Distraction or actual, unthinkable idea? This is a video from PBS
It appears donald re-enstated it during his first term. Don’t know how I missed that. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.
“You don’t like the Goths?”
“No! Not with the persecution we have to put up with!”
“Persecution?”
“Religious persecution. We won’t stand for it forever.”
“I thought the Goths let everybody worship as they pleased.”
“That’s just it! We Orthodox are forced to stand around and watch Arians and Monophysites and Nestorians and Jews going about their business unmolested, as if they owned the country. If that isn’t persecution, I’d like to know what is!”
Lest Darkness Fall ~ L. Sprague de Camp
Just more culture wars bullshit so Trump can pander to Evangelical ‘Christians’ can screech about how victimized they are because they can’t legally force their views on others in public schools, courts, et cetera. It comes out of a long tradition of pseudo-martyrism stemming back to the early history of Christianity with followers portraying themselves as victims even as they consolidated power and became the state religion of the Roman Empire and eventually all of Europe and then the Americas. The irony is, of course, that Trump is the least pious human being imaginable and rendered hours after a plea by Bishop Budde at the interfaith prayer service for the President to demonstrate compassion, tolerance, and charity toward others; Christian values that can only be observed in Donald Trump in complete abayance.
It is highly concerning that he’s having the Attorney General lead what clearly amounts to a purge of those accused of “anti-Christian bias” in federal agencies but in the larger context of eliminating anyone who shows insufficient fealty to Trump it is just one more rationale for removing competent and dedicated workers to be replaced by partisan hacks and lackeys who will do his bidding without ethical qualms.
Stranger
Heh, try to make me go to church. I’ll go all Norwegian black metal on the place.
I think he has to pull shit like this to string along the right wing Christian wackos and show them he’s on their side despite being completely non-spiritual and embodying just about everything Chrisianity tells you not to do. (He arguably resembles the Antichrist.)
It’s what the apocalypters like about him, especially when he talks about kicking everyone except the Jews out of Israel.
Stranger
I mostly agree and I wouldn’t even take it seriously if he wasn’t trying so hard to lead the faithful dumbasses around by the nose. I mean, he’s got to give them something, no? Also, the Project 2025 assholes.
He’s finally managed to get them torqued. His selection of White-Cain has a number of them frothing because they consider her to be a heretic.
Abandon hope.
It is clear that even when he does something they don’t like, they get over it in about 10 minutes.
As an aside, I am truly weary of people who wear their Christianity on their sleeve but think the Old Testament is where the message is at.
I don’t need any ‘message’ and don’t trust anyone that does need a message or the fear of ‘god’ to be a good person.
If it is fear that drives anyone to be a good person, they have proved that they are not and can’t be a good person.
A good person proves every day, in every way they are a good person. A good person does not need a god to fear.
Agreed. Nor does a good person need to tell everyone how good they are.
Someone who needs god to tell them not to lie cheat and murder, presumably would do so if god didn’t tell them not to and worse would most assuredly do so if they thought god told them to.
I have been told on more than one occasion that, because I do not cheat, steal or kill although I profess not to believe in any god, what that means is that I actually secretly believe in their deity.
I’ve been told that too.
What? We just nice people, or something?
There is a strange need among some religious types to insist that everyone actually has a religion even if they don’t know it.
So that’s why they try to tell me my Atheism is really a religion.
It’s weird.
When Lawrence Britt stops being so on the nose, I’ll stop referencing his 14 characteristics of fascism.
So … not today:
Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.
Yes. And scary to think that at least some religious folks think that the only thing that keeps people from doing horrible nasty stuff is religion. When religion is probably the primary cause of death and destruction.
I don’t proclaim myself as an atheist. If it ever comes up, I just say that gods aren’t real, so there’s no point in labeling myself as one thing or another using a null set as a reference point.
It actually doesn’t come up that often.
In far too many cases you don’t get to be the one labeling yourself.
I do. But only when provoked
I am a militant atheist, but more of of a “defence force”. I don’t preach atheism, and just want to be left alone. But if some god-botherer breaches that polite difference of opinion - then all of god’s alleged wrath breaks free. I’ve better knowledge of the bible, and a better grasp of science and logic.
Unlike the trope about vegans, I rarely tell people. Luckily I don’t need to.
ETA… though I just proved my absolutist statement wrong. God bless.