Opinion

3 Comments

by Jim Powers
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Participation in religion in general has been on the decline in the United States for decades and has rapidly declined over the last 20 years. Participation among younger generations starting with Millennials has seen the most rapid decrease. We should be encouraged then that a new religion is being born in the ashes of Christianity. I find it extremely discouraging, though, reflecting more the decline of the United States over the last decade.

Last week a writer named Helgard Muller published a new book on Amazon titled “President Donald J. Trump, The Son of Man – The Christ.” No, this is not satire. Even the Kindle version of the book is $17.76, so I read the book, so you don’t have to!

 Before I get into the meat of the message in the 326-page book, I must note that as religiously sincere as the writer seems to be, he writes with the skill of your average high school student. Despite that, he is perfectly clear that he believes Donald Trump is the Messiah for America. Let me quote him from the book’s introduction:

“PRESIDENT DONALD J. Trump is the King of Kings, And Lord of Lords! The Son of Man who will be seen seated in the place of power at God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven! You have read that correctly! President Donald Trump is the Christ for this age! The Son of King David! Prophecies of Jesus and all the prophets point to President Donald J. Trump as the Son of Man, the Christ. People, Christians, and Jews are not aware of how many prophecies President Donald Trump of the United States has fulfilled in his presidency as the Son of Man.”

Because I try to limit these columns to 1,000 words, I’ll just summarize that Muller attempts to make the case that Trump was sent to earth by God as “The Son of Man,” with a very specific role to play in an end of the world scenario. I’ll get back to this idea shortly.

Should you think this writer is just an outlier, not laying out the gospel of an actual new religion, let me introduce you to the high priest of this new religion. There are many other Evangelists who have adopted this some belief sysem. Shane Vaughn is the right-wing pastor of Mississippi’s First Harvest Ministries. He has a huge social media following. And he insists that Donald Trump is the Messiah and has an interesting take on America’s history to support his belief.

Vaughn says that before the founders landed on our shores, they wrote down a chorus that went, “We are going to New Israel.” He says that when they came off the ship, they didn’t plant an American Flag, they planted a Christian Flag. And then George Washington knelt and prayed near his horse where the Twin Towers used to stand and dedicated America to God. That at that point, God broke covenant with the Jews, and engaged in a new Covenant with America. And our founding fathers were all descended from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Now, let me be clear. None of what he says is true. It’s a fractured fairytale version of the founding of this country. There is a famous painting of George Washington kneeling to pray beside his horse, but it is from the imagination of the artist, not from any historical event. But this man is saying this because it must be true to support the foundational beliefs of this new religion, that Donald Troup is the new Messiah. That he is the Son of Man.

So, biblically, who is the Son of Man? Well, Jesus did you use the term, with a very specific meaning. The Son of Man is one who is coming to ultimately judge mankind at the end of history and bring about the apocalypse, ending the world as we know it and destroying all bad guys who oppose God and are oppressing God’s people. The result would be that after this judgement, this Son of Man would create heaven on earth, a new kingdom with God ruling directly.

If you are interested, this concept comes from Daniel 7:13-14 in the Hebrew bible. There is disagreement among Jewish scholars about exactly what the passage means, but Jesus’ view is not unique. And Jesus, according to the Bible, implied that he was both the Messiah and the Son of Man when he came to earth. So, most Christians believe that when Jesus comes back, he will be coming back in the role of the Son of Man, to initiate Armageddon, having already fulfilled the role of Son of God and Savior.

So, let’s tie it all together. Trump supporters, who are buying into this new religion, believe that he is Jesus returned in his capacity as Son of Man, that American is in a new covenant with God, that American is the New Israel, and that Trump is the Messiah of New Israel. The logic of this new religion is that Jesus cannot be the Son of Man because he never led the nation of Israel, which is a biblical precondition of being the Son of Man. Trump was the leader of the United States, the New Israel in their belief, so must be the Son of Man spoken of in the Bible.

This is a rapidly growing theology among Trumps supporters. And it is dangerous.

Yes, it based in utter fantasy. But if you are part of a religion that believes that your flesh and blood leader, Donald Trump, is the actual Messiah, the Son of Man come to light the fuse that kicks off the apocalypse, then you are waiting with excitement for that leader to give you the command to start the war.

It puts the events of January 6 in a whole new light.

1 Comment

by Tony Farkas
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I’ve always been a proponent of practicality, in that there’s all kind of people in this world that love to spout ideas and ideology as if that makes some sort of difference in how they are perceived.

Or, more simply, there’s quite a big difference between theory and practice.

Take, for instance, the latest developments in immigration and its effect on the country.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have done something pretty impressive, as well as unprecedented, by taking the masses of illegal aliens flooding across the border and shipping them to those areas that are bastions of liberalism and “democracy.”

Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City, Martha’s Vineyard and more have been the stopping points for busloads and planeloads of migrants that have been detained. Other than being liberal areas, they’re also sanctuary cities, you know, those places were mayors and councils have decided that federal law doesn’t apply.

In theory, those cities virtue-signaled their solidarity with the plight of the illegal aliens and tell them all they have to do is make it there and they’re safe. Of course, it’s easy to claim the moral high ground when things are happening hundreds of miles away.

So, in a move reminiscent of Joseph Welch, who hoisted Sen. Joseph McCarthy on his own petard, these governors did just that — got those illegal aliens there.

Guess what happened?

The people who claimed to want to welcome these aliens with open arms, to a one, declared states of emergency, and started demanding that the federal government do something about it. To a one, these enlightened elitists claimed their cities don’t have the infrastructure to handle the problem.

Newscasters, pundits and the sheeple who embrace that logic have begun asking the government for investigations, and even claim that these governors are guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and even human trafficking.

Sen. Ted Cruz has said that it took only 50 aliens being deposited in Martha’s Vineyard to make liberals lose their minds, while at the same time, they’re demanding that these border states suck it up and give the 4.2 million immigrants that have poured into the country everything they need, as if these border states actually have the infrastructure in place to handle the influx.

To show their hospitality and dedication to equity, the people of the vineyard promptly took those immigrants and shipped them to a military base.

To tie it up, the theory was that we’re kind and want everyone to never do without; the practice, however, is something decidedly more difficult, and this country is not prepared to handle the policy of open borders.

That’s not to mention the immigrants themselves, who are being kicked around like a policy soccer ball on a political field.

There are laws in place, and a process, that ensures the people coming to this country embrace its traditions, and that the country absorbs an increasing population in a sensible manner. Somehow, law has been supplanted by emotion, and perception and dogmatic belief has overcome common sense.

This isn’t someone else’s problem. This is the country’s problem, and it will take more than well-chosen words and virtue signaling to solve. Perhaps the antics of the southern governors will kickstart some honest attempts to solve this.

Tony Farkas is editor of the San Jacinto News-Times and the Trinity County News-Standard. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

1 Comment

By Jim Powers
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week chartered two planes to transport 50 migrants from a location in San Antonio, Texas to a small island town, Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts, without notifying anyone they were coming. He defended his action by claiming he was actually helping these people by sending them where they were wanted, explaining that Florida was not a Sanctuary state and didn’t want these refugees.

Interviews with the immigrants when they arrived in Martha’s Vineyard indicated that they were lied to in convincing them to board the planes, and were told that they were going to Boston and other places, where they would receive jobs, food and a place to live. Those representing the Governor allegedly set up immigration appointments for Monday in various states knowing that these people could not make these appointments while stuck on an island. Failure to attend these appointments would have resulted in their arrest and deportation.

Governor DeSantis represents himself to be a Christian, yet apparently has never read the Bible, or thinks Jesus is a joke that he can ignore. Jesus did not make taking care of other humans optional for Christians, regardless of the sacrifice required. He certainly never imagined we could discharge this Christian duty by shirking that responsible off on others. 

I usually have plenty to say in this column, but I’m at a loss to explain why someone masquerading as a Christian could justify using human beings as political pawns in what seems to me to be the very definition of human trafficking. So, I’ll let Jesus say what he thinks of it, and Mr. DeSantis can deal with Him. I’m completely disgusted by this lack of compassion for others.

Matthew 25:31-46

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Write a comment

By Mollie LaSalle
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thursday, September 8, brought news of global proportions from across the pond with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral in Scotland. 

This is one of those moments in time where history stops; one of those watershed moments where you find yourself part of history. I was too young to remember when John Kennedy was killed, yet that was the defining moment of the 20th century. This, in my opinion will go down as the defining moment of the 21st century.

Personally, I have always been fascinated with the coming and goings of the British Royal Family. I have read numerous books about almost everyone, including most recently, the story of Edward VIII’s abdication to marry the woman he loved; this set in motion the chain of events which would put Elizabeth on the throne.

I know I am not the only person who was beginning to feel that the Queen would live for many more years (her mother lived to be 102), so when news came that she was under medical supervision and family members were rushing to her bedside, that was not a good sign. Sure enough, around 1:30 (6:30 London time) came news of her passing. 

Elizabeth reigned for a phenomenal 70 years, 214 days. Her platinum jubilee was celebrated in July, with much fanfare and celebration. She became queen at the very young age of 25 in the days before television, cell phones and the internet were commonplace. In 1947, then Princess Elizabeth made a vow to her country. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” 

Her son, now King Charles III offered this tribute: “My mother’s reign was unequaled in its duration, its dedication, and its devotion, even as we grieve, we give thanks for this most faithful life.” He also praised his dear Mama and sovereign as “one of the most admired women who ever lived, her devotion to duty unwavering.” Two days before her passing, she met with newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss at Balmoral; Truss was her majesty’s 15th prime minister during her long reign. Even in her last few hours upon this earth, she was serving her country and performing her duty as Queen. 

Queen Elizabeth won praise for modernizing the monarchy and proved to be a very polarizing figure on the world stage. She had a total of 15 prime ministers under her watch, and she met 13 out if the last 14 American presidents. Queen Elizabeth was particularly fond of John F. Kennedy and his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and mourned his death with the rest of the world in November 1963. 

I have found myself glued to the television and laptop since her passing, taking in all the history and pageantry that unfolds from day to day. The images are somber and moving. Seeing her coffin moving through the streets of Scotland, people lining the route to get a glimpse of her funeral cortege is heartbreaking. The enormity of it all has finally sunk in; the queen is dead, and England has a new monarch. This is definitely a once in a lifetime event for most Britons and being able to see all the pomp and centuries old traditions carried out live as they happen is indescribable. When King Charles III gave his first speech, I could see the grief etched on his face. “My mother was a constant presence in a changing world”, and at his ascension council he further added that “I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me.” Prince William, now heir to the throne commented that “my grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. She was by my side at my happiest moments, and she was by my side during the saddest days of my life.” William’s brother Prince Harry offered a remembrance of his grandmother: “We are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected.” 

I cannot wrap this up without a quote from Elizabeth herself: “We are all visitors to this time, this place. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love…and them we return home.” 

I do not believe we shall ever see again in this lifetime another like Queen Elizabeth. She was the one constant in an ever- changing world. She belongs to the ages. In the end, all I have to offer is an old cliché, Well Done Thy Good and Faithful Servant. 

God Speed Your Majesty, you will be missed, but never forgotten.