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There are consequences for evangelists’ blind support of Donald Trump. Here’s what to expect in a post-Trump America.ByBible Blender?DEC 2, 2020??atheism,?donald trump,?government,?united statesDonald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally.For four years, many Christians watched in horror as fellow Christians and evangelist leaders publicly and proudly supported a President that represented the antithesis of Christian ideals. Supporters misread Trump’s bravado and bullying as strength, then argued that they supported Trump’s policies, not Trump himself. Still, they cheered Trump on with bravado, to a cult-like degree, and made a mockery of Christian beliefs in the process.Those outside of our religion took notice of our sycophantic adoration and labelled us zealots. Skeptics found their skepticism validated and as strange as it may seem, to others, we now appear to be the exact opposite of what we believe. Christian credibility has been badly damaged if not completely destroyed.Now we look to the future where we must face the consequences for Christian support of a hateful, narcissistic president. We know what is coming – the Christian opposition has already told us. Here’s what to expect in a post-Trump America.The reversal of Trump-era Executive OrdersDonald Trump’s dictatorial-like rule by executive order was a mistake of the highest order. Rather than work toward a permeant solution, Trump forced his will on the country using Executive Orders. But Executive Orders are short-sighted solutions that are easily overturned when the winds of change shift. Many of Trump’s Executive Orders will be rescinded or reversed and potentially replaced by orders that are even worse than the status quo.Christians viewed as the far-right nationalistsChristians are now seen as far-right supporters of fascism and blatant racism. This is not what we are of course, but it is how *others* now see us. This mistaken characterization will drive many away from Christianity.AdvertisementsNo federal money for Christian schoolsFederal money will only be distributed to public schools. If money is distributed to private schools, they will be forced to adhere to federal education curriculum and mandates. Secular standards of education would become a requirement.Health care programs must adhere to secular standards – including abortionAny federal money distributed to health care programs could come with requirements including mandates that the health care provider provide the full spectrum of services – including contraceptives and abortion services.Faith-based organizations will not be exempt from secular employment requirementsFaith-based organizations like Hobby Lobby, will be required to follow federal-mandated employment requirements including hiring of transgender, homosexual, and non-binary genders who will be allowed, under federal free-speech requirements, to dress, speak, and act as they like in the workplace.Nonmedical exemptions for vaccination requirements will be removedMost people accept vaccinations as valid science but do appreciate the choice of whether to be vaccinated or not. That will end. The federal government will likely incentivize states to increase their vaccination rates by repealing all nonmedical exemptions to mandatory vaccinations for children.Dismantling of pro-life servicesServices such as crisis pregnancy centers and abstinence-only education programs could cease or at the very least, not receive federal or state funding.Faith-based adoption and foster care services will endFaith-based government-funded contractors that provide adoption and foster care services will likely lose all government funding. This has been a sore point for atheists for a long time. We can expect a heavy push to secularize child services.The end of disaster relief for houses of worshipDHS/FEMA policies that allow disaster relief to be used toward houses of worship, including funds for facility repair, will likely end.The end of SBA economic disaster loansSimilarly, churches could no longer be eligible for business or economic disaster loans. This includes loans for rent, utilities, and clergy salaries.Expanded fetal-tissue and stem cell researchAbortion is typically a big concern for Christians. It was short-sighted to believed that a single President would reverse course and institute a pro-life agenda through Executive Orders. Instead, we will soon see more federal funding for fetal-tissue and stem cell research. Religion objections will likely be seen as Trump-era pseudoscience and ignored.The Memorandum on Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty will be reversed and replacedNo longer will religious displays on government property be allowed. The Memorandum on Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty will be replaced – likely by something much more restrictive.COVID-19 rules will be changedCOVID-19 rules for houses of worship will be tightened significantly, potentially enough to close some churches ernment officials and federal employees will be prevented from promoting their religionA clear separation of religious beliefs from work will be required for all government employees. In fact, depending on the administration (not the Biden administration), religion could be removed from the government workplace entirely.Non-profit (501(c)(3)) rules for churches will be tightenedThe church’s non-profit status will be examined under a microscope and the filing of Form 990 will be required for all houses of worship.The nation’s history may be twisted to promote it as a secular nationChristian support of Donald Trump has angered many. One very effective means to combat Christianity is to change how the nation’s history is portrayed. There will be a push to change the history of the USA from a nation formed to protect religious freedom to once created purely as a secular nation. This has already been proposed by the Christian opposition.A new interpretation of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise ClauseThe interpretation of the?Establishment Clause?and the Free Exercise Clause, that guarantees religious freedoms for all Americans, will change. This clause, which most notably emerged in the Hobby Lobby v. Burwell decision, will focus more on civil rights and civil liberties than protection of religious freedom.Prayer at school could be limitedThe Department of Education could be instructed to limit religious expression in schools. Under the guise of protecting a “increasingly diverse student body”, prayer inside school walls could be much more limited than it is today.Required secular education – elimination of religious teaching in schoolsUnder the guise of eliminating creationism education, religious tenets will be methodically removed from our schools’ core curriculum. At some point in the future, education will implement a strict secular curriculum.Christians will increasingly be labelled as extremistsBecause the Trump-era openly acknowledged, even encouraged in some cases, right-wing, white nationalist organizations, their visibility was greatly increased. People will presume these hate groups are representative of Christians and Christian organizations. Christians could begin to be viewed as extremists.Patriotism will be reframed as a secular stanceChristians by and large are patriotic with a respect for discipline, law and order, and community. But recently it’s been implied that only Christians are true patriots. The opposition has stated that they will work to disentangle the conflation of faith and patriotism. Phrases like “God and country” and “In God we trust” will be discouraged. Faith-based practices in the armed services could be eliminated including, as crazy as it sounds, the use of nontheist chaplains in each branch of the military.At the same time, patriotic dissent will be normalizedKneeling during the national anthem or refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance will be reframed as a noble act of peaceful protest. The value and symbolism of the American flag could also be purposely diminished to allow its use in protests (e.g. flag burning).AdvertisementsOddly, nonreligious representatives will strive to be a part of religious groupsReligious opposition has stated that anywhere clergy are invited, nontheists will fight to be included as part of the religious group so they can impart their influence. This will include interfaith ceremonies, meetings, and other gatherings.Atheism could become mainstreamChristians know this is coming. It could now arrive sooner than we thought. The religious opposition has already requested changes to what is considered “politically correct” verbiage, removing “nonbelievers” from the vernacular and using phrases such as “secular Americans” and “all faiths and none”.There could be an attempt to transform Christmas into a secular eventChristian opposition argue that since Christmas is a federal holiday, it is a secular holiday. Just as we once saw attempts to replace “Christ” with “X” to label the holiday as X-Mas, we could see an increased opposition to the Christian influence on the Christmas holiday (e.g. removal of cross symbolism, disentangling the crucifixion from the Christmas story, etc.).Christian government leaders will be encouraged to acknowledge nonreligious persons each time a religious reference is usedThis is another request that has already been presented to the incoming administration. Despite their personal beliefs, each time a leader (e.g. President) mentions prayer or references scripture, they will be encouraged to also acknowledge the nonreligious.The use of “interfaith” over “faith”The word “faith” is used often in government programs and initiatives. Atheists despise the word and prefer words like “conscience” or “interfaith” which dilutes the meaning and attempts to transform the word from a measure of religious belief to a measurement of morality.A return to the original United States national mottoThis is another sore point for atheists. We will likely see a push to change to national motto from “In God We Trust” to “E Pluribus Unum – out of many, one”.Consequences for actionsThe Trump administration used religious nationalism to cover for policies that represented the antithesis of our Christian ideals. Thus, religious skeptics found their skepticism to be completely validated. Rather than characterizing Christians by their love for others, we are now characterized by our hatred of liberals or our penchant for parades. Sure, some battles were won but in the process, Christian credibility has been destroyed. As our parents taught us, there are consequences for actions ................
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