Isn't Narcissism Anti-Christian?

(1) When pioneering journalist Cokie Roberts died on September 17, 2019, this is what Trump told reporters:

"I never met her. She never treated me nicely. But I would like to wish her family well. She was a professional and I respect professionals. I respect you guys a lot, you people a lot. She was a real professional. Never treated me well, but I certainly respect her as a professional." 


(2) In March of 2019, completely unprompted and several months after John McCain's death, Trump said this to some factory workers in Ohio:

"I gave him the kind of funeral he wanted, which as president, I had to approve.  I don't care about this.  I didn't get a thank you--that's OK.  We sent him on his way.  But I wasn't a fan of John McCain."


(3) In July of 2019, when signing the extension of the 9/11Victim Compensation Fund, he stated the following to the first responders who were attending the ceremony (a statement that is an obvious lie, by all objective accounts):

"I was down there also, but I'm not considering myself a first responder, but I was down there.  I spent a lot of time down there with you."


(4a) After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Trump claimed the following:

"3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico.  When I left the island, AFTER the storm  had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths.  As time went by it do not go up by much.  Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000.  This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico.  If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list.  Bad politics.  I love Puerto Rico!"

(4b) He later tweeted and said the following about his response to that same hurricane and others (even though (1) by all objective accounts, the federal response to Hurricane Maria for the Puerto Ricans was an abject disaster, and (2) no one hands out disaster-relief grades like we're in high school, so this "we" must be Trump himself):

"We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico …)…."  And later, "I actually think it's one of the best jobs that's ever been with respect to what this is all about."



(5) In May of 2017, during a visit to the NATO headquarters, Trump grabbed the arm of the Prime Minister of Montenegro and forcibly moved him out of the way in order get to the front of the group of world leaders.  He never even acknowledged the prime minister.

(6) And lest we forget, when he was interviewed about the 9/11 tragedy literally while it was occurring on September 11, 2011, he stated the following (which is actually a lie):

"40 Wall Street [Trump Tower] actually was the second tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest.  And then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second tallest.  And now it's the tallest." 



All of these examples (and there are many, many, MANY others like them) demonstrate clearly how Trump turns every single situation, even personal and national tragedies, to be about himself, even if obvious, blatant, grotesque lies are involved; everything MUST be focused squarely on him at all times.  And that trait is clearly demonstrating true narcissism, which, in turn, exemplifies how he is thoroughly incapable of empathy towards others, especially those who are truly suffering.

And empathy is the defining characteristic of unconditional love, a trait that the Christian must acknowledge, appreciate, foster, and (try to) emulate every single moment of every single day of his/her life (citation: Jesus's entire life).  How, then, can a true Christian support this human being who daily manifests the very antithesis of such a defining Christian quality?

How the Republican Party is Gaslighting Christians

This is an EXCELLENT first-person view of one woman's epiphany concerning the toxic marriage between Republicanism and Christianity.  Much of this I have been trying to state in smaller snippets than this article, but her narrative and analysis of how she came to understand all the shameless bullshit that Republicanity now contains is exceptional.

Here is her basic premise to whet your appetite:

"And then came 2016. Donald Trump, a man whom until then I most closely associated with 'The Apprentice,' was now the Republican nominee for president of the United States. Trump’s campaign and election was a breaking point for me and many other American evangelicals. This was when we realized that everything we had been told was non-negotiable didn’t matter when there was power on the line. The election was like a floodlight on the underbelly of the evangelical church, and this is when the church started gaslighting me.
Gaslighting is psychological manipulation that leads one to question one’s own feelings and perceptions of reality. For more than two years now, I have watched, shocked, as 81 percent of the religious leaders and peers of my youth and early adulthood have embraced a man and a political ideology contrary to the teachings of Jesus. They have thrown out the foundational values of Christianity in exchange for tax cuts, Supreme Court nominees and political power. Today, those Christians are calling me a heretic and a godless woman because now I reject their Republican rhetoric and because my personal Christian values (that they drilled into me for decades) more closely align with the Democratic Party’s platform.
The boldness of the church’s hypocrisy is causing me to question the very foundation of my spiritual beliefs. It’s disorienting. Every biblical principle I hold sacred has been disregarded by many other Christians, and I often feel like I’m losing my sanity while the entire house of cards that is my evangelical upbringing collapses around me."

Now, go and read the rest of it; it is worth it.  Then, spread it around, especially if you know one of those 81% of the white evangelicals that support this piece of human buffoonery.  If the church wants its credibility back anytime soon, it is high time to disassociate itself completely from Trump.

A Better Meme for Republican Christians

Truth!