Saturday, November 12, 2016

Comparative assessments in voting

Although I was a NeverTrumper from first to last (I put that in the past tense since it's now obsolete), I find myself in the paradoxical position of defending Trump voters. Case in point:

Tedla G Woldeyohannes
How should the world think of American Evangelical Christianity anymore? American Christian missionaries, when you go out to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people, say, in Africa, what would you say if people ask you, have you voted for Trump? What does Trump symbolize for a Christian? 

To which I replied: Evangelicals voted for Trump in the general election because Hillary put a gun to their head.

There are self-identified American evangelicals who exhibit delusional confidence in Trump's bona fides.

That said, it's meaningless to simply express dismay or disapproval that many American evangelicals voted for Trump in the general election. That's a skewed perspective. Voting in the general election involves a comparative assessment. Comparing one candidate with another

It's not just a question of whether or not to vote for Trump, but comparing and contrasting Trump to the alternatives. So this one-sided analysis is ill-conceived. 


I myself am a NeverTrumper. But you need to frame the issue in terms of a comparative judgment respecting more than one candidate.

3 comments:

  1. Trump isn't going to hurt black people any where in any way, he's not even a racist, Evangelicals and other Christian groups (like the amish) who overwhelmingly supported Trump because there was never any real reason not to. Trump may have been a sinner, but he was never what the predominately secular, leftist media made him out to be.

    Why would an african that you are preaching to ask you who you voted for? Does Tedla honestly think he/she would care? An african comes to a sermon, is the first thing they think: "who did the preacher vote for"? Do Africans even consider Trump to be the monster that the AMERICAN media made him out to be?

    These people are the ones that are politicizing the church, tearing it apart by telling republicans that they can't be a Christian if they vote against liberal secularists. Who is alienating people from the Church now?

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  2. Indeed. It's about having balance. Understanding why Evangelicals voted for Trump.

    I'm seeing swivel-eyed behaviour from both sides. Sadly, I see Trump voters mocking 'NeverTrumpers' for their previous stance, and berating them for daring to back Trump now he has won the election. They call on immature Clinton voters to belt up and be sensible and pragmatic for the sake of the country, yet berate the 'NeverTrumpers' for doing that very thing.

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    1. Ironically, the group that Trump is most likely to fall out of favor with is Trumpkins. Cynics like me can't be disappointed by Trump's performance as president since I have nonexistent expectations. By contrast, Trumpkins have utopian expectations for their Dear Leader, so they can become easily, rapidly, and bitterly disillusioned if their idol dashes their fond hopes.

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