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Crossing Rebecca's avatar

In the weeks before the election a Bible study group I am a part of had one member tell us that she could no longer study with us because “We were evil Christians” She had previously told me that she had never met a Christian who was a Democrat, and that she had never met a Democrat willing to talk about what they believed. I’d offered to do so, but not during the Bible study. When people from the study went out to lunch it became clear that we had no common source of facts to talk from. Haitians were eating dogs and cats—she had seen videos of them doing it. Schools in California send kids home to their parents after sex changes. Isn’t that obviously evil? Democrats are sacrificing babies. Abortion after birth. This stuff seems ludicrous to me (because it is) but there was no ground of facts and place to obtain them that she could meet me at. And by a week before the election how could she even consort with such an evil person as I am to support such evils?

Part of what has stunned me since the election has been realizing that some of my acquaintances stood somewhere in the midst of competing data streams and just concluded that they did not have what it took to sort them out. With those folks I regret that I didn’t talk more and talk more plainly.

Prices and the perception of a bad economy were a big deal but for the devout people in the churches near me it was the “culture wars”—Transgender, homophobic, abortions are child sacrifice…the racism was below the surface—they weren’t white Christian Nationalists—one of the pastors they looked too was a Black man married to a Latina woman—-but they wanted to see a revival of pure Christianity in charge of the nation and they saw Mr Trump as the way to get that.

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Susie Richardson's avatar

It wasn't the price of eggs, it was the perceived price of eggs ... and other distortions. When my Trump-supporting brother emailed me a month or two ago to ask why Biden-Harris earned my support, here is one of about 20 bullet points I sent: I appreciate the attention to our country’s infrastructure, low unemployment rate, an inflation rate lower than other developing countries, a healthy stock market. He then switched to perceived moral issues. I suggested he compare the number of times Jesus said anything about abortion or same sex marriage with His frequency of addressing justice issues - the poor, vulnerable, exploited ... Then he replied with what I'm thinking is Fox News talking points. It takes a lot of patience, and research and gathering of thoughts to engage in these civil discussions (as Jemar and you readers well know). I intend to pick this back up with him, even post-election. This proliferation of propaganda that folks - church folks - have been groomed to swallow - hook, line, and sinker - is utterly frightening.

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