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 Christian Nationalism is Anti-AmericanChristian nationalism is the belief that the American nation should be a Christian theocracy, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Obviously these two beliefs are antithetical. From Evangelicals for Democracy: “Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master leads against the foe; forward into battle, see his banners go.”How many evangelicals have joyously sung this hymn in celebration of our role as foot soldiers for the teachings of Jesus Christ? At its start in 1865 in England, churchgoers sang this hymn on “Whit Monday,” a holiday observing the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples of Jesus – the original Christian soldiers. Today, the hymn interprets Christian soldiers as people of faith who wield the “sword of the Spirit” – caring for our neighbors and those in need – in a war against injustice and hate. But now, a group of rightwing “Christian soldiers” are waging a vastly different war. These “soldiers,” who are primarily white and represent about 20 percent of the public, believe that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Thus, their war is to claim the U.S. as a “Christian nation” with an official Christian culture. In their world view, Christians are America’s first citizens and have a presumptive right of dominance in American law and public policy. If this doesn’t scare you, it should. According to national surveys, those who identify as Christian nationalists are more likely to believe that it is “too easy to vote” in the U.S. and that voter fraud is rampant. Christian nationalism also tends to treat minorities and non-Christians as second-class citizens, accelerating racial tensions. Think about voting restrictions on a massive scale; more aggressive police tactics targeting black and brown communities; prohibiting interracial marriage and transracial adoption; ending protections for the religious liberty of Jews, Muslims and other non-Christian faiths; and enacting policies that are hostile to immigrants and refugees. Now add to this the belief that women should be subservient to men and you have a dystopian society straight out of the Handmaid’s Tale! Already, the influence of Christian nationalism is shaping policies at the state and local levels, including book bans and a reinterpretation of American history in school curricula. But the real threat is what is happening behind the scenes. According to published reports, a coalition of rightwing Christian groups are quietly advancing a package of Christian-right bills whose impact on American society would be immense. These bills range from requiring the motto “In God We Trust” to be displayed in government buildings and schools to religious liberty protection legislation that “favors” in public policy intimate sexual relations only between married, heterosexual couples. So far, these policies represent potential risks to our way of life. But the danger is real. Christian nationalism is not an idea; the movement has grown in recent years, enlisting angry, aggrieved and militant people who now use violence to preserve Christian values. These “soldiers” made their debut at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA and many joined the January 6, 2021 insurrection carrying a large wooden Cross and Christian flags as they broke into the U.S. Capitol. Thus, as Christians and especially evangelicals, we cannot sit on the sidelines. We cannot talk of following the Prince of Peace and betray him with support for, or tolerance of, extremists. After all, the history of Christianity from Constantine to the 18th century was one of state-sponsored coercion and violence. Evangelicals have contributed significantly to America’s proud record of religious liberty. Let’s not destroy that record now. |
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Say What You Will |
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Christian Nationalism This nation was founded in the notion of religious liberty, and was expressly NOT religious. It was a sacrilegious abomination we changed the powerful national motto from “e pluribus unum” to “in God we trust.” Nor was “under God” in the original pledge, intentionally. That bit of blasphemy was a sad reaction to the threat of communism. We can print “in God we trust” when our political leaders are not paying $130,000 to porn stars, or defrauding children of SNAP and medical benefits to finance corporate subsidies and ever greater tax cuts targeting our beloved wealthy elite, MAGA. |
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How ironic Sacrilege. But then, they are neither Christian nor truly in support of American principles. Just another insular, ignorant cult believing they are the chosen few to enforce God’s will. |
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zorroloco 14-May-24, 16:58 |
Deleted by zorroloco on 14-May-24, 16:58.
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Shiva Exactly. There was a lot of discussion about adding religion and the founders wisely decided to use ‘Creator,’ which at the time was decidedly UnChristian. If they’d intended religion, as opposed to Deism, they’d have used ‘our Lord,’ or God, or Jesus Christ. By choosing a non-denominational word, such as ‘our Creator,’ they allowed all religions or none. |
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zorro |
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GM 2) By using such an open-ended term, it leaves open the possibility that the creator is Nature, or the Universe itself. The founders recognized that, as we exist, some thing or some one created us. That they left it so ambiguous tells us that they did not want to favor ANY religion over another or, in fact, over no religion. |
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To Be Fair The critical phrase is not "our Creator" but "their Creator." This recognizes the various Creators of every faith, including none--though in colonial America atheism was not nearly as prevalent as it is today, given their lack of understanding of the origins of our universe. Acknowledging the facts of cosmology and evolution doesn't deride in any sense the notion of a Creator, but for dedicated atheists it does make it possible to reject any notion of a divine being. I see nothing wrong with that. I feel no more obligation to persuade someone God exists than I do to convince them to become Hindu. Belief or not belief is up to each person. Their community acts as a magnet for religious persuasion, which is why Islam dominates in one part of the world, and Catholicism in another. Most of the Christian world is Catholic, and that portion that is protestant certainly resembles nothing of the peculiar faiths of Andrew or the Xtian nationalist Frank. From our DoI: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. End quote. (It continues on--but we need not restate the entire thing here). This brings to mind some questions. Is our government destructive to these ends--life, liberty, and happy pursuits? I have never felt it. This government has permitted me to acquire property on which I garden and tend as I see fit. Have there been any long train of abuses and usurpations? Taxation is not usurpation. Indeed, the founding fathers held a tea party NOT to protest taxes, as many tea party "patriots" mistakenly believe, but "taxation absent representation." Are the tea party people lacking representation? Hell no--they are OVER represented, thanks to gerrymandering and other shenanigans. Business fraud committed to conceal hush money payments to adult film actresses, and collusion with foreign agents of Russia to usurp US elections, among other nefarious activities. Does any abuses committed by our government suggest we should overthrow it? That's what Timothy McVeigh thought. We dripped poison into his veins over his antics, and I don't think any right minded American objects to that. Good riddance! So what abuses? Sure, hair aflame conservatives will spout nonsense about Waco, Ruby Ridge, and maybe one or two others. But they rarely bring up the 1985 bombing of MOVE in the City of Brotherly Love, which was a genuine tragedy. No, for the most part our government still represents us, and remains answerable to us, even though our Supreme Court has ruled that corporations should be free to exert undue pressure on legislative bodies to influence them for corrupt purposes, and even members of our Supreme Court accept bribes and gratuities without batting eyes over it. There is corruption, as exemplified by the trial of a president who fraudulently concealed campaign finance violations in misdirecting funds used to pay hush money to a porn star, MAGA. Whether such corruption will ever be addressed--we see a compelling trial occurring now over it. Despite efforts by certain high ranking officials to decry any attempt to hold the corrupt public officer accountable for his crimes. We all hope and pray justice will prevail. While there is nothing wrong with paying porn stars to keep quiet regarding salacious activities (nothing good God-fearing Xtians can't wink at--hell Trump could snort coke off his boyfriend's ball sock Ted Haggard style and they would only harden their hearts in unwavering support. "Well it is about time glorious, godly Trump switched up from Adderall," they would declare. "I do declare." I originally wrote something slightly different but realized one extreme Xtian fundy would suffer epileptic seizures he could only control breaking sniffing salts, and so greatly toned it down. My grandmother, a registered nurse, had a supply of those when I was a child and so I know what they are and how they are used. I should have prefaced this whole message with an instruction to prepare a bit of ammonium carbonate for when he reached the particular passage fraught with references to Haggard. Incidentally, Pastor Haggard's happy "sniffing salt" was crystal meth, not cocaine, according to the male prostitute I mistakenly alluded was his significant other. Do you suppose if Haggard had paid Mike Jones hush money he would have won a GOP presidential primary? Oh, how the mighty qualifications for our nation's highest office have fallen. Does character matter? "Ah, hell no! GT*OOH with that character scat! That only matters when we can use it against Demon-Rats, MAGA!" |
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Creator While I am not an atheist, I believe they recognize nature (as alluded to the preceding paragraph) as a creative force. Many of the founding fathers, including Thomas Paine, were deists--they were not members of any specific religion. George Washington was a mason--a fact that will cause Frank to require breaking smelling salts. Does the DoI lack relevance if we regard mankind as an evolutionary byproduct instead of some special creation? We regard ourselves as special, and rightly so. Even biologists recognize that humans, by virtue of our humanity, are entitled to certain "inalienable rights," though this list was probably longer in their minds than in the minds of many conservatives. "We need to alienate these nasty poor scum and foul immigrants poisoning our blood of any right to health care, MAGA!" Just ask Softaire. We should abolish the Affordable Health Care Act and replace it with---vapor. Maybe a whiff of incense produced by Lord Flatulence. There was a much funnier nickname for the British slang term for breaking wind, but I sadly forgot what it was. Trump's health plan was pages and pages of photo copy paper purchased from Office Depot, unwrapped, and stacked on a cart for a photo op. Blank pages. He still believes the presidency can be pulled off like an Apprentice episode. What more should we have ever anticipated from a fake reality TV star? |
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ls You should charge Pres. Trump rent for his permanent residence in your brain. You apparently are not able to discuss anything at all without steering the conversation into castigation of him. It really becomes tiresome. It would also be tiresome if the subject of your obsession were Biden, or Obama, or any other political individual. Why is it that you have to do this???? You started off with a reasonable line of discourse, but it only lasted so long. Why not save us the trouble by simply beginning every comment with "I hate Donald J. Trump" and then go into whatever you want to say on the topic at hand? |
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"In God we trust" Precisely WHICH 'God' do we trust in? Remember, 'Allah' is no more and no less than the Arabic word for 'God'. Coming from the other direction, the cry 'Allahu Akbar!" is an exact translation of Paul's 'tou megalou Theou' in Titus or first two words in Titus 2:13 and the Hebrew 'Gadol YHWH' in Psalm 48:1. So do these 'Christian Nationalists find themselves in agreement with Hamas and ISIS operatives? 'Creator' has similar use in other religions as well. These are a NOT words that Christians have sole rights over; they can mean whatever the speaker wants them to mean. So why do 'Christian Nationalists' proclaim references to 'God' and 'Creator' as proof that this means the Christian teaching'? I see three possible reasons:- a) They are pig-ignorant; b) they will use any excuse, however fraudulent, to seize power over any who dissent; c) both. |
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Laws of Nature What follows is a list of grievances against the distant monarch. We were entitled to self governance by virtue of the abuses suffered by the hands of a foreign power, and determined we were better off governing ourselves. Sadly, many of the folks we have thus anointed to positions of power are not qualified, by virtue of their lack of education, to fulfill the duties of their office. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Tommy Tuberville. Rick Scott. Matt Gaetz. That woman who gave her boyfriend the hand job in the Beetlejuice play. Gym Jordan. Gym is actually a pretty bright guy--he just abuses his authority by turning a blind eye to the gay sexual assault going on in the shower. And worse. Golly. We have replaced our representative democracy with a kakistocracy. I think we would be really hard pressed to find someone worse than that guy facing four felony indictments for his various crimes. I mean sure, Putin would be worse, but someone meeting the minimum qualifications we've set for that office. |
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Sorry, slightly jumbled, Coming from the other direction, the cry 'Allahu Akbar!" is an exact translation of Paul's 'tou megalou Theou' in Titus 2:13, and the Hebrew 'Gadol YHWH', the first two words in Psalm 48:1. So do these 'Christian Nationalists find themselves in agreement with Hamas and ISIS operatives? |
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Trump If you see your house is on fire, do you just ignore it? The roof. The roof. The roof is on fire. We don't need no water let the MF burn. Burn, something something, burn. Lyrics by Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three. Or Fire, Water, Burn, by the Bloodhound Gang. The music video is a bit better. The scary part is that the big red firetruck isn't hauling water--it's full of kerosene. |
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ls Your postings would certainly give one the opposite impression. Virtually every single post of yours veers into condemnation of him. As I said before, it is so predictable and therefore so boring. TDS on steroids. |
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I Will State These Reasons Three Gosh. "My neighbors refuse to acknowledge my religious beliefs in the public square! Help! I'm being oppressed! The local schools refuse to preface every event with sectarian prayer!" When Alabama judge Roy Moore hauled a huge marble decalogue into his court room in violation of the establishment clause of our constitution, it caused a bit of a stink. Defendants in Alabama's court recognized they would not be treated justly if they did not share Moore's religious beliefs. The two plus ton monument violated the Lemon test. Squatted over it and took a big old dump right on top. Like Lord Flatulence himself about to cut loose a KFC enriched wet one. (I don't hate Donald Trump--I just recognize the very real threat the corpulent fascist dictator wannabe represents). |
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"Christian Nationalism is Anti-American" First, let me explain that 'Nationalism' is not 'Patriotism'. A patriot loves his country and is prepared to serve it. A Nationalist is one who is convinced his nation (and therefore he himself) is superior in some way, and OTHERS should serve it (and therefore him). The Bible is unashamedly opposed to the idea that there is any nation on earth that can claim superiority. Even the 'Chosen People' in Moses' day are repeatedly rebuked and punished for their failures. Their 'chosen-ness' is not due to their own high qualities, but to God's mercy in persisting with them DESPITE their low qualities. Daniel makes it clear that God's Kingdom, the 'rock hewn by no human hand', comes from heaven and not from human nation-building, and this kingdom will destroy all earthly kingdoms. John's Revelation says much the same thing - "And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God" (Rev. 21:10) Jesus says 'My kingdom is not of this earth', and that includes ALL nations on this planet. The Letter to the Hebrews, effectively a Christian summary of the Old Testament, repeatedly tells us "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come." (Heb. 13:14) I don't think the writer had the North American continent in mind at the time. Paul, himself a Jew, attacks that most fundamental aspect of nationalism in his own heritage when he says in Galatians 6:15 "For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." |
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I don’t hate him either |
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"Hate"? There are some people whom I consider selfish, opportunistic, parasitic, cruel and totally untrustworthy. But I wish harm on none of them. Therefore I don't 'hate' them, if 'hate' means to wish misfortune. Even when calling for their punishment for their crimes, my aim is not to cause them discomfort. It is to prevent further malfeasance by them and to deter others from following the same pattern. But I certainly want these people to be put into circumstances which effectively prevent them from harming others. And in the meantime I don't mind if others see that I hold their offensive actions and/or opinions in contempt. I could name several such persons, and most of them are NOT Americans, presidential or otherwise. |
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Bob Yup. But more, it highlights the difference between deism and religion. Belief in God is an individual belief tied no nor particular behavior nor acceptance of ANYTHING other than a supreme being exists. Religion is codified spirituality which seeks to explain what God wants and how God expects us to act. One can be one and not the other. |
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GM 18:22 Hate for the man, or hate of that which is clearly evil? But if it makes you feel better about your choices, tell me I have TDS and hate him. |
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Trump Leads |
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re: Trump wins I was the only person who I knew personally that predicted Pres. Trump's victory in 2016. I am no genius when it comes to electoral predictions. This time around, I would be shocked if Pres. Trump is allowed to take office, regardless of the polls or how people vote. www.lewrockwell.com |
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dmaestro 15-May-24, 05:32 |
GM The last polls appeared to show a slight recovery but I said here she would need over a 2% poll average advantage to win given tne Trump stealth factor as Michael Moore predicted a Trump win. Trump won by iI think around 83,000 due to the EC. In 2020 I factored in the EC and said Biden needed 4% poll advantage to win and 43,000 votes in fact made the EC difference. The EC bias towards the GOP this time is uncertain yet but Trump has to be favored now due to that, his cults loyalty and Biden’s lack of connect just like HRC. National polls delude Democrats this isn’t a democracy. Right wingers rule the infosphere where it matters and the only vote that matters is in a few so called swing states; others like mine are wasted. Trump is the dark hand and false messiah who will destroy the country if elected but America richly deserves it at this point. The dream is over. Divorce would be better than a house of such pervasive ignorance hopelessly divided against itself. That is all. Carry on. Enjoy the fruits. |
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GMF 04:46 <Meyer Rothschild, said, “Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation and I care not who makes its laws.”> A lot of truth in that statement! So let's ask the follow-up question, "Who issues and controls the money in the nation?" Back in Rothchild's day it was invariably privately-owned banks. But times have moved. Here in the Land of the Banking Bilby the Reserve Bank of Australia is owned by the Commonwealth and its board is appointed by the Government. The Federal Reserve in the United States is slightly more complicated, but ultimately it is the creature of the President. Similar government controls apply to all modern nations. And all nations have laws and regulations set by governments that control the creation of credit and statutory reserves against bank runs. So the days of private bankers controlling money supply independently of the elected government are long gone. Yet the perception remains, like a zombie that won't stay dead. Why is this so? Why do some people insist that there is some secret cabal anonymously controlling their lives? Is it because they know their lives are controlled by SOMEONE, but don't want to admit that it's the government that they elect? Do they need THAT degree of separation, so they can plead that they are innocent victims instead of acknowledging the results of their own choices? Or is it a way of surrendering and not working towards something better; an excuse for their own laziness and/or inaction? Or is it the same as any other conspiracy theory; that they like to kid themselves that they know the REAL truth, and no-one can fool them with appearances? So instead, they fool themselves with what doesn't appear. |
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dm <Divorce would be better than a house of such pervasive ignorance hopelessly divided against itself.> Are you advocating secession? Do you really think that this would be permitted? Chances were better in 1860, and that didn't work out well. |
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bob I have to disagree. The President has virtually zero control of the FRB. <Why do some people insist that there is some secret cabal anonymously controlling their lives? Is it because they know their lives are controlled by SOMEONE, but don't want to admit that it's the government that they elect?> The article I linked says exactly the opposite. The Deep State (CIA, FRB, CDC, FDA, BATFE, etc.) are NOT elected. |
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dmaestro 15-May-24, 06:00 |
It’s well known in private circles Trump and the right wing in general as far as political strategy goes are smarter. Dems just don’t want to face reality. Look how successful the culture war Christian Nationalists have been. They know the system favors them and how to twist, divide and conquer. Democrats have been clueless for decades and despite many studies showing why enough don’t learn. Trump has their number. Just like Hitler did in Germany. At least Dems are finally buying guns for mutually assured destruction. |
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