{"id":4246,"date":"2011-04-14T13:34:23","date_gmt":"2011-04-14T20:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thedudeabides\/?p=4246"},"modified":"2015-03-10T10:03:25","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T17:03:25","slug":"godstuff-trump-presidency-doesnt-have-a-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thedudeabides\/2011\/04\/14\/godstuff-trump-presidency-doesnt-have-a-prayer\/","title":{"rendered":"GODSTUFF: Trump Presidency Doesn’t Have a Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

\u201cMore persons, on the whole, are humbugged by believing in nothing than by believing in too much.\u201d<\/em> \u2014\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phineas Taylor Barnum<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just cut to the chase: \u201cThe Donald\u201d has as good a chance of becoming \u201cThe President\u201d as Pope Benedict XVI<\/a> does of replacing Steven Tyler as a judge on \u201cAmerican Idol.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the legitimate news coverage Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s flirtation with running for president in 2012 has garnered in recent days, the eccentric billionaire will never reside in the White House for one reason alone (and it\u2019s not his questionable coiffure.)<\/p>\n

The insurmountable hurdle to a Trump presidency is religion. Like it or not, there is a spiritual litmus test for the presidency and Trump undoubtedly would not pass.<\/p>\n

For the majority of American\u2019s, Trump is far better known for his undying devotion to mammon than his love for God. Not that wealth and the presidency are mutually exclusive. Many former presidents were men of great means.<\/p>\n

Yet Trump, twice-divorced with a very public history of philandering and questionable ethics, is not just a wealthy man. He is the poster child for conspicuous consumption and delusions of grandeur.<\/p>\n

Surely an intelligent and accomplished man with more than average savvy about his public image and aspirations, earlier this month Trump embarked on a faith offensive when he sat down for an interview with political chief David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network (the house that Pat Robertson built.)<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you see God,\u201d Brody asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in God,\u201d Trump began his answer. \u201cI am Christian. I think The Bible is certainly, it is THE book. It is the thing\u2026.First Presbyterian Church<\/a> in Jamaica, Queens is where I went to church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a protestant, I\u2019m a Presbyterian. And you know I\u2019ve had a good relationship with the church over the years. I think religion is a wonderful thing. I think my religion is a wonderful religion,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Brody followed up with a question about Trump\u2019s churchgoing habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I go as much as I can,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAlways on Christmas. Always on Easter. Always when there\u2019s a major occasion. And during the Sundays. I\u2019m a Sunday church person. I\u2019ll go when I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he\u2019s on the record a Chreaster (those who show up for church only on Christmas and Easter.) It\u2019s not exactly a resounding testimony to Trump\u2019s living faith.<\/p>\n

For his part, Brody seemed unfazed by the Donald\u2019s rather unorthodox spiritual biography.<\/p>\n

\u201cDonald Trump has piqued the interest of some Evangelical leaders. His bold talk is something conservative Christians like to hear,\u201d Brody wrote in an analysis of the interview. \u201cRemember, Evangelicals tend to operate in a world of biblical absolutes. Their world is very black and white. Not many shades of gray. That\u2019s how Trump sees the world, too.<\/p>\n

To borrow a line from \u201cWeekend Update\u201d hosts Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers on \u201cSaturday Night Live: \u201cReally<\/em>, Brody? Really?!\u201d<\/p>\n

While recent polls seem to indicate that Trump could be a viable Republican presidential candidate and has garnered enough support to perhaps even prevail in a match-up against President Obama (whose birth records and religious predilections Trump has called into question in recent days), experts on the role of religion and the presidency say the mogul\u2019s political aspirations are quixotic at best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m inclined to see the Trump extravaganza as something of a sideshow,\u201d said Boston University\u2019s Stephen Prothero<\/a> author of several books about religion in American life, including A Nation of Religions: The Politics of Pluralism in Multireligious America.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c[Trump] is the P. T. Barnum of his time. In my view he\u2019s drumming up interest in his brand more than he is making a serious run for the presidency.\u00a0 That said, I think his candidacy is a test of sorts for where the Republican Party stands today.\u00a0 Is it really about economics and budgets and deficits, as Tea Party partisans pretend?\u00a0 In that case, the businessmen in the race (Trump and Romney) would seem to be, literally, well suited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitt Romney<\/a>, the former governor of Massachusetts and a 2008 also-ran, is often mentioned as a leading candidate for the GOP<\/a> ticket in 2012. But religion-and-politics watchers repeatedly question whether the powerful evangelical bloc would support a Mormon candidate, despite his family-friendly traditional values.<\/p>\n

But stranger things have happened in American politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen once-insuperable barriers fall in presidential politics \u2014 and probably none more significant than a divorced man (Reagan) garnering the evangelical vote in 1980,\u201d said Randall Balmer<\/a>, professor of religious history at Barnard College and author of God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cReagan, however, exuded an air of piety \u2014 how sincere or not I still can\u2019t figure out \u2014 whereas Trump seems to have a severe piety deficit,\u201d Balmer said. \u201cThis seems especially debilitating for someone with his sights set on the Republican nomination, where some semblance of faith seems to be a prerequisite. On the other hand, if (Newt) Gingrich can pull it off, I suppose anyone can.\u201d<\/p>\n

If religion and culture still matter, Prothero believes both Romney and Trump are in trouble. He wouldn\u2019t be on either man, even in one of Trump\u2019s casinos.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy money,\u201d Prothero said, \u201cis on \u2018neither of the above.'\u201d<\/p>\n

A version of this post originally appearead via Religion News Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let’s just cut to the chase: “The Donald” has as good a chance of becoming “The President” as Pope Benedict XVI does of replacing Steven Tyler as a judge on “American Idol.”<\/p>\n

Despite the legitimate news coverage Donald Trump’s flirtation with running for president in 2012 has garnered in recent days, the eccentric billionaire will never reside in the White House for one reason alone (and it’s not his questionable coiffure.) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2102,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[829,13,830,21,16,831,832,833,834,115,835,49,836,837,838,471],"class_list":["post-4246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-godstuff-2","tag-2012-presidential-race","tag-christian","tag-donald-trump","tag-faith","tag-george-w-bush","tag-mitt-romney","tag-mormon","tag-presbyterianism","tag-presidency","tag-president-obama","tag-randall-balmer","tag-religion","tag-religion-litmus-test","tag-republican","tag-stephen-prothero","tag-united-states"],"yoast_head":"\nGODSTUFF: Trump Presidency Doesn't Have a Prayer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let's just cut to the chase: "The Donald" has as good a chance of becoming "The President" as Pope Benedict XVI does of replacing Steven Tyler as a judge on "American Idol." 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