# Michael Flynn's Shining City on the Hill - For Christians Only **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 15, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397 "2021-11-15T16:09:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![webwarrior](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/webwarrior/32/9529_2.png) [@webwarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/webwarrior)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/301 "2021-12-13T19:08:52Z")
No, I canceled the cable service and never had it turned back on. First time I even saw Fox was in 2004 when one of my co-workers told me to get a load of this: Laurie Dieu reading the news. Hot! ---
**Author:** ![webwarrior](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/webwarrior/32/9529_2.png) [@webwarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/webwarrior)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/302 "2021-12-13T19:19:12Z")
The publication I originally linked to, WordandWay, was equally hard on General Flynn. However, that magazine sought and accomplished clarification after acknowledging that General Flynn’s words were destined to set off a firestorm on the fake news. I quoted that clarification, but, alas, too late, the genius at CNN and the self-righteous woke dopers on straightdope were on the attack, after blood and not to be denied. Thankfully, both are soon to be dinosaurs. The View outranks CNN, like three to one. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/303 "2021-12-13T19:25:47Z")
Your “clarification” was incorrect. There is no such religion as “the Judeo-Christian God of Abraham” – Judaism is a religion, and Christianity is a religion, but they are two different religions. Not that this would be a defense of Flynn anyway – the US is not in any way founded upon Christianity, nor Judaism, nor a combination of the two, nor any other religion. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/304 "2021-12-13T19:25:49Z")
Well, I’m done with my review of troll hypocrisy, he still doesn’t address anything or provide cites even for his TrollTruth, so a well earned ignore for him. Let me know if he does anything worth exploding about. And Webwarrior, may you be shunned like the coprolite eater you are. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/305 "2021-12-13T19:27:50Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > Leftist fake news created the market. Fox stepped it to fill it. Have a look at viewership and ratings, if you dare. Ah, that explains it. The left is to blame for FOX news. Surely crackpot rightists can’t think of fake news on their own. Found the pizza parlor basement where the _Deep State_ runs their child sex slave trafficking rings yet? ---
**Author:** ![webwarrior](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/webwarrior/32/9529_2.png) [@webwarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/webwarrior)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/306 "2021-12-13T20:01:39Z")
OK, since you persist, I’ll break a rule and give you the link to the WordandWay (a well known pro-catholic journal, which makes a difference in that Gen. Flynn comes from a strong Irish Catholic background. He is a man of character, unlike most of the entitled woke posting on this thread) article where they take him to task. [Wordand Way – RE: Gen Flynn](https://wordandway.org/2021/11/16/one-nation-under-michael-flynns-god/) I’ll help you out by pasting in the lines that apply: Flynn [argued](https://rumble.com/vp5tuj-clay-clarks-reawaken-america-tour-san-antonio-day-2.html) the U.S. must be united under one religion. _ **“If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion,” Flynn preached. “One nation under God and one religion under God.”** _ His comments quickly received denouncements as [dangerous](https://news.yahoo.com/carl-bernstein-says-michael-flynns-123024260.html), [undemocratic](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/15/trump-ally-michael-flynn-condemned-call-one-religion), and [Christian Nationalism](https://twitter.com/jackmjenkins/status/1459684649123426307). The broader context of his comments prove these assessments. Flynn, who briefly served as President Donald Trump’s first U.S. National Security Advisor and later got a pardon from Trump for lying to the FBI about secret conversations with a Russian official, argued that religion _ **“is the foundation of this country,” which was “created as a Judeo-Christian country with the beautiful set of values and principles that we have.”** _ _ **“God Almighty is involved in this country because this is it,” Flynn added. “This is the last place on Earth. This is the shining city on the hill.”** _ This was all deeply offensive to the writers at CNN, NPR, and the losers on straightdope who quickly seized on the moral high ground and recognized an opening for tribal gaslighting. The man is a decorated war hero, a general, and a clear eyed analyst of radical Islam. As for the folks in this thread, go back to The View. It’s more your speed. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/307 "2021-12-13T20:07:47Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > got a pardon from Trump for lying to the FBI about secret conversations with a Russian official I’m genuinely confused; are you praising Flynn or condemning him by mentioning this? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/308 "2021-12-13T20:09:43Z")
I think it’s funny that it’s in the same post as his comment about Flynn being a man of character. Maybe he means “bad character”? Bad character is a kind of character, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/309 "2021-12-13T20:09:56Z")
Flynn’s not a man of character, he’s a liar and a grifter who failed to disclose he was making money lobbying for other countries. I served in the Navy and he’s a disgrace to the uniform. Just another lying, grifting scumbag. It’s a scandal that he was ever promoted to flag rank. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/310 "2021-12-13T20:16:23Z")
I’m genuinely confused what you think this proves, because as far as I can see, the material you just quoted entirely supports the characterization of Flynn’s remarks as reported by CNN, NPR, and the OP of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/311 "2021-12-13T20:22:06Z")
Can’t y’all just ignore obvioustroll. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/312 "2021-12-13T20:25:26Z")
LOL Your first time here? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/313 "2021-12-13T20:30:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Can’t y’all just ignore obvioustroll. When, in the entire history of the interwebs, has this advice ever worked? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/314 "2021-12-13T20:39:48Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Your first time here? I know, I know. A guy can dream, can’t he? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![webwarrior](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/webwarrior/32/9529_2.png) [@webwarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/webwarrior)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/315 "2021-12-13T21:05:00Z")
Hatred of anything Trump is no excuse for thinking and acting like peasants. You can read the article same as I did, only I don’t need to have it spoon fed to me. There is no debate that America will only survive and prosper as long as the people have the qualities of integrity and morality **as defined by strong religious conviction.** You guys are so wrapped up in your infantile little “gotcha” games, your CNN inspired wordplay, and your obsession with pleasing the cult that you have effectively turned what might have been a genuine gathering place for original thinkers into a web version of Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/316 "2021-12-13T21:07:43Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > the qualities of integrity and morality **as defined by strong religious conviction** …can scare the living fuck out of you if you have any knowledge of history. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/317 "2021-12-13T21:08:11Z")
You think “strong religious conviction” is synonymous with integrity and morality? Do the names “Jim Bakker” and “Jimmy Swaggert” ring a bell? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/318 "2021-12-13T21:11:40Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > There is no debate that America will only survive and prosper as long as the people have the qualities of integrity and morality **as defined by strong religious conviction.** There is most certainly a debate, and you are so fucking wrong it’s scary. When do the heretic burnings start? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/319 "2021-12-13T21:22:11Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > You can read the article same as I did I don’t think you understood [the “Word & Way” article you linked to](https://wordandway.org/2021/11/16/one-nation-under-michael-flynns-god/). > [@](#): > > “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion,” Flynn preached. “One nation under God and one religion under God.” > > His comments quickly received denouncements as [dangerous](https://news.yahoo.com/carl-bernstein-says-michael-flynns-123024260.html), [undemocratic](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/15/trump-ally-michael-flynn-condemned-call-one-religion), and [Christian Nationalism](https://twitter.com/jackmjenkins/status/1459684649123426307). The broader context of his comments prove these assessments. […] > > To be absolutely clear, we abhor the specifics of Flynn’s faith. His argument that the U.S. is the biblical “city on a hill” is nothing short of heresy. If you actually [read](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A14-16&version=NKJV) your Bible (unlike, we presume, Flynn), you’ll find Jesus clearly tells us who makes up this city: his followers. It’s a metaphor for a new kingdom, not an actual city or nation. And this city by definition transcends human boundaries so it cannot be confined within the jurisdiction of one nation. […] > > Flynn and Hagee not only represent a distortion of Jesus but also a threat to democratic principles. Not only is Christian Nationalism a heresy, but it is also inherently anti-democratic because it seeks to impose a religious test on our national identity. […] > > By definition, such a theocracy can never function as a democracy. We are a nation that includes Christians and Confucians, Buddhists and Baháʼís, atheists and agnostics, Jews and Jedis, and much more. Flynn and his fellow horsemen of the insurrection want to deny basic freedoms to democratic citizens and turn followers of Jesus into idolaters of an empire. The authors of that article are strongly, and rightly, criticizing Flynn for his attempt to claim that the moral qualities of Americans need to be, as you put it, “defined by strong religious conviction”. On the contrary, Americans of all religious persuasions need to acknowledge that our country “includes Christians and Confucians, Buddhists and Baháʼís, atheists and agnostics, Jews and Jedis, and much more”, and that all these people are equally American, equally entitled to democratic freedoms, and equally capable of helping America to survive and prosper. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/320 "2021-12-13T21:28:18Z")
It’s odd. He seems to have completely misunderstood the very article he’s quoting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397.md?page=17)