Contemplate the irony of this one

| 3:00 pm EDT June 20, 2023
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As many of you know, back in my youth I was a member of what is loosely referred to as the “evangelicals.” Many, but not all, of the people I used to know later became MAGA Republicans. I cannot imagine how they made the journey from loving decency to wild-eyed, hateful fanaticism. It makes no sense to me. But make the journey they have.

If you think it’s a baffling transition for anyone to make I can assure you that you’re nowhere near half as baffled as I am. I cannot account for what some of the people I used to know have become. It’s beyond my imagination to understand how it happened.

Let me put it another way. If you aren’t surprised by what evangelicals have become because you view religion as evil then you’re being too simplistic. We were indoctrinated week on week and year on year with the notion that loving your neighbour was a virtue. How could that have evolved into hating your neighbour?

It’s analogous to running into someone you haven’t seen in 40 years who has deteriorated to the point where they are unrecognisable. You can’t believe that years could do so much damage irrespective of the number. And yet, there it is. But it’s worse even than that, because they’ve consciously decided to deteriorate while claiming to continue to diet and exercise and take care of themselves. Yet clearly they deliberately — even joyously — turned their backs on what they once were in order to become dumpy and unhealthy and repellant.

If I’d known them throughout those years no doubt the transformation would be less shocking. But I still can’t explain how one goes from feeding the hungry and taking care of the sick to starving the hungry and denying medical attention to the sick.

Ask any evangelical about the parable of the Sheep and the Goats and they will probably be able to approximate the idea behind it. It’s where, in the end times, Jesus divides everyone into two groups, those who cared for the poor and less fortunate and those who did not. The former he called the “sheep,” the latter the “goats.” I have actually had an evangelical refer to me as a sheep for following Joe Biden, and refer to Donald Trump as “the GOAT,” that is, the Greatest Of All Time. Contemplate that irony for a moment.

I conclude from all this that their descent into hatred means I never really knew them. It’s like living for years next door to a perfectly lovely old lady only to discover she’s a serial murderer. Though I have shed the religion of my youth and exchanged it for a healthy scientific agnosticism, I have not shed the idea of the difference between good and evil. Good is what some of the evangelicals I knew used to be, evil is what they have become. Whatever the explanation, however unbelievable the transition, the hideous change is undeniable. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.