Category Archives: 2024 election

The Dark Power of Propaganda in Anxious Times

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As a child, I wondered why and how the home of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart could become the land and culture of death, led by an insane little man named Hitler. I no longer wonder. The German people and institutions fell under the spell of propaganda. I now know how. An old friend commented on a recent Views from the Edge post.

Reader’s Comment

I think that your explanation is correct but I also think it has very much to do with the same effect that elected Hitler as chancellor. It’s a matter of convincing a people that they are victims. It’s a word that we don’t hear much – propaganda. The German word for propaganda in Nazi Germany was Propagandaministerium, which translates to the Ministry of Propaganda. The Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was the central institution of Nazi propaganda. It controlled all German mass media, including the press, literature, film, theater, music, and radio. Joseph Goebbels was in charge of the ministry.

Make no mistake – if Trump is elected, such practice will become the norm. As it is, his campaign is already using propaganda as the tool to convince the people that their lives are suffering because of the Democrats.

— Jim haugh

A documentary on how Hitler rose to power

How to win an Audience: Basic Principles of Propaganda from the Diary of Joseph Goebbels

Constantly repeat just a few ideas. Use stereotyped phrases.

Avoid abstract ideas — appeal to the emotions.

Give only one side of the argument.

Continuously criticize your opponents.

Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification.

Photograph of Joseph Goebbels and Nazi basic principles of propaganda.

I no longer wonder. I think I know

During the Third Reich, the Dutch family of Willem Zuurdeeg defied the laws of Nazi occupation. They became a safe harbor to Jews. He questioned what it was about homo sapiens that led good people to follow a madman. This inquiry became his life quest. His search for answers became his life passion. As a philosopher of religion, his search exceeded the boundaries of any particular school of philosophy.

photo of Professor Willem Zuurdeeg

Willem Zuurdeeg was Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. His early death at the age of 57 left his work unfinished. He entrusted his work to his colleague, Esther Swenson. She carried it forward to publication under the title Man Before Chaos: Philosophy Is Born in a Cry (1963, Abington Press).

In Man Before Chaos and An Analytical Philosophy of Religion, Zuurdeeg discusses language as the way human beings “establish their existence” in time. We are born in a cry for what is beyond our ability to produce. We are, in Zuurdeeg’s view, less homo sapiens (“man-who-knows”) than we are homo loquens (“man-who-speaks”) and homo convictus (“man-of-conviction”) who look for a secure footing in an anxious world.

Homo Convictus makes easy prey for propaganda. It happened in Germany. It has happened here. God help us!

Gordon C. Stewart, Public theologian, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf & Stock), 49 brief, stand-alone meditations on faith and public life. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, January 14, 2024.

How to Win an Election: Fear and Faith

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”There’s a gullible side to the American people. They can be easily misled. Religion is the best device used to mislead them.” — Michael Moore

Like the “Make America Great Again Bible,” the Trump campaign’s “Fear Not” marketing pitch preys on religious gullibility. For Christians, “fear not” brings to mind Jesus’s assurance: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It also reminds us of the angels’ message to shepherds, abiding in their fields by night” in Matthew’s birth narrative.

How and why anyone would send the chain e-mail message asking me to “Forward this message to 10 friends… I want to spread the LOVE,” is puzzling.

The message came with a photo advertisement for a “FEAR NOT” coffee mug, featuring former president Trump in a MAGA hat. His fist is raised in defiant resolve with “Old Glory” waving in the background.

photo of Trump campaign "Fear Not" coffee mug.

So, there you have it. FEAR NOT and LOVE together on a coffee mug featuring a mug shot of the “Chosen One” who uses the word G-d on occasions when it’s useful. What could be better?

The Relationship between Fear and Love

Fear and love lie next to each other at the heart of Christian faith. The First Letter of John describes the relationship this way. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”—1 John 4:18

The Christian story of Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah) begins and ends with fear.

And the angel said unto [the shepherds] ‘’Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’” – Gospel According to Luke 2:10, KJV.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus of Nazareth prays to be spared the horror awaiting him the next day. His plea is not granted. Yet Christians profess him Lord and Savior. He suffers torture and death on a cross outside the city walls on the Hill of Skulls. Before the wrenching cry of abandonment, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabchtani?” (My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”), Jesus cries out from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

A surprising way to end a Gospel

The original ending of the Gospel Mark, the earliest of the four New Testament Gospels, ends with fear. Young’s Literary Translation reads as follows:

And, having come forth quickly, they fled from the sepulchre, and trembling and amazement had seized them, and to no one said they anything, for they were afraid.

The Monday following the second attempt on his life, the Trump campaign announced that “Democrats’ rhetoric inspired another attempt on former President Trump’s life.” Recalling the earlier attack in Butler, PA, the former president spoke in religious terms.

“There’s something going on,” he said. “I mean, perhaps it’s God wanting me to be President to save this country. Nobody knows.” — Antonio Hitchens, The New Yorker, September 18, 2024.

An image on the Trump coffee mug also features graphic image that intertwines two American twisted into angel’s wings. The words at the top read:

“GOD SAID: NOT TODAY”

Alexis de Tocqueville’s Reflection on America

“Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” — Alexis de Tocqueville

Whether Tocqueville said it, or the presidents, senators, and other Americans in high places mistakenly attributed it to Tocqueville, makes little difference to its wisdom and warning. Without goodness, there can be no greatness.

Gordon C. Stewart, public theologian, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf & Stock), Brooklyn Park, MN, Dec. 15, 2024 (revised from unpublished draft written Sept. 20, 2024).

A Cautionary Tale: I Used to Wonder. Now I Know

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I have often wondered how the home of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart became the country of Adolf Hitler, the SS, SA, Brown Shirts and the Holocaust. I no longer wonder.

Third Reich Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels’ diary details the elements of propaganda that led German people to succumb to the spell of Hitler.

Propaganda: Basic Principles

  • Constantly repeat just a few ideas. Use stereotyped phrases.
  • Continuously criticize your opponents.
  • Avoid abstract ideas – appeal to the emotions.
  • Give only one side of the argument.
  • Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification.
Extracted from Goebbels’ diary

A documentary on why Germans followed Hitler

The Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was the central institution of Nazi propaganda. It controlled all German mass media, including the press, literature, film, theater, music, and radio. Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it; those who know it have a duty to learn and act accordingly.

Gordon C. Stewart, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf & Stock), 49 brief, stand-alone meditations on faith and public life. Writing from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, Nov. 5, 2024.

In the Strife of Truth with Falsehood

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer (4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945

The morning of April 9, 1945, German Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other leaders of the Confessing Church and resistance to Hitler and the Third Reich were hastily tried and hanged on the scaffold of Flossenburg Military Prison. Bonhoeffer was killed years a go, but his execution did not extinguish his light.

Bonhoeffer’s metaphor of stopping a madman from driving a car into a crowd of innocent bystanders shines a light on 2024. The American electorate in this moment will decide whether to put the steering wheel in the hands of a man who promises revenge.

Bonhoeffer and James Russell Lowell

Although the light of Bonhoeffer didn’t reach me until my early 20s, an oft-sung hymn from youth and childhood had prepared me to welcome Bonhoeffer. The lyrics of the hymn were from James Russell Lowell’s poem, “The Present Crisis.” The tune and lyrics make clear the intrinsic bond of faith and action. “Once to Every Man and Nation”was a call to abolish slavery.

Hymn Lyrics from “The Present Crisis”

Once to every man and nation Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, For the good or evil side; Some great cause, some new decision, Offering each the bloom or blight, And that choice goes by forever ‘Twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of evil prosper, Yet ’tis truth alone is strong; Though her portion be the scaffold, And upon the throne be wrong, Yet that scaffold sways the future, And, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above His own.

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, “THE PRESENT CRISIS,” 1845.

The Moment to Decide

Temptation of Christ

In this American moment the decision is between democracy and social pathology; between safeguarding the integrity of law under the U.S. Constitution and putting the steering wheel in the hands of a madman and his party. November 5 is the choice between truth and falsehood, principle and propaganda, bloom and blight. This moment will not wait for a later time.

The moment is now.

Gordon C. Stewart, Presbyterian Minister, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf & Stock), Brooklyn Park, MN, Nov. 4, 2024.

Ghosts on the Ballot

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Age has its advantages. Racing home from school to watch the House Army-McCarthy hearings, chaired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), is still fresh in my generation’s memory. Some indecencies never die. They’re like ghosts. The people we thought were dead reappear when the time is ripe. The 2024 election is such a moment. Take a look.

Some dragons are not slain

Some dragons cannot be slain. They become ghosts. In this season of the 2024 national election, I can’t believe my eyes. I see the ghosts of Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn. I hear their voices and see their scorn for decency.

Roy Cohn became infamous for representing the mob, a ‘fixer’ for hire. He sullied the reputations of innocent people, represented Donald Trump, and became his mentor. You might says tha tDonald became Roy’s apprentice before he became a popular entertainer on The Apprentice.

Winning was everything, and the way to win was to attack, threaten, lie, and bully. “Always attack! Never defend!” was his First Commandment. Winning was the only thing that mattered.

Roy Cohn Quotes: Wisdom From The Legend Himself

  • “I don’t believe in the concept of regret. I have no time for it.”
  • “I have a simple motto: Always attack, never defend.”
  • “In the end, winning is the only thing that matters.”
  • “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
  • “Hate is just a tool we use to control and manipulate others.”
  • “I don’t play by the rules, I make them.”
  • “The only thing worse than losing is being forgotten.”

Vote like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Gordon C. Stewart, Presbyterian Minister, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017 Wipf & Stock), 49 brief (2-4 page) social commentaries/ meditations on faith and public life; Brooklyn Park, MN, Oct. 25, 2024.

The Present Crisis and the Sum of Our Choices

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Out of the devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton, two roads diverge in a sodden wood. One road sees only what is urgent, the immediate needs for rescue and recovery. The other road, less traveled by, also looks farther for what is important. The road we choose in the Nov. 5 election will make all the difference. Listen to weatherman John Morales speak of his decision to do more than report the weather. Have a look.

Nothing is more important than a healthy planet. Nothing. When a candidate for high office calls climate change a hoax, move on. Do the same with “down-ballot” candidates and political parties that tap dance around the question. This election is about reality.

Presidents, senators, justices, and generals have spoken lines they attribute to Alexis de Tocqueville during his visit to America in 1831. “America is great because she is good, and if America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Facing the sin of slavery, James Russell Lowell wrote the poem that became the lyric of a hymn on which I was a raised. “Once to every man and nation, in the strife of truth with falsehood, comes the moment to decide….” This is a moment like that.

Looking for a Foothold

In time, God help us, the divisions among the American electorate will be healed. Yet, before there is healing, is a common weariness that crosses all lines of difference. Nobel Laureate Albert Camus described our situation when he wrote under the dark cloud that swept over the world in the 1930 and ’40s. Camus’s insight into the experience provides insight into how the absence of any foothold produced suffering in a period similar to ours

“The modern mind is in complete disarray,” wrote Camus. “Knowledge has stretched itself to the point where neither the world nor our intelligence can find a foothold. It is a fact that we are suffering from nihilism.”

The Sum of Your Choices

“Life is the sum of your choices.”

Albert Camus

The sum of our choices in this election will be who we are, and will determine what America will become. Votes for candidates and parties that substitute greatness for goodness, while avoiding or denying climate change, are votes against the future.

Vote like life your life, your children’s and grandchildren’s depend on it, because it does.

Gordon C. Stewart, public theologian, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf and Stock), Brooklyn Park, MN, October 10, 2024.