Maybe God wants you to try harder, and in a different way.
Doug Mastriano was on a Mission From God™ to ensure Trump gets Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in 2024, regardless of what voters want.
His rallies resembled religious revivals; people bowed their heads, closed their eyes, raised their hands heavenward, and prayed (photo below). Pastors paraded across the stage, Mastriano unabashedly assailed separation of church and state, and called for government of, by, and for Christians (see story here). Reporters weren’t allowed in.
He even frightened some Republicans, who crossed party lines to vote for his moderate Democratic opponent (see story here), who won by more than 750,000 votes (see results here). As early as election night, it was evident that voters had rejected Mastriano’s narrow-minded view of humanity and misguided ideas about government, but he didn’t concede until Sunday, November 13, 2022 (see story here).
Afterward, ever the election denier, he cast aspersions on the election system, claiming “Pennsylvania is in great need of election reform.” This from a guy who bused rioters to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many of his supporters were convinced the Democrats had cheated (see story here). Quite a few of them believe QAnon’s outlandish conspiracy theory, too.
The very first thing to learn from any defeat is humility. God didn’t want him to win, or he would have. The election wasn’t stolen from him; God wouldn’t allow that. What happened was the voters didn’t trust him to respect their votes. This isn’t about election transparency or integrity; it’s about a flawed candidate.
Mastriano, who has a Ph.D. in history, should use the time now on his hands to study U.S. history with a more open mind. We aren’t a Christian nation; we’re a melting pot of many nationalities, ethnicities, and religions. This works only if government stays out of religion, and lets its citizens freely practice their many religions, preferring none to the others. The Constitution was written this way, and retooling his understanding of its history and meaning is where he should begin his self-renewal if he wants to stay in politics.
In his concession statement (read it here), Mastriano spoke of being “steadfast in our belief that everyone should walk as free people.” I have no idea what he considers “free,” but this is a guy who disputed the right of 81 million Americans to elect Joe Biden, didn’t want independent press reportage about his campaign, and pledged to de-register every Pennsylvania voter if he won. They made sure he can’t.
Mastriano may be a basket case, too far gone for salvation, but there’s one thing left to try: Prayer. The way to get prayers answered is by praying for the right things, for what God is willing to grant. So let’s all pray for divine guidance to give him a new birth of understanding, that he may someday believe in government of all the people, by all the people, and for all the people.
