Watching the political situation in the US, I asked myself: “Why do Christians like Trump so much?” How is it that he can do no wrong in their eyes? As someone who agonises over the atrocities that Russia is committing in Ukraine, I again wonder, why is there such strong support for Putin among some Christians in the US?

I’m convinced that it comes down to the fact that Christians serve the biggest narcissist that humanity has ever known (if we just pretend for a moment that God even exists). Based on the Bible’s own words, God, who supposedly created humanity in his own image, is always so disappointed with humanity. When this perfect, all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God encounters these disappointments, how does he rectify the situation? Kill everyone in a flood. Rain down fire and brimstone. Scatter people across the earth and confuse them by giving them different languages. Instruct his people to ruthlessly, mercilessly, murder all of their people, all while giving a special mention that they should not even spare infants.

If you read the Bible and take it literally, the rational picture of God that emerges is much more akin to a psychopath who teeters on a knife-edge between sanity and blind rage than an omnipotent, omnipresent being who burns with love for his creation. Yet, Christians grow up reading about this God and justifying his actions, defending his horrendous character. Christians are primed from day one to accept and defend narcissistic, strongman, might is right behaviour.

So when looking at Putin or Trump through that lens, is it really surprising that this feels safe, familiar, acceptable, and right to them? Sure, Putin is ending thousands of lives with his brutal invasion every day without any good reason (for those not swept up in Russian propaganda), but why would that shock you when the God you worship and dedicated your life to immediately resorted to mass murder as his go to plan the moment things weren’t exactly as he wanted.

Christians are taught to be followers. At the very heart of Christianity is the notion of blindly following. Even if nothing makes sense, follow God and the Bible. Even when reality is in absolute stark contrast to what the Bible says, keep believing. It is to Christians what dicing onions is to a chef. Trump’s genius move was to hack this for his benefit and become their guy. Sure, he did some despicable things but look, he’s pro life. End of story. Add to that an endorsement of Trump from their Pastor on a Sunday morning and the endorsement might as well have come from God himself.

Meanwhile, Ukraine burns. Trump promises to end the war by giving Putin what he wants. Delinquent countries like Iran, North Korea and China are emboldened. American institutions are being weakened so that the strongman can rule unimpeded. It’s a recipe for disaster, not only for the US, but for the world.