In light of the long line of women coming forward to dispute Donald Trump’s claim that he never sexually assaulted anyone, Trump lost a lot of support from key political figures, including Sen. John McCain and House Speaker Paul Ryan. But one group is standing shoulder to shoulder with Trump: religious right leaders.
Yes, the family values people have decided that Trump, the seven deadly sins incarnate, is exactly the president this country needs. Even Trump on tape boasting about how he likes to “grab them by the pussy” can’t shake their support. In doing so, they’ve reduced Christianity to an end-justifies-the-means transaction.
Here’s a rundown of six of the worst offenders and how they are justifying their views, along with a reminder of how they like to talk about us.
1.
Tony Perkins
President of the Family Research Council
What he says about Trump:
“My personal support for Donald Trump has never been based upon shared values, it is based upon shared concerns about issues such as: justices on the Supreme Court that ignore the constitution, America’s continued vulnerability to Islamic terrorists and the systematic attack on religious liberty that we’ve seen in the last 7 1/2 years.”
What he says about us:
“Those who understand the homosexual community – the activists – they’re very aggressive, they’re – everything they accuse us of they are in triplicate. They’re intolerant, they’re hateful, vile, they’re spiteful. …. To me, that is the height of hatred, to be silent when we know there are individuals that are engaged in activity, behavior, and an agenda that will destroy them and our nation.”
2.
Ralph Reed
Faith and Freedom Coalition President
What he says about Trump:
“I think given the stakes in this election and those and other critical issues, I just don’t think an audiotape of an 11-year-old private conversation with an entertainment talk show host on a tour bus, for which the candidate has apologized profusely, is likely to rank high on the hierarchy of concerns of those faith-based voters.”
What he says about us:
“No one should have special rights or privileges or minority status because of their sexual behavior. We don’t have it for people who are polygamists; we don’t have it for people who have affairs on their wives or husbands.”
3.
Jerry Falwell Jr
President, Liberty University
What he says about Trump:
“Donald Trump of five, ten years ago, even two or three years ago may have been a different person. The bigger point is he is going to appoint the right justices to the Supreme Court. He’s going to control immigration. He’s going to bring our country back to a position of strength again. And that is why I’m supporting Donald Trump.”
What he says about us:
“At Thomas Road Baptist Church there will never be a same-sex marriage or any other form of marriage outside of between a man and a woman conducted at this church as long as I am your pastor…We all have a duty and I, as your pastor, have a duty to stand up against sin, to call sin by its right name, to preach against sin, and to call to repentance all of those, including all of us, who are in sin.”
4.
Franklin Graham
President, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
What he says about Trump:
“A lot of people are slamming evangelicals for supposedly giving Donald J. Trump a pass. That’s simply not true. No one is giving him a pass. I’m certainly not, and I’ve not met an evangelical yet who condones his language or inexcusable behavior from over a decade ago. However, he has apologized to his wife, his family, and to the American people for this. He has taken full responsibility.”
What he says about us:
“LGBT activists are trying to hook their caboose to the ‘freedom train’ and drag their immoral agenda into our communities by claiming that this is a civil rights issue. Civil rights issues are very real and important—but don’t be fooled, this isn’t one of them.”
5.
Pat Robertson
Chairman, Christian Broadcasting Network
What he says about Trump:
“Let’s face it. A guy does something 11 years ago, there was a conversation in Hollywood where he’s trying to look like he’s macho. And 11 years after that, they surface it from The Washington Post to whatever, bring it out within 30 days or so of the election and this is supposed to be the death blow…The Donald says no. He’s like the phoenix. They think he’s dead, he’s come back.”
What he says about us:
“Many of those people involved in Adolf Hitler were Satanists. Many were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together.”
6.
Mike Pence
Trump’s running mate
What he says about Trump:
“I don’t condone what was said and I spoke out against it…The other part of my faith is I believe in grace. I’ve received it. I believe in it. I believe in forgiveness, and we are called to forgive as we have been forgiven.”
What he says about us:
“Societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage.”
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