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Trump vows to ‘defend Christian values’ from the Left at National Religious Broadcasters Convention

The Left is sure to unleash on Trump over his remarks at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville:

Trump tells religious broadcasters he’ll defend Christianity against perceived threats from the left

by Will Weissert, Associated Press, February 23, 2024:

Former President Donald Trump promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested he’d shield the faith’s central iconography, warning a convention of religious broadcasters on Thursday night that the left wants “to tear down crosses.”

“Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them,” Trump told hundreds of cheering attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville. “And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both.”

“Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them…..And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both.”

The Associated Press uses the words “perceived threats” in its headline to describe the real threats from the Left. Wokeness has become a religion in itself, and mutated into such an aggressive force that traditional leftist author J.K. Rowling warned about a sector of that movement: ‘There is something dangerous’ about transgender movement ‘and it must be challenged’. It is no secret that religious rights and freedoms are under attack from the hard left, given the fundamental beliefs that are central to orthodox Christianity, such as:

i) Marriage is between one man and one woman;
ii) a man is a man and a woman is a woman (with every cell encoded with male/female chromosomes):
iii) abortion is a violation of the sanctity of life, as is euthanasia.

While most Christians respect freedom of an adult to make his or her own moral choices, the left does not respect the rights and freedoms of Christians, and frequently rage against them and engage in increasingly open harassment of Christians. Christians have been deemed everything from “hateful” and “racist” (despite the racial diversity of Christians globally) to “intolerant,” and have even been accused of promoting “extremism.” The charges come despite the fact that nowhere in Christian doctrine is anything that promotes hatred, violence or terrorism. If one person professing to be Christian acts violently, he or she is violating the tenets of Christianity. Islam, in contrast, promotes violence in the Qur’an and Hadiths. Peaceful Muslims do not negate the existence of such teachings.

Last year, the FBI cited the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center as a “credible source” to warn about “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” The report was eventually rescinded, ostensibly because of blowback. According to the Christian Post:

Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI special agent, shared a document published by the FBI’s Richmond field office warning that “the increasingly observed interest of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.”

The FBI also stated that “traditional Catholics and RMVEs might have a common cause to act following legislation or judicial decisions in areas such as abortion rights, immigration, affirmative action, and LGBTQ protections.” The “House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government” subsequently “released an interim staff report titled, ‘The FBI’s Breach of Religious Freedom: The Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Catholic Americans.’” Traditional Catholics and all traditional Christians share largely the same views on abortion and other life issues. So there is no “perceived” attack on Christianity. There is an outright threat to Christianity in America from the woke religion of the Left. That attack includes children. The Biden administration has imposed “radical gender-affirming care,” which is not really “affirming” at all, for underage children in the school system. Children who were raised as Christians are marginalized and indoctrinated. Even the New York Times reported about educators replacing parents in the school system on issues of gender.

The leftist/woke pushback against Trump is being conducted with the rigor of religious zeal. Trump stated at the NRB:

They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags….But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you.

The Associated Press further states:

 Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation.

Such words align with the warning of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the FBI about “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” It is understood among Christians that America’s founding was based on Judeo-Christian principles; which by no means suggests that the nation was or was intended to be a theocracy. As the Heritage Foundation explains, America’s founders “identified themselves as Christians, were influenced in important ways by Christian ideas, and generally thought it appropriate for civic authorities to encourage Christianity.”

the Founders believed that humans are created in the image of God, which led them to design institutions and laws meant to protect and promote human dignity. Because they were convinced that humans are sinful, they attempted to avoid the concentration of power by framing a national government with carefully enumerated powers. As well, the Founders were committed to liberty, but they never imagined that provisions of the Bill of Rights would be used to protect licentiousness. And they clearly thought moral considerations should inform legislation.

Trump has a history of supporting Christians. He was welcomed by a Hispanic megachurch in 2019 as the Democrats sought his removal from office; in 2020, Trump launched a new International Religious Freedom Alliance, and Hungary become the first European Union member state to join. In fact, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted a convention for persecuted Christians — focused on the Middle East and Africa — that Trump supported. Orban and Trump have poured millions of dollars into helping the persecuted Church. Hungary alone provided 50 million dollars of aid to communities in Africa and the Middle East, and praised Trump for supporting persecuted Christians.

There has been a consistency to Trump’s support for largely forgotten Christians who are under threat — even now in America as Christians face the threat from the left. Ironically, while moving against Christians, the left is afraid of Muslims. Recently, the Minneapolis Area School District said it would allow families to opt out of LGBT lessons after Muslim families threatened to sue.

AUTHOR

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RELATED VIDEO: FULL SPEECH—Trump Addresses Christian Broadcasters at NRB Convention in Nashville, Tennessee

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Meet The Donors Funding The Shadow Campaign To Stop Trump’s Second Term Before It Even Begins

Groups bankrolled by major left-of-center charitable foundations are reportedly preparing to obstruct a potential second Trump administration.

Organizations including Protect Democracy, the Institution for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown University and Democracy Forward, are part of a loose alliance preparing legal action to block Trump from taking certain executive actions if he takes office, according to NBC News. These organizations are backed by influential liberal institutions, like George Soros’ philanthropic empire, a Daily Caller News Foundation review found.

The organizations fear that Trump may use the armed forces to act undemocratically if elected, according to NBC News. To address this, they seek to limit his potential influence over the executive branch.

“We are preparing for litigation and preparing to use every tool in the toolbox that our democracy provides to provide the American people an ability to fight back,” Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, told NBC News.

The details shared with the press regarding the groups’ plans were vague, only mentioning preparation for litigation, drafting letters to influence possible Trump appointees and conducting research on what a second Trump term may look like. The coalition wants to “challenge Trump from day one,” according to NBC News.

The outlet reports that alliance members are “studying Trump’s past actions and 2024 policy positions so that they will be ready if he wins in November,” adding that some “participants are combing through policy papers being crafted for a future conservative administration” and “watching the interviews that Trump allies are giving to the press for clues.”

Protect Democracy, ICAP and Democracy Forward are all bankrolled by left-wing megadonors.

Philanthropies tied to George Soros, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and other left-wing megadonors have poured millions into Protect Democracy since 2017.

Protect Democracy refers to the joint efforts between the 501(c)(3) Protect Democracy Project and the 501(c)(4) group United to Protect Democracy, according to the organization’s website.

501(c)(3) organizations can engage in advocacy and education, but are limited in how much they can directly spend on political activities. 501(c)(4)s, meanwhile, have greater license to engage in explicitly political activism.

Soros’ Foundation to Promote Open Society gave $650,000 to the Protect Democracy Project between 2018 and 2021, according to a grant database. Soros’ Open Society Policy Center, meanwhile, gave over $1 million to United to Protect Democracy between 2017 and 2020.

United to Protect Democracy and the Protect Democracy Project also received funding from Omidyar’s philanthropic network.

Omidyar is a primary funder and founder of Democracy Fund, a nonprofit that provides financial backing for various left-of-center causes, according to tax forms. He has also funded past efforts to fight Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and to oppose Trump.

The Protect Democracy Project has received $3.8 million from Democracy Fund since 2017tax documents show.

Democracy Fund Voice, a 501(c)(4) organization founded and funded entirely by Omidyar, gave United to Protect Democracy roughly $1.3 million between 2017 and 2022.

Similarly, the John Pritzker Family Fund gave the Protect Democracy Project $700,000 between 2019 and 2022.

John Pritzker is the chairman of the John Pritzker Family Fund.  The Pritzker family is one of the nation’s wealthiest and deeply connected to the world of liberal politics.

John’s cousin, J.B. Pritzker, serves as the Democratic governor of Illinois while another one of his cousins, Penny Pritzker, has held high-ranking posts in both the Obama and Biden administrations.

Mark Heising and Elizabeth Simons, who are married, have donated nearly $10 million to Democrats since 2022, campaign finance records show. Their philanthropy, the Heising-Simons Foundation, poured $500,000 into the Protect Democracy Project in 2022, according to tax documents.

Simons serves as the chair of the foundation’s board and Heising as a vice chair.

Democracy Forward, like Protect Democracy, has both a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4) organization under its umbrella. The two organizations share a website and a staff page.

Democracy Forward Foundation, the 501(c)(3), pulled in $200,000 from Omidyar’s Democracy Fund and $10,000 from Hopewell Fund in 2022, tax forms show. Omidyar provides almost all of Democracy Fund’s cash, according to tax forms.

One of Democracy Forward’s largest backers has been the Sandler Foundation.

The Sandler Foundation was established in 1991 by Herb and Marion Sandler, financial industry billionaires who contributed $1.3 billion to the philanthropy. Since then, tax forms show that the Sandler Foundation has given millions to groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Campaign Legal Center, which have consistently launched anti-Trump litigation.

The Democracy Forward Foundation received $11 million from the Sandler Foundation between 2018 and 2021, tax documents show.

Democracy Forward’s links to the left go beyond funding.

Marc Elias, one of America’s most prolific Democratic lawyers, and Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff, both sit on Democracy Forward’s board, according to the organization’s website.

John Podesta, former Clinton administration chief of staff and chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, sat on the Democracy Forward Foundation’s board until at least June 2022, according to tax forms.

Some groups involved in the anti-Trump shadow campaign don’t disclose their donors.

The New Venture Fund and the Hopewell Fund, organizations within a dark money network managed by liberal consultancy Arabella Advisors, collectively gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Protect Democracy between 2020 and 2020, tax filings show.

There’s also a clear partisan tilt to this budding anti-Trump resistance. The chair of ICAP’s board, Mamoon Hamid, has donated nearly $50,000 to Democrats since 2017, according to FEC records. The institution’s vice chair, Stewart Butterfield, has given over $100,000 to Democrats since 2017, FEC records show.

Mary DeRosa, an Obama administration alumna and another ICAP board member, has given nearly $40,000 to Democrats since 2016, according to the FEC.

Leadership at United to Protect Democracy and Democracy Forward have also donated thousands to Democrats, FEC records show.

Ian Bassin, co-founder and executive director of United to Protect Democracy, donated more than $2,400 to Democrats and Democrat-aligned PACs between 2016 and 2023, according to FEC records. Bassin also served as associate White House counsel during the Obama administration.

ICAP’s leadership isn’t all Democrats, however; Mickey Edwards, who serves on the board, was a Republican member of Congress for 16 years, according to his Georgetown bio. Edwards left the Republican Party in 2021, however, saying it had become a “cult” under Trump, Business Insider reported.

“We’re already starting to put together a team to think through the most damaging types of things that [Trump] might do so that we’re ready to bring lawsuits if we have to,” ICAP’s executive director Mary McCord told NBC News.

Democracy Forward, ICAP and Protect Democracy didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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ROBERT SCHMAD

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


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