Former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan evolved into a cult-like movement across his three presidential races, with white evangelical Protestants at its core. About two-thirds of white evangelicals view Trump favorably, according to Pew Research Center, and Christian nationalism has morphed into a new type of faith where the MAGA community is the church and Trump is the savior. 

Religion involves the worship of one or more deities, and the MAGA community elevates Trump to the status of not just a leader, but a God-like figure. In fact, they treat him as a messiah, someone sent down to save America and democracy. Baptist minister and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said “God gave us Trump,” and the Republican presidential nominee has played a video at his rallies that echoes similar rhetoric. 

MAGA’s rise even brought some of my conservative family members into this new “religion.” They now own MAGA merchandise and proudly sport the crimson garments around their small Illinois town. As this goes on, MAGA feels more like a club — one that I’m not in, and maybe more accurately, a faith I don’t share.

I remember sitting in my home’s United Methodist church in Florida as a young kid listening to a pastor preach a sermon about how people should be able to recognize us as Christians by our actions. He then described the incredible community that Christians have whenever they realize their shared faith. That sermon now reminds me of my pro-Trump family members. When they see other people wearing the same MAGA merchandise, they appear more willing to bond because they can predict that they live the same lifestyle and hold the same religious and political beliefs.

I once watched two family members who weren’t close immediately bond at a family get-together because one was wearing a Trump-Vance 2024 shirt. The conservative garb appeared to spark an immediate friendship. The beauty in communal connection over shared beliefs that was previously reserved for religion has been reincarnated in the emergence of MAGA-ism. MAGA-ism has contributed to a following bigger than politics — one that is centered around a belief that Trump alone can save the country.

Last year, I attended a nondenominational Christian church one Sunday with my family to see my sister’s friend get baptized. There were people with pro-Second Amendment bumper stickers on their cars and people wearing MAGA paraphernalia, which I assume was not the case before Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The service opened with a hymn of “God Bless America,” invoking the atmosphere of a worship service for the country rather than for Jesus. By the time the baptism was over, I wasn’t sure which one she was baptized for.

I recently had a conversation with a southerner like myself, who agreed that church in the South is more of a social and cultural activity. In my experience, there is a large swath of people attending white churches in the South who attend service to dress up, see their friends, sing songs and then head to brunch. But when Fox News’ latest reporting becomes a subliminal part of the discussion at church and Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again” is the gospel, that’s when the overlap gets incredibly scary.

Trump’s words now supersede everything any reliable news network or political opponent says. Trump’s position as a savior who can say nothing wrong is what led to supporters waving their MAGA and “Appeal to Heaven” flags with pride on Jan. 6, 2021, vouching for a man that expressed wanting to hang his vice president and overturn a free and fair election. These people, though certainly not representative of all evangelical Trump supporters, threatened a core tenet of our democracy because they will do anything for the person they believe will save them. 

It has been almost four years since Jan. 6, 2021, and it’s only going to get worse if Trump is elected this year because the movement — and with it, his power — is growing. Trump got 10 million more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016, polling shows that more men are supporting his 2024 run and the race is still in dead-heat. 

The amalgamation of church, the country and Trump must go. There is a sacred communal aspect to religion. But true religion follows a good, forgiving God, and there is no room for Trump to share that stage because he is the antithesis of such a deity. During and after this election — especially if Trump wins — I implore people to find solace in a healthy spiritual setting instead of following him. A God would not be racist, abuse women and be a convicted felon, so why worship — or even tolerate — Trump?