Donald Trump’s back in the spotlight, claiming migrants are eating people’s pets. It’s just the latest edition of America’s Grandpa—the one who never stops talking on the phone. Lies, outrageous claims, fear-mongering—you know, the usual Orange Messiah cocktail.
Yet, instead of calling out his nonsense, the the religious right goes all-in on a little trick called sanewashing. Just like greenwashing puts a glossy coat on eco-destruction or sportswashing hides human rights abuses behind the glitz of sporting events, sanewashing packages the plainly irrational as if it were perfectly normal. And suddenly, Trump’s unhinged statements become “hyperbolic” or “refreshingly blunt,” rather than what they are: completely detached from reality.
Sound familiar? It should. This isn’t a new trick; it’s been around since ancient Israel. Yep, the Bible is packed with its own examples of sanewashing—where leaders, prophets, and even heroes did some outright crazy stuff, yet the narrative spun it to look… well, almost saintly. Let’s dive into a few of these divine PR makeovers.
Israel’s First Sanewash (1 Samuel 18-19)
Let’s start with King Saul, the original poster child for sanewashing. Saul began strong but quickly descended into a full-blown paranoid spiral—hurling spears at David in manic fits of jealousy, making rash decisions, and acting like a royal basket case. Did his advisors or the people call him out on his madness? No. Instead, they rewrote the story to cast Saul as a tragically flawed but divinely appointed leader. God’s chosen man, struggling with his demons. Sound familiar?
Justifying the Unjustifiable (Judges 11:29-40)
Next, meet Jephthah – one of Israel’s judges. Fresh off a military victory, he makes a reckless vow to sacrifice whatever comes out of his house first if he wins the battle. Tragically, it’s his daughter. Instead of labeling him a deranged zealot, the narrative frames him as a tragic figure who made a difficult but “honorable” decision. Ancient Israel’s version of, “He was just doing what he thought was best for the country.” Like sending your daughter to slaughter because you forgot to think before you spoke. If this happened today, Fox News would probably call him a “faithful patriot.”
God’s Favorite, Flaws and All (2 Samuel 11, 24)
Then there’s David, the guy known as a man after God’s own heart but also checks off a lot of the “bad guy” boxes: adultery, orchestrated murder, defying direct divine orders. But do we hear the biblical narrators call him out for his impulsive and tyrannical behavior?
Not really. Instead, they paint his indiscretions as “mistakes” or moments of weakness—never mind the bodies piling up. He’s still the hero. Much like how Trump’s disciples spin his indictments and scandals as “set-ups,” shifting the blame elsewhere.
When Crazy Is Called Holy (Ezekiel 4-5, Jeremiah 13)
Let’s not forget the prophets – the original spin doctors who did some pretty bizarre things and managed to get away with it under the guise of “divine inspiration.” Whether it’s Ezekiel cooking food over cow dung (Ezekiel 4:12) or Jeremiah parading around in a loincloth (Jeremiah 13:1-11), these guys were never labeled lunatics.
Instead, their actions were spun into messages from on high. Why consider therapy when you can call it a revelation? If Ezekiel were around today, he might just be a renegade truth-teller hosting his podcast, Dry Bonez.
Making Crazy Sound Reasonable
See the pattern? Whether it’s Trump in 2024 or King Saul in ancient Israel, when the narrative needs to fit a particular agenda, the spin kicks in.
In the Bible, it was about turning irrational behavior into divinely inspired acts. Today, it’s about transforming Trump’s demented rhetoric into something resembling coherence. Different eras, same game. Back then, they slapped God’s name on it; today, they call it “patriotic”—or wait, never mind. They’ve actually slapped God’s name on the Bronzed One, too.
So, next time you hear someone rationalizing a clearly insane statement or action, remember: sanewashing isn’t new. It’s just an old trick, repackaged for a modern audience. The Bible did it, and so do we. Turns out, making madness sound reasonable has always been a crowd-pleaser.
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