries to claim his religious bonafides.
Kerry devoutly believes in baby killing and letting rump rangers marry.
Those reasons, among many, were why it was God's plan to have Kerry suffer in 2004.
Especially Two Corinthians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.