The ultra-conservative Dr. Ben Carson delivered the very first speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference and showcased his rabid conservatism, reported The Huffington Post. Many talked about his religious prowess more than his politics.
“He is a godly man. And if you are a godly man, then all the other adjectives fall into place: morals, values, and Christian faith,” said Carson supporter Ellen Harris. “He is a breath of fresh air.”
As the HuffPo noted, “Carson’s supporters seem to feel an almost spiritual connection to the man.” They were in awe of Carson, and they revered him as some sort of ultra-pious religious leader. Many things said about Carson are the same kinds of things that followers of David Koresh or Jim Jones might say.
“He is a god-fearing man,” said Jackie Donney, another Carson supporter. “The only way he would run is if God grabbed him by the collar and shook him. And when I met him last night, I said, ‘I’m sure glad God is shaking you by the collar telling you to run.”
“There is just something about him,” said Harris’ daughter, Ashlyn Knaur. “He just has this air of wisdom, almost like he was born to do this, appointed by some higher power to do this. He does have that extra something that nobody else does.”
Carson cites God as the reason for many of his actions and speeches. When he criticized Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast about the Affordable Care Act in 2013, Carson said it was because “God had something up his sleeve.” A former medical colleague even once likened Carson to some spiritual being.
“He could walk into the patient’s room the evening before the surgery, meet the parents for the first time, speak to them for a few minutes, and it was as if God had entered the room,” wrote the late Dr. John Freeman in his memoir. “He is one of the very few individuals that I can honestly say ‘walks on water.’”
There’s no doubt that Carson had a highly-regarded and well-deserved reputation in the medical field. However, comparing him to God or assert him as some spiritual godsend in this manner is a long stretch. It’s almost cult-like.
