Fr. Dwight LongeneckerHe is dangerous because (whether he is aware of it or not) he is doing exactly what every other demagogue and dictator has done. They all learn how to channel the rage of the mob. They ride the wave.
Of course, not everyone who supports Trump is submitting to the mob mentality, but many are, and the difficulty with this dynamic is that it is a form of self righteousness, and self righteousness is always blind. The person (or mob) who cannot admit they are wrong are always wrong. My post about Trump not being able to apologize reflects the mentality of the mob who cannot be wrong. When the mob mentality is going full steam their self righteousness cannot be stopped. They will not stop until the enemy is killed. To witness the mob mentality at work in the gospel all you need to do is read the account of Jesus’ trial and passion.
The Trump supporter who is not a member of the mob will be able to examine the man’s policies, moral principles, character and political stance with objectivity and rationality. The ones who will not discuss these things, shrugs them off, denies that there are any problems or explains them away are the ones who (quite unknowingly) are either mob members or potential mob members.
What creates the mob in any society, therefore, is not just the problems that make people unhappy. The root cause is a deeper poison in the soul of man. It is the pride that prohibits the person from saying they are sorry. It’s the pride that makes them blame someone else for what is wrong. It’s the pride that refuses to admit that they are part of the problem, and even if they are not, that they are responsible for doing something about it.
This is the root problem, and it is as old as the Father of Lies himself.
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