In an extensive Twitter thread posted this Tuesday, cult expert Steven Hassan says that the "Cult of Trump" is actually comprised of various other Christian cults whose "Dominionist vision" is having an effect on American politics.
According to Hassan, "Dominionism" is the theocratic idea that Christians are called by God "to exercise DOMINION over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions" and anyone who opposes this approach is considered to be doing to the work of Satan. He adds that many of these cults operate on apocalyptic belief systems that warn of the impending reckoning that can only be tempered by divine intervention, and that's where Trump comes in.
Hassan then went on to list some of the Christian cults that make up the Cult of Trump, one of which is "The Family," which hosts the annual "National Prayer Breakfast" which every president since Eisenhower has attended and whose membership is thought to include Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos, Chuck Grassley plus many others.
Others include the"New Apostolic Reformation" (NAR), which is a "contemporary movement of networks of ministries led by (what they contend) are modern-day 'apostles.'" Then there's the "Opus Dei," a Secretive Catholic organization which "seeks out the elite and wealthy and work to place the Catholic Church to the center of society."
"Throughout history, Catholics and evangelicals haven't gotten along, but a year into Obama's presidency, they put differences aside to pledge to mutually fight for 3 shared goals which they said were ‘life, marriage, and religious freedom,'" Hassan writes.
Hassan also cites "The Moonies," which is right-wing cult started in 1954 by the late Sun Myung Moon, who claimed he was the Messiah. The cult is "highly intertwined" with the GOP, according to Hassan.
Read his entire Twitter thread here.
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