What were they thinking?

I mean well-known evangelicals who have declared their political allegiance  to Donald Trump.

Such as Jerry Falwell, Jr., provost of Liberty University. And Sarah Palin.

Trump is the man who praised Kim Il-Sung, dictator of the massive prison camp known as North Korea.  Where Christians are tortured, rot, and die because they are Christians.  And where millions of other North Koreans have starved because of their leader’s mad policies.

Trump praised Russia’s Putin, whom a British government report named as probably ordering the fatal poisoning of a Russian defector.  The evidence apparently is overwhelming that this was a Putin job.  When a reporter challenged Trump on this, Trump stuck by his man: “He has not been convicted.”

It’s one thing to hold your nose to work with nasties in order to save lives.  It’s another thing to praise tyrants and their diabolical deeds.

Which brings to mind Pope Francis this week meeting at length with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, along with happy-faced photo-ops.  The Vatican says the Pope is trying to protect Catholics in the Middle East by persuading Iran to plan an important role in the peace process.  No doubt true.  But no word on whether the Pope discussed the Rouhani government’s repeated call to exterminate Israel, its role as the principal sponsor of terrorism in the world, its recent step-up in political executions, and its support for the Syrian war on its own people, a quarter-million civilian lives killed by now.  Not to mention this week’s disqualification of 7000 candidates for election to Iran’s parliament because they were not agreeable to the mullahs.

It is interesting to think of the parallels to Pope Pius XII, whom historians have excoriated for making deals with the Nazis to protect Catholics, while supposedly (the jury is still out) not doing enough to denounce the Holocaust.

Perhaps Francis was  solemnly warning Rouhani about his government’s satanic work.  I hope so.  But why the smiles in the photo-ops?  At least Pius XII was smart enough never to be caught in a photo with Der Feuhrer.

I know, I know–the real world is a dirty place, and Christians must be shrewd as serpents.  The enemies of our enemies must sometimes be our friends.  If the Iranian government repents of its war on Jews and its own people, it was worth it.  Every last smile.

But evangelicals supporting Trump?  In past elections evangelicals like Falwell and Palin have wondered why Americans could support a certain President.

Now many of us wonder what these evangelicals are thinking.  This candidate is as narcissistic as the President they despise.

As Pogo said, the enemy is us.