Welcome To the Christian Theocracy Called The United States of America (1 Viewer)

[Huntn]

It’s just a matter of time …if certain people get their way:
Evidence from 2022:

U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at separation of church and state​

U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at separation of church and state

The conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court has chipped away at the wall separating church and state in a series of new rulings, eroding American legal traditions intended to prevent government officials from promoting any particular faith.

www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court has chipped away at the wall separating church and state in a series of new rulings, eroding American legal traditions intended to prevent government officials from promoting any particular faith.

In three decisions in the past eight weeks, the court has ruled against government officials whose policies and actions were taken to avoid violating the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibition on governmental endorsement of religion - known as the "establishment clause."
The court on Monday backed a Washington state public high school football coach who was suspended by a local school district for refusing to stop leading Christian prayers with players on the field after games. read more
On June 21, it endorsed taxpayer money paying for students to attend religious schools under a Maine tuition assistance program in rural areas lacking nearby public high schools. read more
On May 2, it ruled in favor of a Christian group that sought to fly a flag emblazoned with a cross at Boston city hall under a program aimed at promoting diversity and tolerance among the city's different communities. read more

• Is seperation of church and state a real thing? YES, it is, the Establishment Clause and a famous statement from Thomas Jefferson that the Establishment Clause is the wall between Church and State.
• But then there are certain Christians who think that freedom of religion means freedom to shove your religion down other people’s throats. When it actually means freedom to practise your religion, not shoving it down other people’s throats, and for the other half, freedom from religion.

 

[nolaspe]

This really pisses me off but I'm not surprised in the least...

Louisiana House passes 'Don't Say Gay' bill to ban talk of gender, sexuality in schools

The Louisiana House approved a bill Tuesday that would ban discussions of sexuality and gender in classrooms and extracurricular activities, just one of several recent legislative bills that would impact

www.nola.com

 

[MT15]

This is an editorial today in the NYT by a Christian conservative woman who is dismayed by what she is seeing in the Christian Nationalist movement. It’s worth the read, and my link should be outside the paywall. It gives me hope that not everyone in the evangelical church is going to acquiesce to this takeover.

“I recently attended a conference devoted to spiritual maturity. Of the attendees, a large percentage were pastors. Some had flown in, seeking anonymity for fear of job loss or reprisal. Many had dared to raise hard questions, challenging their congregation to think deeply about immigration, puzzle through the church’s treatment of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, to dive into Scripture and to find answers.
For some, just making the suggestion had put their neck on the line. One pastor was recently fired. Another, who was nearing the end of his career, lamented: Where did I go wrong in my teaching? Am I complicit in this movement? Have I created this monster? I have failed my flock.

I can think of no better illustration of the calamitous force of Christian nationalism than a room full of faith leaders, regret lined deep in their brows, expressing shame and disappointment in those they were called to lead.”

Opinion | What Christian Nationalism Has Done to My State and My Faith Is a Sin (Published 2023)

Wyoming’s new crop of lawmakers seems intent on stripping us of our autonomy and our ability to make decisions for ourselves.

www.nytimes.com

What Christian Nationalism Has Done to My State and My Faith Is a Sin

 

[superchuck500]

 

[Huntn]

I would not call it “wacky” but anti-democratic (a minority dictates to the majority) and anti-constitutional.

 

[SystemShock]

This is an editorial today in the NYT by a Christian conservative woman who is dismayed by what she is seeing in the Christian Nationalist movement. It’s worth the read, and my link should be outside the paywall. It gives me hope that not everyone in the evangelical church is going to acquiesce to this takeover.

“I recently attended a conference devoted to spiritual maturity. Of the attendees, a large percentage were pastors. Some had flown in, seeking anonymity for fear of job loss or reprisal. Many had dared to raise hard questions, challenging their congregation to think deeply about immigration, puzzle through the church’s treatment of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, to dive into Scripture and to find answers.
For some, just making the suggestion had put their neck on the line. One pastor was recently fired. Another, who was nearing the end of his career, lamented: Where did I go wrong in my teaching? Am I complicit in this movement? Have I created this monster? I have failed my flock.

I can think of no better illustration of the calamitous force of Christian nationalism than a room full of faith leaders, regret lined deep in their brows, expressing shame and disappointment in those they were called to lead.”

Opinion | What Christian Nationalism Has Done to My State and My Faith Is a Sin (Published 2023)

Wyoming’s new crop of lawmakers seems intent on stripping us of our autonomy and our ability to make decisions for ourselves.

www.nytimes.com

What Christian Nationalism Has Done to My State and My Faith Is a Sin

I thought about a reply to that editorial, but I don't think this site can handle that many characters . I'd love to sit with this woman, a Bible in one hand and a history book in the other.

 

[MT15]

The crazed zealots are practicing in Africa what they plan to do here:

 

[MT15]

I hope they take away their religious exemption, bunch of crooks.

 

[Incumbent]

Thought this was spot on.

 

[SystemShock]

Thought this was spot on.

I'd like it if Mr. Lambert would point out the "faulty biblical interpretations" he's referring to.

It's the other way around, Mr. Lambert. You really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics and reinterpretations to not find bigotry, oppression, and marginalization in the Bible.

 

[Huntn]

I'd like it if Mr. Lambert would point out the "faulty biblical interpretations" he's referring to.

It's the other way around, Mr. Lambert. You really have to do a lot of mental gymnastics and reinterpretations to not find bigotry, oppression, and marginalization in the Bible.

I don’t believe in the Bible as the work of God, but as a compilation of documents by human beings as pseudo-historical writings, manufactured ”God” stories, and in some cases their best guess about what “God“ would expect of humans, ie a book of morality as it existed at the time it was written. I do agree that bigotry, oppression, and margilization are in it. These ancient writings were taken by the Catholic Church, massaged and turned into the book of God, so the entire document can be regarded as faulty.

But if you step back and regard it as just a book of moral rules, ie good practices (when you can find such things) , such as “don’t steal, don’t murder” etc, and include words/teachings attributed to Jesus (whether he or anyone said them), so then when “faulty Bible Quotes” are mentioned, it boils down to picking and only choosing what suits the individual and ignoring what does not, taking a quote possibly out of context and twisting its meaning for whatever advantage that can be achieved in the political arena, fooling the sheep, then this becomes faulty Bible quotes, twisting the original intent or meaning into something else especially for personal/political advantage.

 

[SystemShock]

But if you step back and regard it as just a book of moral rules,

it makes it clear it is an immoral book. and that mental gymnastics have to be performed at a high level to apologize for the bigotry, oppression, and marginalization expressed in "the word of God".

 

[SFIDC3]

I don’t believe in the Bible as the work of God, but as a compilation of documents by human beings as pseudo-historical writings, manufactured ”God” stories, and in some cases their best guess about what “God“ would expect of humans, ie a book of morality as it existed at the time it was written. I do agree that bigotry, oppression, and margilization are in it. These ancient writings were taken by the Catholic Church, massaged and turned into the book of God, so the entire document can be regarded as faulty.

But if you step back and regard it as just a book of moral rules, ie good practices (when you can find such things) , such as “don’t steal, don’t murder” etc, and include words/teachings attributed to Jesus (whether he or anyone said them), so then when “faulty Bible Quotes” are mentioned, it boils down to picking and only choosing what suits the individual and ignoring what does not, taking a quote possibly out of context and twisting its meaning for whatever advantage that can be achieved in the political arena, fooling the sheep, then this becomes faulty Bible quotes, twisting the original intent or meaning into something else especially for personal/political advantage.

I believe it is a fairy tale with sprinklings of real history occasionally appearing....

 

[Booker]

I believe it is a fairy tale with sprinklings of real history occasionally appearing....

More like a fairy tale that occasionally uses an historical setting mixed with rantings of zealots. There’s literally nothing in the Bible that has any corroborating evidence, but there’s plenty that has been shown to be complete bullshirt.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[zztop]

I found a twitter account with a bunch of fun things:

 

[Huntn]

These people have the ball, they’r running like hell for their goal line…

 

[Huntn]

I found a twitter account with a bunch of fun things:

Especially they conveniently overlook the part about seperation of church and state…

 

[MT15]

This has already been proposed in Ohio, so be aware that Christian Nationalists are looking to replace guidance counselors in school. Further in the thread she highlights how ethical pastors are pushing back on this effort - kudos to them.