What I find particularly perplexing—especially as an ethnic Christian who does not follow the faith—is that pre-campaign Trump was pro-choice. I've never understood why my Christian friends and co-citizens accept being pandered to on this issue to lock in their votes. Especially when other platforms, to me—especially when I ardently followed the faith—seem inexplicably counter to Christ's commands and teachings. That Trump is demonstrably antithetical to the person of Christ and exhibits none of the fruits of the Spirit leave me utterly dumbfounded at the abject disavowal of their principles and surrendering unto Caesar for the chance to push their religious convictions as legitimate and defensible grounds for coercive public policies (that won't affect them because they embody the principles they already live by).
> The left also treats Christians with disdain. You have to get people on side if you want them to vote for you. Not tell them they're idiots.
Sadly, the right, and many hyper-political Christians and their various organizations do the same thing here, treating those who disagree with them with disdain. Saying they're going to hell. Calling them idiots, fags, feminazis, and more. They feel justified in viscerally attacking those who are outside their tribe. Both sides only succeed in alienating their fellow citizens and prefer to divide and conquer to push their agendas. Since 1992, few Republicans, and even fewer conservative Christians, have done anything particularly noteworthy in the realm of refusing the politics of divisive disdain to get people on their side.
> Immigration in the states is not in a good way, having so many people living illegally is not good for anyone. Trump might sound harsh but at least he is willing to tackle the problem (even in a way I'd not go for).
You know what would really help tackle this problem, but will never happen as a systemic and rigorous response? Going after the businesses and employers who utilize illegal labor to profit, and punishing them severely for breaking the law. And then doing it again. And again. If there wasn't a ready market willing to exploit illegal immigrants, there'd arguably be a far more manageable problem. Instead of going after those American business owners and operators who choose this route, we instead focus all the blame and punishment on the immigrants themselves, who are—for myriad reasons—seeking a better life in the states. We give the issue over to the crucible of politicization, enabling it to boil and froth and invoke the anger of those who are economically displaced and otherwise left behind. We let the anger boil over, shoving it back under the rug, back in the closet, hoping it will go away. One side chooses to stoke this into a xenophobic fervor. The other side sits weakly on the sidelines, professing empathy for the plight of immigrants, while showing little understanding toward those who are growing angry.
If we are going to remain a nation of laws, then fidelity to law must remain our guiding ideal. People want to come to America. They want to have citizenship, with all its benefits and responsibilities. We should make that easier. Employers want to take advantage of cheap illegal labor. They want to pay under the table, and enable the problem. We should make that a much more painful path to choose. Next time a group of illegal workers are discovered, how about we quietly connect them with immigration officials and get their paperwork started, while making a huge media deal of arresting the people who hired them and hauling them off to jail?
We can solve problems without making people afraid.
The primary problem with Trump and his most vocal supporters, as far as the opposition is concerned, is that they've packaged these problems and their messages in a demonstrably angry—I dare say hateful-sounding—package. And it is scary to those who feel like they're the target of the anger. They feel the disdain. The hate. They say they hear (hopefully metaphorical and rhetorical) calls for blood. This should not be.