No one minds when fundamentalist Christians attend the churches of their choice, interpret the Bible in a manner that pleases them or even when they spread their faith through voluntary channels. That is the promise of the First Amendment – but it is never enough for many of these folks.

Claims that God put someone in office are scary. From the Christian emperors of the late Roman Empire and the “divine right” kings of the Middle Ages up to the theocrats of today, leaders who assert they’re God’s choice are usually just trying to squelch criticism.

The Religious Right no longer cares about character. If the movement’s followers must discard principle and twist themselves into knots to appoint Trump a kind of latter-day prophet, they’re willing to do it.