I know that when you looked at the title, the name ‘Liberty University’ rang a little bell. Liberty University is a controversial Christian College. Founded by the late homophobe, Jerry Falwell, it has a reputation as anti-gay and anti-Muslim. There have also been allegations by female students of sexual assault. These accusations have been ignored by the staff, and the young women are often accused of ‘enticing’ the young men through dress or action.

In March of 2015, Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination at Liberty. Attendance to his speech was mandatory with a ten-dollar fee required, although a fairly large number of the students were wearing Rand Paul T-shirts.

Today Trump spoke at Liberty University’s Commencement celebration. I don’t really understand why he was invited; Trump is not a religious person; money is his only god, and his sins are many. It was obvious that he was pandering to the graduates and faculty, when he made a single remark.

“In America, we don’t worship government,” Trump declared at one point. “We worship God.”

This is strange coming from a man whose need for acceptance and even adulation is enormous. These were two of the three reasons he sought the presidency.

Naturally the students were not going to leave the auditorium without listening to Trump brag about himself.

“Be totally unafraid to challenge entrenched interests and failed power structures,” Trump said. “Does that sound familiar, by the way?”

I may be the only one who believes this, but if I were a Christian school, I might have invited a man or woman who at least claims to be Christian. Trump would have been nearly last on my list. I could mention several truly religious men and women, including President and Michelle Obama, but they are Democrats, and the administration at Liberty would not allow that. (Did I say that they were Christians? Are not Democrats Christian?)

That said, they could have invited religious extremists Mike Pence, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, or even Ted Cruz.

For me this is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of the Christian religious right. They profess their faith, but refuse to support the teachings of Jesus Christ on earth. They are judgmental, and elitists who refuse to accept the beliefs and principles of others. To invite Trump was a classic example of how the CRR is opportunistic and hypocritical.

My final opinion. Cults are bad; true spirituality is good.

Op-ed

by James Turnage

Source

Photo courtesy of Taber Andrew Bain

Follow me on twitter; @jamesturnagenov

My website: https://sites.google.com/site/jamesturnagenovelist/james-turnage-truthsayer