On the Attempted Trump Assassination 7/13/24

Introduction

This was written a day after the attempted Trump assassination of 7/13/24. I will update it if necessary as the story unfolds. It contains my opinion on the ramifications of Christian Nationalism.

Event

The event is pretty well documented by the Associated Press. I will let people gather their facts from this website. It is assumed that people who are reading this have already read the AP article(s) on this topic.

Minor Ramifications

To me, the ramifications are more important than the event itself. Please allow me to explain. Here are some of the minor ramifications.

Guns. I do not think this is an example of why we should limit gun ownership in the United States. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, is being investigated. We will know soon what happened. At this point, gun rights are not my primary concern.
Trump. I do not wish harm or death to anyone. However, Trump has been saying some very revolutionary (in the sense of violent overthrow) things. His words border on hostile takeover of the government. I say this carefully, but I think part of why this was more likely to happen is due to Trump's very hostile behavior pattern and demeanor. I am not justifying this at all. But like my wife said, "I'm not surprised: I'm only surprised it took this long." Again, this is not to justify violence in any way. I am just pointing out that his demeanor may put him at further risk. He should consider not being so hostile in his word choices.

Major Ramification: Christianity

Of all the ramifications that matter to me, the most alarming is that of Christianity. Christianity is being polluted by Christian nationalism. So here are the main ramifications that mean something, in my opinion:

First, Christian nationalists are capitalizing on this event, trying to make Trump out to be a martyr or saint. I will point out that no, he is not a martyr. And definitely not for Christianity. Trump is a political figure, not a religious one, and those who make this mistake likely either have broken theology and/or bad nationalistic tendencies.

Second, some are saying that God intervened. I hope He did, and I will say that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). But let's think about this: do we know what God's point was? Did God orchestrate this event? I doubt it. Did God really intervene? I don't know. I would need a sign from God to know what God's intent was. It's equally as plausible that God wanted to get rid of Trump but then relented and was gracious as much as it is plausible that God protected Trump from a scheme of the devil. My point is that we don't know, and that rushing to the "God saved the USA!" reaction, like many are doing, is illogical and childish. But again, I am not suggesting or advocating for violence.

A person on Reddit pointed out that if God was involved, why did Trump get shot in the ear? Why not make the gun jam and no shots fired, and the Secret Service detain the individual alive? Also, an atheist stated, "God could have used this opportunity to prove to the world that He exists." I don't agree here, as Jesus was the evidence to the world that God exists, along with nature.

Another thing that speaks to whether this is a miracle or not is the information we have. There's no indication Crooks was a marksman. They tried to shoot at Trump from 200-300 yards (2-3 football fields) with an AR-15, which is not ideal for sniper tactics. If I was to hand a novice an AR-15 and tell them to try to hit a target 2-3 football fields away, this is the result I would expect in terms of accuracy. We should be thankful that the person did not buy a more accurate firearm and that, apparently, they were not a marksman. Again, I don't want to see Trump injured or killed.

I will also point out Revelation 13:14. Some have said this might prove Trump is the Beast, and I don't agree. I believe Revelation 13:14 is talking about a wound that should have killed whoever this Beast or head of the Beast is, which is why there's so much awe. I don't think Revelation 13:14 is talking about an ear piercing.

Third, the implication that "God just saved the USA!" I'm going to be very clear here: our government is set up so that the loss of one person does not result in an emergency. We learned this when JFK was assassinated and we can read it in the constitution: the Vice President becomes President. Also, Trump was not president when the assassination attempt occurred. The implication that God saved Trump (can't be proved really, see my second point) and then saying that his also is God "saving the USA" is very far fetched. A former President dying, while it would be tragic, and while it would be murder and wrong, will not overthrow our country. And those who think otherwise should read the Constitution: Congress is the highest power in the land, not the President.

Fourth, the martyr problem. There were already people claiming that Trump, because they claim he didn't take money. This is simply incorrect. First, Trump was donating his income, not refusing it. Second, this increased his charitable donations, which provided a tax break for him. It would be significant if Trump was not already independently wealthy, but a rich person refusing income isn't significant. But there are far too many people who have this need to make Trump look like a Messiah character or a martyr. He is not. This assassination attempt only adds fuel to the already large fire of people trying to make Trump out to be Jesus. It's even been seen in memes that directly compare Trump to Jesus. Trump is not Jesus, and any attempt to compare the two necessarily paints the person making the comparison as either not Christian, a Christian with severely broken theology, or a Christian nationalist.

Fifth, because the facts are not readily apparent, there is the doubt behind the events. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but in some ways this event seems far too convenient. While my opinion is that I am 90% confident that the event is just as it seems, there's still that lingering 10% doubt due to how events have been playing out in our country. While I do not suggest that Trump would stage his own assassination, something seems to not be right here. My lingering doubt is a reflection of mistrust of my government. I am not, nor will I ever, suggest violent overthrow of our government. Indeed, if such an event were to begin, I would refuse (if recalled) to shoot my fellow countrymen, and disappear somewhere in the USA to prevent being recalled. I didn't sign up for the military to one day need to get involved in a violent conflict like this. It's unlikely, sure, but I refuse to participate.

There is still too much lingering doubt from the Epstein murder. Trump, Biden, and many others were implicated in Epstein's list. For someone like Trump to say positive things about Epstein is alarming since Trump's business relies heavily on knowing who he associates with, and staying away from potentially unsavory characters. Instead Trump has flown on Epstein's private jet. This detail and Epstein's demise are my reason to continue to be skeptical.

Conclusion