Religion Randomness

[Blackhawk]

So the Trump Bible is bound in rich Corinthian pleather?

Yes!

But wait, there's more! If you act now you can get the "The Day God Intervened" edition!!!!

The first Bible to break one of the Ten Commandments!

[Grifman]

So the Trump Bible is bound in rich Corinthian pleather?

That's rich "Two Corinthian" pleather, sir!

[gbasden]

So the Trump Bible is bound in rich Corinthian pleather?

That's rich "Two Corinthian" pleather, sir!

[Holman]

Tucker Carlson is very suddenly embracing and promoting views shared by Christian Nationalists and spiritual-warfare types. In just the past few days he has claimed that he was once physically attacked by a demon (leaving cuts and scars), that the US has long used its military to repress Christians, and (just today) that hurricanes are caused by abortion.

I find it hard to see him actually believing any of this; he's much more of a bullshitter than a true believer. Meanwhile, Elon Musk (who not too long ago was a Dawkins-style atheist-bro) just announced at a Trump rally that he "accepts the teachings of Jesus Christ."

I assume that this all presages a hard turn in overt Christian Nationalism at all levels of MAGA after the election.

[Max Peck]

Tucker Carlson is very suddenly embracing and promoting views shared by Christian Nationalists and spiritual-warfare types. In just the past few days he has claimed that he was once physically attacked by a demon (leaving cuts and scars), that the US has long used its military to repress Christians, and (just today) that hurricanes are caused by abortion.

But did you have "demonic forces invented nuclear technology" and "the USA didn't really win WW2" on your Is Tucker Insane Yet? bingo card?

[Holman]

I refuse to accept that this is sincere.

I think Tucker is mocking the libs with "Can you believe the shit I'm saying now?" while confident that the rubes will buy it. But the latter shows that he thinks this direction is the future of the movement.

[Holman]

Incidentally, the "attacked by a demon while I was sleeping" story also includes the detail that he had four dogs in his bed.

How is that not a broad clue thrown out to the skeptics?

I really think Tucker is indulging the privilege of lying and knowing that he can't be called on it.

[Grifman]

Interesting, the discovery of the earliest known reference to Jesus as “God” outside the Bible, dated to between 200 and 300 AD:

https://allisrael.com/ancient-mosaic-fr ... play-in-us

[Jaymann]

Regarding the film Mary on Netflix:

It occurs to me somewhat ironic that hard core fundamental Jew-hating Christians worship a Jewish woman like a goddess.

[Max Peck]

They're pretty much the same people who retcon Jesus into a blond, blue-eyed Aryan, so it checks out.

[Holman]

Regarding the film Mary on Netflix:

It occurs to me somewhat ironic that hard core fundamental Jew-hating Christians worship a Jewish woman like a goddess.

Broadly speaking, Catholics venerate Mary ("worship" goes a little too far) as the most special woman who ever lived, because they believe she was chosen by God. She (along with all the saints) is considered a friend of believers who helps them approach God in prayer, but she is not herself an object of worship.

While the Catholic church has a long history of anti-Semitism, its official line these days is one of respect for the Jewish faith. But, yeah, a great deal of theological ink has historically been spilled to separate the Jewish Jesus and his Jewish posse from the Jews of the world since his time.

Evangelicals (the "hard core fundamental Christians" I assume you mean) and most mainstream Protestants don't really venerate Mary. She's part of the story of Jesus, but only as a character like other characters. The evangelical churches I grew up in hardly mentioned her at all, and never with any special reverence. Occasionally she would be used as an example of someone having great faith (because an angel promised her that her pregnancy was divine, and she believed it), but that's it. Her part in the Gospel narrative is mostly finished after Jesus begins his ministry.

[LawBeefaroni]

But, yeah, a great deal of theological ink has historically been spilled to separate the Jewish Jesus and his Jewish posse from the Jews of the world since his time.

I believe the ecclesiastical term is a "heel-face turn."

[Max Peck]

It seems that the Catholic Church has lowered the bar for beatification: apparently all it takes is to take a day off work to avoid taking an actual stand on an issue.

Vatican advances beatification process for Belgian king who abdicated rather than approve abortion

The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.

The Holy See’s saint-making office on Dec. 17 established a historical commission, made up of experts in Belgian history and archives, to begin investigating the life and virtues of King Baudouin, the Vatican said in a communique Saturday.

Francis surprised and even enraged some Belgians when, during his September visit to Brussels, he prayed at Baudouin’s tomb, denounced Belgium’s abortion laws as “homicidal” and announced he wanted to beatify the late king.

Doubling down on the issue during his in-flight press conference en route home, Francis called doctors who perform abortions “hitmen.”

In the days after, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called Francis’ comments “totally unacceptable,” and summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to Belgium to complain.

“That a foreign head of state makes such a statement about democratic decision-making in our country is absolutely unacceptable,” De Croo said during question time in Parliament, according to Belgian media. “We have no lessons to learn about how our parliamentarians democratically approve laws. Fortunately, the time when the church dictated the law in our country is long behind us.”

[Unagi]

Beatification is still a thing? How cute.

It's like a little kids imagination gone viral - this whole 'god and heaven' stuff.

I tell ya....

[Max Peck]

Even the AP headline is misleading -- he didn't "abdicate" but simply arranged to be not the head of state for one day in order to avoid signing the law. He didn't actually prevent anything and he didn't give up his cushy royal prerogatives.

It gets even better if you look into his involvement in the tail end of Belgium's African colonial era. Dude was no saint, no matter what the Vatican says.

[GreenGoo]

Here's a religion and bible scholar I follow on youtube. He's a mormon, fyi.

Here he is commenting on the outrage that followed the inauguration appeal for mercy by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. In case you didn't know, she is now a "leftist fanatic" and not a "true christian" according to right wingnuts. Religion and politics have been usurped in America.

Video is relatively short, but you can get the gist within a min or 2.

[Holman]

A right-wing Christian on X got heavy likes the other day for posting the following alongside a picture of Bishop Budde:

Do not commit the sin of empathy.

This snake is God's enemy and your too. She hates God and his people. You need to properly hate in response.

She is not merely deceived by a deceiver. Your eye shall not pity.

So very Christian of him! (The "sin of empathy"??)

Incidentally "Your eye shall not pity" comes from a section of Deuteronomy (in the pre-Christian Old Testament) detailing the need for appropriate punishment to be meted out without remorse or laxity. It's odd how much these people love the parts of scripture that sanction violence rather than, say, the actual teachings of Christ.

[GreenGoo]

Dan addresses that tweet as well in another video, but in my opinion it's not one of his better ones. He does explain where "your eye shall not pity" comes from and why it is irrelevant in this situation. He talks about leveraging the Bible by picking and choosing what gives your words biblical authority while ignoring other things that reduce their authority.

As you pointed out, the "sin of empathy" is not something that exists. Except maybe in hell, I guess.

Dan debunks so many apologist talking points not from an atheist point of view, but from one of immense scholastic knowledge. It's fascinating to find out what the bible *really* says on a subject. Dan also has videos where he offers references from the bible in support of certain ideas or attitudes. He refutes a number of atheistic talking points, such as the origin of Christmas trees being pagan and other such ideas. There is a lot of misinformation out there and he spends most of his videos refuting it.

I particularly like when he talks about the development of the bible over hundreds of years, and can often say "that tradition did not exist until 400 AD when such and such did so and so" or "that tradition pre-existed Jesus by 500 years" etc.

[LordMortis]

How did all of the Biden is terrible for the country turn to left and right are bad, put your faith in God talk in just 10 days?

I thought I was ready to start dipping my toes in to listening to the world around me. Nope. The world can kiss my ass. I'm feeling like Smoove's Signature is my spirit animal right now.