# 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:** 21
**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 15, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/401 "2021-12-15T21:33:49Z")
I have to tell you, I’ve been on chat since AOL, Salon’s Table Talk, and IRC. It never occurred to me even once to background check another participant. It has to the the Alphabet effect having permeated the culture. Yuck! ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/402 "2021-12-15T21:35:59Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > Usually I don’t hide behind screen names or little cartoony avatars, as you all discovered with your “background checking.” Then what the fuck are you complaining about? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/403 "2021-12-15T21:37:11Z")
Near as I can figure he’s claiming that posting his real name and picture means someone is witch-hunting him? _::: shrug :::_ ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/404 "2021-12-15T21:37:42Z")
I have to say, you really did cut it loose when you broke the chains of restraiint. ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/405 "2021-12-15T21:41:12Z")
And this is a thread “For Christians Only.” I’d like to see the results when the Satanist club together. That must be really something to behold. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/406 "2021-12-15T21:43:31Z")
The city in the thread title is for Christians only. This thread is for everyone. Dumbass. ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/407 "2021-12-15T21:43:45Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > And this is a thread “For Christians Only.” No, it isn’t. Idiot. ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/408 "2021-12-15T21:44:21Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > And this is a thread “For Christians Only.” Then why are you here? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/409 "2021-12-15T21:44:27Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > And this is a thread “For Christians Only.” No, the thread title is referring to Flynn’s invocation of a “shining city on a hill” as being intended “for Christians only”. (ETA: as bobot and Czarcasm explained.) There was no intent on the part of the OP or any of the other thread participants to limit participation to Christian posters. (Though this does explain how webwarrior ended up in this thread, mistakenly thinking it would be a cozy circle-jerk of self-identified “Christians”.) ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/410 "2021-12-15T21:45:24Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > I’d like to see the results when the Satanist club together. Who is this “Satanist” you speak of, and how can a single person “club together”(whatever the fuck that means)? ---
**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 15, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/411 "2021-12-15T21:45:45Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > And this is a thread “For Christians Only.” I’d like to see the results when the Satanist club together. That must be really something to behold. BEHOLD! [![](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/DQWH27HLRNPZLIHCTUQ3PCAQW4.jpg) ](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/DQWH27HLRNPZLIHCTUQ3PCAQW4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/412 "2021-12-15T21:50:42Z")
That is one clean highway area. Kudos, Satanists! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/413 "2021-12-15T22:55:08Z")
I wasn’t aware they had a branch in my state. Interesting. ETA: their Facebook entry has some very nice artwork and they seem to have a sense of humor. And they keep highways clean. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/414 "2021-12-15T23:22:48Z")
I go to all the meetings. Satan never shows up even tough I wear my super cute peasant blouse. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/415 "2021-12-15T23:36:20Z")
Giggle at the previous post. Today Rod Dreher of _The American Conservative_ noted again with alarm new Pew reporting showing that Americans identifying as non-Christians are accelerating in numbers. He doesn’t know what to do about that but has finally admitted that we can’t “force people to believe in God.” ---
**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 15, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/416 "2021-12-15T23:40:22Z")
> [@Rod Dreher](#): > > we can’t “force people to believe in God.” But they’ll keep trying! Even if they have to kill them. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/417 "2021-12-16T00:02:16Z")
Interesting how he’s treating “being non-Christian” and “believing in God” as mutually exclusive? I can’t be quite sure bc I can’t find the source you mentioned. ---
**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 16, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/418 "2021-12-16T00:42:40Z")
Oh, I get it now. A little editorializing in the title. Very clever. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/419 "2021-12-16T00:54:40Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > A little editorializing in the title. The “editorializing” was on the part of Michael Flynn, not the OP of this thread. Flynn was the one declaring that the “one nation under God” that he viewed as a “shining city on a hill” needed to have “one religion”, namely Christianity. From the [Word&Way article that you yourself cited:](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.” […] > > _If_ we are to actually be one nation under God, then that logically implies a privileged religion and the disenfranchisement of those outside that faith. To seek a nation with “one religion” or even a nation “under God” is to create a religious test that strips some people of their citizenship. So the OP describing Flynn’s ideal “shining city on a hill” as “for Christians only” is in fact an accurate representation of what Flynn was saying. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397/420 "2021-12-16T01:18:24Z")
> [@webwarrior](#): > > I have to say, you really did cut it loose when you broke the chains of restraiint. Nah, I mostly just wasn’t paying attention to what was going on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-flynns-shining-city-on-the-hill-for-christians-only/954397.md?page=22)