My father was a United Methodist minister but that religious denomination is not why his very being would have rejected Donald Trump. I suspect my father was a democrat, but that also would not have been the reason. As I have mentioned before, my father never once in his life showed much concern over my academic grades. He made it clear that he trusted me to figure it out sooner or later. I can assert with full assurance that never would I end up in deep shit over grades. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that deportment issues would have received his utmost and undivided attention. I think he had a profound understanding as to the rightness of the adage—It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. This little phrase melds perfectly with his deepest understanding of his Christian faith. Christ, we know as savior, would die on a cross—at that time a symbol of utter derision—the final and conclusive symbol of LOSER.
That is, my father firmly believed that his God was many times more interested in the guiding spirit of process rather than whether Ed Standifer ended up driving the newest luxury car thanks to a trophy bonus or, instead, drove an Axel Foley rattletrap. I cannot stress to you how deeply and broadly this little aphorism reflected what my father was all about. My mother was the same. My mother would have absolutely laid down her life for me. Even so, she would have never--never—simply could not have lied for me to get me out of a pending deadline for school work. I knew in advance that my parents loved me too much to allow me to betray my personhood in this way.
Mr. Trump, on the other hand, was not so lucky in growing up. He had the great misfortune of having parents who valued reputation a thousand times more valuable than integrity. In his milieu, it was all about winning at any cost, rather than how you play the game.
Actually, that was the black hole trap door opening upon the anti-universe of arrogance and evil. Let’s face it, mankind has often described a grotesque and bizarre headlong leap into self-destruction as evil and the work of the Devil. I’ve heard atheists joke they are not afraid of ending up in hell. I could never join them by mirroring a similar smirk. Often mankind will create a shorthand label for what is nevertheless very real—often with a hope that sometime and somewhere in the future a more helpful—even scientific—explanation will develop full of promise for understanding leading to effective management and control. No, I do not smirk at evil and Satan as too simplistic for my elevated intellectual gravitas--any more than I find a railroad crossing warning a little joke intended only for the local yokels.
I think we have all been amazed at the degeneration of veracity and reliable perception in the behavior of Donald Trump. We are even more astounded by the plain evidence that his acolytes undergo rapid and deep reversals of what typically are seen as very stable personality traits. In these cases, there seems to be an over-the-cliff type of phenomenon—a born-again phenomenon not of salvation but of perdition—a period of possible reversal followed by a steep declension from possible reversal.
I have discussed my view of this phenomenon in earlier blogs. In my view it would be wonderful if research originating in American labs in concert with our Senior Partner could provide relief along a path of more precise understanding of the physical layer under-girding spiritual perception. In God’s good time (even in our generation) may we be blessed with the honor and opportunity to practically acknowledge the hard work, humility, pain, and grace of our resplendent surrounding cloud of witnesses.
May God Bless America!!
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Suggestion: view on Netflix recent release: GET ME ROGER STONE
YouTube video recommendation:
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My blog links with brief indication of my understanding of over-the-cliff phenomenon
https://www.wayneblogs.com/2018/11/your-word-is-lamp-to-my-feet-and-light.html
https://www.wayneblogs.com/2018/11/hospital-family-room-news.html
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Further readings for my current understanding of things: I would suggest viewing my blogs beginning with most current—not getting bogged down on anything....just keep going ....and to proceed backwards for several years of blogs. At any time you can browse a chronological archive of titles and call up individual blogs. Of course, Google search conventions still apply. For example, with this on the Google Search line: www.wayneblogs.com "Trump" Google will find all my blogs that include the word Trump.
As always (though silently in my heart) I would like to thank the invisible-to-user-and-reader unsurpassed example of excellence—the Google staff. Also, I frequently include within my blogs videos created by others unknown to me……but I am sure astound God himself by their uncompromising creativity and excellence.
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