Mastodawn

mangoking 1d ago

💯 And to prove your point, last Sunday a friend went to a local church and videoed a local preacher aggressively defending Trump and Ice.”We must accept that God’s work can seem brutal at times, but there’s always a plan.”
Her lawyer says she cannot release it. I agreed, but somehow we have to start making this story better known. They are using religious charlatanism from the pulpit to savage their own congregants and country. We have to fight back against these pious …

frauds.

https://mastodon.social/@timo21@mastodon.sdf.org/116273084040243012

@shoq unfortunately the conservatives lost their minds when Obama was elected and they're desperate to make sure that never happens again.

Lucas C. Wheeler 2d ago

@shoq
"But then I sigh; and, with a piece of Scripture,
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil:
And thus I clothe my naked villany
With odd old ends stol'n forth of holy writ;
And seem a saint when most I play the devil."

@lcwheeler @shoq Richard the 3rd, as depicted by Shakespeare might be a suitable analog for Resident Rump except that Rump is not so cunning by half and manipulates quite unconsciously. What passes for a conscience in these so called clergy I cannot imagine. Their psychotherapy bills, should they submit to such help, would break us.

Lucas C. Wheeler 2d ago

@ottomate @shoq Agreed. Trump has no cleverness at all. He's stupid and vicious. But I think some of his White Christian Nationalist lieutenants, like Russell Vought, do have a certain cunning. They manipulate from a position of relatively low profile and they know exactly what they're doing.

@lcwheeler @shoq I am afraid you are right.

Omnivore 2d ago

Timo @timo21
@shoq I think people underestimated how many evangelical churches are little fascists cells right there in everyone's towns. These unnamed unknown 'preachers' are very dangerous. I believe they are why MAGA support is still at 40%. It used to be the far right had 20-30%, back before Obama.

Phillyinflorida 2d ago

@shoq It's a huge factor in red Florida.

@shoq Honestly, I've declared my atheism since I could think - religion was something I remember objecting to almost as soon as I saw it - but I still think most Vicars/priests/preachers etc. - of whatever stripe - take on their role as basically good people; the conservatism/Fascism/asshattery hardens as a shell around them, created by the bigots who surround him/her FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. Generally it is rather attracted than excreted,

@shoq ...or to put it another way; I don't have an issue with Jesus, but the arsehole apostles are another matter.

As I’ve said since high school, I have absolutely nothing against religion except that too many people believe it.

@shoq These people are crusaders. They have church merch that says things like 'saved not soft' (that's a monetized website too). They are all in on forever wars against non-believers. They use words like DemonRats for Democrats, because they really do think they are the holy & 'the others' are demons. When they post opinions, they are not just trolling. Historically, various countries have banned subversive religious organizations before. To recover from this period, the USA might have to also.

Scary Austin 1d ago

@shoq
I've been Episcopalian my whole life, but I'm happy to worship at other people's churches when I'm invited. Once I had a friend staying with me who was raised Baptist, and one Sunday we went to a nearby Baptist church. It turned out to be very fundamentalist, unlike what he was raised with. The sermon wasn't too bad but at the end the preacher started roaring about hell and I could just feel the terror of the people around me. And I thought, "My God, if I'd been raised like this...

Scary Austin 1d ago

@shoq ...I'd be absolutely terrified." Now I probably would have left as an adult if I'd been raised in churches like that-- I've rejected plenty of stuff from my red state upbringing. But it was eye opening how much these high control churches use fear as a weapon, totally misrepresenting God's grace. Not making excuses for people-- for everybody who stays there's someone else who sat in the same pews and left. But my Lord, what an environment of fear.

Scary Austin 1d ago

@shoq (Heh, btw we didn't go back there. My friend asked to start going with my to Episcopalian churches and really enjoyed it.)

H. Entity 1d ago

@MaryAustinBooks @shoq Fear is control. Control is power.

Chancerubbage 1d ago

@MaryAustinBooks @shoq

I heard sermons at two separate Protestant denominations. At least the Baptists allowed musical instruments.

I felt fire and brimstone was probably at the preachers discretion and mood, I missed most such tirades.

I heard a pretty harsh ‘going to hell!’ speech at a burial once. I think dude was angry the deceased hadn’t attended church. Such comfort to the family. Sheesh!

Stephen Foskett 1d ago

@MaryAustinBooks @shoq ask anyone who was raised in an abusive family or a war zone what it does to you to constantly be under threat and fearful. I do pity people who were raised in churches like this.