” Madonna has been involved in satanism from the very beginning. For reasons I have yet to figure out, the global elite are still intent on using this now fifty-something woman concerning their end time agenda. “— One religious conservative’s paranoia about Madonna, which Fred Clark puts under scrutiny. Among other points, he notes that the writer considers her views about secret conspiracies to be unremarkable, mainstream Christianity.
As you may have heard, it looks like an upcoming Supreme Court case will bring back school prayer. Which won’t stop evangelical conservatives whining about how they’re persecuted. Or one Fox host arguing opposition to school prayer justifies shutting down public education. Or refusing to name a court building after an honored judge who made the right ruling in a prayer case
Plenty of conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich, would like to go beyond school prayer and impose a national Christian religion. But as Clark says again (I’m linking to a whole bunch of his posts today) — which sect, Newt? Which of the many flavors of Christianity do they intend to pick? Is speaking of tongues Satanic? Will Mormons and Catholics be accepted as Christians (I know plenty of Protestants who say No! to both)? We should challenge people on this point as often as possible.
“Bigotry is the antidote to education.”
“The core belief of hegemonic religion is that religion cannot be freely exercised unless it is also established in law.”
Back in the 1990s and early 21st century, there was an effort at racial reconciliation in the evangelical community. It died with Trayvon Martin.
A conservative Christian pastor argues George Washington’s slaveowning wasn’t inconsistent with his Christian faith because he was a compassionate slaveowner. As noted at the link, bullshit. But I can see why conservatives flinch from teaching accurate history of racism if this is what they want to believe.
I’ve never bought the idea that it’s somehow a moral compromise to provide wedding licenses or services for a wedding you personally disapprove of. But the battle goes on. Happily Virginia rejected a bill that would have given religious groups the freedom to discriminate.
“This is the great fear of all religious hegemons and it arose, then as now, from the great incomprehension of such believers. They could not conceive of the world that Roger Williams imagined and advocated — a world in which religious belief is voluntary. ” — Clark on the horror of many Americans when they learned the new national constitution didn’t impose a state religion.
Wannabe Georgia Senator Herschel Walker brings up the old argument that monkeys can’t have evolved into humans because monkeys are still here. Apparently he thinks (or pretends to) that it was some magic transformation rather than a multi-generational thing.
One thing about religious conservatives, they have no problem ignoring the Bible’s prohibition on bearing false witness against others.
Here’s a bit of doubletalk: Oklahoma insists banning nonbinary birth certificates is based on science, yet the governor openly admits it’s based on his Christian faith.
Lots of Christians (myself included) have taken the covid vaccines. But Rep. Matt Gaetz pretends military vaccine mandates are meant to drive Christians out of the military.
Unsurprisingly, some Christian adoption agencies that discriminate against gay would-be parents are also willing to discriminate against Jews,.
Christian opposition to LGBTQ book displays has led to the library not only having no exhibits about relationships or gender but banning the romance book club. In Florida, Walton County (near my former home) has banned a cute book on babies.
And meanwhile the right-wing pretense they’re serving God by fighting pedophiles continues. After all, it’s an excuse to ask for money. Of course, as Clark says, this kind of thing has a long history. And yet, somehow, we won’t see the same outcry against Robert Fenton, a pastor who allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old when he was in his thirties. The pastor of the church they both attended says Fenton compared the relationship to Joseph marrying a much younger Mary — not the first time I’ve heard that excuse.
Some Christians are big on spiritual warfare — which somehow always equates to protecting straight white male power.
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