When the State Becomes the Church
By: Tj Larson
Tags: Trump, Politics, Maga

POLITICS

When the State Becomes the Church

An introduction to the Church of MAGA

Photo by Claire Anderson on Unsplash

When the founders of America framed our Constitution they made sure to include an article that specifically addressed the separation of church from the state.

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment simply states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Based on this language it appears that the Founding Fathers set forth this edict to prevent the formation of a theocracy. However, the clause also acted as a way to prevent the government from showing favoritism toward a specific religion. While the intent of the Establishment Clause has been relatively successful at preventing the development of another Holy Roman Empire here in America, it is apparent that, even in all their wisdom, the Founding Fathers never anticipated a presidency like that of Donald Trump.

Although it may not be considered as an official religion, the Church of MAGA is just as real as any other church in the country, and its adherents have made it clear that they will not be ignored. But why call MAGA a religion instead of a movement? Glad you asked. Here is some evidence that supports the contention:

True believers think Trump was sent by God. Many of Trump’s supporters who claim Christianity say that he is God’s emissary. Trump himself once even claimed he was the “Chosen One.” They think Trump is infallible. No matter how many bad decisions and erroneous predictions, the Trump faithful still believe he has never been wrong. They say Trump has never lied. According to true Trumpists, George Washington and Honest Abe Lincoln have nothing on Trump in the veracity department, despite tens of thousands of documented and provable falsehoods. Their lives hinge on Trump’s every word. Man might not be able to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Trump. Whether it’s hawking a useless COVID-19 treatment, spreading disinformation about the virus, or alleging voter fraud, Trump’s disciples will preach unceasingly about whatever he says; often repeating him word for word. They believe Trump is being persecuted. Hard-core Trumpers constantly say his detractors are on a witch hunt to undo their MAGA messiah. No amount of evidence to the contrary will convince them otherwise. They will empty their pockets for Trump. When it comes to fleecing the flock, Trump can fleece with the best of them. The Church of MAGA accepts all major credit cards and then some. Bitcoin anyone? Trump is the first candidate in US history to continue collecting election donations even after the election is over. Why? Because according to Trump and Company, the election isn’t over until they say it’s over.

Of course, there are many other reasons one can cite to support the existence of the Church of MAGA, but the one glaring thing that puts the Trump presidency right up there with the predicted return of Christ Himself — at least among his loyal supporters, is Trump’s belief that he is the ultimate authority and answerable to no one. Trump’s followers are perfectly fine with him breaking every law on the books while they simultaneously call for the jailing of his detractors because they are… er, his detractors.

What we have here now is not a case of the government establishing a religion by fiat, or even a case of it favoring a particular religion. What we have here is a case where people have recognized the state (read Trump) as their church. One might be hard-pressed to find a Trump supporter who is actually willing to admit this publicly, but the evidence is clear — an indeterminate number of Americans have accepted Trump as their lord and savior.

Anyone who denies this analysis only needs to look as far as the farcical and ridiculous voter fraud claims Trump is promoting. Despite losing nearly every court case and earning the everlasting scorn of dozens of judges, his devotees dutifully parrot every lie told to them through his false prophets Rudy Guiliani, Sidney Powell, and other assorted minions.

In fact, Trump’s legal dream team of character assassins has also racked up an impressive body count because anyone who dares to challenge Trump’s insane narrative is automatically dubbed deep state or some other wacky moniker; all while doing a great disservice to all of us with their legal(?) gymnastics and outright duplicity with the public. Trump and his thralls have severely damaged confidence in the electoral process.

Unfortunately, this circus is likely to continue a bit longer. Just like the trick where 20 clowns exit a tiny vehicle, we can expect to see a similar performance from Trump’s band of litigious misfits, as they promote frivolous lawsuit after frivolous lawsuit — at least until the coins stop coming in.

But beyond the lies and the grift, a decidedly more serious and dangerous situation is manifesting that could lead us down a path deleterious to the freedom we enjoy so much. Once a nation’s electoral process comes into question the erosion of trust in the entire system begins to set in. Once this happens, the decline often comes quickly as order degenerates into chaos.

Once things reach this point it’s just a matter of time before total collapse. Some might disagree with this assessment because America appears so outwardly strong and resilient, and rightfully so; there is a large amount of resilience built into the American people, but even this is not proof against the rot of corruption that now infects our republic at its highest levels, but despite all of Trump’s misdeeds he is not the illness; he is merely a symptom of it.

If we have nothing else to thank Trump for, we can thank him for illuminating the corruption through his exploitation of the same loopholes that have allowed the establishment politicians to rob us for decades.

As far as the Church of MAGA, it looks like it will be around for the foreseeable future. Since Trump will soon be out of a job, maybe he’ll decide to officially take his place at the head of the Church of MAGA. After all, what the hell does he have to lose?