I’m Jewish and I believe that according to these buffoons, I am destined to burn in hell for eternity.
Do these clowns EVER follow Jesus’s teachings? Love thy neighbor as thyself, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to see the kingdom of God…. etc.
More to the point, the Bible was written to be interpreted — not as if everything is black and white. Jesus spoke in parables to teach humanity lessons, so why would the rest of the Bible be meant to be understood as a literal expression of what the Universe intended.
These people drive me fucking crazy because they use the Bible to justify their own ignorance and bigotry.
They never use Jesus’s words in the Bible. If they did, they’d realize that voting for Republicans is what gets you condemned to ‘eternal damnation.’ (Mt. 25:31-46) Anti-immigrant policies, not giving hungry children food over the summer, not expanding Medicaid—all those omissions and commissions are sins according to Jesus. And RBS, there is the Matthew 25 I cite as well as a story in Luke about Lazarus and the Rich Man in which Jesus talks about ‘hell’—specifically what gets someone sent there, and it’s none of the things they think. If they actually read their Bible, they would understand the dilemma of the Jewish leaders who were weighing the fate of one man against surviving as a people under Roman rule. Since it was the Romans who killed Jesus, it would make more sense for them to protest in front of an Olive Garden.
I have a former theology professor friend who says that the best story of separation of church and state is that of the prophet Amos. He stood outside the gates calling for justice for those living in poverty, not trying to be the king.
Thank you so much for your insightful comment, Kim. In addition to what you say, the original meaning of the word “repent” means “change the way you think.” It doesn’t mean “give your soul to Jesus or burn in hell for eternity with Satan and his disciples poking you with pitchforks.”
My understanding of the original meaning of the word used so freely by Christians, "salvation" is "to broaden the way," to expand vision and perspective rather than "saving" you from landing in Hell for eternity by following a single perspective.
Unfortunately it is not just Christianity, which I agree is sick, but is probably true of all religions, especially the three Abrahamic religions. Questions for you:
Which of the two creations stories is correct since they contradict each other?
In ancient Judaism how many gods were there?
Do you know how and why Yahweh supplanted El?
Why is Asherah no longer venerated?
All religions are meant to control the masses to benefit the powerful.
Precisely. The Bible was written by man, who is fallable. And then rewritten and interpreted to skew to a view. The King James version came into being to make it easier for the king to control his subjects.
There is TRUTH, but we are independent beings and each has their own truth; sometimes they mesh and a society forms
I like what Brian McLaren says, that the Bible is a library of stories with God as a character. There are skewed translations—the kingly KJV being one of them. The worst to me is the English Standard Version (ESV) commission by and disseminated globally by millionaires who hate and want to justify the subjugation of women. But I have friends who are biblical scholars. The New Revised Standard Version attempts to be the most faithful to the original text, periodically updating with new scholarship as was carried out recently. Little known biblical fact is that more than 2000 verses address justice for those living in poverty, around 30 passages deal with inviting in and treating immigrants/refugees as “the native born.” And there are actually three stories of creation. The two Genesis stories are distinct and can’t both be taken literally but that’s not the point. My favorite is the one in Proverbs in which wisdom in the form of a female “master builder” implements God’s blueprint, so to speak.
Note on how so-called Christian nationalists handle the substantial mandate to invite in immigrants—“Jesus said ‘legal’ aliens.” Uh, no, that is not a thing.
Truth? What is that? Why is the story of the so-called Children’s Crusade so sketchy? Embarrassment?
Children's Crusade (by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Copyright)
Children's Crusade
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Copyright)
The so-called Children's Crusade of 1212 CE, was a popular, double religious movement led by a French youth, Stephen of Cloyes, and a German boy, Nicholas of Cologne, who gathered two armies of perhaps 20,000 children, adolescents, and adults with the hopelessly optimistic objective of bettering the failures of the professional Crusader armies and capturing Jerusalem for Christendom. Travelling across Europe, the would-be Crusaders perhaps reached Genoa but had no funds to pay for their passage to the Levant. While some participants simply returned home, a large number were sold into slavery, according to the legend. Whatever the exact events of the confused history of the 'Children's Crusade', the episode illustrates that there was a popular sympathy for the Crusade movement amongst the common people and it was not just nobles and knights who felt compelled to take the cross and defend Christians and their sacred places in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages.
Objective Jerusalem
Saladin, the Muslim Sultan of Egypt and Syria (r. 1174-1193 CE), had shocked the Christian world when he captured Jerusalem in 1187 CE. Despite the failure of the Third Crusade (1187-1192 CE) to then even get in touching distance of Jerusalem, and the even more dismal Fourth Crusade (1202-1204 CE), which had instead attacked Constantinople, there were still many Christians in the west eager to travel to the Holy Land and help in the task of retaking Jerusalem. There was perhaps, too, a frustration among the ordinary populace that despite the taxes they were asked to bear and the sacrifices in materials and supplies to repeatedly furnish Crusader armies, the primary objective of retaking the Holy City had still not been achieved. In 1212 CE a curious movement sprang up which has since gained legendary status. Thousands of children were organised into an 'army', and they set out for the Middle East thinking that they could do a whole lot better than the adults in defeating the Muslim infidels.
Stephen & Nicholas
In the spring of 1212 CE, in the region of Vendôme in France, groups of youths claimed to have experienced visions which prompted them to set off and fight the Muslims in order to regain Jerusalem. Their leader was one Stephen of Cloyes, a shepherd. According to the legend, Stephen had approached king Philip II of France (r. 1180-1223 CE) claiming, while tending his flock one day, to have miraculously received a letter from the hands of Jesus Christ. The letter instructed Stephen to go forth and preach the Crusade, gathering followers wherever he went. The king dismissed these claims and Stephen, too, but the boy, undeterred, went on a preaching tour of the region anyway and he began to accumulate a significant number of followers, the majority of whom were children.
Ironically, Saladin, who “liberated” Palestine from the crusaders was a Kurd. How are Kurds treated now by Muslims?
The powerful always twist history and hate for their own benefit.
Look up the Enuma Elis and read Gilgamesh to start understanding how the Hebrew bible was created by borrowing from older Sumerian myths adapted and added onto by earlier Babylonians.
The stories in the Bible are only borrowed myths used metaphorically BUT NOT word of god.
Peace and love to you, too, and, boy, honey, do I agree with you. Don't forget the part about Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple. I understand that some of these Corporate Christian preachers have private jets. Give me a break, and we give them tax breaks to boot.
I’ve been saying to tax these so-called churches / political organizations for years. Who knew there was a complaint form you could send in. Thank you so much.!
I also experienced the firing of a favorite coach because she was gay.. we had no say and the firing occurred behind closed school board meeting..
My parents were truly walk the talk Christians and set a powerful example for all of her students..they hosted an appreciation party in our home for her. I will always remember my parent’s truly inspirational behaviors!
FWIW, my view on the issue of taxing 'churches' should be transactional:
If a church is an asset to the community, doing the things attributed to their icons (such as to feed the hungry, give shelter to the poor) then they qualify for tax-exempt status, which was the purpose for that exemption in the first place. To encourage community generosity.
But-
If a church steps off that path and becomes active in politics, using its reach and influence to support the Holy Dollar and their access to the money river, by promoting The Party Of Gordon Gekko, then bye-bye tax exemption, they should be required to register as a lobbying outfit -and pay for the privilege.
Humans are the only animals on earth who have the ability to believe fictional ideas are real without one shred of supporting proof, and that's the vulnerability that paves the way for the religious scam.
At its core, a religious con goes like this:
The setup: They create a threat, a danger that only they can protect their Rubes from. Usually it's an invisible demon, let's call it "Satan" for example.
The con: To join the cult you must give up free will and critical thinking ("have faith") and believe in the power of the religious icon.
In the popular mythology this Icon has the ability to SAVE YOU from the threat that the religion's dogma itself created.
The sting: To maintain this fictional protection, from the fictional demon(s), the Rubes have to start giving up money to the Outfit for their continued protection, er, let's call that "tithe to the church", because the Icon can't handle money worth a damn, and always needs more, more, and MORE!
Then as a final exercise of greed, the Outfit, er, I mean CHURCH, tells its Rubes how to vote and whom to marginalize because one "enemy" isn't enough, oh no, you have to have the Dems and the Gays and the Immigrants and the other churches and THEIR scams which are not the real true scam, er, make that, faith.
Separation between religion and government has always been a fantasy.
Reading history this AM I read how many historians believe that the seeds to the renaissance was the beginning of secularism in the education of children in Europe. Conversely, religious education fights to keep humanity in the dark.
I said in 2016 when Trump was elected that I refused to normalize his behavior, even though my family advised against it as I was calling him out daily on some kind of immoral behavior/ comment. I find it so interesting that this gentleman fights to remove a gay person from a library board because he doesn’t want that behavior to be normalized…….. yet he has been normalizing Trump’s despicable morals and behaviors for over 8 years!! PREACHER, LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND HEAL THYSELF!!
Josh Blevins' Instagram post ends with a verse from the Bible.--
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
That is just too ironic for words. I used this very quote to explain why I was leaving my position as church pianist at a Baptist Church after Trump was elected. This verse exhorts the hate-filled, mean spirited DARKNESS that Trump and his MAGA cronies-in-crime preached from his "pulpit of hypocricy."
I tried to explain or expose Trump's movement to the people at the church, who thought it was "God's will" that he was elected. I wanted no part in a culture of doom, gloom, and "Boom- vote for Trump and he will solve all the problems that he is telling you you have." The Bible talks about the "Fruuts of the Spirit" that true Christians should try to live by and for-- love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Why would I want to have fellowship with people who believe that Donald Trump possesse ANY of these "fruits of the spirit?" I don't, so I left, and now am trying to understand why, after all the immoral and illegal words and actions of Trump, that "Christians" would spiral down into the darkness of his works.
I guess there's really no use in trying to explain or expose him as a sinful charlatan, especially since the likes of Josh Blevins throw the blame of the conditions they see as "unfit" on the Democrats. How ironic and deeply sad and frightening.
The MAGA Christians have three core values: White Supremacy, a perverted lust for exotic assault weapons, and a malignant misogyny. Christianity is used solely for organization and indoctrination.
I was raised Southern Baptist and left in my 20's. I'm now 70 and a devout agnostic. I still belong to a church here in Nashville. The Utilitarian Universalist church. They don't tell anybody how to think, they encourage civil discussions and have a class devoted to agnostics. I hope Pastor Kirk wins his lawsuit. If a church becomes a PAC then they need to pay taxes. I think all churches should pay taxes, IMHO. I was raised in MTG's District 14 for 40 years and most are conservative friendly and helpful people. But I moved to Nashville for the diversity. I'm a cisgender heterosexual male and always will be, but I have close friends that are gay, bi-sexual, pan sexual and trans. My friends are generous, helpful and loving souls. Any Christian that says who you love is wrong is not a Christian but a self-appointed judge of people they don't know. I wish they would stop.
This is great information. I was a Southern Baptist for about 20 years (all as an adult). This Theobro scam reminds me of the one I witnessed when I was going to SB church. The pastors always seemed to tell members that if they tithed, God would take care of them. I tithed for 3 years and could not get out of debt. I never defaulted on any of my debts, but making ends meet was very hard. One day I realized that my pastor and his wife drove the biggest Lincoln Continental made. At the time, I couldn't afford to get the AC in my car fixed. This made me realize that this was just a con. This is a shameless thing for any church to do. From that time on, I questioned everything. Everyone should. Thank you, Jess
Funny (not “Ha!Ha!” funny, though) how that “Prosperity Gospel” bulls**t works, ain’t it?
I’d say it works exactly the same today as it ever has.
The Right Reverend P.T. Barnum issued a cautionary statement many years ago. But no one who is in the process of being actively hoodwinked into financing the lifestyle & vices of these smooth talking false prophets ever seems to recognize the sucker that they have become.
And that’s the power of playing on people’s fears about the hereafter. It’s one of the most vile cons of all.
Yes, I am just sorry it took me 3 years to wake up to this scheme. And BTW, I know that God has blessed me many, many times since then. There is no connection between tithing and being blessed.
Has anyone reported this “church” to the IRS? It’s pretty ballsy of them to publish voter guides on the internet where anyone can look at them and expect to retain their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. I’m sure their parishioners are deducting contributions on their Schedule A’s, as well. American taxpayers should not be subsidizing partisan political activity.
So well stated. I used to be amid the throng that heard folks like him. But BECAUSE God loves (Democratic) me—along with my (Democratic) husband, grown children, and their children—my ears no longer hear such hate and ignorance. I left. Thank you for exposing specific cases like this. We have a lot of work to do.
Beautifully written! And I have been saying for years that churches need to pay taxes just like the rest of us. Thanks for that information about the IRS. I did not know about that form.
Readers should all click on the link to the Vote St. Joe link. It'll spin your head around. This is election interference pure and simple. How a church can be involved in politics like this and still claim a tax-free status is beyond me. I, like Jess, was raised a Southern Baptist. Then I learned to think critically and not believe everything I was told without question. Needless to say, I'm no longer a Southern Baptist. Needless to say, I am disgusted by the televangelists living in their sprawling mansions, flying around in one of their multiple private jets, all the while squeezing their "congregations" for more money. All the while not paying a cent of tax on those donations / tithes. There has to be a groundswell of protest to put a stop to this rip off.
Jess, I look forward to your posts every time and you never fail us. As a former Iowan who became a “coastal elite” and ate children’s souls through two decades teaching elementary and middle school and two more teaching art educators, I can’t tell you uplifting my husband and I find your voice. Thank you for carrying the torch of full sunlight in a world of gaslight.
I live the Midwest. And it’s horrifying to see how immoral TheoBros and their likes have worked so hard to take it down. All that common sense and good heartedness and humor perverted.
Thank you. We all admire and need you. Happy New Year.
I’m Jewish and I believe that according to these buffoons, I am destined to burn in hell for eternity.
Do these clowns EVER follow Jesus’s teachings? Love thy neighbor as thyself, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to see the kingdom of God…. etc.
More to the point, the Bible was written to be interpreted — not as if everything is black and white. Jesus spoke in parables to teach humanity lessons, so why would the rest of the Bible be meant to be understood as a literal expression of what the Universe intended.
These people drive me fucking crazy because they use the Bible to justify their own ignorance and bigotry.
Peace and love….
They never use Jesus’s words in the Bible. If they did, they’d realize that voting for Republicans is what gets you condemned to ‘eternal damnation.’ (Mt. 25:31-46) Anti-immigrant policies, not giving hungry children food over the summer, not expanding Medicaid—all those omissions and commissions are sins according to Jesus. And RBS, there is the Matthew 25 I cite as well as a story in Luke about Lazarus and the Rich Man in which Jesus talks about ‘hell’—specifically what gets someone sent there, and it’s none of the things they think. If they actually read their Bible, they would understand the dilemma of the Jewish leaders who were weighing the fate of one man against surviving as a people under Roman rule. Since it was the Romans who killed Jesus, it would make more sense for them to protest in front of an Olive Garden.
I have a former theology professor friend who says that the best story of separation of church and state is that of the prophet Amos. He stood outside the gates calling for justice for those living in poverty, not trying to be the king.
Thank you so much for your insightful comment, Kim. In addition to what you say, the original meaning of the word “repent” means “change the way you think.” It doesn’t mean “give your soul to Jesus or burn in hell for eternity with Satan and his disciples poking you with pitchforks.”
I didn't know that about "repent". That makes a lot more sense. Thank you.
My understanding of the original meaning of the word used so freely by Christians, "salvation" is "to broaden the way," to expand vision and perspective rather than "saving" you from landing in Hell for eternity by following a single perspective.
Brilliant, never heard that.
Unfortunately it is not just Christianity, which I agree is sick, but is probably true of all religions, especially the three Abrahamic religions. Questions for you:
Which of the two creations stories is correct since they contradict each other?
In ancient Judaism how many gods were there?
Do you know how and why Yahweh supplanted El?
Why is Asherah no longer venerated?
All religions are meant to control the masses to benefit the powerful.
Precisely. The Bible was written by man, who is fallable. And then rewritten and interpreted to skew to a view. The King James version came into being to make it easier for the king to control his subjects.
There is TRUTH, but we are independent beings and each has their own truth; sometimes they mesh and a society forms
I like what Brian McLaren says, that the Bible is a library of stories with God as a character. There are skewed translations—the kingly KJV being one of them. The worst to me is the English Standard Version (ESV) commission by and disseminated globally by millionaires who hate and want to justify the subjugation of women. But I have friends who are biblical scholars. The New Revised Standard Version attempts to be the most faithful to the original text, periodically updating with new scholarship as was carried out recently. Little known biblical fact is that more than 2000 verses address justice for those living in poverty, around 30 passages deal with inviting in and treating immigrants/refugees as “the native born.” And there are actually three stories of creation. The two Genesis stories are distinct and can’t both be taken literally but that’s not the point. My favorite is the one in Proverbs in which wisdom in the form of a female “master builder” implements God’s blueprint, so to speak.
Note on how so-called Christian nationalists handle the substantial mandate to invite in immigrants—“Jesus said ‘legal’ aliens.” Uh, no, that is not a thing.
Truth? What is that? Why is the story of the so-called Children’s Crusade so sketchy? Embarrassment?
Children's Crusade (by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Copyright)
Children's Crusade
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Copyright)
The so-called Children's Crusade of 1212 CE, was a popular, double religious movement led by a French youth, Stephen of Cloyes, and a German boy, Nicholas of Cologne, who gathered two armies of perhaps 20,000 children, adolescents, and adults with the hopelessly optimistic objective of bettering the failures of the professional Crusader armies and capturing Jerusalem for Christendom. Travelling across Europe, the would-be Crusaders perhaps reached Genoa but had no funds to pay for their passage to the Levant. While some participants simply returned home, a large number were sold into slavery, according to the legend. Whatever the exact events of the confused history of the 'Children's Crusade', the episode illustrates that there was a popular sympathy for the Crusade movement amongst the common people and it was not just nobles and knights who felt compelled to take the cross and defend Christians and their sacred places in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages.
Objective Jerusalem
Saladin, the Muslim Sultan of Egypt and Syria (r. 1174-1193 CE), had shocked the Christian world when he captured Jerusalem in 1187 CE. Despite the failure of the Third Crusade (1187-1192 CE) to then even get in touching distance of Jerusalem, and the even more dismal Fourth Crusade (1202-1204 CE), which had instead attacked Constantinople, there were still many Christians in the west eager to travel to the Holy Land and help in the task of retaking Jerusalem. There was perhaps, too, a frustration among the ordinary populace that despite the taxes they were asked to bear and the sacrifices in materials and supplies to repeatedly furnish Crusader armies, the primary objective of retaking the Holy City had still not been achieved. In 1212 CE a curious movement sprang up which has since gained legendary status. Thousands of children were organised into an 'army', and they set out for the Middle East thinking that they could do a whole lot better than the adults in defeating the Muslim infidels.
Stephen & Nicholas
In the spring of 1212 CE, in the region of Vendôme in France, groups of youths claimed to have experienced visions which prompted them to set off and fight the Muslims in order to regain Jerusalem. Their leader was one Stephen of Cloyes, a shepherd. According to the legend, Stephen had approached king Philip II of France (r. 1180-1223 CE) claiming, while tending his flock one day, to have miraculously received a letter from the hands of Jesus Christ. The letter instructed Stephen to go forth and preach the Crusade, gathering followers wherever he went. The king dismissed these claims and Stephen, too, but the boy, undeterred, went on a preaching tour of the region anyway and he began to accumulate a significant number of followers, the majority of whom were children.
Ironically, Saladin, who “liberated” Palestine from the crusaders was a Kurd. How are Kurds treated now by Muslims?
The powerful always twist history and hate for their own benefit.
Look up the Enuma Elis and read Gilgamesh to start understanding how the Hebrew bible was created by borrowing from older Sumerian myths adapted and added onto by earlier Babylonians.
The stories in the Bible are only borrowed myths used metaphorically BUT NOT word of god.
and we are all big bags of chemicals with a different mix!
Well said.
Thank you.
Well said!
Last time I checked, Jesus was a Jew and killed by soon to be Roman Catholics?
Am i missing something?
Three hundred years isn’t exactly soon, but it is interesting to assume a similar population may have embraced Christianity because of Constantine.
or face the lions in the Colosseum? Constantine used christianity in his pursuit of power. That sounds like the people Jess discusses in her piece.
Peace and love to you, too, and, boy, honey, do I agree with you. Don't forget the part about Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple. I understand that some of these Corporate Christian preachers have private jets. Give me a break, and we give them tax breaks to boot.
Follow His teachings? Most dogs are far more Christian like than professed Christians.
It was written to control people, and in so doing, concentrate power and influence.
The total number of biblical authors who actually knew Jesus is zero. 0. Not a single one. It’s all made up. Iron-age mythology.
I’ve been saying to tax these so-called churches / political organizations for years. Who knew there was a complaint form you could send in. Thank you so much.!
You’re welcome!
How to get this complaint form to tax this type of church?
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/irs-complaint-process-tax-exempt-organizations
Tax the churches!
I also experienced the firing of a favorite coach because she was gay.. we had no say and the firing occurred behind closed school board meeting..
My parents were truly walk the talk Christians and set a powerful example for all of her students..they hosted an appreciation party in our home for her. I will always remember my parent’s truly inspirational behaviors!
❤️
FWIW, my view on the issue of taxing 'churches' should be transactional:
If a church is an asset to the community, doing the things attributed to their icons (such as to feed the hungry, give shelter to the poor) then they qualify for tax-exempt status, which was the purpose for that exemption in the first place. To encourage community generosity.
But-
If a church steps off that path and becomes active in politics, using its reach and influence to support the Holy Dollar and their access to the money river, by promoting The Party Of Gordon Gekko, then bye-bye tax exemption, they should be required to register as a lobbying outfit -and pay for the privilege.
Humans are the only animals on earth who have the ability to believe fictional ideas are real without one shred of supporting proof, and that's the vulnerability that paves the way for the religious scam.
At its core, a religious con goes like this:
The setup: They create a threat, a danger that only they can protect their Rubes from. Usually it's an invisible demon, let's call it "Satan" for example.
The con: To join the cult you must give up free will and critical thinking ("have faith") and believe in the power of the religious icon.
In the popular mythology this Icon has the ability to SAVE YOU from the threat that the religion's dogma itself created.
The sting: To maintain this fictional protection, from the fictional demon(s), the Rubes have to start giving up money to the Outfit for their continued protection, er, let's call that "tithe to the church", because the Icon can't handle money worth a damn, and always needs more, more, and MORE!
Then as a final exercise of greed, the Outfit, er, I mean CHURCH, tells its Rubes how to vote and whom to marginalize because one "enemy" isn't enough, oh no, you have to have the Dems and the Gays and the Immigrants and the other churches and THEIR scams which are not the real true scam, er, make that, faith.
Amen.
Well said!
We must resist Christofascism. Whatever happened to the separation between church and state? Rest assured, government workers like me will undermine Trump and Project 2025 like we did during his first term: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/public-servant-democracy-defender-introduction
Separation between religion and government has always been a fantasy.
Reading history this AM I read how many historians believe that the seeds to the renaissance was the beginning of secularism in the education of children in Europe. Conversely, religious education fights to keep humanity in the dark.
I said in 2016 when Trump was elected that I refused to normalize his behavior, even though my family advised against it as I was calling him out daily on some kind of immoral behavior/ comment. I find it so interesting that this gentleman fights to remove a gay person from a library board because he doesn’t want that behavior to be normalized…….. yet he has been normalizing Trump’s despicable morals and behaviors for over 8 years!! PREACHER, LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND HEAL THYSELF!!
Josh Blevins' Instagram post ends with a verse from the Bible.--
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
That is just too ironic for words. I used this very quote to explain why I was leaving my position as church pianist at a Baptist Church after Trump was elected. This verse exhorts the hate-filled, mean spirited DARKNESS that Trump and his MAGA cronies-in-crime preached from his "pulpit of hypocricy."
I tried to explain or expose Trump's movement to the people at the church, who thought it was "God's will" that he was elected. I wanted no part in a culture of doom, gloom, and "Boom- vote for Trump and he will solve all the problems that he is telling you you have." The Bible talks about the "Fruuts of the Spirit" that true Christians should try to live by and for-- love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Why would I want to have fellowship with people who believe that Donald Trump possesse ANY of these "fruits of the spirit?" I don't, so I left, and now am trying to understand why, after all the immoral and illegal words and actions of Trump, that "Christians" would spiral down into the darkness of his works.
I guess there's really no use in trying to explain or expose him as a sinful charlatan, especially since the likes of Josh Blevins throw the blame of the conditions they see as "unfit" on the Democrats. How ironic and deeply sad and frightening.
The MAGA Christians have three core values: White Supremacy, a perverted lust for exotic assault weapons, and a malignant misogyny. Christianity is used solely for organization and indoctrination.
And the ability to have sex with “pure” virgin children.
How true, How true.
Thanks for simplifying the maga agenda.
As are all religions.
Most religions oppress women and minorities. We'll always have them, but must always remain vigilant. Suspicious of their motives.
I was raised Southern Baptist and left in my 20's. I'm now 70 and a devout agnostic. I still belong to a church here in Nashville. The Utilitarian Universalist church. They don't tell anybody how to think, they encourage civil discussions and have a class devoted to agnostics. I hope Pastor Kirk wins his lawsuit. If a church becomes a PAC then they need to pay taxes. I think all churches should pay taxes, IMHO. I was raised in MTG's District 14 for 40 years and most are conservative friendly and helpful people. But I moved to Nashville for the diversity. I'm a cisgender heterosexual male and always will be, but I have close friends that are gay, bi-sexual, pan sexual and trans. My friends are generous, helpful and loving souls. Any Christian that says who you love is wrong is not a Christian but a self-appointed judge of people they don't know. I wish they would stop.
The Unitarian Universalist Church, not Utillitarian. Maybe spell check messed that up.
I wrote it incorrect. Thanks for the correction.
This is great information. I was a Southern Baptist for about 20 years (all as an adult). This Theobro scam reminds me of the one I witnessed when I was going to SB church. The pastors always seemed to tell members that if they tithed, God would take care of them. I tithed for 3 years and could not get out of debt. I never defaulted on any of my debts, but making ends meet was very hard. One day I realized that my pastor and his wife drove the biggest Lincoln Continental made. At the time, I couldn't afford to get the AC in my car fixed. This made me realize that this was just a con. This is a shameless thing for any church to do. From that time on, I questioned everything. Everyone should. Thank you, Jess
Hmmm….
Funny (not “Ha!Ha!” funny, though) how that “Prosperity Gospel” bulls**t works, ain’t it?
I’d say it works exactly the same today as it ever has.
The Right Reverend P.T. Barnum issued a cautionary statement many years ago. But no one who is in the process of being actively hoodwinked into financing the lifestyle & vices of these smooth talking false prophets ever seems to recognize the sucker that they have become.
And that’s the power of playing on people’s fears about the hereafter. It’s one of the most vile cons of all.
Yes, I am just sorry it took me 3 years to wake up to this scheme. And BTW, I know that God has blessed me many, many times since then. There is no connection between tithing and being blessed.
. . . and should lose their tax exempt status.
They never should have had tax exempt status in the first place. That was a hold over from the old country that needed to be left on their shores.
Thank you for the link to the tax complaint form. Keep up the good work Jess.
When churches engage in politics they violate the separation of church and state,
And become a lobbying firm.
Has anyone reported this “church” to the IRS? It’s pretty ballsy of them to publish voter guides on the internet where anyone can look at them and expect to retain their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. I’m sure their parishioners are deducting contributions on their Schedule A’s, as well. American taxpayers should not be subsidizing partisan political activity.
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/irs-complaint-process-tax-exempt-organizations
So well stated. I used to be amid the throng that heard folks like him. But BECAUSE God loves (Democratic) me—along with my (Democratic) husband, grown children, and their children—my ears no longer hear such hate and ignorance. I left. Thank you for exposing specific cases like this. We have a lot of work to do.
❤️
Beautifully written! And I have been saying for years that churches need to pay taxes just like the rest of us. Thanks for that information about the IRS. I did not know about that form.
Readers should all click on the link to the Vote St. Joe link. It'll spin your head around. This is election interference pure and simple. How a church can be involved in politics like this and still claim a tax-free status is beyond me. I, like Jess, was raised a Southern Baptist. Then I learned to think critically and not believe everything I was told without question. Needless to say, I'm no longer a Southern Baptist. Needless to say, I am disgusted by the televangelists living in their sprawling mansions, flying around in one of their multiple private jets, all the while squeezing their "congregations" for more money. All the while not paying a cent of tax on those donations / tithes. There has to be a groundswell of protest to put a stop to this rip off.
Jess, I look forward to your posts every time and you never fail us. As a former Iowan who became a “coastal elite” and ate children’s souls through two decades teaching elementary and middle school and two more teaching art educators, I can’t tell you uplifting my husband and I find your voice. Thank you for carrying the torch of full sunlight in a world of gaslight.
I live the Midwest. And it’s horrifying to see how immoral TheoBros and their likes have worked so hard to take it down. All that common sense and good heartedness and humor perverted.
Thank you. We all admire and need you. Happy New Year.
Solidarity and happy new year, friend