Last week, the group Liberty Students Against Trump released a statement rebuking both the Republican presidential nominee and the Liberty University president, Jerry Falwell Jr. In the statement, the group notes: “We are Liberty students who are disappointed with President Falwell’s endorsement and are tired of being associated with one of the worst presidential candidates in American history. Donald Trump does not represent our values and we want nothing to do with him.”
As for Falwell, the group argues: “While he occasionally clarifies that supporting Trump is not the official position of Liberty University, he knows it is his title of president of the largest Christian university in the world that gives him political credentials.” Trump is then further criticized for “actively promoting the very things that we as Christians ought to oppose”.
I’d like to offer my kudos to these young evangelicals; it’s about time those who claim to be all about morality take a stand against a racist, sexist xenophobe.
Falwell claims to be “proud of these few students for speaking their minds”, though there are reports claiming he has already punished his top critic at the university for public disagreement.
Like his daddy, Falwell wants to attach himself to powerful politicians. At what point, though, does one realize the stench of someone is too disgusting to ignore? You can’t pretend to be BFFs with Jesus and sing the praises of one of Howard Stern’s most notorious guests.
And that’s why I’m most impressed with the Liberty student group, part of a demographic with whom I never anticipated finding common ground: their objections break with a long-established custom in which the religious right claims to have the moral high ground but is really using religion to sell the world a very rigid strain of righteousness.
There has traditionally been little room for discernment in rightwing Christian dogma, and Jesus has not so much been a savior as he’s been a weapon used to inflict guilt, fear, and shame – mostly at gay people, women who like autonomy and non-white people in general.
I’m not saying everyone has to be pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, and less anal about sex performed outside of marriage to qualify as moral – our worldviews don’t have to totally align. But as far as Trump goes, anyone claiming to be for the right thing cannot be supportive of this orange monster. So to those students blasting Trump: I may not agree with you on most issues, but that gesture is one step in making you all more believable to anyone outside your orbit.
“Tying yourself to a man who promotes and laughs about sexual assault and creepy, awful things like that doesn’t exactly do well to advance the mission of making the teachings of Jesus Christ the center of your life,” Dustin Wahl, executive director of Liberty United Against Trump, said in an interview with Time.
Wahl is 21 years old and realizes Jesus probably wouldn’t be co-signing for the guy who boasts about grabbing women by their pussies. Meanwhile, Falwell has condemned Trump’s comments yet says he will still vote for him.
But his influence in American politics is on the wane. With shifting demographics and a stunted message, white evangelical numbers are declining. If the next generation is to try to salvage what’s left of their influence in American politics, it’s about time they start having a more practical version of morality.
