This is well worth listening to. This is why I am convinced that grace will be absolutely necessary in this fight. The conversion that will be necessary will take far more than human will to accomplish. Pray for that grace to be given the Cult but pray as well for grace to be given those who are trying to oppose the Cult, because the temptation of the Older Brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is very real. A familiarity with the Donatists, who survived persecution only to become enemies of the Church’s mercy for those who failed is a necessary consideration. One of the most spiritually dangerous places to be is In the Right. It is so incredibly easy to assume, because of that, that one is righteous, especially when, in addition to being right, you have been wronged.
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When Bernie Madoff was exposed as a fraud, many of his investor-victims refused to believe it. They still believed in him. Why? Because to admit that you were wrong, that what you believed was a scam is too difficult to handle. They simply could not handle the truth.
The MAGA cult is similar. To admit that you were duped by a cartoonish carnival barker is to admit that you were stupid. That is very difficult.
Trump operates on resentment. His followers resent immigrants, gays, non Christians, anybody who is different. He gives them permission to hate. How wonderful, you can hate and still be a “good Christian.”
Some MAGA people are starting to have doubts, which is the first step. They need to think critically, stop the hero worship and start moving towards a more sane worldview. It’s difficult but can be done.
I kind of disagree: the truth sets FREE. It does not bring shame.
Partial truths being shame, but the fullness of truth brings clarity, comfort and freedom.
While it may be the case that it is *some portion* of the truth to say that one has been taken in, through stupidity, by a scam…the FULL truth would be that scammers are clever enough to “get” to loads of people.
That doesn’t necessarily make scammers smart. But it also doesn’t necessarily mean that the prey are stupid. It does mean that we were *vulnerable* to the scam.
Therefore: to admit one has been scammed could involve tracing through to located the particular point of origin of vulnerability. What made me so “stupid” to that precise scam, in that precise moment? That is a MUCH better question, and more truthful one.
Hey Mark: are you reading this? Scammers gonna scam. It’s what they do. But shaming those who get scammed (by cults, by groomer-abusers, and the like) is NOT the way.
And denying that something is a scam is not truthful either.
… backstory: I was spiritually abused years ago because I gave a “quirky foreigner” way too much credit. “That’s just the way those quirky foreigners are!” I would tell myself. Instead of paying attention to the red flags.
Was I stupid? No. I was being generous and giving a weird, socially awkward dude a chance in a harsh world. That’s what I thought, at least. I also thought I was being “kinder” and more “forbearing” with his flaws.than All Those Others Out There.
Guess what. It was just a regular old scam at the end of the day.
But that’s not MY fault, primarily. It was his.
I did regret giving him quite so many repeat chances to not be a liar and a grifter. I just couldn’t see that he was INTENT on being a liar and a grifter and that it was not in my power to stop.him from being such. It was his choice.
But I had to choose to walk away.
And no, I am not ashamed that I was taken in. It can happen to anyone.
Live and learn. And let go.
There is an old saying that goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
A little cynicism when dealing with people who claim to have all the answers is not a bad thing. This applies to both Bernie Madoff and Donald Trump. Con artists extraordinaire.
It still amazes me how right wing Catholics and Evangelicals idolize Trump with an intensity bordering on idolatry. He reminds me of a used car salesman, yet the religious right adores him. This does not speak well of the religious right.
They should feel shame that they have been bamboozled by such an obvious BS artist. Note to right wing Catholics: try a little critical thinking for a change.
MAGA is with rare exception, not a class of well meaning but insufficiently skeptical people taken in by a master manipulator.
Trump didn’t make these people. They made him. They clamored for everything he was selling. The racism, the misogyny. The celebration of cruelty.
They deserve no benefit of doubt or victim status
Here is a site a former MAGA set up for others like him who walk away.
They face ridicule and ostracism from people they thought were their friends, so he created an online community:
https://leavingmaga.org/they-left-maga/kc-cain/
Kindness is always in season, Will. Our mistakes do not define us.
Yes, kindness helps, a lot. It would be nice if the MAGA people practiced it. By the way, can we call the MAGA people “maggots.” Kind of appropriate.