The world is filled with true believers; those who think nothing more than faith is needed to support an idea, a religion or even a sports franchise. The one thing all of these have in common is the unshakable belief in the superiority of whatever they are supporting, regardless of the facts.
That’s never been more apparent as today, as Donald Trump and his supporters claim he has been “chosen”, through some godly intervention, to lead our country, much like the divine right claimed by monarchs in the Middle Ages.
Trump, himself, apparently believes thist, as indicated by a post he promoted claiming he was “heaven sent” and that President Obama “wanted to kick Jesus out of the US”.
True believers are seen in every walk of life, some far less harmful, however, than when religion is mixed with politics and egocentric politicians claim to have been sent by God on high, or when they threaten a violent revolution if they man they worship gets tossed out of office.
Sports fanatics cannot and will not waver in their support for their team. Some may have been borne from being an alumnus of a particular college or university while others may have to do with geographical location or even family values. Long suffering fans of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs endured decades of futility as the championship ring eluded them, year after year.
They were sustained in their belief by the mantra “Wait ‘til next year”. Both franchises saw their faith finally rewarded even if generations before them received no such satisfaction. But year after year, they still believed.
Religious true believers often are the result of years of indoctrination. Children learn their religious values from an early age and are encouraged to perpetuate this in their children. Christians still promote the false image of a lily-white Jesus, despite the fact it reflects a superiority of whites over other races – and that as Bible teaches, Jesus was born in the Middle East, where native-born people have much darker complexions.
Muslim fanatics believe they will be rewarded in the afterlife if they commit an atrocious act and die in the name of their religion. They, too, are true believers.
And so, we come back to politics in which, like religion, some are indoctrinated from an early age. Instead of questioning these beliefs, they adopt them for their own, passing them along to their children, sometimes creating a distorted image of their own beliefs.
Some are even willing to go to war based upon their political ideology. Going back to the British War of the Roses, and even further back in history, there have been those willing to die to support a person or political party. Check Adolph Hitler, for example.
One such group is so fanatical in its support of Donald Trump that they vow “nothing less than civil war” if Trump is defeated in the 2020 election. While they are labeled white supremacists, they prefer to call themselves “patriots”. Like the NRA fanatics who insist there is no such thing as an assault weapon, these “uber patriots” insist that the term “white supremacist” is as phony as the unicorn.
There are also those in Congress whose unwavering, blind support of Donald Trump threatens the very fabric of our Democracy. Whether they call themselves The Tea Party or The Freedom Caucus, or whatever, their aim is not based upon beliefs, but on their own political self-preservation. With no moral compass guiding them, they are simply opportunists and charlatans.
Yes, beware the fanatical believers, but be more afraid of those who lack the integrity to maintain a belief. For they are the truly dangerous.