The Religion Of Donald Trump

At the beginning of the semester, I wrote: “Religion is the institutional manifestation of feeling and believing in something beyond yourself” (Kelley 2016). Twelve weeks later, I consider this definition incomplete and problematic; nevertheless, it reveals how religious thinkers such as James Frazer, Emile Durkheim, William James, Mircea Eliade, Jeffrey Kripal, and Bruce Lincoln infiltrate our quotidian definitions of religion. In this paper, I hope to develop a new conception of religion, recognizing the impact of such historical thinkers on personal conclusions. In other words, I hope to show that we are

This year’s presidential election is facing much controversy. The evangelicals are a vote candidates strive to earn along with many other special interest groups. Donald Trump, the nominee for the Republican party, met with prominent evangelical leaders of America on June 22, 2016 to discuss many of the issues that he will face if elected president. It was a closed conversation that included Jerry Falwell Jr., David Jeremiah, Ben Carson, Franklin Graham, and other evangelical leaders. In the conversation, Donald Trump gains the vote of evangelical leaders and their followers not through his extensive knowledge or political background, but by appealing to their emotions, using precise and compelling language, and convincing the audience that

Trump acts as a religious figure where he dictates the morality of the collective. The collective has the power to impose moral expectations on the individual that explains their actions. Many people identify with the Republican party where their views are dominated by the collective in which they identify with and thus, support their collective leader. Durkheim defines religion as a system of beliefs and practices that unite a community through “collective effervescence” that forms “harmony and unison of movement[s]” (Durkheim 1915, 218). The force of collective on individuals could be uncontrollable and it dominates their bodies and perceptions that leads to “outlandish behavior” (Durkheim 1915, 218). Trump supporters lose themselves in a rally and experience a sense of euphoria by being in a collective and cheering on what they considered is sacred. Trump claims to provide his followers the sacred while protecting them from the “profane” such as the Mexicans or the Muslims. The followers believe in the faith of a “better America” and possess totems that represent their unity such as the red hat or the campaign

Lofgren points out that republican leaders are often encouraged to share their religious views and feelings regarding their respective faith, and as of relatively recently, “the republican party has reignited the kinds of seventeenth century religious controversies that advanced democracies are supposed to have outgrown” (Lofgren, 2012 p. 129). More so, there appears to be a cookie-cutter mold which major candidates must adhere to, to have a successful career and impact on their constituents. Despite the prevalence of religious opinions and faith-based values aired out to the populace, Lofgren does point out the unique points that we [as a nation] are lucky that our foreign policies and national decisions are not based on one’s adherence to faith or religious scriptures, and that we should keep it this way. In doing so and in letting “someone’s tendentious reading if the bible” dictate test for office or formation of legislation, our great nation will be destined for demise (Lofgren, 2012 p.

David Gushee spoke about the 2016 Presidential Election and how religion has played a role in the current outcome of Donald Trump as the GOP nominee. White Evangelicals specifically have played a crucial role in this outcome. Gushee explained why Donald Trump appeals to Evangelicals in comparison to other elections. He also spoke about the other GOP candidates and why, from a religious perspective, they did or did not appeal to voters. Gushee did mention the Democratic Party, focusing on Bernie Sanders Jewish background and Martin O’Malley’s Catholic background. He very briefly touched on Hillary Clinton’s religious background.

For William James, his perspective on religious experience was skeptical. He divided religion between institutional religion and personal religion. For institutional religion he made reference to the religious group or organization that plays a critical part in the culture of a society. Personal religion he defined as when an individual has a mystical experience which can occur regardless of the culture. James was more focused on the personal religious experience, “the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in

Donald John Trump is currently one of the candidates for the Republican nomination for the President of the United States in the 2016 election. He is having no trouble winning numerous state caucuses and is currently the leading candidate with the most delegates among his republican peers. In the media, he is a candidate that seems to have the most air time compared to all of his contenders; his saturated exposure can be considered one of the major contributor to his rising popularity. Trump delivers simple but effective rhetoric about tax cuts for the rich as well as the poor, anti-free trade, tough immigration reform, Nationalism, and other topics that naturally draw in support from the average right-winged conservative individual. His crazy

How did Donald Trump appeal to the public? First, Trump emphasized on Clinton’s weaknesses such as her e-mail scandal. The result of the scandal resulted in a loss of trust for Clinton, by voters (Cristina Silva, para. 3). Second, Trump stayed confident during the race and never let his guard down. Trump got the attention of voters by being bold and demanding change (Cristina Silva, para. 4). Third, Trump had learned how to communicate with the public through his career on television. He could use what he learned from being on television to get publicity during debates and on other news networks. (Cristina Silva, para. 5). Fourth, Trump was well known before the election. The people who were well aware of Trump before the election tended to vote for him (Cristina Silva, para. 6). Fifth, Trump had enough money to self run his campaign and the extra donations helped in developing a new standard for campaigning (Cristina Silva, para. 7). Sixth, Trump appealed to voters with his plans on immigration and stopping Muslims from coming into the country. He taught civilians on how immigration is disruptive in our communities (Cristina Silva, para. 8,10). Seventh, Trump’s success as a businessman gave voters the impression that he will be a successful president (Cristina Silva, para. 11). Eighth, Trump gets points across with ease because he doesn’t use complicated words, making his plans easy to understand (Cristina Silva, para. 14). Ninth, Trump tells things how they are and is honest about what he thinks. Voters see him as a trustworthy candidate (Cristina Silva, para. 15). Tenth, Trump reached out to voters. During his campaign he went far and wide to spread what he had to say out to voters. He would also go off script in order to make his speeches more meaningful and from the heart (Cristina Silva, para. 19-20). Eleventh, Trump fought for swing states by visiting the mixed

Trump's political successes are in a large part due to what James author of Situating Speech: A Rhetorical Approach to Political strategy “The effectiveness of strategy will partly depend on how a speaker utilizes the prevailing conditions of any speech event (audiences, situations of the time).” In other words, the effectiveness of a rhetorical strategy depends on how the speaker utilizes the times of the day. Which, in modern times requires the persuader to utilize multiple mediums to reach the public. Furthermore the persuader must be able to deal with the constant news

By doing this, religion is employed in dividing and stigmatizing the citizenry. It is in this regard that that the final chapter offers a discussion on George W. Bush’s administration. According to Kramnick and Moore, the Bush administration blatantly divided the American nation along religious lines (Kramnick and Moore 179). The book contends that the presidential election campaigns of 2000 and 2004 gave the impression that the United States was at war with certain religious groups, and that the president was elected to defend faith, not the American

Similar to McCain in 2008, Trump lacks “a coherent message, organizational skills, and a crisp high striking strategy” (Heilemann, Halperin 42) yet has had major success in spite of this. His supporters see strength through his words and character, but similar to Obama, “he needs a plan to change the game” (Heilemann, Halperin 118) in order to take down Hillary. Trump has not actually shown the American people a plan to grow the economy, eliminate ISIS, or reform health care, but instead hides behind his slogan that he will “Make America Great Again.” Even though Trump has advanced far without giving citizens concrete steps to stir change within our country, Trump must realize “with no strategy and no message,” there is “no path to victory” (Heilemann, Halperin 226). Statements such as building a wall between America and Mexico, deporting millions of illegal immigrants, and keeping Muslims out of the country, do not serve as sufficient answers to the immigration crisis our country faces. His campaign must “be about a cause greater than self” (Heilemann, Halperin 298), and by developing a clear focus with set goals for the future of our nation and explicit steps to get there, Trump can earn the trust of Americans giving them a slogan to truly believe

William James was an American psychiatrist and philosopher, born in 1842 and touted as the leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism and of the psychological movement of functionalism (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). James’ rebuttal to the Clifford’s Ethics of Believe, was the famed Will to Believe. James’ and Clifford’s differing opinions in the belief debate has created the foundation for current theological arguments, always being considered the reference for religious philosophy.

Lecture 19, aptly titled ‘Other Characteristics’, deals with a wide variety of subject matter, including institutional religion, prayer and the relationship between religion and the subconscious. In terms of organized religion, James states that room must be given for personal religious experience, as it is insufficient to provide adequate converts on its own. Prayer is deemed a fundamental aspect of practice utilised by those throughout the centuries who have had direct religious experiences. In summarizing his series in the final lecture, James expressed the need for toleration of religious diversity and allowance for individuals to pursue their course: ‘some men have the completer experience and the higher vocation, here just as in the social world; but for each man to stay in his own experience, whate’er it be, and for others to tolerate him there, is surely best’. This is necessary because the intellectual underpinning is that there is something wrong with us and that this can be rectified by ‘making the proper connection with the higher powers’. For this reason, a higher value must be given to experience and feeling over thought. In terms of trying to make sense of how this union with God takes place in a scientific context, James argues that the subconscious serves as a conduit through which ‘the further limits of our being plunge, it seems to me, into an altogether other dimension of existence from the sensible and merely “understandable” world’. For James, religious experiences are a reality although they cannot be satisfactorily explained in wholly philosophical or scientific terms: ‘The only thing that it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest

Opinions about the 2016 United States Presidential election are everywhere, and often have a particular stance that expresses a strong opinion and viewpoint on the issues regarding Presidential-Elect Doanld Trump- as his controversial use of social media platofroms such as twitter and his own website that promoted his slogan “Make America America great again” provoked different emotion across the country. But despite his own self-promotion across different platform, how did Donald Trumps campaign become so widespread noticed by not only by the United States but the World?

“American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell, and “America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity,” by Robert Wuthnow, give different thoughts to religion and politics in the United States. Putnam and Campbell utilize the concepts of shocks and aftershocks to highlight religious changes in the United States. On the other hand, Wuthnow uses observations to focus on the encounters of religious diversity in the United States. Wuthnow compares American Christianity with other popular religions in America and how Christianity has affected the perception of religion. Putnam and Campbell’s “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us” is a more persuasive assessment of American religion and politics.