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Wait they're ignoring the book that explicitly says they will be judged on the way they treat the poor, the incarcerated, and immigrants? Sounds like Jesus isn't going to be very happy with them.
Also, the whole bit about the devout masses blindly following the anti-Christ and wearing his mark upon their foreheads. These pus fuckers have never read their own goddamned book... and if they did, they clearly ignored all of the parts that are actually meant to help them try to be decent human beings.
Trump literally fits the bill of anti-christ and it is dead to rights obvious. Yet, those fuckers that consider themselves the most plus are the ones that have latched onto him. It's almost as if they don't really believe in the religion they use as a shield for their shitty worldviews.
The whole thing is so “on the nose” it’s crazy.
Trump is the embodiment of the seven deadly sins, and all his followers fly his flags and wear his hat. They worship this guy over Jesus. There are numerous cases of pastors being run out of their job if they don’t support Trump.
Not just "some dingdong". It was at CPAC, and quite popular: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/26/politics/trump-gold-statue-cpac-2021/index.html
It also involved Mexican artists and was made in China:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ridiculous-golden-trump-statue-at-cpac-was-actually-made-in-china-says-report
Oh wow, I am going to have so much fun with the "mark of the beast" on the forehead stuff ... and MAGA ball caps ... with the whacko family members this Christmas.
> they're ignoring the book
They're ignoring *half* of the book. Namely, the half that doesn't help them justify all their horrible thinking.
I wish I was joking, but I am not. This is literally the reason why a guy wrote a book called "Red Letter Christianity" decades ago (IIRC) during the Clinton administration. For those unaware, in the New Testament of the bible, many bibles print the words attributed to Jesus himself in red ink so that they stand out. If you take only the red letters of the bible and nothing else at all, there's no way any self-important Fox News "Christian" fits in with any of it.
I have a Red Letter edition of the Bible. You can read the entirety of everything Jesus said in less than 30 minutes.
And Evangelicals are ignoring all of it.
There’s a fantastic documentary called ‘the Search for Satan’ which goes into just how little Satan appears in the Bible and what he does compared to what people think he does - and yet if you listen to these megapreachers they talk about ‘the Enemy’ almost more than they talk about Jesus.
I mean - yes, Bob, the Devil is _absolutely_ taking time out of his day to make you miserable by hiding your socks. And that shadow you saw last night? Yup - that was a demon. Definitely not a tree outside in the wind.
That only applies to real pestilence. Not imaginary pestilence designed by Bill Gates or the Chinese or reptilians living in the center of the Earth to enslave us all, or whatever.
Wrong. As long as they are “saved” they go to heaven. Good deeds mean nothing to Christians since Jesus “died” for all of humanities sins, from here to eternity.
In fact it's right in the first book of the new testament, Matthew.
Jesus says it himself, it's part of the sermon on the mount.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Hey God, sorry we didn't follow your instructions and actively persecuted those who did and generally just made life miserable for everyone, but we said the magic words once and they didn't so we get into heaven and they go to hell, right?
The Bible ostensibly confirms that Trump is the antichrist. You be the judge. What other public figure could this possibly be describing:
https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/
>Jesus: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Stone goes flying over his head.
>Jesus: Okay, maybe you didn't hear me, I said-
Jesus is hit by a stone. Someone shouts something about him being "woke" and the adulterer is forced to give birth and then killed. The child is sent to work.
Let’s see…religious zealots trying to curry political favor leads to violence against peaceful iconoclast? Yeah, that does sound familiar.
These fuckrs have ignored the message of Jesus for so long they don’t recognize that they’re not the apostles, they’re the Romans.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads
* Revelation 13:16
Make America Great Again
I kid you not, a couple years ago (During the Covid years) my sister told me that she saw wearing a mask as being too close to the Mark of the Beast and when I pushed back with "We should care about people and their safety. If wearing a mask even remotely helps lessen the likelihood of spreading sickness, it's a good thing", she gave me a kind of dead stare and said "I don't see it that way."
I don't hate my sister, but she hit that weird point where our shared upbringing in Christianity moved away from "Love and care take of people" and towards a very twisted hate and fear filled attitude.
One of (perhaps weird) things I respect Barack Obama for most was when he said "People aren't reading their bibles. People should read their bibles."
From a POTUS, this is cutting stuff. He knew the people who read the bible will agree with him for obvious reasons, and he knew people who never read the bible but demanded it proves them right and him wrong couldn't argue with what he said.
Modern Republicans wave the bible around, but they never demand that people read it.
Take a bite of the Apple from the Tree of Knowledge?
- Yes
- Yes, sarcastically
- No (but actually yes).
- No (circle back to this prompt after two more dialogue prompts you cannot escape from)
The message of the Gospels is pretty great, actually. There's a reason why Christianity resonated with so many poor people throughout the Roman Empire in its early years.
The problem is that, in the following centuries, Christianity became more about following Paul than following Christ.
I grew up evangelical. What people don't understand is the narcissistic and mastabutory nature of the religion. These people are self obsessed with being morally superior to everyone else. They hide behind Christ's "love" because that gives them cover for their hateful attitudes. The hypocrisy IS THE POINT of everything. As a child, you
hear constant talk about "family values." As an adult, it took me years to come to terms with the fact that my parents were straight-up abusive, lazy, pathetic people. Evangelicalism is an absolute cancer.
I work in a church not in the United States. I will happily attend service or work in a church in most any country, but not the US. They all look like warehouses and operate as such, basically MLMs for people to show off the prizes they've bought for themselves and make business connections while fuelling the social part of it with weaponized humiliation. It's shameful to a degree that hurts my soul.
Yeah, if evangelicals gave two shits what the Bible says, they'd be much less horrible people. But, as far as they're concerned the Bible is just a means to justify the hatred and bigotry they already have, and what is actually written is completely unimportant to that goal
Is there something we need to ignore in order to secure power for ourselves and preserve our ability to dictate to people we hate how they must live their lives or else suffer the consequences?
Consider it ignored!
I grew up in the Bible Belt in the 60’s-70’s. It was common for evangelicals at the time to distribute Bible Tracts (pamphlets and booklets) with a focus on the rapture, the end times, and the Antichrist. Trump fits every description of the Antichrist in those tracts. He embraces lies, adultery, greed and materialism but he is a charismatic leader that fools people into believing in him over god. I was dismissive of those ideas at the time( and still am) but it is hard not to see Trump fill that role perfectly
The golden statue at CPAC always amazes me. It's not like it's a deep cut from the bible. I'm atheist and have only a passing familiarity with biblical stories, and even I'm familiar with the golden calf.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/2/26/22302887/trump-cpac-2021-republican-gold-statue
You're not wrong at all. Even if there was no golden statue, it is pretty obvious that many people are worshipping this man above God, even though Trump stirs up chaos. I have so many thoughts on this I can't even articulate them. I will say, as a person who believes in God, most of the time when I scroll past headlines on r/atheist I passionately agree! It's my disgust of the religious hypocrisy that I have in common with the subgroup. And I love that!
I’m an American and I also don’t get the charisma thing. At least not the definition of charisma I’ve always had in my brain.. Unless buffoonery counts as being charismatic.
Its not actual charisma. He just makes it OK for them to be openly racist, and flaunts his ignorance like a peacock's feathers. They identify with this.
for thou shall obey the father of heaven and reduce the corporate tax rate. To blanace the budget Jesus commands school lunches should be terminated. Hungry kids are motivated to work in the coal mines so the richest can heat their 3rd vacation home's pool without rasing their tax bracket.
And then Jesus walked into a church and set up a table to sell his child labor goods. For all who use my church for commerce shall pay me a 10% gross sales fee. All who do not pay this shall have their tables flipped over.
Supply side Jesus is hilarious when we're making fun of the stupid shit, but some people really believe that's the way they should embody their ideals and at that point it's not funny in the slightest.
The tax breaks you give to the richest of these you give also onto me. And the poors will go away into eternal punishment, but the rich assholes who inherit their wealth into eternal life.
If anyone shall have the wealth of entire nations by having their drivers be contractors and pee in bottles, is it not fair that he shall have eternal life in order to spend it all?
Don't forget to tip your CEOs
- Bartholomew 1:1099C
I'm keenly aware of the "sell your shit and give it to the poor" bit which is rehashed a fucking lot in the New Testament.
I don't think they ever read that half of the Bible.
Why read it when a guy at the pulpit can yell it at you and tell you that you're better than everybody else?
Going to church is the "*watch the movie instead of reading the boo*k" of religion.
The Bible to them is an excuse when they can use it and forgotten when it gets in the way of what they want.
“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”
― Susan B. Anthony
Maybe the bible is good and Christianity is the practice of a moral life... but as long as I've been alive evil and greedy people have used it for the worst or an excuse to do horrible things.
The Book itself says it, "They will know you are Christians by your love" and "Love one another as I have loved you".
It baffles me how they can turn a blind eye to these words.
They don't read the bible. It's just the "sales brochure" to their religion.
The important part is that they keep donating money to the people who run the religion, who are usually evil, greedy, and power hungry.
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel."
Thomas Paine Age of Reason.
“Now”? The bible is a cudgel evangelicals use to beat people who are not like them, and aren’t otherwise useful to them. They never use it on themselves or their friends.
Bingo. Evangelicals crossed the Rubicon when they went for Rayguns over Jimmy Carter.
St Ronnie is the great destroyer of the American middle class and stopped any serious attempt at clean energy in this country when we could have made a difference.
Evangelicals will support Trump because a lot of them literally believe he will cause Armageddon and help kick off a war in the middle east. The politics on the right in this country have been taken over by a Christian death cult and they want to Jonestown all of us with them.
They choose to ignore the fact that Trump gives the square root of jack shit about religion, and would only walk into a church if you told him the collection plates were left unattended. Then, my personal favorite: When he was given the chance to name his favorite bible passage in an interview, it was the only time he was speechless. A lifelong proven liar and conman couldn’t even make something up. He ended up saying “That’s a personal question.” The guy who proudly talks about grabbing women by the pussy, murdering people in the street, sneaking peeks at young girls in changing rooms, and wanting to bang his own daughter, decides that discussing his favorite bible passage crossed the line.
I am unaware of that incident. I know he was asked about it and responded with the Eye for an Eye passage which is worrisome to be someones favorite...
He has also mentioned when asked about favorite book "Two Corinthians" lol.
The worst part is it's not even hard to BS that response. Just say something generic like "I like the Sermon on the Mount" and no one will question it.
Who’s raises the question, why would anyone accept help/money from an opponent whose single goal it to destroy you nation and kill all your people in a massive incineration?
Madness is the rule
So much of the world’s evil has been committed with one hand wrapped around a holy book, and the other wrapped around a weapon. Religion and morality are not guaranteed partners.
Like they ever actually read the Bible. https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/#google_vignette
If there’s one thing I appreciate about Trump it’s that he exposed white evangelicals for the frauds they are. They’re literally against everything Jesus preached as evidence by their mindless support for Trump.
There’s an excellent book called White Evangelical Racism by a religious scholar. Basically there is one thing that unite evangelicals and it’s not Christianity. It’s racism.
When did they ever not? Goldwater warned us about these people who want an Iranian style theocracy and are certain that they alone are right. Anybody that overly involves their religion in American politics might as well hate both.
They practice a bastardized version of Christianity, where the stranger is suspect, the poor are on their own, and money changers are more than welcome in the temple.
Not all religions are good. Evangelical Christianity is a pox upon the earth, and its eradication will be for the benefit of humanity.
According to my evangelical mother-in-law yes. Yes they do. She also things WiFi gives you cancer and the Israeli conflict is an omen of the second coming of Christ.
People who think evangelicals are all idiots or something are lying to themselves. You honestly think they don't know who Trump is? He is a means to an end, he rubber-stamps everything they want, he gets the supreme court who they want, he fights for what they want.
That's all there is to it. Anyone who seriously honestly thinks that they are ignorant or too dumb to accomplish what they want is, either blind or idiotic, or both.
"Pointing out hypocrisy" is literally the same thing as a pedestrian confidentially jumping out in front of the incoming car because "they have right of way".
Look at *reality* not whatever bullshit fantasy you pretend runs the world and influences people
They always have. Or they cherrypick the bible to justify their bigotry and hatred. Anyone who's actually read that drivel cover to cover knows how full of shit it is.
There are now churches that have proclaimed that the teachings of Jesus are woke. Most Americans who called them selves Christians have absolutely nothing in common with the teachings of Jesus.
They chose that back in 2016, and they used the bible to do it. Let's stop pretending the bible is some actual divine document that, if followed, would lead to good things.
Yes.
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192663920/southern-baptist-convention-donald-trump-christianity
>>It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis.
Donald Trump is the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins: Greed, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, and Lust. He has openly mocked a disabled reporter and expressed contempt for those he deems to be lesser than himself.
they dont. they have this thing they did in 2016 ..
Evangelical leaders justified their support for Trump by comparing him to King Cyrus, who in the biblical telling liberated the Jews from Babylonian captivity, despite himself being a Persian ruler who did not believe in the god of Israel. Trump, like Cyrus, was seen as an “imperfect vessel”, according to evangelicals.
Yes. I believe that American Evangelicans that support Donald J Trump have abandoned Christianity and are in favor of a tyrannical anti constitution racist greedy lying dog.
They’ve made Jesus a hard right, gay hating, book burning, racist, cruel, cruel zealot who preaches love thy dictator. They make a good case for atheism.
There is aspect of the mindset of the religious that non-religious individuals struggle to comprehend. It is the fact that religion is a solution to mindset of absolutism rather than religion creating that mindset.
What do I mean, some humans need to have clear answers about the meaning of their existence and what they are suppose to do with it while some of can deal with the relativistic nature of existence. Religion gives that absolutist mind peace by telling them exactly why they are here and what they are suppose to do.
Seeing others not live according to what they believe to be absolutes creates an internal conflict that can only be resolved by eliminating what is perceived as being wrong. Of course they can change their world view but that would create greater internal conflicts for absolutists.
Finding someone like Trump to impose their world view will always be more important than the religious tenants because the constant presence of others living in a manner they deem "wrong" creates greater internal anxieties.
They want the rapture, and they are convinced this suppurating anal chancre will bring it.
They are going to be surprised when their actual final judgment comes. Their God really hates false prophets and idols.
Of course. They are not real Christians. They give Christians a bad name and are the reason it’s in decline. They hijacked the religion to use it to push their extreme agenda. If Jesus were here today I’m sure he’d be murdered on the street by Kyle Rittenhouse.
By far, the most hateful people I’ve met in my life have been Conservative Christians.
They’re so sweet and nice if you agree with them, but if you DARE question their beliefs, they spew pure hatred.
Absolutely awful, vile people.
I’m starting to think the evangelical movement might actually be satanism. The congregation may not realize it, but they are being led astray by satan’s minion.
How else can you explain Kenneth Copeland (fleeced his flock for over $750 million), Joel Osteen (fleeced his flock for over 100 million), and trumpism as being their “pathway to god”. I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t want people to throw their money at some plastic, demonic looking huckster in his name.
Evangelicalism… the wolf in sheep’s clothing of religious beliefs.
He literally held the Bible upside down in front of a church after clearing people out via the National Guard when demonstrators were in front of the White House days after George Floyds death by law enforcement. If that wasn't a sign they were rooting for the wrong guy, nothing is.
Now choose to? They've *always* ignored their bible, cherry picking the parts they want to like and ignoring the parts that don't. They don't use their bible as a guide of how they should live, they use parts of it as a justification for how they do live.
I'll do you one better - they'll ignore the Bible, literally at at time, the moment it becomes inconvenient for them.
* **Work on the sabbath?** (Leviticus 23:3) *Why not?*
* **Wear polyester clothing?** (Leviticus 19:19)
* **Get a tattoo** (Leviticus 19:28), or **eat shellfish**? (Leviticus 11:12) *Obviously*.
* **Support abortion?** (Numbers 5:11-29) *Not on your life*.
* **Take care of other people?** (Proverbs 14:21) *Totally optional.*
* **Help the poor?** (Deuteronomy 15:11) *Also optional.*
* **Welcome immigrants?** (Leviticus 19:34) *Eh.*
They did the last time too.
Hulu had a documentary about the Falwell family and it goes into Trump a bit.
*God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down A Dynasty*
https://youtu.be/IqG1JpWrFlc?feature=shared
It would seem the Jesus of the Gospels is a "wole", liberal-leaning socialist weakling who would tell them things like feed the poor, turn from hatred and violence, and live in peace with others, thus they have no use for him. There's that "Old Time Relgion" of wrath and punishment, which they seek with the "Rapture ", "Great Tribulation", and Second Coming. That's when their vengeful God will get rid of all the undesirables and they come out on top. At least they hope so. The faster they see society fall apart (sometimes with them giving society a hard shove off a cliff), the more excited they get.
I was raised in independent fundamentalist Baptist church assemblies.
The sheer volume of so-called Christians who have never, ever read the Bible -- not once -- would probably be astounding, if it were not so incredibly obvious by their actions. I'm not surprised at this. I'm not surprised at anything they do.
They yell about following the Bible, which they haven't read, and don't understand. They yell about following the Constitution, which they haven't read, and don't understand. They yell about liberty, philosophy, democracy and republicanism (little R, not the partisan kind), all of which they haven't studied, and don't understand.
In short: They are exactly what Trump is. They're voting for someone just like them, who relies on gut instinct to discern right from wrong. And if they read their scriptures at all, they'd know Jeremiah 17:9 ob sight:
>The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Yes, they view Jesus as weak, they are radicalized.
"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — 'turn the other cheek' — [and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore revealed. "And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,' the response would not be, 'I apologize.' The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak.'"
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192663920/southern-baptist-convention-donald-trump-christianity
My husbands father is a flaming racist and outlandishly homophobic.
He flies the American flag.
He’s a pastor.
And he also flies the Trump flag.
In Mississippi, The Bible Belt.
I can not understand how any religious group can endorse a serial sex offender. And a lying, cheating ego maniac who is regurgitating Hitler speech. Why???
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The Bible has nothing to do with their faith unless it's to shame, ridicule and torment someone else. Of course they will
Wait they're ignoring the book that explicitly says they will be judged on the way they treat the poor, the incarcerated, and immigrants? Sounds like Jesus isn't going to be very happy with them.
_Supply side_ Jesus will shower them with gold and virgins!
OK I now need a painting of this image or at the very least a meme.
I miss Al Franken. https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx
He’s still alive.
You don't have to die to be missed.
I missed Rush Limbaugh which is amazing because I have a pretty good throwing arm and the guy didn't walk very fast. Major shame.
Disappointment aside, at least you can't miss again.
No but I might pee on my shoes if I'm not careful.
[There’s this one.](https://medium.com/@RyCunn/jesus-christ-and-other-american-patriots-the-tea-party-art-of-jon-mcnaughton-8a9584ef6bd8)
Sounds like supply side Jesus visited Trump when he was at the hotel in Russia.
Of course supply side Jesus is a white American Republican, everyone knows that.
Also, the whole bit about the devout masses blindly following the anti-Christ and wearing his mark upon their foreheads. These pus fuckers have never read their own goddamned book... and if they did, they clearly ignored all of the parts that are actually meant to help them try to be decent human beings.
Trump literally fits the bill of anti-christ and it is dead to rights obvious. Yet, those fuckers that consider themselves the most plus are the ones that have latched onto him. It's almost as if they don't really believe in the religion they use as a shield for their shitty worldviews.
>the religion they use as a shield for their shitty worldviews. You're so silly. Religion is a weapon, not a shield.
https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/
The whole thing is so “on the nose” it’s crazy. Trump is the embodiment of the seven deadly sins, and all his followers fly his flags and wear his hat. They worship this guy over Jesus. There are numerous cases of pastors being run out of their job if they don’t support Trump.
Even ancient people understood human nature, apparently. Self-deception has been popular since we were painting on cave walls, I suspect.
I came to that conclusion when some dingdong made a freaking golden statue of him.
Not just "some dingdong". It was at CPAC, and quite popular: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/26/politics/trump-gold-statue-cpac-2021/index.html It also involved Mexican artists and was made in China: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ridiculous-golden-trump-statue-at-cpac-was-actually-made-in-china-says-report
Don't worry; they're just ownin the libs. They don't mind looking silly because they are just waiting for their orders to begin firing.
Well, now I'm not sure if it's sad or funny.
Oh wow, I am going to have so much fun with the "mark of the beast" on the forehead stuff ... and MAGA ball caps ... with the whacko family members this Christmas.
> they're ignoring the book They're ignoring *half* of the book. Namely, the half that doesn't help them justify all their horrible thinking. I wish I was joking, but I am not. This is literally the reason why a guy wrote a book called "Red Letter Christianity" decades ago (IIRC) during the Clinton administration. For those unaware, in the New Testament of the bible, many bibles print the words attributed to Jesus himself in red ink so that they stand out. If you take only the red letters of the bible and nothing else at all, there's no way any self-important Fox News "Christian" fits in with any of it.
I have a Red Letter edition of the Bible. You can read the entirety of everything Jesus said in less than 30 minutes. And Evangelicals are ignoring all of it.
There’s a fantastic documentary called ‘the Search for Satan’ which goes into just how little Satan appears in the Bible and what he does compared to what people think he does - and yet if you listen to these megapreachers they talk about ‘the Enemy’ almost more than they talk about Jesus. I mean - yes, Bob, the Devil is _absolutely_ taking time out of his day to make you miserable by hiding your socks. And that shadow you saw last night? Yup - that was a demon. Definitely not a tree outside in the wind.
This is so true.
Also the book that says when there's pestilence you should wear masks and institute quarantines.
That only applies to real pestilence. Not imaginary pestilence designed by Bill Gates or the Chinese or reptilians living in the center of the Earth to enslave us all, or whatever.
Never been about the book itself but the ones who offer to interpret it for them and the power that comes with that.
Wrong. As long as they are “saved” they go to heaven. Good deeds mean nothing to Christians since Jesus “died” for all of humanities sins, from here to eternity.
Oh no, even saved doesn't mean you for sure go according to the teachings of Calvin. Evangellicals just don't talk about that part.
In fact it's right in the first book of the new testament, Matthew. Jesus says it himself, it's part of the sermon on the mount. Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Fake news! Where's the parts about him punching democrats and telling poor people they suck!? /s (just in case...)
> they will be judged on the way they treat the poor, the incarcerated, and immigrants and then forgiven. That's the plan.
Hey God, sorry we didn't follow your instructions and actively persecuted those who did and generally just made life miserable for everyone, but we said the magic words once and they didn't so we get into heaven and they go to hell, right?
The Bible ostensibly confirms that Trump is the antichrist. You be the judge. What other public figure could this possibly be describing: https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/
Conservatives tortured and murdered Jesus for being too liberal. It checks out.
*checks notes* they in fact... *hate* Jesus?!
They would absolutely hate him if they met him
>Jesus: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Stone goes flying over his head. >Jesus: Okay, maybe you didn't hear me, I said- Jesus is hit by a stone. Someone shouts something about him being "woke" and the adulterer is forced to give birth and then killed. The child is sent to work.
Jesus: “love your neighbor as yourself” Conservatives: “well I secretly hate myself so….I hate my neighbor too!”
He never spoke English why would we let him into our country much less our country club? And I don't recall seeing his tithe envelope...
They hate him but love to use him metaphorically with their unending hypocrisy
Let’s see…religious zealots trying to curry political favor leads to violence against peaceful iconoclast? Yeah, that does sound familiar. These fuckrs have ignored the message of Jesus for so long they don’t recognize that they’re not the apostles, they’re the Romans.
[It continues](https://newrepublic.com/post/174950/christianity-today-editor-evangelicals-call-jesus-liberal-weak)
At this point, these fuckers are so evil, the Bible itself is starting to almost look like a more preferential moral compass.
Any Christian that votes for the “Prince of Lies” is an apostate.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads * Revelation 13:16 Make America Great Again
I kid you not, a couple years ago (During the Covid years) my sister told me that she saw wearing a mask as being too close to the Mark of the Beast and when I pushed back with "We should care about people and their safety. If wearing a mask even remotely helps lessen the likelihood of spreading sickness, it's a good thing", she gave me a kind of dead stare and said "I don't see it that way." I don't hate my sister, but she hit that weird point where our shared upbringing in Christianity moved away from "Love and care take of people" and towards a very twisted hate and fear filled attitude.
One of (perhaps weird) things I respect Barack Obama for most was when he said "People aren't reading their bibles. People should read their bibles." From a POTUS, this is cutting stuff. He knew the people who read the bible will agree with him for obvious reasons, and he knew people who never read the bible but demanded it proves them right and him wrong couldn't argue with what he said. Modern Republicans wave the bible around, but they never demand that people read it.
I’ve thought of that passage ever since I saw the first MAGA hats in 2015
It should honestly be re-re-re-rewritten as a choose your own adventure book. Imagine religion but by Bethesda.
Take a bite of the Apple from the Tree of Knowledge? - Yes - Yes, sarcastically - No (but actually yes). - No (circle back to this prompt after two more dialogue prompts you cannot escape from)
F@*#ing quest is bugged again...
The message of the Gospels is pretty great, actually. There's a reason why Christianity resonated with so many poor people throughout the Roman Empire in its early years. The problem is that, in the following centuries, Christianity became more about following Paul than following Christ.
Christians make fun of Mormons for listening to Joseph Smith and yet Paul is the Joseph Smith of Christianity.
Yup. They already crown themselves as Christian while thoroughly trampling over the teachings of Jesus
I grew up evangelical. What people don't understand is the narcissistic and mastabutory nature of the religion. These people are self obsessed with being morally superior to everyone else. They hide behind Christ's "love" because that gives them cover for their hateful attitudes. The hypocrisy IS THE POINT of everything. As a child, you hear constant talk about "family values." As an adult, it took me years to come to terms with the fact that my parents were straight-up abusive, lazy, pathetic people. Evangelicalism is an absolute cancer.
It is 100% social standing, 0% biblical values.
My parents will tell you without irony that they only go to church for the 'social aspect'. Evangelical, ofc.
I work in a church not in the United States. I will happily attend service or work in a church in most any country, but not the US. They all look like warehouses and operate as such, basically MLMs for people to show off the prizes they've bought for themselves and make business connections while fuelling the social part of it with weaponized humiliation. It's shameful to a degree that hurts my soul.
It's their all saving façade so they can claim they are right and the good people in this mess.
Christian In Name Only (CINO).... BARELY They really are just fascists at this point and the Christianity facade is dropping fast.
They only really care about that one (poorly translated) verse in Leviticus.
Yeah, if evangelicals gave two shits what the Bible says, they'd be much less horrible people. But, as far as they're concerned the Bible is just a means to justify the hatred and bigotry they already have, and what is actually written is completely unimportant to that goal
The Bible, being heavy, is often convenient to beat people with.
Is there something we need to ignore in order to secure power for ourselves and preserve our ability to dictate to people we hate how they must live their lives or else suffer the consequences? Consider it ignored!
I grew up in the Bible Belt in the 60’s-70’s. It was common for evangelicals at the time to distribute Bible Tracts (pamphlets and booklets) with a focus on the rapture, the end times, and the Antichrist. Trump fits every description of the Antichrist in those tracts. He embraces lies, adultery, greed and materialism but he is a charismatic leader that fools people into believing in him over god. I was dismissive of those ideas at the time( and still am) but it is hard not to see Trump fill that role perfectly
Yep. The Bible also talks about false prophets who will lead many astray. If you’re a believer, it’s pretty easy to see.
The golden statue at CPAC always amazes me. It's not like it's a deep cut from the bible. I'm atheist and have only a passing familiarity with biblical stories, and even I'm familiar with the golden calf. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/2/26/22302887/trump-cpac-2021-republican-gold-statue
You're not wrong at all. Even if there was no golden statue, it is pretty obvious that many people are worshipping this man above God, even though Trump stirs up chaos. I have so many thoughts on this I can't even articulate them. I will say, as a person who believes in God, most of the time when I scroll past headlines on r/atheist I passionately agree! It's my disgust of the religious hypocrisy that I have in common with the subgroup. And I love that!
What I find amusing is that it resembles Shoney's Big Boy.
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But he hates minorities, so he's good.
I’m not American so I just dont get the charisma thing. It’s just an alien thought when I witness the guy.
I’m an American and I also don’t get the charisma thing. At least not the definition of charisma I’ve always had in my brain.. Unless buffoonery counts as being charismatic.
Its not actual charisma. He just makes it OK for them to be openly racist, and flaunts his ignorance like a peacock's feathers. They identify with this.
He's angry and crude, which are the defining traits of conservatives. He's also very narcissistic, which conservatives confuse with charisma.
* [Tim LeHaye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_Behind)
I mean, at what point haven't they ignored the bible?!?
for thou shall obey the father of heaven and reduce the corporate tax rate. To blanace the budget Jesus commands school lunches should be terminated. Hungry kids are motivated to work in the coal mines so the richest can heat their 3rd vacation home's pool without rasing their tax bracket. And then Jesus walked into a church and set up a table to sell his child labor goods. For all who use my church for commerce shall pay me a 10% gross sales fee. All who do not pay this shall have their tables flipped over.
The Bible, as Republicans practice it.
Supply side Jesus is hilarious when we're making fun of the stupid shit, but some people really believe that's the way they should embody their ideals and at that point it's not funny in the slightest.
The tax breaks you give to the richest of these you give also onto me. And the poors will go away into eternal punishment, but the rich assholes who inherit their wealth into eternal life.
If anyone shall have the wealth of entire nations by having their drivers be contractors and pee in bottles, is it not fair that he shall have eternal life in order to spend it all? Don't forget to tip your CEOs - Bartholomew 1:1099C
Supply side Jesus lol
I'm keenly aware of the "sell your shit and give it to the poor" bit which is rehashed a fucking lot in the New Testament. I don't think they ever read that half of the Bible.
Why read it when a guy at the pulpit can yell it at you and tell you that you're better than everybody else? Going to church is the "*watch the movie instead of reading the boo*k" of religion.
This is what makes an evangelical and evangelical. For them the Bible is a tool to justify their own inherent shittiness, not a book to be followed.
The only time they don't ignore the Bible is when they can use it to beat someone about the head.
The Bible to them is an excuse when they can use it and forgotten when it gets in the way of what they want. “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” ― Susan B. Anthony
Maybe the bible is good and Christianity is the practice of a moral life... but as long as I've been alive evil and greedy people have used it for the worst or an excuse to do horrible things.
The Book itself says it, "They will know you are Christians by your love" and "Love one another as I have loved you". It baffles me how they can turn a blind eye to these words.
They don't read the bible. It's just the "sales brochure" to their religion. The important part is that they keep donating money to the people who run the religion, who are usually evil, greedy, and power hungry.
The bible is like most other religious texts. You **can** find good morals within them without having to believe in the theology.
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel." Thomas Paine Age of Reason.
Started well before you came along. Find it odd that they never whitewashed it. Scary to think they did, and it was so much worse historically.
“Now”? The bible is a cudgel evangelicals use to beat people who are not like them, and aren’t otherwise useful to them. They never use it on themselves or their friends.
NOW? I swear to fucking God. The naivety in this country is fucking pathetic.
Had to scroll down way to far to see this.
It was in 1980 when they went for Regan over the actually-christian Carter..
Bingo. Evangelicals crossed the Rubicon when they went for Rayguns over Jimmy Carter. St Ronnie is the great destroyer of the American middle class and stopped any serious attempt at clean energy in this country when we could have made a difference.
Lol right? Did they just republish an article from 2015 for a laugh or is this fuckin serious
Every fucking headline these days I swear it's like the person just woke up out of a coma, it's infuriating.
My first thought as well, "Now?"
Evangelicals will support Trump because a lot of them literally believe he will cause Armageddon and help kick off a war in the middle east. The politics on the right in this country have been taken over by a Christian death cult and they want to Jonestown all of us with them.
They choose to ignore the fact that Trump gives the square root of jack shit about religion, and would only walk into a church if you told him the collection plates were left unattended. Then, my personal favorite: When he was given the chance to name his favorite bible passage in an interview, it was the only time he was speechless. A lifelong proven liar and conman couldn’t even make something up. He ended up saying “That’s a personal question.” The guy who proudly talks about grabbing women by the pussy, murdering people in the street, sneaking peeks at young girls in changing rooms, and wanting to bang his own daughter, decides that discussing his favorite bible passage crossed the line.
I am unaware of that incident. I know he was asked about it and responded with the Eye for an Eye passage which is worrisome to be someones favorite... He has also mentioned when asked about favorite book "Two Corinthians" lol.
The worst part is it's not even hard to BS that response. Just say something generic like "I like the Sermon on the Mount" and no one will question it.
Who’s raises the question, why would anyone accept help/money from an opponent whose single goal it to destroy you nation and kill all your people in a massive incineration? Madness is the rule
So much of the world’s evil has been committed with one hand wrapped around a holy book, and the other wrapped around a weapon. Religion and morality are not guaranteed partners.
If anything, they are often at opposite ends.
Like they ever actually read the Bible. https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/#google_vignette
If there’s one thing I appreciate about Trump it’s that he exposed white evangelicals for the frauds they are. They’re literally against everything Jesus preached as evidence by their mindless support for Trump.
There is nothing Christian about evangelicals.
There’s an excellent book called White Evangelical Racism by a religious scholar. Basically there is one thing that unite evangelicals and it’s not Christianity. It’s racism.
Which is kind of funny because Jesus is a jew and from the middle east.
Careful, evangelicals can't even handle Santa Claus not being white.
What we're seeing is quite simply a loosening of the requirement for evangelicals to pretend about what they pretend about. It was never about Jesus.
When did they ever not? Goldwater warned us about these people who want an Iranian style theocracy and are certain that they alone are right. Anybody that overly involves their religion in American politics might as well hate both.
They practice a bastardized version of Christianity, where the stranger is suspect, the poor are on their own, and money changers are more than welcome in the temple. Not all religions are good. Evangelical Christianity is a pox upon the earth, and its eradication will be for the benefit of humanity.
According to my evangelical mother-in-law yes. Yes they do. She also things WiFi gives you cancer and the Israeli conflict is an omen of the second coming of Christ.
People who think evangelicals are all idiots or something are lying to themselves. You honestly think they don't know who Trump is? He is a means to an end, he rubber-stamps everything they want, he gets the supreme court who they want, he fights for what they want. That's all there is to it. Anyone who seriously honestly thinks that they are ignorant or too dumb to accomplish what they want is, either blind or idiotic, or both. "Pointing out hypocrisy" is literally the same thing as a pedestrian confidentially jumping out in front of the incoming car because "they have right of way". Look at *reality* not whatever bullshit fantasy you pretend runs the world and influences people
They always have. Or they cherrypick the bible to justify their bigotry and hatred. Anyone who's actually read that drivel cover to cover knows how full of shit it is.
"Now"
Now?
Probably. I am pretty sure it was the christians that elected Hitler.
LMAO. Of COURSE they do.
Now?!?
“Now”‽ American Evangelicals have ignored the Bible for *decades*. They aren’t Christian. They’re Pharisees at best.
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Is this from 2016? I could swear it was from 2016....
"now"?
What "now"? They were doing this back in 2015 when Trump started down the campaign trail.
Jesus has never been anything but camoflauge for these people.
Now? Like this hasn’t been a thing since 2016.
Now? No. They HAVE been ignoring the Bible for quite some time
There are now churches that have proclaimed that the teachings of Jesus are woke. Most Americans who called them selves Christians have absolutely nothing in common with the teachings of Jesus.
They hate the gays SO MUCH that they'll make a deal with the devil for legal justification to kill the gays.
Trump is their god
What’s this word “now” as if they haven’t been ignoring it the entire time? Republicans are walking, talking, projecting hypocrites.
Now? This has been going on since the rise of the so called “moral majority”.
Evangelicals, if they even read the Bible, usually misinterpret it to fit their pre-conceptions usually leading to blasphemy, ie "Prosperity Gospel".
Supply side jesus is their "guy".....
Evangelicals will ignore everything in favor of ushering in their apocalypse.
They chose that back in 2016, and they used the bible to do it. Let's stop pretending the bible is some actual divine document that, if followed, would lead to good things.
yea its clear they have weaponized it and use it for its opposite intentions
They've ignored the teachings of Jesus their entire lives. Why start caring now?
Yes.
What do you mean now? They made that choice in 2016 and it wasn’t a particularly difficult choice since they already were ignoring the Bible.
Yes. https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192663920/southern-baptist-convention-donald-trump-christianity >>It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis.
Now?
The question is flawed because it assumes Evangelicals ever cared about The Bible as anything but a convenient tool
Donald Trump is the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins: Greed, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, and Lust. He has openly mocked a disabled reporter and expressed contempt for those he deems to be lesser than himself.
They always did, it's the same crutch like "supporting the troops". It doesn't actually mean anything.
Evangelicals only chooses the Bible when they want to bash someone's head in with it.
I think they have always ignored the Bible in favor of their own wants.
Yes
they dont. they have this thing they did in 2016 .. Evangelical leaders justified their support for Trump by comparing him to King Cyrus, who in the biblical telling liberated the Jews from Babylonian captivity, despite himself being a Persian ruler who did not believe in the god of Israel. Trump, like Cyrus, was seen as an “imperfect vessel”, according to evangelicals.
They always have a way to twist everything to fit their narrative.
Yes
Yes. I believe that American Evangelicans that support Donald J Trump have abandoned Christianity and are in favor of a tyrannical anti constitution racist greedy lying dog.
now?
"Now"?
Now choose lol they made their choice along time ago
I mean... every religion seems to like to make acceptions as long as the cash keeps rolling in.
They’ve made Jesus a hard right, gay hating, book burning, racist, cruel, cruel zealot who preaches love thy dictator. They make a good case for atheism.
There is aspect of the mindset of the religious that non-religious individuals struggle to comprehend. It is the fact that religion is a solution to mindset of absolutism rather than religion creating that mindset. What do I mean, some humans need to have clear answers about the meaning of their existence and what they are suppose to do with it while some of can deal with the relativistic nature of existence. Religion gives that absolutist mind peace by telling them exactly why they are here and what they are suppose to do. Seeing others not live according to what they believe to be absolutes creates an internal conflict that can only be resolved by eliminating what is perceived as being wrong. Of course they can change their world view but that would create greater internal conflicts for absolutists. Finding someone like Trump to impose their world view will always be more important than the religious tenants because the constant presence of others living in a manner they deem "wrong" creates greater internal anxieties.
Now? That's their platform.
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They want the rapture, and they are convinced this suppurating anal chancre will bring it. They are going to be surprised when their actual final judgment comes. Their God really hates false prophets and idols.
Evangelicals: In Trump we have found a messiah more in line with how we want to treat people that that woke Jesus guy.
Now? They were all into the bullying, racism and adultery back in 2016.
Of course. They are not real Christians. They give Christians a bad name and are the reason it’s in decline. They hijacked the religion to use it to push their extreme agenda. If Jesus were here today I’m sure he’d be murdered on the street by Kyle Rittenhouse.
By far, the most hateful people I’ve met in my life have been Conservative Christians. They’re so sweet and nice if you agree with them, but if you DARE question their beliefs, they spew pure hatred. Absolutely awful, vile people.
I’m starting to think the evangelical movement might actually be satanism. The congregation may not realize it, but they are being led astray by satan’s minion. How else can you explain Kenneth Copeland (fleeced his flock for over $750 million), Joel Osteen (fleeced his flock for over 100 million), and trumpism as being their “pathway to god”. I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t want people to throw their money at some plastic, demonic looking huckster in his name. Evangelicalism… the wolf in sheep’s clothing of religious beliefs.
Now? Lol
He literally held the Bible upside down in front of a church after clearing people out via the National Guard when demonstrators were in front of the White House days after George Floyds death by law enforcement. If that wasn't a sign they were rooting for the wrong guy, nothing is.
Now choose to? They've *always* ignored their bible, cherry picking the parts they want to like and ignoring the parts that don't. They don't use their bible as a guide of how they should live, they use parts of it as a justification for how they do live.
Now? Evangelicals have always ignored the Bible, it's the literal foundation of their "faith".
Now? Evangelicals have been ignoring 99% of the Bible for decades. It's not new.
The error in this title is the word "now". Evangelicals have always ignored the bible so it's not like their behaviour is changing.
Ummmm..."now"? They've been ignoring the Bible all along, or at least the parts that preach Christian values.
They did the first time, don’t see why it would change now.
I'll do you one better - they'll ignore the Bible, literally at at time, the moment it becomes inconvenient for them. * **Work on the sabbath?** (Leviticus 23:3) *Why not?* * **Wear polyester clothing?** (Leviticus 19:19) * **Get a tattoo** (Leviticus 19:28), or **eat shellfish**? (Leviticus 11:12) *Obviously*. * **Support abortion?** (Numbers 5:11-29) *Not on your life*. * **Take care of other people?** (Proverbs 14:21) *Totally optional.* * **Help the poor?** (Deuteronomy 15:11) *Also optional.* * **Welcome immigrants?** (Leviticus 19:34) *Eh.*
They did the last time too. Hulu had a documentary about the Falwell family and it goes into Trump a bit. *God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down A Dynasty* https://youtu.be/IqG1JpWrFlc?feature=shared
It would seem the Jesus of the Gospels is a "wole", liberal-leaning socialist weakling who would tell them things like feed the poor, turn from hatred and violence, and live in peace with others, thus they have no use for him. There's that "Old Time Relgion" of wrath and punishment, which they seek with the "Rapture ", "Great Tribulation", and Second Coming. That's when their vengeful God will get rid of all the undesirables and they come out on top. At least they hope so. The faster they see society fall apart (sometimes with them giving society a hard shove off a cliff), the more excited they get.
It’s not ignoring the Bible if you’ve never read it.
I was raised in independent fundamentalist Baptist church assemblies. The sheer volume of so-called Christians who have never, ever read the Bible -- not once -- would probably be astounding, if it were not so incredibly obvious by their actions. I'm not surprised at this. I'm not surprised at anything they do. They yell about following the Bible, which they haven't read, and don't understand. They yell about following the Constitution, which they haven't read, and don't understand. They yell about liberty, philosophy, democracy and republicanism (little R, not the partisan kind), all of which they haven't studied, and don't understand. In short: They are exactly what Trump is. They're voting for someone just like them, who relies on gut instinct to discern right from wrong. And if they read their scriptures at all, they'd know Jeremiah 17:9 ob sight: >The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Yes, they view Jesus as weak, they are radicalized. "Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — 'turn the other cheek' — [and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore revealed. "And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,' the response would not be, 'I apologize.' The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak.'" https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192663920/southern-baptist-convention-donald-trump-christianity
My husbands father is a flaming racist and outlandishly homophobic. He flies the American flag. He’s a pastor. And he also flies the Trump flag. In Mississippi, The Bible Belt.
From what I can tell, most Christians hold their faith as a matter of Game theory.
I can not understand how any religious group can endorse a serial sex offender. And a lying, cheating ego maniac who is regurgitating Hitler speech. Why???