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- Is the Trump presidency a religious cult?
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Are fundamentalist Christians a dangerous religious cult? Possibly. The controversial author and religious scholar Reza Aslan posits that President Donald Trump has much of his evangelical fan-base believing that he's somehow been anointed by God to become President. Nevermind the Russian election scandal, his affairs with porn stars and unwarranted sexual acts towards women, or his inability to remember even a single Bible verse when asked. Evangelical Christians are abandoning their core moral beliefs to follow, as Reza suggests, someone who exhibits every trademark of a cult leader. And that should terrify anyone on either side of the political spectrum. Reza's latest book is God: A Human History.
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REZA ASLAN:
Reza Aslan is an internationally renowned writer, commentator, professor, producer, and scholar of religions. His books, including his #1 New York Times Bestseller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, have been translated into dozens of languages around the world. He is also a recipient of the prestigious James Joyce Award. His newest book God: A Human History (2017) is out now.
Aslan’s first book, International Bestseller No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has been translated into seventeen languages, and was named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade by Blackwell Publishers. He is also the author of Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in a Globalized Age (originally titled How to Win a Cosmic War), as well as editor of two volumes: Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East, and Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalties, Contentions, and Complexities.
In 2006, Aslan co-founded BoomGen Studios-the premiere entertainment brand for creative content from and about the Middle East-which has provided an array of targeted services ranging from strategic messaging to grassroots marketing to publicity and social media outreach, to producers, studios, and filmmakers-including Jon Stewart’s Rosewater, Netflix’s The Square, Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Weinstein Company’s Miral, Discovery and TLC’s All American Muslim, and National Geographic’s Amreeka.
Aslan’s degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Santa Clara University (Major focus: New Testament; Minor: Greek), a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University (Major focus: History of Religions), a PhD in the Sociology of Religions from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction.
Aslan is a tenured Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside and serves on the board of trustees for the Chicago Theological Seminary and The Yale Humanist Community, which supports atheists, agnostics, and humanists at home and abroad.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Reza Aslan: Eighty-one percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the previous election. That’s a record. That’s more white evangelicals than voted for George W. Bush-and George W. Bush was a white evangelical.
This makes no sense to people, especially when you consider that Trump is not just the most irreligious president in modern history, that his entire worldview makes a mockery of core Christian values like humility and empathy and care for the poor; That this individual who couldn’t even name a single verse in the bible when asked to do so, and yet - and yet - received a record number of votes by white evangelicals.
Scholars of religion-normal, rational, people-have been trying to figure out why. Why? What happened?
And I think that there’s a couple of things to keep in mind.
Number one, it’s white evangelicals. Eighty-one percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump, but 67 percent of evangelicals of color supported Hillary Clinton.
Now, these are people who believed the exact same thing, whose only real difference is that.. is the color of their skin.
So let’s not ignore the fact that there is a racial element to this support.
Jim Wallace, the head of the Sojourners, a liberal evangelical group, said it best when he said that these white evangelicals “acted more white than they did evangelical.” And I think he’s right.
The second reason I think has to do with the pernicious influence o...
For the full transcript, check out bigthink.com/videos/reza-asla...
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Lol
@@militaryrecordmarktrue2946 you're a fuck-ing psycho..
There are some black evangelicals too,i know some.
Trump is chosen by God
@@santadejesusa199 Whoever told you that was not a Christian, but a fraud.
Atheist here, I second this. It blows my mind that the same people who grill me about where my morality comes from will turn a blind eye to Trumps disgusting behaviours
You mean Christians don't have a monopoly on morality, as they want you to believe? Maybe that's why a free country would have Freedom Of Religion, and All Are Equal under the constitution.
"Self appointed judges judge." They all judge Clinton but have they seen the video "Don't Watch This Trump-Epstein Video Alone" posted by Stephen Colbert? Hypocrite morons.
He only has a couple dozen rape allegations, and probably about a dozen fraud allegations; Jesus would approve (as long as you don’t read what the Bible says)
@@silvercloud1641.....I’ve come to believe that “Freedom FROM Religion” is far more important than “Freedom OF Religion”.
Remember he does not exhibit the Fruits of the Spirit to know the Spirit is not within him.
@Johnny Michael You gatekeep by saying "real Christians"
He didn't turn them into a cult. They always were, and he merely recognized that.
Trump makes them feel good about their hatred. Some one asked me if as an atheist I am not afraid of going to hell. My answer was given the religious people I know there will be no room for me.
Truth!!!
Well said. Trump election allowed the covers of the under belly of America to be fully exposed and the smell and rotteness is enough to kill u. Trump did not make these people act the way they r, this was already in them. They just needed someone to give them the ok to come out of the closet. What God do they really believe in? If any.
Evangelicals by nature are cult-like. They follow the BITE model of influence when spreading their ideology. So it's only natural that they give rise to a cult of personality when someone like Trump comes along to manipulate them.
Not true. Ronald Reagan's campaign manager recognized it (40 years ago) and successfully mobilized it. All republicans since then have courted them.
Stop drinking the KoolAid.
4 years later and this is more relevant than ever.
It's scarier because people are more open about it.
Thank you, Reza. You stated my thoughts exactly. I see nothing in what passes for Christianity in America, to embrace it as a faith. I don’t know what is worse; to watch a faith where to love God and your fellow human beings with all your might, to diverge into a cult of personality for an unashamed grifter or to see a once promising nation destroy itself. We are living in dangerous times and I fear for my adult children and their families.
Unfortunately you illustrate the real problem here = "subjectivity". Whereas you criticize others who claim to be Christians accusing them of not following Christian tenets = they might say the same about you............and round and round you go. So the problem here is not that some supposedly fail to follow "incorrect" religious tenets. It rather is that = they follow religious tenets in the first place. Theism honestly if you objectively view what is out there = means whatever it wants based upon how the individual selectively chooses to interpret it as.
That is why coincidentally the concept of separation of Church and State is paramount given that extreme subjectivity of belief which yields incongruent application and subsequent adverse impact to others. Laws and political systems should be premised solely upon fairness of application and what is best for the group writ large rather than whimsical beliefs.
p.s. - the rubepublican base migrated to Trumputin because quite simply = he told them exactly what they wanted to hear. In this he was aided via what passes for conservative media today which in turn reflects ideological fanaticism. People who place supremacy upon what they want at the expense of others or what is best for the country will see resulting chaos every time. Societies like "group organisms" only work if everyone is on board. The rubepublican party today has "unplugged" from the Constitutional system and is following a pure _"ends justify the means"_ ideological war against the rest of America. So you are correct to be worried I'm afraid.
Guys, remember when Obama was president and we all wore Obama hats, and put Obama signs in our front yards, and went to Obama rallies even when it wasn’t an election year?
Oh yeah, we didn’t. Because we WEREN’T IN A CULT.
Horse feathers. That didn't happen.
Or were you being sarcastic?
Remember when then KKK could carry their guns and people didn't say anything to them and when they asked you to join them and people didn't say no because they were afraid of them even though some may have had the same prejudices but they really wanted to handle them a different way other than the KKK way?
You’re describing things that are features of all elections. Even sports events. They are not necessarily indicative of cult behavior. I voted for Obama & I didn’t do any of those things. I also was never inspired by him to detach from mainstream news sources, commit acts of violence, or go to jail on his behalf. I also did not need to deny my core ethical values to vote for him.
@@SN-sz7kw r/woooooosh
My teenage son left his church because the Minister asked the congregation to all pray for Trump to win. That is wrong and not what our founding fathers had in mind.
Right
The IRS could and should shut down any church who supports a political agenda or candidate.
We were asked to vote for trump at our very modern, non denominational church as well. My husband and I walked out. The weird thing was the pastor said he dreaded this sermon and was stalling giving it. Like he was being made to back trump from higher up the chain of command. And I think our (former) church belongs to a family of 247 churches across the nation. All being made to tout Trump as the Godly candidate.
@@dontmindme633 Is it 4 square ?
BlackMuddyRiver no it wasn’t
My mind is blown. What a great presentation, thank you for doing this, you've confirmed everything I've been thinking. I've been telling people for several years that Trump is a cult leader and then have them look at me like I'm crazy but thanks to you I'm now going to be able to be more persuasive
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
-Carl Sagan
It is truly the strangest period in my 67 years on the planet.
Right there with you... although I imagine others in history going through such dramatic times felt the same.
I agree. I am in my mid 50s and I am amazed at the degree of hate mongering and lying. It is hard to listen to his rallies even. Of an hour and a half the first hour was about how horrible all of these other people are, how they need to be locked up and how they lie about everything. People that are not even in the political arena. Its sickening. I don't know how people can even listen to him talk. Its all hate this person, hate that person, hate the fake news. Kiss my ass and my ass only. Sickening......
It's like that around the World.
I'm 68. Ditto
Agreed- I think I say the same thing everyday.....
"When Cult's are confronted with reality, they tend to double down"
After the events at the Capital on Jan, 6th, this is chilling
you're right. They've been saying Jesus will be coming soon for 2k years. When you point out the bible saying two different things about something, they just keep digging in like a tick.
@BigBaby Jesus You'd think the religious right would recognize that, but they follow Trump religiously.
I don't think the violence is over yet.
People like the MyPillow guy are still stringing his base along, to the point that he is actually claiming specific dates (August 13th as of right now, July 10th, but when that date comes and goes he will just blame someone or something and come up with a new date which none of the believers will question).
We've been calling Trump and his supporters a cult since the 2016 primaries, and have been proven right by their actions every step of the way.
If you study other cult movements in history, especially American cult movements), you can actually compare this present Trump horror show with the examples in the past, checking boxes along the way.
Skip ahead if you want to see where we are going. And then maybe get yourself a bunker stocked with food, supplies, and as much as I hate them, guns. This isn't a group that will hesitate to launch into violence.
In fact they are chomping at the bit to release their anger and their fear.
On a completely unrelated note: Does anyone know how one goes about buying and erecting a bunker to hide and protect a family of four??
Oh yeah, both sides are doing that, because it's really all about money and power struggling. Two cults at each other.
@@SkywalkerSamadhi
Bunker? Be wise to move out of country (it's f*kd)..try Canada.
I just finished reading "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" by professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Highly recommended for people who want to understand the present time better. One thing the author makes clear is many cults, including the Trump cult, are, alas, long-lasting, so hang in there people and be patient.
As an evangelical myself, I really have a hard time understanding why anyone claiming to be a Christian would support Trump. He has no morals, lies constantly, has no humility, etc. Anyone who has seriously studied the Bible would be able to see that he does the opposite of what Jesus taught.
Apparently you are not a devotee of what I loosely term as "conservative news" in the US these days. If you were you will have noted an endless stream of hyperbolic claims and conspiracy-based paranoia. Tell a person they are a horse long enough and eventually they will go out and buy a saddle. lol!!
Moral of the story: the conservative movement today in the US is dying. What is left of it becomes increasingly radicalized and detached from reality. Thus after years and years of their political leaders and pundits telling them the sky is falling and that the end is supposedly nigh for America = these people willingly latched onto an utterly amoral person who has spent his entire life telling lies and monetizing those lies to his advantage. He is a lifelong grifter and today "politics" is simply his latest grift.
He tells people what they desperately want to hear and they believe him because they have been conditioned to. What is sad is he will leave the remnants of the conservative movement in tatters has he has always done with his businesses whereby he leaves others holding the bag while he laughs all the way to the bank. The evangelicals made a Faustian bargain and they lost their soul in the process. They have lost any credibility they once had to today be viewed merely as suckers and cultists.
_"You reap what you sow"_ = never truer words were said.
You’re stupid, because trump is the second coming of Christ in the flesh!!
These evangelical Churches need to be taxed like all businesses. Getting into politics should automatically take away their tax free statics.
Under the Johnson Amendment churches aren't taxed but can't endorse political candidates. You can't tax churches without getting rid of the amendment.
Ok Jonesland
Stella Bella EXACTLY
But Jesus!
@@EuropeanQoheleth I think her point was that they already endorse political candidates.
Make the churches pay taxes and help the homeless and poor. That makes sense to me
bubububut we have to help Satan punish the poor
Even the homeless and poor that haven’t been contributing to your business pool?
I wonder where that leaves Mormons.
*That* is what Jesus would have actually wanted. America seems to have forgotten their values about helping the less fortunate and the camel through the eye of the needle spiel.
@@VampiraVonGhoulscout not forgotten... overwritten
@OMINOID The problem is that churches bring people together while the rest of our society tears it apart. I believe this is by design, to first enslave us, then skim off the top of the most productive, narcissistic members via the donation plate, and finally to tell the lowest tier slave handlers what to think.
I remember my friend telling me how his Catholic church had a guest speaker the week before 9/11 telling the congregation how dangerous muslims were!! Timing, much?
Hate what they do all you want, people NEED that several hours of connection they get each week and they will fight to the death to preserve it. We have to be very careful about how we analyze this problem.
Once you believe you are saved by faith alone and not counting ethics, morality, and behaviors as important then you are already on a path bad decision making. Unfortunately both political extremes both left and right have demonstrated the same characteristics.
2022: “Um, yes hello… so there’s been some more development on this situation. The answer is YES”
I have been a Christian all my life and this guy gets it. He understands the perniciousness of the prosperity gospel better than most Christians
Don’t forget, especially since the Gilded Age, the common belief of mainstream Americans has been that if you just work hard enough that you too can be a billionaire. Of course nothing is further from reality. Evangelical christofascists have done a masterful job of winding this myth into their brand of theology.
@@rickb2432 great point
@Zoot Rollo good grief - what is wrong with you?
He doesn't attend church and he held the bible upside down like holding the cross upside down
When I saw him holding that bible the thought that went through my mind was that it looked like it was burning his hand
It’s a collective narcissism.
Pray to your cult god obama to end coronavirus.
and their God is Donald Trump
This explains everything 🤔 religion/race's is Dangerous mixes. Why economic crisis is happening around the world today. 🌎110 % using data on people to get power. Breaks me 100% freedom of all cultures information is needed in a election's around the world and cyber police force and cyber security online. This is not white people fault or 🇺🇸usa this down to security guards and new technology, intelligent. This is what happens when people make 🙄a perfect system you get crazy out of control crisis. Companies/ government should not no too much about they're people 110% Trump proves this . Power crazy people use information to control people. This is the same trick Hitler did can't believe people can't see this ??? . This is a nitemare of 21st century % brain washing 😑🙄😒racism/ cults / crazy religious put together is nitemare. This dangerous and trumps knows 🤔💯?
@@rasharddavis5361 Obama left office five years ago. What are you talking about?
@@RideAcrossTheRiver its a common tactic people use when they know their arguments has no legs. They just arent smart enough to realize how transparent the switch and bait argument is. I have a friend that does the same thing but its always "well Hitler was much worse". Its on the same level as the I'm rubber and your glue tatic.
Love his commentaries! I am watching this in 9/22 and just about everything came true. Would be great to do a follow-up on this subject.
This video aged like fine wine.
18 months later and this video is the scariest thing I’ve seen for Halloween.
LOL
Everyone here should watch Netflix's "The Family". A 5-Part Series on the Evangelical's Movement. It's eye-opening. I saw it twice. It shows them laying hands on Trump as "The Chosen One"
@@WADESWAY4u It's actually not a five part series on the Evangelical movement. It discloses what used to be a secret organization disguised as a religious organization which is actually an organization that brokers power between politicians and other people of power around the world bypassing oversight since everything was done in secret.
It gets scarier when you add the pandemic in 2020.
Stand back and stand by for November.
So Trump is either the Messiah or the Antichrist and we're in the tribulation? Damn, I was hoping the Antichrist would be scary or sexy or... Competent... Instead we get a rotting old pumpkin that throws tantrums on Twitter
even if he was Satan, christians would support him.
anything to validate their beliefs and put it over everyone else.
Antichrist = Marmalade Messiah. Not that I put stock into soothsaying, but Nostradamus Did mention that the antichrist would be a very popular charismatic leader. The interpretations of his writings place Trump right at this point in time just as there are cataclysms, wars and massive human suffering around the world. Sounds like were pretty damn close if not already there.
Hm, anybody notice the address of the Kushner Family Real Estate Catastrophe? 666 Broadway? My guess is if it's twixt Messiah and Anti-Christ, the AC would be the one emblazoned with the number 666 . . . haha
wasnt there some big stink about the number 666 being wrong and some kind of mistranslation anyhow?
I try not to pay attention to those kinds of things... the numbers are going to appear somewhere eventually, regardless of rather or not its fitting.
pfflam Well I’m not religious I am aware of all the religious symbology And that shit is eerie as fuck. If Trump stands for everything that Jesus Christ stood against and Is converting cultist-like-followers, then it is too creepily coincidental to overlook especially for those that believe in the end times.
Over 3 ½ years later--this is/was spot on. And it isn't over yet. Reza spoke my thoughts very well.
Watching this in July 2022, scary how accurate it is. People are still denying the election results
My mom is so big on Trump (shes a white evangelical) Every time I tell her about something immoral trump has done she says "well all I can say is God chose president trump because hes a moral man" like wtf
She should have asked you how you felt when Obama was drone-striking women and children at Pakistani weddings, or if you are aware that Obama deported more Mexicans than his predecessors. No doubt Trump has done things I don't approve of either, but every time I hear people going nuts over something, it is usually something other Presidents have done and done worse.
So Cal Bee Guy Yeah, grabbing women by the pussy doesn't matter at all!
No, it really fucking doesn't. Amazing that you are so caught up in that. I'd rather have a leader that grabbed pussy than one who doesn't. What's wrong with you? Anyway, all he said was that when you're rich and famous they let you do it. And they DO! It takes two to tango, and they were ready to dance. Anyone who says the women didn't have a part of the responsibility is lying or dumb.
So Cal Bee Guy What you just wrote is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. Everyone who reads what you wrote is now dumber for having seen it.
Not in the least. But you marked yourself as dumb just by trying to make an insult that doesn't apply and isn't original. Not sure if you are now dumber as you claim to be, I don't know you well.
How was it again... it’s harder for a RICH man to enter kingdom of God than it is for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH JESUS! JESUS SAVES THE RICH AND THE POOR! ALL WHO FOLLOW AND LOVE HIM
@@911EVERLASTINGGOSPEL these are just stories. Just stories.
@@lte6041 U a lie! EVERY WORD OF THE BIBLE IS TRUE!!!
@@lte6041 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
@@lte6041 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs 16:28
This speech aged extremely well.
This aged pretty well, considering that the True Believer freaks still haven’t jumped ship.
"Trump is a weak man's idea of a strong man; a stupid man's idea of a smart man; and a poor man's idea of a rich man."
That ... is frighteningly accurate
Ok, I admit, you could be than me.
you are smarter than me.
... a billionaire with a beautiful, healthy family is not rich, except in the mind of a poor man... okayyy...
@@keagan87 Who said it was deep? It's an accurate quote regardless.
Who’s here after the attempted coup?
*raises hand 🤚
Da REVoLUTiOnZ!
Same
Wow. This was 4 years ago! It still holds true today!
Thank you thank you- so many questions I’ve had you’ve touched on
I'm here in 2020 and this even more relevant. Total cult.
100%
total cult after 2020 too. i left before i drown with the rest of the sinking republicans
@THE MAN WHO ENDED EVERYTHING Then you have no real understanding of what a cult it. But, just labeling people is what the internet is for, especially for professor's like yourself.
@@GreatDayEveryone What a profound thought. Not that you give any real background of why you agree. Just that you follow. Enjoy it sheep.
Wait til you get to 2021
And just like that 81% of evangelicals bought their own ticket to hell
Sin through the week, repent on Sunday.
Buy a ticket to hell.
I don’t see the difference.
And the Devil said unto Him, "All these things I will give to You, if You will fall down and worship me..." -Matthew 4:9
They literally made a deal with the Devil. Trump promised them their political power in exchange of his own political power. How Satanic can this get?
@@d.j.cassidy1642 Right it's even more surreal now 2 years later watching them deny he lost the election and going into sincere details about how they believe he will remain in office. These same people who feared Obama would bring marshall law, out of their own outlandish conspiracies have literally said they want trump to instate marshal law so he can stay in office. The irony is so insane I'm starting to think we were transferred to some alternate reality where a large number of the population in the US actually has the dumb.
@@mingonmongo1 Amen and Trump has this very strong DEMONIC spirit Evil. Anytime someone (example) can hold a rally
And the curtains are blue....and than Trump will say I notice the BEAUTIFUL "red" curtain...don't you agree....and the people's response
"Yes" ...knowing the curtains are " blue" that's a big problem...This is exactly what Trump does ....He gets control of their mind and he has power ...sound like something the
Devil in hell would do...scary
A french philosopher not too many years ago said that 'believers' would have a better chance to survive,,,thus at 3:21 it does reveal what 'THEY' only needed to hear at 'THAT' time...maybe.
I’m a big fan of Mr. Aslan. I’m Christian, and his book “Zealot” is a must read. Do an internet search for the worst interview ever (FOX of course), and you’ll want to read the book. So happy that Big Think invited him.
Thinking about now, Trump refuse to step down. This is becoming more scary
Biden is not an official president yet.
Agreed.
These people are a disgusting, fascist cult.
Now watch as he attempts to “martyr” himself.
@@SeanMichaelWesley I think what Reva Aslan is saying is right. It is connected to the prosperity gospel that is preached in so many churches . I have never heard of so much adulation being given to a president. M Kennedy.
@@santadejesusa199 SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU MORON DUMBASS. HE IS THE WINNER. HE IS THE WINNER OF THE PRESIDENTIAL TICKET. TRUMP LOST.
THIS IS SIMPLE STUFF. GROW UP.
We made it through the storm; now if we can again get people to be civil to one another again!
Years ago when I was in college I wrote a paper analyzing the Third Reich as a "secular religion". It had Hitler as its Messiah, it had pageantry, it had rules and a prophetic sense of what the world should be, and who the enemy is that's keeping it from being what it should be--the whole nine.
your right ...I saw the exact same thing when Obama become president. Amen
Set the records straight,you are a leftist.. you hate America. You hate are religion. You hate are holidays..you think islam is good, and christens are evil. You think illegals should have more rights than the legal who came her properly. You think there is more than 2 genders. You think everyone is entitled to the same insurance. Boo hoo on you .get over your life..Trump won . Not because of russian collision. But because we are tired of your politically motivated socialist view of what you wanted america to be..trump 2020. Get over it snow flake.
@Pardeep Parmar least I'm not on the side of a bunch a whinners...and I wish they would hurry up and impeach him so you can quit whinning and finnally do work for the people....I mean American people. In case your small brain can't comprehend....lol
@@billiey61, I guess you’re the one who needs to “get over it,” now. But no, leftists don’t hate religion, we just don’t want it to permeate government. The founding fathers believed in separation of church and state, with religious freedom for all, even Muslims. That’s literally what the first Amendment stands for as well as Article 3 of the Constitution which says there shall be no religious test for those running for office.
@@wallihaley5194 I believe religious freedom was ,they wanted to separated from the kings religion..
The only thing this guy got wrong is when he said that evangelicals went from a group that cared about a candidates morality to one that didn't. They never cared.
In a manner of speaking true. They "cared" = so long as they were the ones determining what constitutes morality. If however others interject their own values and ethics then the very Constitutional system they so long claimed to believe in = is viewed as antithetical to their desired beliefs and hence is dispensed with as they showed the world. They believe in themselves and their ideological worldview = nothing more. Now they are pure _"ends justify the means"_ mentality.
I'm not sure why this 4 year old video popped up in my feed, but I would REALLY like Reza Aslan to do a follow up.
And the Evangelicals are hypocrites (surprise!) once again: they totally ignore all the scandals surrounding their new Messiah!
As someone who has personally dealt with people involved with cults, had a number of interactions with them, and done research of them... I can say the behavior of many, many, trump supporters very much remind me what of what i've seen in cults.
thesteelshark I would say the exact same thing of you liberals. You are definitely a brainwashed indoctrinated cult. And you use our schools for the training of your cult.
ever seen the movie jesus camp? that is indoctrination, and that is the intent of the fundamentalist christians. some of the same type of people who also strongly support trump.
So Yaelra R. made a point, and you entirely ignored and avoided his point, and made another ideological statement. That's classic cultist behavior.
Margatroid to bad his claim is bogus, and mainly comes from people who hate public education, because it's not forcing Jesus on kids.
The movie Jesus Camp is an example of what they are trying to push, and always have.
You're a True Believer.
“Good men will do good, evil men will do evil things. For a good man to commit evil, that takes religion.”
Absolutely. Religions are sociological dumpster fires. They given their inherent subjectivity act to countenance the worst of human impulses since of course any silly o destructive belief can be rationalized via claiming a supposedly religious tenet. Give the Bible or other religious text to 10 people = and you will get multiple interpretations of what it supposedly says. Human history is replete with examples of horrors committed in the name of some religion.
People aren't interested in the truth anyway. They are looking for something to believe in.
Sad but true. Many people are too wrapped up in their assumptions to consider actual facts and evidence. Also they fear to do so as their facile and poorly formed ideological beliefs might then collapse under the weight of evidence pointing in another direction. That would lead to their entire worldview collapsing in on itself.
Moral of the story: for many today a _"comforting lie"_ is preferable to a hard truth. Also many of their ideological preconceptions are simply too ingrained into the life so that they have become inured within them. To assume otherwise becomes too horrible to contemplate. Cognitive dissonance rules supreme.
When I first saw your title I said "of course it's a cult!" Then i realized i said it out loud. Haha. I am a white Christian. I don't know if I am evangelical, as I have always gone to a non-denominational church that has not labeled itself as such. I think the prosperity gospel goes against what the Bible teaches and is dangerous. I agree with you, mostly. I have thought his following is a cult for years.
you're not. evangelical churches are very explicit about being evangelical. is your church ruled by fear? if not then you aren't in one.
Trump was not elected by evangelicals, you idiots. I'm not even christian and I voted for Trump, because I believe in the constitution. If you don't read or believe in the constitution and individual rights, YOU might be the cult member. You people make me sick. Get over it, he's your president, and he loves freedom. You guys are just cult members who hate human liberty and democracy and God.
@@maraudergun282 ever the canny businessman, social engineer, and bully, trump understands exactly how to manipulate certain elements for his gain. Racist, sexist white males are his people.
@@maraudergun282 Donald Trump loves elitism, vanity, privilege, power, and money. That is the objective truth of the matter. I think Trump, you, and people that support him are actually the ones that might "hate democracy and God." Furthermore, if you think Trump is godly, then you have either never read the Bible at all, or you've read parts of it and have deeply misunderstood what you've read in that Book.
@@lordblazer yes, I was evangelical. Most are not explicit. I was raised mostly in evangelical churches and not one ever called themselves that. I didn't even know what Pentecostal was till right before I left the religion.
All Christian churches who tell people they are going to go to hell or can only get to heaven if they do/believe XYZ are ruled by fear. Even churches that believe you just die and don't wake up are ruled by fear.
The lack of morality I think is attributable to the "I will be forgiven" belief.
A repentant sinner, but mainly, a born again believer in Christ, trusts they'll be forgiven, according to The Bible, namely the book of 1John 1:9 says : "If we confess our sins, He (God, Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.
Emo Philips
Forgiveness requires a sincere contrition and sincere plea for forgiveness. Trump causes nihilism in his followers. Believing in nothing, the damned cannot offer sincerity.
@@DavidSmith-ck8fl We believe in nothing Lebowski.
This dude basically predicted Jan 6th
This is very well thought out, It would be great to update this for the present day.
Absolutely yes. Jesus Christ warns us of him. Evangelicals aren't Christians.
I believe so also
Trump is the Antichrist read the book of Daniel KJV he is all over in there
Everyone is growing in Christ who don’t reject the Savior. President Trump has come a long way. If he were your friend or son, wouldn’t you be forgiving?
@Land Water and Clouds Deceived.
And by the way, Obama ISN'T the Antichrist. Trump, however, is!
@@susanpelsue2756 He isn't. He's the leader of this country, who CLAIMS - and is backed up in his claims by the leaders of the Religious Right - to be a Christian. Yet his actions, words, and policies - WHILE IN OFFICE - say otherwise. If he were really a Christian who made a mistake and publicly repented of it, I would consider extending forgiveness to him. But he doesn't even ask; he doesn't even THINK he needs it. He's the Antichrist, he's playing you guys for fools, and you're happily going along with it!
Bye bye Trump and his kids. Person, woman, man, camera, tv.
I wouldn't be saying bye bye trump yet. There is Nothing more dangerous than a desperate man in power willing to do anything not to lose that power. He's not out of office yet, and it's scary to think of what he might do in order to stay in the white house. He may have the highest levels of the military or CIA do a black ops that lead us into war and declare marshal law and than he can stay in office. I wouldn't put anything past him. Trump is a dangerous man and his followers are just as dangerous and radical and willing to do anything trump ask them to do. If trump were to get on tv right now and ask his supporters to get their guns and start killing anyone who they believe didn't vote for him to kill them, they would already be doing it,
@@ITIsFunnyDamnIT totally agree!!!!
@@ITIsFunnyDamnIT totally with you Scary is an understatement.
Right bye bye "children of the corn" Trump followers
@@ITIsFunnyDamnIT you were so close it's not funny!
Most interesting. Extremely well said and it describes the "phenomenon" to perfection.
Wow this so hits hard in August 2022...
Everyone here should watch Netflix's "The Family". A 5-Part Series on the Evangelical's Movement. It's eye-opening. I saw it twice. It shows them laying hands on Trump as "The Chosen One"
I will add this to my watch list. Thank you. This whole thing is DISTURBING beyond total comprehension.
Reminds me of the documentary Jesus Camp where the camp counselors had kids praying and laying their hands on George W. Bush. Creepy.
Scary show!
Wow, that is crazy!
Yeah, that whole laying hands on Trump thing has really gone to his head.
i feel like this video needs to be revisited after what happened on capitol hill
I was born a Catholic and attended a Catholic school for a few years. I am no longer religious and it is not because I became evil but my understanding of science can not be explained by religion. So many religions in the world and which one is correct if any? A former football player running for Senate stated that if we evolved from Apes why are there still apes? Did this player ever attend a class? So now you may have a Senator pushing for schools to confuse kids like myself years ago? Can any religious person explain why we have Neanderthal DNA? That we go back over a hundred thousand years? And near Homo Sapiens a lot longer? Religion is a cult.
Politicians for the most part pander to their base so as to get elected. So even if they personally know better the fact they employ such sophomoric rationalization speaks volumes. As an aside. Religions were created to allow early man to codify belief in "God" - which was in turn created to rationalize what we could not otherwise understand. They were later exploited as a mechanism to unite groups of people and animate them towards some narrative - which of course those in control create.
So religions are behavioral control paradigms in truth based upon ignorance-based assumptions dating to millennia ago. They were created to appeal to the then illiterate population who further lived in endemic poverty. Promising them "something better" down the line is a powerful lure for the needy. So as you noted today with improved education + social safety net programs = the "need" for religions lose much of their former attraction. 🤔
These are the people who would favor another inquisition !
Sad but true. They are akin to a new "American Taliban". They believed in America = only so long as they perceived that America would continue to support what they demanded of it. Yet when it became obvious that the culture was moving in another direction which would result in their eventual loss of influence they showed their true colors. They believe in = "themselves".........nothing more. Enjoy your day.
Wow....you completely predicted the future events of Trump's cult unraveling at the end of his single term.
I hope it unravels fast enough to save our country. At this point, it is a very close thing as to whether we survive as a democracy or not.
Trump's own personality & habits, and the true butthurt of the media made his Presidency "Unsustainable", as x"They" say.
May it unravel quickly before it is too late. However, the cult members will still be around and another "leader" will find them. Sadly, you can't fix stupid.
@@hm5142 as long we have this idiot in office as his Bidenism cult running around our country is gonna turn into a communist fascist country rule over by a dictator and this country is not a democracy learn the constitution while you are at it as the constitution tells us our country is a republic. If you hate our constitution and our country so much then why don't you just leave and take your Biden cult with you.
@@callicordova4066 yes Biden cult will still be around and yes you are right you can't fix stupid people as Trump and republicans has trade but Democrats are to stupid to realize they been lied to by the Democratic government.
Watching this in August of 2020 and boy has it gotten far worse.
Watching on Dec. 14, 2020, and he lost the election.
Just wait 4 months buddy. Holy F
Wait until you get to 2021
@@JoshuaAdrianjones They got promoted to Al-Queda, but Christian instead of Islam during January, right?
2021, and it's worse still
This video is 4 years old, can you imagine if this video was remade today, after Jan 6 and all TFG is still doing!
This is some nostalgia. I remember this guy. He became famous for lying about speaking ancient Greek and Hebrew while making a comment about The Bible on live television.
The Right Wing of fundamentalism is the most dangerous movement in the world today. It s certainly not Christian.
Isaiah 5:20 woe to those who call evil good, and good evil....
I think yes it's a cult now
Israel made a "temple coin" bearing his image of Trum which biblically suggests he is a counterfiet. What significance does this have concerning future events according to biblical prophecy with a false "peace and security" (1 Thessalonians 5.3)? As for your point at 2:05 it's also interesting that the same who uphold the doctrines of Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland, etc, are looking forward to the manifestation of the "Nesara and Gesara" act which returns riches into the coffers of the people. Again, this makes me think of the "peace and security" warning of Paul at the hands of the one honored as "God" also spoken by Paul in 2Th2.4.
There's a big area that I think you're missing -- the issue of abortion is so animating to religious people, they're willing to follow anyone and permit anything if they feel it's on the way to repealing Roe and furthering religious goals in society.
The documentary "The Family" explains how evangelicals began their influence into politics.
Tbh I'm a bit afraid to watch that. The levels of destruction ONE human can wreck is difficult for me, to see what people of wicked intent can do collectively, NOW, is a bit much. I honestly see what is happening with the orange man as similar to Nazism. Those people LOVED Hitler. These people LOVE this guy. I'm a Christian. Seeing people who say they believe in God doing this is too much for me. To see people take something pure and twist it for evil intent... it's very sad.
I'm sorry to offload that on you.
The TH-cam video "Why Trumps Agenda is Antti-Christ, by Now This". It takes me back to the Christian values we grew up with. I found it really touching.
@@grams5861 will check that out. I don't think he believes in anything. Not even himself.
@@grams5861 yeap, makes utter sense
I saw that video and reposted it.. It is hard to imagine that anyone that follows the teachings of Jesus can also follow Trump.
Watching on the evening of 01.06.21. This aged very well.
Unfortunately.
On 01-05-22 it seems more prophetic for dems reallly still pushing an insurrection but denying the violence for months else where before 01-06-21. Bit I do agree this should be revisited.
We were told that if we didn't vote trump we weren't Christians.
@@michaelpond813 How do you feel about that now?
Nothing good can come from this.
In the face of a spiraling Trump Administration, his cool aid drinkers might get desperate? January 6, 2021.
Very prophetic. When you see interviews with trump supporters, he can simply do no wrong and because he can do no wrong, they double-down on it & "must" be impossible that he lost the election.
It is called circular reasoning and it is a logical/deductive fallacy. In their feeble minds:
Things are real and hence true because they believe them to be = and because they believe them as such - they simply must be real and hence true.............and round and round they go.
Moral of the story: the maelstrom of circular reasoning like an ouroboros is a trap few escape. It typifies the "absolutism" ideological worldview which typifies ideological zealotry and is commonly associated with totalitarianism. It does not allow for = "possibility of error" and thus such individuals reject any evidence which does not conform to their prebaked beliefs and will even as we see simply make up their own supposed "alternative facts" to rationalize those static beliefs. It is the road to self-delusion.
_"There are no such thing as alternative facts - not really. What you invariably see are alternative realities premised upon misinformation/disinformation and a desire to believe a thing"_
2012 Evangelicals
>But muh morality
2016 Trumpangelicals
>LEAVE MORALITY OUT OF THIS! POLICIES NOW!
"The only thing more dangerous than a cult leader is a martyr to a cult leader." Given the events of January 6th, this aged nicely.
Frighteningly so.
BTW -- He actually said, "the only thing more dangerous than a cult leader is a martyred cult leader," but your version is equally correct.
Thing is January 6th wasn't that bad.... A few broken windows, trashed up offices, and maybe five lives dead. (By the police and not by the actual group)
Now compare that to the George Floyd riots... Not even a comparison.
@@xamhehehe7888 Rosanne Boyland was crushed in a stampede of fellow rioters as they surged against the police. And Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police was attacked by the mob and died on Jan. 7 as a result.
and for Ashley Rabbit
In one word “YES”. And the cult continues.
It is almost three years since this video was put out and things have only gone down hill since then.
Of course. Here is what the rest of the US fails to grasp here. The Trumpanzees do not listen to anything other than their own supposed media which is of course utterly unreliable these days. Outlets like Faux News/OAN/Newsmax.......... = 21st equivalent of Soviet TASS.
Moral of the story: the rest of "mainstream" media prattling on endlessly about the dubious nature of what these supposed conservative "news" outlets are peddling = chirping to the choir. The Trumpanzees do not care and do not listen and thus nothing changes.
Here is what the rest of America needs to do - in other words the Democratic Party. The far-Right of the conservative movement in the US is in control of the rubepublican party. If things do not radically change the country is within a few election cycles of = violence - possibly another civil war.
The powers that be must role the dice here to take a risk. They must call the GOP out and force them to take sides. If not a civil war then the GOP must publicly reject that possibility - firmly and unequivocally. Failure to do so means they countenance this possible outcome. Rather than listening to what the GOP says - which is mostly lies these days = listen to what they *DO NOT* say. They are not rejecting the possibility and in the minds of their voters = that means they endorse it.
Many of them already were a cult. He just gave them permission to take their hoods off. It is just amazing how many there are.
I know right it's so cheap to go get a nice hooded fleece warm comfy jacket now.
People of the 21st century are besieged by religious fanatics on all fronts.
Should our civilization ever advance into a post religion age, this period will be remembered as critical.
BrokenSymetry If we even survive this weird religious period, that would be key.
It couldn't be more of a cult if Jim Jones was handing out kool-aid popsicles.....
Millions on Benghazi....Not one dime on Jan 6th.
What did you expect. lol! For all their whining the rubepublican party has been knee-deep in "situational ethics" for many years now. Since the advent of Trumputin they have simply given up trying to pretend to be the "morality party" and instead are entirely focused upon "ends justify the means" politics.
They only believe in themselves now and not the "system" which they perceive they have lost the advantage in as demographics shift away from them. To that end they will therefore undermine it if required so as to maintain a grip on political power. They only give lip service to the Constitution these days. _C'est La Vie_
How many gallons of Kool Aid does it take to swing an election?
Mark Furst not many. You dry it to powder, and compress it into a pill. Then you dare everyone to take the red pill.
wait you guys are missing the point...the kool-aid was what ended the cult, it's Hitler"s pistol in the bunker or a spy's cyanide pill. I think it would be better for everyone if they did drink it. When you guys figure out how much we need let me know and I;ll start a go fund me page.
@Trans Am Hello? Trump is THE CULT LEADER - and you are one of his minions (demons) that troll the Truth. Get a life or wait til he hands you the Kool-Aid. Disgusting cultists.
@@Dear_Mr._Isaiah_Deringer Trump worshipers would lay down their lives for him. That's weird.
@@rosemaryhill8804 Some people will, not all.
Loved the quote 'These evangelicals voted more 'white" then 'evangelical." Definitely a racist component there.
I didn't know that Hillary Clinton was African-American.
NPC 5139125 The parties switched sides.
When you mix religion/ideology and politics, people will suffer. Examples: Crusades, holocaust, Salem witch trials, crucifixion of christians in Rome.
here in 2021 with his fanbase still rabid about him and him running for 2024, I am terrified. after jan 6th it's absolutely a cult.
Well said, that man is a Demon from hell
Hahaha.
Yea ok. You are the cult member, you literally think Trump is a demon because you don't understand politics or economics, but let me guess that's Trumps fault too? friggin TDS
Robert McCown
“You know I don’t really like the current president” “woah watch out there buckaroo that’s a sin”
@midniteryder moron
Concise, accurate and brilliantly explained.
Just wrong in every important respect.
The toxicity of Clinton was a huge factor for one. Trump was flawed but she was a satanic figure who would have brought ruin and war. Trump offered hope and change.
So had the last guy but he failed to deliver almost completely. Maybe his opposite would.
@midniteryder Yeah I know: everyone who voted for Obama.
2022 & we still haven't heard the last of Trump as we watch the U.S slowly unravelling at the seams & 2024 is approaching fast. And while things are rough now, I have a feeling that it's about to get real ugly.
And this was made 4 years ago? Yeah. Look where we are now...
I believe researchers refer to it as "racial resentment". Or good 'ol racism.
I’ve been trying to explain this to folks for a while. I do wish that he had mentioned end times prophesy as it applies here to evangelicals. They are rabid for end times prophesy, and they see Trump as part of that prophesy. That’s very real, and I don’t think should be left out of any discussion on the evangelical support of Trump.
Yes. I am a Christian, but not a right-wing conservative Trumper Christian. I believe they believe that God sent Trump to abolish socialism that they believe is going to take over America and they fear a take over of Muslims with Sharia Law. They blame all Democrats for this and absolutely hate them. If you try to help them see how very antichrist they are acting, they go ballistic on you. These are the great falling away as stated in the Bible for the end times. If they continue to follow Trump (who may be the Antichrist) they will probably take the mark of the beast, which dooms them to hell.
@@cindyp9 Amen! You nailed it!
@@denisemayosky1955 Thank you.
@@cindyp9 no true Christian will take any mark, because they know what the Bible says. The pope hates Trump, so I can guarantee you, it's not him. The Antichrist, has to be a man, who has no regard for women, who is an Assyrian, who has a head injury, which results in his R eye being blinded, will be from the NWO, one World government, according to scripture. If it were anyone American, it would be Obama. He is the only Assyrian, who has no regard for women, who is like a chamelion, changes his 'religion' to fit whomever he is with, and hates America w a passion. Otherwise, it is not anyone from this country. The pope and the top Iman, have met and signed an agreement, to form, Chrislam.
@@lizpeszka7640 Yes, I agree. No TRUE Christian will take the mark. I disagree with the rest of what you said. Check out Brother James Keys videos on the subject of antichrist. He is a devout Christian teacher who uses scripture to back his teaching. I always go to the scriptures to check on what others say.
The incident of Satan testing Jesus in the desert comes to mind. If Jesus had been against Roe, then I believe the devil would have added: "Follow me and I will overturn Roe." And Jesus would have resisted, just as he resisted the devil's other offers.
The evangelical support makes perfect sense to me. Trump is a grifter, and so are church leaders. They scratch each other's backs.
He is a political version of = a "televangelist". He whips people up via demagoguery and then monetizes the response.
I could have a 2 hour conversation about this and never understand how this phenomenon happened. But this as much is true, Manson served life in prison and Trump served as President.
Sinclair Lewis wrote about it in 1935. Perhaps you should read history of Nazi Germany.
It's such a weird phenomenon that the farther into right wing politics the more symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia they exhibit
Actually this same TH-cam Channel has a video about this called “how America got divorced from reality“ but fair warning it’s depressing as hell and sure to leave you felling hopeless
Trump committed treason and deserves prison for his being a traitor reprobate and sociopathic ol ho monger.
As soon as you show me one physical shred of evidence that the Bible is true and the Abrahamic god is real, then I will believe. The truest religious scriptures I have ever read are the Tripitaka.
Some people finally have what they've always wanted: an authoritarian leader they can support with absolutely no mental exertion or exercise of the faculties of reason. We must realize that thinking is simply too much work for some people.
Excellent analysis!
Nailed it.
I am deist here. I was raised in a Southern Baptist mega church in the bible belt. As a teenager I began questioning the indoctrination I had been submerged into believing . As an adult I continued to question and began researching natural law. This completely awakened me to the occultism that takes place within religion , along with the political occultism. It is generational left right brain deress, Stockholm syndrome , and willful ignorance. I seriously don't believe the vast majority even know that they are in occultism. The vast majority don't know they are enslaved. They don't know they aren't conscious yet claiming to be. For those of us truly awake. It is so damn frustrating and disgusting.
Cults and their leaders rarely end well. It's scary that a cult leader is president. I hadn't thought about the religious aspect or even considered it.
Yeah obama worshippers weren't a cult at all.
@@rasharddavis5361 Noticed how no one mentioned Obama. See the irony?
@@tcwarden758 No but i did.
@@rasharddavis5361 Trumpism is a death cult
@@rasharddavis5361 Good luck with the deflection strategy, see how it works out for you
This is why we separated church and state. Unfortunately we are forced to argue EVEN THIS fundamental fact with some Republicans who are completely convinced and will proudly try to explain how the US is a Christian nation. It’s so damn sad but what do you expect from the ppl who think EVETTHING simply popped into existence, in its current form, about 6,000 years ago.
Hi, I'm from the future (August '22) and I'm here to tell you that it gets worse...
He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy.
Teach children critical thinking skills rather than dogma. If their motivation to be good is the fear of hell then if their faith wavers so will their self control. Do these politicians really believe in the teachings of Jesus, or that he hands out 'get out of hell free' cards to those who claim to believe he existed? Children are being conditioned to believe without question. Teaching children to only love those in your group and non-Christians are somehow lesser in the eyes of God, the creator of all. It's directly in opposition to the teachings of their own savior. They spit on their God's creation, dividing the people, destroying the environment being abusive to children, hoarding resources. Hypocrisy of the most harmful kind. You will know them by their fruit, isn't that what the bible says about these pretenders. They are monetarily wealthy but spiritually bankrupt.
@1911HeadBanger ... Yet in a massive Pugh poll, unaffiliated millenials had a better grasp of morality and fairness than did evangelicals. Go figure.
God said... "Be as wise as the serpent, but as gentle as the dove."
@1911HeadBanger ... Your understanding of the average millenial is like your knowledge of polls... based on one (1) poll!
And truth is... If you took the time to actually research the polls, most were within just a few points of being correct. Did you forget that Clinton actually won the popular vote by three million votes!?
The polls weren't about the electoral college... they were about individual voter response.
Now... go broaden your scope on millenials. They are not represented only by their worse case example. Seems to me they can spot a bull shitter like Trump from a mile away!
Take it from this old head banger who fought as a Marine while blasting Sabbath... Maiden... Ronnie James Dio in my head while trudging through the shit... A bull shitter will get you killed, that's why it's damn important to be able to spot them... and get as far away as possible!
Be cool brotha. We still on the same side. And most of us have a lot more in common than we do that seperates us.
@1911HeadBanger Why do you automatically group me into a pious box? I am a Baptist in the belt buckle of the Bible belt. You know nothing of my beliefs. You seem to think people who don't support Donald Trump are heathens. Get a grip.
@1911HeadBanger I beg to differ. My son participated in the Model UN for 2 years. I know he knows the Constitution because I helped him learn it an experience I truly enjoyed. I figured if he was learning it it was a good idea for me to learn more about it.
this reminds me of the Voltaire quote " Religion was born when the first scoundrel met the first fool".
That also describes politicians pretty well; in other words, "We're extremely good at doing something other than whatever we're supposed to"
Agreed.
Mohd Mohtashim amen
Mohd Mohtashim I view it as selling their collective souls to gain the world.
The irony is off the charts. Trump may meet this criteria, but so have the last 4 war criminal presidents. And reza aslann.
This is because religions primary role in culture is not morality, it is the relief of anxiety associated with death.
Ultimately true. Yet the fact that religions contain behavioral "restraint mechanism" within their dogmas illustrates the controlling nature of them. They set themselves up as the supposed arbiter of validity vis a vis human existence - as well as morality as you allude to - and then control their minions via a set of rules premised upon blind accedence to what the church authorities say.
On a side note those beliefs and purported "rewards" are subject to an entirely human paradigm of compulsion. Religions present their minions with "carrot &stick" psychology. If you fail to bow before what the church says you'll get coal in your stocking come Christmas time. That is very much a human concept rather than a "divine" one as what need of a "God" with swaying people via the promise of a reward??? Should not a "God" simple make a thing happen or not.......commonsense says so.
So by offering people a supposed "out" in the form of cheating death = ultimate control mechanism as it panders to the heart of sentience. Any sentient being aware of their own pending mortality will experience fear of the unknown. That is the _"camel's nose under the tent"_ by which religions exploit the masses' fear and then subjugate them under their control. Religions are also as much a business today as a belief ideology with some having become fabulously wealthy over the centuries as a result.