It has been apparent from the Christian religious studies I have taken that “idolatry” comes in many forms. For example in Matthew 6:24 ESV:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Here money is the idol in question of which humans must choose over God, or reject for God. It is a choice of many humans over their lifetimes. Proponents of some fringe notions of the “prosperity gospel,” clearly in my understanding, are making a choice as to the verse of Matthew 6:24.
In the Old Testament we find this:
Exodus 23:13 ESV
“Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.”
This is a clear warning to the faithful for guidance. And my interpretation of this verse encompasses much more than worshiping a physical casted golden calf, as most have seen from the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.
And it seems to be clear that a political leader who is a cult of personality must also take on the form of a false idol in the minds of their followers. The instances of purely religious cult leaders being worshiped are many. Donald Trump has combined the religious cult to a more broad political cult in his appeal to millions. Most of these followers profess Christianity as their faith. Donald Trump also appeals to those who may tend to worship money as an idol. So Donald Trump is the form of idolatry to millions on several levels.
As is put rather simply in this description of one who is a cult of personality from a website:
“There is no cult without a powerful, charismatic leader. A charismatic leader has the uncanny ability to get people to follow him unquestioningly. The phrase "cult of personality" refers to this type of group dynamic. Cult members are devoted to the leader, not to the leader's ideas. The leader has complete control over his followers -- there is no questioning of his decisions, and he is accountable to no one within the group.”
“It's possible for a cult to have more than one leader, but that's atypical. Most destructive religious cults demand absolute devotion to a single person who is considered to be God or connected to God, the Messiah, a prophet or possessing some other holy status. This is a critical component in maintaining absolute devotion: To the members of a cult, only this single person can lead them to salvation. Without this single person, they will spend eternity in Hell.”
Since early in his political run Evangelicals have carved out a place for Donald Trump to fit their version of Christianity. They have been staunch supporters, and are still. Evangelical thinker Lance Wallnau gives his take in 2018: Trump is a “modern-day Cyrus,” an ancient Persian king chosen by God to “navigate in chaos.”
Cyrus wished to help out the Jews in Persia of the time, although it seemed the Jews may not have trusted him to build their place of worship. But Cyrus was a builder it seemed and God was pleased.
Isaiah 45:1
“Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;”
So maybe Trump’s followers equate his real estate dealings to a builder such as Cyrus from the Old Testament? It is easy to see that the wishful thinker might indeed arrive at this conclusion. Regardless of Trump’s true business prowess, and certainly one might say that he was far from “navigating the chaos,” only aggravating it throughout his time in office. But regardless of the theological “rationale,” used it is quite apparent that Trump is much more than some minor character in the Old Testament to millions. He is a cult leader. He is perceived as divine by many, this beyond all bounds of logic to the close observer of this last seven years or so.
Many founding fathers deplored the idea of church and state combined. For example Thomas Jefferson was a staunch supporter of the separation of church and state. The following, from monticello. org describes clearly Jefferson’s thoughts for the new democratic republic.
“Jefferson’s commitment to religious freedom grew from several interrelated sources.”
“For Jefferson, an Enlightenment rationalist, reason had to govern in all areas, including religion. “For the use of … reason… every one is responsible to the God who has planted it in his breast, as a light for his guidance, and that, by which alone he will be judged,” Jefferson explained. His declaration to Benjamin Rush that “I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man,” was made in the context of religious freedom: any government effort to control religious beliefs was “tyranny over the mind of man.”
“Politically, Jefferson believed that the new nation required complete religious freedom and separation of church and state. Many historians note that the broad diversity of ethnicities and religions in the thirteen colonies meant that religious freedom was necessary if the union was to be successful.”
I would contend that the Bible itself lends guidance as to the need for separation of church and state, exemplified now in 2023 in the over abundance of idolatry not only in worshiping wealth, but also in the worship of a cult of personality in Donald Trump. And an authoritarian follower will tend toward idolatry with any leader they may accept from their political party or ideology. So the clear danger of idolatry within the combination of church and state seems clear to me.
13th Posting, February 20, 2023