Is Gullibility A Good Excuse for Following Trump?

I am as gullible as the day is long.

In the sixth grade, Pam Snivens convinced me (quite easily, I might add) to lick the wand that came out of the rubber cement jar. Our art project almost completed, she said all we needed to do was affix the construction paper to the poster board, but there was too much glue on the brush.

“It’s going to make a mess. You’re supposed to lick the extra off the wand.”

So I did.

I gagged, she laughed, and my face burned in embarrassment. Spitting the yucky stuff into the trash, it didn’t even occur to me to turn her in to the teacher for pranking me.

I felt it was my fault for being such a dolt.

How Do We React When We’ve Been Misled?

Feeling shame when someone has fooled us seems to be a universal response. That doesn’t really make sense though, does it? Especially not the first time. When we are misled or just plain lied to by people we trust, that’s on them. Now if we are dumb enough to fall for it again, that’s on us.

Millions of Evangelicals have been duped by the leaders of the Religious Right- most notably Franklin Graham (which is an absolute tragedy), as well as Fox News. I give everyday folks the benefit of a doubt, since these leaders used to have credibility. Graham’s father Billy Graham was a man of unquestionable integrity.

Fox News has veered further and further Right for years. However, it has become a mouthpiece for Trump and the RR political machine. In a stunning development this week, their anchor Shepard Smith resigned. Smith, who repeatedly called Trump out on the air, apparently exercised some integrity.

I salute him. We all should.

Now the time has come for those who bought into the promises made, and Scriptures inaccurately claimed, to take stock. Being a gullible gal, I can understand why they bought in. But honestly, if I had read the label on the glue jar, I wouldn’t have licked the wand.

If they had followed the teachings of Jesus, would we be in this mess?

Fortunately, I spit the messy mouthful into the garbage and learned at least one lesson. Thank God we can do an about-face with His help. Hopefully our country will eventually recover. The church, I honestly don’t know. I don’t see how. But God is still in control. May He have mercy on us all.