(PresidentialHill.com)- Former President Donald Trump announced last week that he was launching a bid for the White House in 2024, but he’s not being supported by all Christian organizations, as he once was.
In fact, one particular Christian organization launched a petition that thousands of people have already signed that condemn Trump’s run.
Trump announced last Tuesday that he’ll be running for president — becoming the first candidate to officially throw his hat in the ring — and the very next morning, Faithful America started its petition online. In the week since it’s been posted, it has gotten more than 14,000 people to sign it.
The petition reads that Trump gave a speech announcing his candidacy that was “laced with fearmongering and lies,” making it clear he “intends to double down on the fascist tactics” that ultimately led to the “Christian-nationalist” attack at the U.S. Capitol building back on January 6 of 2021.
The petition reads:
“We don’t know much yet about how the 2024 election will play out, but one thing is certain: Another Trump presidency would be a disaster for our country. Multiple power-hungry pastors and Christian-nationalist leaders like Mike Huckabee, Mark Burns and Eric Metaxas are already lining up to stand with him, falsely pretending they speak for all Christians.”
In putting up the petition, Faithful America calls on Christians to “speak out” and “make it clear that Donald Trump does not share our values and will never have our votes.”
It may seem odd that a Christian group would oppose Trump’s candidate for presidency, but it’s important to note that there is a difference between Christian nationalists — who are often associated with Trump — and other Christian groups.
That’s what the Reverend Nathan Empsall, who serves as Faithful America’s executive director pointed out recently. He said that Trump “weaponized” religion during each of his two campaigns for president thus far on repeated occasions.
Empsall further expanded on his thoughts in a statement he provided to Newsweek that said:
“The insurrectionist ex-president repeatedly weaponized religion in his last two campaigns, and 2024 will be no different. Neither the country nor the church can afford another four years of this charlatan’s fascism, racism, misinformation or ego.
“Contrary to what Trump and his Christian-nationalist allies preach, Christianity is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who taught us love, equality and dignity — values the vast majority of American Christians understand, and values they hold dear, and remember when we vote.”
Faithful America has also launched other petitions. One they put forth in early November condemned many Republicans such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia of being “false prophets.”
That particular petition, which has garnered more than 15,000 signatures, said:
“Leaders of the Christian nationalist movement come to us in sheep’s clothing by claiming to speak for Jesus, but ultimately prove themselves to be ravenous wolves who manipulate the language of religion and care only for themselves, devouring the rights of non-Christians, women, migrant families, voters and the LGBTQ community.”
