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The US president’s tactic of using religion as a battering ram in his culture wars may not work a second time
Donald Trump has suggested that the Bible is his favourite book. When pressed to say more, he has shiftily declined to name a single chapter or verse. But for those curious to understand Mr Trump’s current religious preoccupations, his Twitter feed is offering regular enlightenment in the lead-up to November’s presidential elections.
Last week, Mr Trump approvingly tweeted the words of a bestselling Catholic author who claimed on late-night television that American Christianity was under attack as protesters roamed the streets. The writer, Dr Taylor Marshall, moves in similar arch-conservative religious circles to another Trump favourite, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal nuncio to the United States. Last month Archbishop Viganò published an open letter to Mr Trump in which he claimed that the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the death of George Floyd were orchestrated by “deep state” operatives. Describing the protests as part of an assault on the values of western Christian civilisation, the archbishop praised the president for robustly opposing “the children of darkness” who were threatening the social fabric. Mr Trump tweeted that he was honoured by the archbishop’s letter and hoped “everyone, religious or not, reads it”. Continue reading...