My father was a fundamentalist Baptist minister who died at the end of the 20th century. From the beginning of my life in the ’40s, I was taught my job as a Christian was to engage in “soul winning.” I was to ask a fellow traveler on Earth if they “personally knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,” or if they believed that “Jesus Christ had saved them from their sins.” If the response was negative, it was my responsibility to teach them the “plan of salvation.” In today’s world, people like my father identify as evangelicals, where this practice of “evangelism” is their mission.

I am thoroughly puzzled as to how and why evangelicals support Mr. Trump for president. It seems he has won their souls, believing that only Trump will save them from whatever is wrong in American life. For me, Mr. Trump’s words and deeds are antithetical to the basic Christian message of “love your neighbor as yourself.”

I believe in that message, even though I no longer self identify as Christian. In the parlance of the Pew Research Center, I identify as a “none,” one who is not affiliated with any religious enterprise.

Nelson Hart
Gorham

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