It’s dawned on me recently that there are a lot of similarities between people having a false belief that they’re Christians and people having a false belief that they’re Patriots.
A lot of us are familiar with that scary Scripture in Matthew 7:21-23.
“‘Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name,
and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’”
(Matthew 7:21-23, Amplified)
As a lot of us are familiar with this passage, these people are 1) absolutely convinced that they’re Christians and 2) seemingly shocked when the Lord Jesus tells them publicly that they’re not. He even explains why He doesn’t know them. They act wickedly (v. 23)
I’ve also noticed recently how a lot of the people who seem to have embraced authoritarianism and anti-Democratic ideas such as making it harder for people to vote are those who, not long ago, couldn‘t talk about how much they love the US Constitution.
But now they’re embracing concepts that are antithetical to the Constitution. Like those who Jesus rebukes for disregarding His commands, these folks wave around flags and extol the Constitution. They just don’t like what it SAYS.
A lot of people who identify as Bible-believing Christians have a stunning level of Biblical illiteracy. And there are some others who know what it says but pick and choose parts of it to hold sacred, like they’re picking from an a la carte menu.
And a lot of the so-called Patriots have no earthy idea what’s even IN the US Constitution. And others treasure certain parts of it, like the Second Amendment, but are pretty meh on the rest of it.
The obvious common threads here are hypocrisy and a complete lack of introspection.
People not even realizing in many cases that they are the exact opposite of what they advertise themselves as.
The worst aspect of hypocrisy is not that we could fool God (we can’t, God is not mocked, Galatians 6:7) or even that we can fool people (people who don’t claim to know God seem better at identifying hypocrisy than some who do).
The big danger is that we can fool ourselves.
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The biggest immediate danger the GOP faces is not seeing more people of color voting. Their biggest risk is white voters who have a problem with Trump and with the GOP's racism. Which is why you'll be seeing Tim Scott a lot ("Hi! My name is Tim! And the GOP is not racist!")
If you look at the states that have exit polling available for the last three Presidential elections, you'll notice things about the GOP's performance with whites.
NOTE: this has NOTHING to do with the NUMBER of white voters (sorry, Tucker Carlson - no new show idea tonight).
This has only to do with the MARGINS by which GOP Presidential candidates have won or lost white voters in Presidential elections according to exit polls.
In these states, the GOP has done worse, margin-wise, among whites in 2020 than in 2016 and worse in 2016 than in 2012.
One of the reasons Trump the 2020 Election is because his margins decreased in the suburbs. Which has been a pattern in several states over multiple elections. We can tell this from exit polls. Let's take a quick look at some of them (links provided so you can check yourself).
Arizona - GOP Margins among Suburban Voters
2004 - Bush won 59-39 (+20)
2008 - McCain won 60-38 (+22)
2012 - Romney won 60-39 (+21)
2016 - Trump won 55-39 (+16)
2012 - Trump won 55-45 (+10)
And it’s a little more complex than that. Only 58% of those 25 Republicans (15 people) really love Trump. 20% of the 25 (5 people) are okay with him. The other 5 of the 25 Republicans don’t like him. Hi, Liz and Adam! You guys are invited to the cookout! docs.cdn.yougov.com/lftymxzxfl/eco…
So 15 of the 100 people in the room are the kind of Republicans who you might see at Matt Gaetz/Marjorie Taylor-Greene Klan Bake ... er ... Clam Bake. Another 5 may not love him but like him. The other 5 of the 25 Republicans in the room of 100 Americans are not into him.
“But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, [misled] by the hypocrisy of liars ...
whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning ...”
(1 Timothy 4:1-2, Amplified. The beginning of a passage that discusses Apostasy and false teaching)
Both Corporate and Consumer boycotts need to be considered against states that are enacting laws that make it harder for its citizens to vote.
Yes, it will cause damage to local economies. But instituting laws that abridge voting rights is causing damage to democracy at large.
States like Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Florida have benefitted from a lot of new residents that have translated into increased electoral power in the last decade. That power comes with responsibility.
The reason these states have gotten these new electoral votes is so that their citizens votes can be represented. Which means that they have to be able to vote. Those new Congressional Districts and Electoral Votes don't come for free. And they're not necessarily permanent.