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GOP claims that Trump's assassination injury makes him holy is a 'gross mishandling' of the Bible • Arizona Mirror [1]
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Date: 2024-07
Following the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, his followers, including the Republican Party in Arizona’s largest county, are saying his wound is a sign that God made Trump holy, an application of scripture that some Christian pastors and theological experts say is flat wrong.
“In the Bible, the concept of blood on the right ear…serves as a visible mark of consecration. Signifying that the person is dedicated to God’s service and has been set apart for a specific purpose,” said a video the Maricopa County Republican Committee posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The video goes on to quote Old Testament scripture claiming that Trump having blood on his right ear “signifies that the person is being set apart for a sacred right or role.”
The scripture in question comes from Leviticus, which largely focuses on issues of ritual and holiness for the ancient Israelites, including regulations of animal sacrifices, the duties of priests and laws dictating sexual, economic and dietary practices. Followers of Trump have been posting scripture from Leviticus as a way of claiming that Trump was anointed by God.
Derek Allen, a pastor of First Baptist Church Tilman’s Corner in Mobile, Alabama, shared concerns over this particular interpretation of scripture.
The passages referred to by many, including the MCRC, refer to the story of Aaron and his sons and a purification ritual undertaken by priests to cleanse lepers.
“This is an example of gross mishandling of Scripture,” Allen said in a social media post. “When one small part of something kind of fits something that supports something we want, we run with bad interpretations and applications of Scripture.
“Those of us who believe the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God often criticize liberal interpretations of Scripture that take the same approach. We have to guard ourselves from letting our emotions take us to such places.”
Karen Seat, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona who has done research into the Christian right, said that this interpretation by Trump fans does not surprise her.
“American Evangelicals have a long history of mapping religious and biblical ideas onto political events,” Seat told the Arizona Mirror, adding that Trump is a “consecrated lamb for the cause” of many conservative evangelicals.
Both Allen and Seat agree that the interpretation of Leviticus is incorrect. The MCRC did not respond to a request for comment or questions about the video’s origins and claims. The video appears to follow a script similar to a litany of other posts that hve been shared widely across social media.
“This has been part of the rhetoric for this entire campaign and it has gotten stronger and stronger over the past eight years,” Seat said of how some evangelicals are seeing Trump as a biblical figure.
The belief spreads far beyond the MCRC.
Republican National Convention delegate Joe Negalia and former state lawmaker and conspiracy theorist Liz Harris were among many RNC attendees wearing bandages on their right ears during the convention, a move that some religion researchers compared to the counter-reformation.
The MCRC is led by Craig Berland, who, along with the party’s second in command, Shelby Busch, have pushed election fraud narratives. Busch recently made headlines for saying she would “lynch” Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer if he walked into the room.
“This is nothing new,” Seat said about the scripture interpretation by Trump supporters. “I think many people understand this to be the case that this assassination attempt fueled the conservative evangelical perspective that Trump is especially chosen by God to lead their political movement — and God protected Trump and there was a divine element to his survival that day.”
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https://azmirror.com/briefs/gop-claims-that-trumps-assassination-injury-makes-him-holy-is-a-gross-mishandling-of-the-bible/
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