Weeks ago, a former resident of Chautauqua County on social media posted a meme from VoteBlue picturing President Trump and a circle drawn around his ear lobe with a caption reading: “The most hated POS in the world, second only to Shitler.” Despite the gratuitous vulgarity and ignorant comparison, I brushed it off until I saw the results several days later of a survey revealing that nearly 50% of left-leaning Americans feel the murder of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk is somewhat justified.

The Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab released a report titled “Assassination Culture: How Burning Teslas and Killing Billionaires Became a Meme Aesthetic for Political Violence.” There’s no question about a broader “assassination culture” sadly on the rise.

After two assassination attempts on his life, the percentage of leftists in the survey somewhat justifying the murder of Trump is up to 55.2%, as 48.6% feel the same way about Musk. When asked about destroying Tesla dealerships, 57.6% gave it a “thumbs up.”

The report stated, “Taken together, the findings underscore the erosion of democratic norms and the growing acceptability of political violence in American discourse, particularly among ideologically extreme communities online.”

In justifying murder for politicians they don’t like, isn’t it ironic how the ones judging Trump to be a threat to democracy are indeed the ones eroding democratic norms?

There are deeper problems than democratic erosion. There’s a serious spiritual problem. An assassination culture feeds off of Marxism, fascism, and jihadism, but a worldview situated squarely on the Bible resoundingly refutes such a warped and wicked sub-culture justifying assassination.

It’s sad to see how the two major political parties factor into this culture! 29% of Republicans and 41% of Democrats suggested that it’s relatively justifiable to slay powerful political figures.

Hats and T-shirts circulating especially among the Left say, “86 47.” 86 commonly indicates rejection, refusal, or discarding. In slang, it refers to killing or assassinating. “47” obviously refers to Trump. In this spreading assassination subculture, what do leftists have in mind with “86 47?”

The former resident of our county recently posted another meme saying, “Trump Needs to Go. I No Longer Care How.” Does that include “86 47” too? The person’s page also includes posts from the “Christian Left,” which has on their page in bold capital letters stating, “PROUD RADICAL LEFT LUNATIC.” Leftism and Christianity hardly go together.

A pastor on their page put a plug in for his “church,” saying: “Looking for a place to worship this Easter? We are a church where Jesus, the healer, meets Jesus, the revolutionary, and where together, we grow a just and peaceful world.” I didn’t know Easter was so much about us and nothing about resurrection.

In contrast, a presidential message from the White House proclaimed, “This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ–the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.” Who gets Easter: the leftist “church” or the President hated by the Left with half of them legitimizing his assassination?

The Rev. Mel McGinnis is a Frewsburg resident. Comments may be sent to editorial@observertoday.com