One people under one God
"One people under one God saluting one flag" is a phrase used repeatedly by Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign season beginning with a speech in Greenville, North Carolina on September 5, 2016. Christian media commentators have likened it to Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism". Christian Today termed the use of the phrase "a rare mention of religion by the Republican presidential nominee" in early September.
At about the same time, Reuters also said Trump "rarely mentions religion" and used the phrase as an illustration that Trump's campaign, previously centered around confrontational issues, had begun to invoke religion to appeal to voters and build a unified base.
Reactions
The use of the phrase was praised by some Christians and criticized by others; more criticism came from the American Humanist Association, religious liberty groups including the general counsel for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Barry Lynn, Muslim groups, as specifically endorsing Christianity as a governing principle. A conservative political analyst writing at RedState expressed concern that the phrase, if taken literally, would result in "deport all the Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, atheists" and criticized its use by a Presidential candidate. The Christian Post noted how the phrase came immediately after a reference to John 4:12 on at least one occasion in front of an evangelical association. CNSNews.com noted that the phrase was used in a speech where Trump said of Phyllis Schlafly's political beliefs: "She understood that to be truly united as a country, we can't simply turn to government or to politicians. The bedrock of our unity is the realization that we're all brothers and sisters created by the same God." An Inquisitr opinion piece said Trump had "paraphrased the infamous Nazi Party slogan ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!" (one people, one empire, one leader).
Bill Maher used the phrase as an illustration of a candidate pandering to a religious base, not evidence of personal convictions.
After 2016 elections
After Trump became President of the United States, he repeated a similar phrase, "one people, with one home, and one flag" at in August, 2017. In September, 2017, addressing his remarks about the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, he used a variant of the phrase, "we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God".
At about the same time, Reuters also said Trump "rarely mentions religion" and used the phrase as an illustration that Trump's campaign, previously centered around confrontational issues, had begun to invoke religion to appeal to voters and build a unified base.
Reactions
The use of the phrase was praised by some Christians and criticized by others; more criticism came from the American Humanist Association, religious liberty groups including the general counsel for Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and Barry Lynn, Muslim groups, as specifically endorsing Christianity as a governing principle. A conservative political analyst writing at RedState expressed concern that the phrase, if taken literally, would result in "deport all the Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, atheists" and criticized its use by a Presidential candidate. The Christian Post noted how the phrase came immediately after a reference to John 4:12 on at least one occasion in front of an evangelical association. CNSNews.com noted that the phrase was used in a speech where Trump said of Phyllis Schlafly's political beliefs: "She understood that to be truly united as a country, we can't simply turn to government or to politicians. The bedrock of our unity is the realization that we're all brothers and sisters created by the same God." An Inquisitr opinion piece said Trump had "paraphrased the infamous Nazi Party slogan ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!" (one people, one empire, one leader).
Bill Maher used the phrase as an illustration of a candidate pandering to a religious base, not evidence of personal convictions.
After 2016 elections
After Trump became President of the United States, he repeated a similar phrase, "one people, with one home, and one flag" at in August, 2017. In September, 2017, addressing his remarks about the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, he used a variant of the phrase, "we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God".
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