'Anointed by God': Di Christians wey see Trump as dia saviour

As e stand on one podium for Florida convention centre on di night of di election, and as plenty crowd tanda dey look am, Donald Trump declare say: “Many pipo don tell me say God spare my life for a reason, and dat reason na to save our kontri and to restore America to greatness.”

Dis na one of di most striking themes of im election campaign – say e dey chosen by God.

Even bifor di attempt on im life on 13 July for Butler, Pennsylvania, millions of Americans don already make up dia mind to support di former, and now future, president.

Some compare Trump to a Biblical figure.

Last year, on one Christian show FlashPoint, TV evangelist Hank Kunneman describe di election as “a battle between good and evil”, and add say: “Sometin dey on President Trump wey di enemy dey fear: dem dey call am anointing.”

Jim Caviezel, one actor wey play di character of Jesus for Mel Gibson The Passion of di Christ, tok say, although jokingly, say Trump be “di new Moses”.

Den, for di months wey lead up di election, many of im supporters refer to am as a “saviour”.

Di kwesion na why. Wetin make so many pipo see dis man as sent from God, pesin wey pipo know say im faith no too strong like dat.

And wetin dis tok about Christianity more broadly for kontri where di numbers of churchgoers dey reduce rapidly?

‘All of us don sin’

Reverend Franklin Graham na one of America best-known evangelists and di son of Billy Graham, arguably di most famous preacher for America.

Na one of di Trump believers, wey dey convinced without doubt say God choose di president-elect for dis mission.

“Di bullet wey go through im ear miss im brain by a millimetre, and im head turn just at di last second wen dem fire di gun,” e tok. “I believe say na God turn im head and save im life.”

Di kwesions wey dey ground about Trump character - including accusations of sexual misconduct, and im alleged affair wit adult film star Stormy Daniels plus di associated hush-money trial – no shake Oga Graham view.

“Remember wen Jesus tell di crowd, ‘Make di one wey dey without sin throw di first stone’ afta dat slowly, di entire audience begin disappear? All of us don sin.”

Part of di reason some Christians fit find am easier to look away from past questions of character na say during Trump first term for office, e deliver on one particular promise: to appoint anti-abortion judges to di US Supreme Court.

Oga Graham tok sayd dis na evidence say di president-elect na man of integrity.

“Dis na big win for Christians, for evangelicals,” e say. “We believe di president go defend religious freedom where di Democrats would not.”

Di selection of Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel already na hint say faith fit shape some foreign policy.

US evangelicals including Huckabee dey among di kontri most fervent supporters of Israel.

Many of dem believe say Jews suppose populate di whole of di area of biblical Israel, including wetin now be di occupied West Bank and Gaza, in order to hasten di events wey go leaden to di Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Religion wey dey reduce fast

In di past, Donald Trump bin tok say im get Presbyterian upbringing.

But despite im strong support from Christians for last week election, e no ever try hard to hard to convince dem for im most recent campaign say e be one of dem.

“I think e realise say e go dey too much if e begin argue say im na religious pesin, but instead e adopt a quid pro quo approach,” Robert Jones, founder and president of di Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), wey get long tracked religious trends for di US tok.

Dat approach bin centre on changes for demographics and falling numbers of churchgoers.

For di early 1990s, about 90% of US adults bin identify as Christians - dat figure don fall to to 64% earlier dis decade, according to data from Pew Research Center.

Dis, Dr Jones say na sometin Trump dey able to draw upon.

“Trump message na: ‘I know una dey reduce, I no una numbers no plenty. I know una children and grandchildren no dey affiliate wit your Churches anymore, but if you elect me, I go restore power to di Christian Churches.”’

No be all di Christians for US e win ova, however. For some, dia faith don guide dem to precisely di opposite impression of Trump.

'Trump don disgrace and downgrade'

In recent months, from di pulpit of Bible Ways Ministries for Atlanta, Georgia, Reverend Monte Norwood don dey share very different message to dat of Franklin Graham.

E for one, dey discouraged by last week election result.

“Trump don downgrade and humiliate just about anybody e fit, from immigrants to minorities to women to dos wey dey disabled,” e tok.

“White conservative Republican Christianity wey ignore character just dey hypocritical."

For long, e dey against di idea of a second Trump presidency, and e tok about am on social media and through activism as e encourage voter turnout - by helping oda black voters to register to vote and access free rides go di polls.

“I be Matthew chapter 25 kind of Christian - wia Jesus say: ‘Wen I dey hungry you feed me, wen I dey thirsty, you give me sometin to drink.’”

In history: Christian voting patterns

PRRI research bin look into voting records for history, no be only by religious practice and belief but also by race, and dem see say wen e come to political views, clear trends bin dey for decades.

“Almost without exception, white Christian groups dey often vote for Republican in presidential contests,” Dr Jones say. “Non-white Christian groups, non-Christian groups and voters wey no join body to any religion dey often vote Democrat.”

Dis pattern go back to di 1960s, e add, wen di Democratic party associate wit di civil rights movement and white Christian groups begin migrate to di Republican Party.

Ahead of di 2024 election, wey look voter intention suggest say for di most part dis pattern hold. “From our polling, we get Republican party wey be 70% white and Christian, and Democratic party wey be only one quarter white and Christian.”

According to di PPRI survey of 5,027 adults, white evangelical Protestant voters be di strongest backers of Trump ova Harris by 72% to 13%.

White Catholic voters also support Trump, 55% support am and 34% support Harris. White “mainline” non-evangelical Protestants show similar split.

By contrast 78% black Protestants support Harris while just 9% back Trump, according to di survey.

Harris supporter also include Jewish-Americans, di ones wey no join body wit any religion plus oda non-Christian Americans, according to di PPRI.

Wen e come to di actual vote, signs of departures bin dey from familiar patterns.

Di results from Michigan bin show one clear lurch towards di Republican Party by Muslim voters for di state, likely sake of di result of di Biden administration role in aiding Israel for di war for Gaza.

Analysis also show say more Latino Catholics vote for Trump dan expected, but previously na Democrat dem pull dia support for.

As for im appeal to traditionalist Christians, Dr Jones argue say faith play role to di idea of “Making America Great Again”, wit di promise of restoring di kontri Christian character.

Di future of faith for US

For all im political strength, one thing wey Trump no do na to hold back di tide of demographic change for US – wey include di move away from faith.

While di number of those wey define themselves as “atheist” remain lower for US pass most Western countries, those wey say dem be “religiously unaffiliated” dey grow.

Generational factor dey to dat, plus di familiar trends of personal economics wey mean say pipo get greater autonomy to move away from di accepted norms for dia communities. But oda reasons dey too.

One third of American atheists or agnostics say dem no follow dia childhood religion becos of di high-profile Church abuse scandals, according to one PPRI study.

In 2020, di Catholic Church release lists of living members of clergy for America dem see say dey accused of abuses, including some linked to child pornography and rape. Di list get around 2,000 names.

Two years later, di Southern Baptist Conference collection of US Protestant Churches release a list of hundreds of Church leaders wey dey accused of child abuse between 2000 and 2019.

E show di scale of di issue wey Trump dey face. Nevertheless, Franklin Graham dey optimistic.

“Church attendance no go go up next week becos President Trump dey elected - but wetin I think say e mean na say some laws wey go make am very difficult for pipo of faith no go come,” e say, e bin refer to di idea of more progressive legislation around, for example, abortion and gay and trans rights.

“E go protect pipo of faith, e go protect religious freedoms for dis kontri. I no tok about just Christian religious freedoms… [but] all pipo of faith.”

As to weda e dey right, Americans fit only watch and wait. But just as some dey rejoice in di promise of governance influenced by Christianity, odas dey nervous.