In the United States, the Republican Party is perceived to be politically conservative and the defenders of faith, family values, marriage, masculinity, and patriotism. Some of the most vociferous mavens of traditional "Christian" values in the United States have been affiliated with talk radio and the current and former political commentators of Fox News. And, make no mistake, many Evangelical Christians eat up the stuff these folks dish out like it was caviar! BUT is the influence these demagogues exercise warranted? What exactly are their credentials to defend the ideology they espouse?
Let's begin with the President they all adore and defend with such vigor. Donald Trump is a notorious womanizer and adulterer. He has been married three times and has fathered children by all three. He does NOT attend any Church on a regular basis and has used the Bible as a prop for the furtherance of his own political career. He lies and twists the truth without blinking an eye - insisting that the end justifies the means. He is arrogant, vindictive, and unkind and has displayed none of the other fruits of the Holy Spirit in either his personal or professional life. However, he did receive a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton. Hence, unlike most of his defenders, he does at least have a college degree. There is no record of military service.
Rush Limbaugh was the preeminent voice of conservative talk radio for many years. He was a nominal Methodist throughout his life. He was divorced three times, and his fourth wife outlived him. He had no children. He was addicted to prescription drugs for a time. To his credit, Rush did graduate from high school and tried college for two semesters at Southeast Missouri State University. Rush was a gifted and flamboyant radio personality, but he was not known for his intellectual prowess. Even so, he did amass a fortune in the course of career on radio. There is no record of military service.
Rush Limbaugh - Death, Career & Facts
Sean Hannity began life as a Roman Catholic but abandoned that faith when he was young. He professes to believe in God, the multi-verse, and that God is the Creator of all of mankind. He is noted for his less than generous appraisals of homosexuals and liberals. He has stated that "there is an intersection between politics and a belief or a faith in God. And, you know, the United States of America has been the light to the world." Hannity has also affirmed that he is at his best when he takes 30 minutes out of his day to devote to "God time." He was married to the mother of his children for many years before separating from her and eventually divorcing her several years later. He is currently in a relationship with Ainsley Earhardt (who is 14/15 years his junior), a fellow commentator on Fox. He attended New York and Adelphi Universities, but did not receive a degree from either one. There is no record of military service.
Sean Hannity | Biography & Facts | Britannica
Sean Hannity Opens Up About His Religious Journey and Christian Faith
Speaking of Ainsley, she has been married and divorced two times; and she has been in a relationship with colleague Sean Hannity since her last divorce in 2019. Nevertheless, Earhardt is a professing Christian and does have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of South Carolina.
In one of his many books, Bill O'Reilly wrote: "My religion is Roman Catholicism. I go to church, but I'm an independent thinker." He is divorced and was accused by his former wife of domestic violence. O'Reilly has been the subject of many lawsuits by women claiming that he sexually harassed them, resulting in many millions of dollars being paid to settle those cases. Bill, however, does hold degrees from Marist, Boston, and Harvard. There is no record of military service.
What religion is Bill O'Reilly? - Beliefnet
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator) - Wikipedia
Jesse Watters, a protege of Bill O'Reilly, divorced the mother of his first two children in 2019 and immediately announced his engagement to the woman who had caused his divorce (to be clear, he had an affair with her while he was still married to his first wife). He and his second wife also have two children together. He does, nevertheless, have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College. There is no record of military service.
Glenn Beck started out life as a Roman Catholic, but he drifted into alcoholism and drug addiction. Later, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) and has even dabbled in Anglo-Israelism. He divorced his first wife in 1994 and married his current wife in 1999. Although Beck didn't attend college, he did graduate from high school. In fairness, he is noted for his generous philanthropy, and his affinity for unreliable sources and conspiracy theories. There is no record of military service.
The Not-so Mormon Soteriology of Glenn Beck – Mormonism Research Ministry
Tucker Carlson is the product of a broken marriage and was abandoned by his mother as a child. He claims to be an Episcopalian, but he has been very critical of that faith (see my post on that subject). He is still married to his wife and has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Trinity. He lost his job at Fox for exposing that network to significant liability for misleading reporting surrounding the January 6th Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. There is no record of military service.
Mark Levin is an accomplished lawyer who received his law degree from Temple University. He has only been married two times. He was raised in the Jewish faith. There is no record of military service.
Mark Levin biography, net worth, wife, divorce, marriage, wedding • biography
Hmmmmm, I'm not sure the collective moral and intellectual credentials of this bunch is very impressive. What do you think?
They preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
If you are implying (and I don't think you are) that the other party is any better then I'm sure we can come up with a long list for them as well.
ReplyDeleteYou have basically described the human race and our human condition, that we " all have sinned and come short of the glory of God". As for those in authority or having positions of influence over the people, you demonstrate the importance of NOT trusting these people's motives and narrative on ANYTHING, especially when they might benefit in some way.
Sorry, when it comes to how this world system operates, I'm not very optimistic.
We are in agreement. I poked at the right in this piece, but there is a lot of hypocrisy on the left as well. I didn't even mention military service in this evaluation. Human governance is hopelessly flawed - that's why we should be praying for God's will to be done here (and trying our best to do it now - in our own individual lives).
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