Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

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A CONTROVERSIAL edition of the Bible, created in collaboration with pro-MAGA and “conservative Christian” songwriter Lee Greenwood, was endorsed by Donald Trump this week.

In promoting the Big Big Book of Bullshit—titled God Bless the American Bible—Trump declared on his Truth Social site:

Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe that we need to bring them back … Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again.

Trump said he has many Bibles in his home and called it his favourite book, although in 2016 he was unable to name his favourite verse.

But in a pre-Easter Truth Social video he said of God Bless the American Bible:

I want to have a lot of people … have it … you have to have it for your heart and for your soul.

The King James version contains a copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The book will also have a “handwritten chorus” of “God Bless the USA” by Greenwood.

Though the book’s website claims it is “the only Bible endorsed by President Trump,” it dismisses any official affiliation with Trump’s campaign.

“No, GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign,” the website’s FAQ reads, adding a legal disclaimer that the book is merely using Trump’s name and likeness as a paid license.

The FAQ also addresses the question: “What is my Bible has sticky pages?”

Because the editors were jerking off over the naughty bits it contains? Nope.

Right answer:

No worries, this is very common with new Bibles that have gold gilding around the edges of the paper. For your convenience, we have provided links to a Youtube [sic] video that does a wonderful job of explaining how to break your new Bible in.

The FAQ adds:

GodBlessTheUSABible.com uses Donald J. Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.

In 2021 critics ran an online petition asking Christian publishing giant Zondervan to cancel its licencing of the God Bless the USA Bible, slamming it for promoting American nationalism and exceptionalism. The petition said:

This is a toxic mix that will exacerbate the challenges to American evangelicalism, adding fuel to the Christian nationalism and anti-Muslim sentiments found in many segments of the evangelical church.

Reacting to the Trump’s endorsement, The Friendly Atheist wrote:

It’s not clear what Trump’s personal involvement is here—or how much of a cut he gets for every copy sold—but it’s a perfect opportunity to remind conservative Christian voters that their faith and his politics are intertwined. He’s quite literally pandering to Christians, selling them something they already own (and could easily get for free) at a time when he’s desperate for cash.

Last month offered $399 gold sneakers, which were parodied by Saturday Night Live in a sketch called “White Men Can Trump.” He has also been selling a ludicrous line of “digital trading cards.”

Those hoping to get their hands on a Trump Bible by Easter Sunday might be out of luck: the website said to allow up to 4-6 weeks for delivery “due to high order volume.”

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