POLITICS

The Danger of a Cult of Personality

If George Washington had been a man like Donald Trump, our democracy would have quickly perished

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

I am writing this in mid October of 2020. The election that will determine if Donald Trump has a second term is a scant few days in the future. The warning I will give here is unlikely to sway any votes, but it may highlight a dangerous path we have been walking for more than a century.

Idolatry

The Christian Bible warns against idolatry. That concerned itself with images of “false” gods, but there is a parallel and a strong connection with rulers. Throughout much of history, and even in some instances today, kings ruled by Divine Right and were sometimes worshipped as gods themselves. Some of the idolatrous images the Bible objected to were of living gods stamped onto coins or erected as statues.

We see strong echoes of this in the Christian groups who believe Donald Trump is a “Chosen One”; chosen by their god to lead the United States. There is precious little difference between that and Divine Right.

George Washington saved us from that

Many readers might be unaware that in 1786, the President of the Continental Congress, one…