Recalling A Better American Place

 THE FACEBOOK POST SAID: "America was a better place before Christianity became a political party".  Wholeheartedly in agreement with this sentiment, I immediately wondered; does the person who posted this actually remember this better place before the dreadful specter of thee "Moral Majority", which was famously neither, regard its ugly Falwellian head and insinuated itself in like a slithering snake into the mainstream of American culture?I do.This transformation occurred in the late nineteen seventies. First,we the American people elected the born again Jimmy Carter to the presidency. Then, to make matters worse, not content to leave it that, elected the often remade Ronald Reagan, at the president time when he was being possessed by the spirit, whatever that spirit was. Even he didn't seem to now.  All this must be placed in the context of the fundamental feature of human behavior which idealizes a presumed but in reality mythical better by gone past, before everything went to hell in a hand basket, victim of liberal perfidy. Now, here we are. A mob of MAGA right wing extremist evangelical Christians, praising their harsh Lord, extolling the virtues of Donald Trump as having been sent to Earth by Christ to rectify America, to maker America Christian again, as if it ever weren't, unofficially. History, like human culture, is complicated, enormously so. In some ways these United States are much better than forty years ago, in other ways, not so much, in still other, not at all. A quick glance at the 1956 Republican party platform reveals how far our fall  has been, politically. In 1964, ultra right winger Barry Goldwater warned America about the perils of putting "preachers" in positions of power Now, Donald Trump, as far from being a preacher as the law, secular and biblical, will allow, is the willing puppet of aforementioned preachers, for personal gain, as is every action taken by Don the Con. The preachers have not come to power, but they're only a few heartbeats, god willings, and rising creeks from so being. And this, my fellow 'muricans, is as alarming as alarming can possibly be. The presidential candidate of a  major political party is out on the streets, hawking Bibles,at sixty bucks a pop, brown leather bound, the stars and stripes emblazoned upon the cover, autographed by the  ambient autocrat-in-chief. Sadly but unsurprisingly, Rumor has it that they are selling. There is a long tradition within Judeo Christianity of Almighty God elevating reprobates to position of high power and responsibility, for His own purposes. Making lemonade out of lemons,one might surmise. Ever imitative of their Lord and master,our conservative Trump loving evangelical Christians seem intent on doing the same, indeed, already have, and might well once again. The memo they apparently did not receive but desperately need it is: God can get away with it, but never, under any circumstances, try this at home.