While watching the last presidential campaign, I saw candidate Donald Trump make the statement that he could shoot someone in the middle of the street without losing a single supporter.
Of course, this seems absurdly impossible, but is it? How about the taped conversation revealing the molestation of women, or the public promotion of violence, the public mocking of the disable, the clear racism? How could a candidate go — even promote — these reprehensible things and still be supported by nearly half of the voters?
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Forgetting politics for a moment, let’s consider sports. Millions of people vehemently, sometimes even violently, choose to support a team for almost no logical reason. Often they have never lived in their team’s home state or never attended their team’s school. They often have no connection to their team except to mindlessly adopt them. Yet these same people take the attitude that their team can do no wrong and further brag about their team’s successes, even though they have contributed nothing but senseless bravado. Though this lacks logic and might bring our sanity into question, it’s just sports and probably doesn't matter.
Unfortunately, this irrational sports mentality has perilously run over into our politics, where it does matter tremendously. The last election has proven that a candiate can do almost anything and still maintain the support of his team.
Jesus Christ suggested that we “Know them by their fruits,” not their team. He also promoted tolerance, love, and helping the poor. These basic principles of Christianity are repeated often in the New Testament and are also found in other religious faiths. If people waving the flag and a Bible would support leaders that promote these principles rather than oppose them, our nation’s future would look much brighter.
DAVID A. WARNER
Temperance, Mich.
First Published July 18, 2017, 8:00 p.m.