NEW. You know how Christian nationalists always cite the Bible to support their stances on abortion, guns, gay rights, etc.? Well, it ain't what Jesus said. So says SiriusXM host John Fugelsang in his new book. And we discuss the book in my OUR LAND newsletter. link.motherjones.com/public/41468...
To begin with, Jesus spoke Aramaic and the Gospels were written in Koine Greek. How many Christian nationalists can read either of these languages?
I love it.
Jimmy Carter was also a big fan of what Jesus actually says in the Bible. We all know what the GOP thought of him. #ChristianNationalistsArentChristian
Amen
People been out-thinking and debating those Christians for decades. Nothing works. They got lead skulls. Probably from the paint they’ve been eating for generations.
If we’re legitimizing the use of religious texts for political decisions, I got your Pure Land Sutras right here
Surely people are capable of making more sophisticated arguments about moral decisions than “my religion says so”
We have a long history that speaks to that point, sadly.
Justifying moral decisions solely by appealing to religious authority without demonstrating sufficient capacity to reason morally, in a way debatable in public, beyond “my religion says so” is a crude, anti-intellectual, lazy, incompetent, childish authoritarian cudgel cloaked in divine decree.
I have reached the "pretty much given up on the hope of human progress" stage of my personal evolution. We can build institutions and social structures which contain the stupidest, most vile impulses, but even then, only imperfectly. We can make society better but we're pretty much stuck with people
Yeah, the uncomfortable point needing stated is that leaders saying “my religion says so” are here because of a critical mass of supporting rank and file citizens with similar levels of willingness or capacity to reason morally.
On ALL sides of the political spectrum.
Yup. Took a while but the far left is now as nuts as the far right, but the far right has funding and someone to tell them what to do.
I don’t think the far left is particularly religious (in a strict sense), although maybe some of them are in the “Marx said it, I believe it, that settles it” sense, though also Marx does not doom non-Marxists to eternal suffering for not being a Marxist
I think that's right, but not necessarily only Marx, but the notion of hewing to a text to define your moral landscape and seeing your group as bounded by heathens, heretics, and apostates is right in their wheelhouse.
FYI, yesterday we made fun of Trmp’s blasphemous visit to the Bible Museum, and rewrite the 23d Psalm in his honor. 2 minutes of mockery of those who deserve it: www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8S8qME1/
Well yeah. It’s trivially obvious that the vast majority of evangelicals believe things which are nowhere in the bible. Even the definition of marriage they claim was handed down from on high isn’t in there.
"Christian" nationalism is HARDLY Christian! It's bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia HIDING BEHIND religion. Digging for a bible phrase to "support" a position most ALWAYS indicates a spurious argument. "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"
This is a fantastic interview. Thank you for posting it here.
When I them with a bible I use a wicked backhand strike. What does everyone else use?
The great part about the late United States of America (1776-2016) was that you didn't have to give two fucks WHAT the Bible, or Jesus, or Moses, or some rando's pastor said.
The bible is a book of mistranslations' design to control those who get their thinking done by proxy! Most of those Christian nationalists fuck children in Sunday school! If that ain't evil then I sure as hell don't know what is?
They support Trump. That's not supporting the bible. Old testament or New.
Wait, beat them with the Bible you say? You mean like by talking, yes? Not actually beating them with it, right?
If/when the Christ returns, Trump and the religious right will run for their lives. And it won’t matter.
Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. They also use it to support slavery, targeted murder, subjugation of women and children, and whatever they fucking want. I think that constitutes using the Lord’s name in vain. They also play God, which was the original no-no. They have no self-understanding, no compassion.
Exactly. They don't follow the teachings of Jesus.
Sorry, I have zero interest in reading the Goatherder's Guide to the Galaxy and debating sky-daddy facts. It's right up there with My Little Pony for useless fiction.
Start with the VERY libertine King James I/VI! Quite the bugger to be the preferred option. Then again, he was a royalty, so its a lot like today. bsky.app/profile/jaym...
How to Beat Christian Nationalists Using The Bible Step 1: Grab a Bible firmly in both hands. Step 2: Raise the Bible over your head. Step 3: Bring the Bible down forcefully and repeatedly on their heads.
Most Christians don't know that first 5 books of Bible are the Jewish Torah. Also, they don't pay much attention to the Beattitudes of Jesus.
The bible is silent on the sin of molesting children. Hmm?
I mean other than that part about millstones and the bottom of the sea if anybody harmed a single one of them?
They don’t know what the Bible actually says, all they know is the dogma created by white misogynist men who translated the Bible to their advantage
