COMMENTARY: The hypocrisy of the hard right

MEMPHIS (Christian Examiner) — Trump holds and proclaims racist, sexist, and violent attitudes. Just look at the things he has said about women and minorities, his mockery of a disabled man, and his foul language directed at opponents.

For 99 percent of his adult life Trump has supported abortion, he owns strip clubs, and he has called for the killing of the families of terrorists.

In one breath the hard right argues for supporting the First Amendment's freedom of speech, and yet with the other they support the man who wants to shut up anyone who disagrees with him and has said he will make sure the laws are changed so that he can.

The hard right says they want religious liberty. Yet Trump is the biggest threat to religious liberty, threatening to kick out Muslims for their beliefs. They argue that it is okay because they are Muslims, but doesn't our constitution ensure protection for all religions?

When Trump accepted the support of the KKK, it reminded me of how differently Ronald Reagan responded to a KKK endorsement: "Those of us in public life can only resent the use of our names by those who seek political recognition for the repugnant doctrines of hate they espouse. The politics of racial hatred and religious bigotry practiced by the Klan and others have no place in this country, and are destructive of the values for which America has always stood."

I believe that we have a moral imperative to speak out against Trump; that this is about personal and party character.

For the sake of decency and religious liberty, we need to condemn Trump's racist, sexist, and violent attitudes and his declaration that Muslims should not be allowed in the country. Thankfully, many Christian leaders have been or have begun to speak out against Trump.

Michael Peasley is researcher, writer, and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis and a graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. His work has been published in a variety of academic journals, primarily in the area of marketing. He lives in Tennessee with his wife Kristin and their son Gavin.