As a Christian minister, I believe in God and the devil — and I know whose side today’s pious Republicans are on

Where is that devil and what is he up to? First of all, like in any good horror movie, the devil is always right here in the house. In the case of the current evangelical political machine, the devil is all too often wearing pastoral robes and expensive tailored suits. For many years, the evangelical church has pointed to the devil outside in the world, but the devil is the one doing the pointing. Secondly, the devil is always up to the same thing: creating division through fear.

  • Carvex@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I’m more scared most politicians believe or claim a religion when the population doesn’t. How can I trust you to govern me when you believe in magical bearded men threatening you from the clouds?

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
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      11 months ago

      Worse. At least some believe the magical bearded men talk to them and agree with everything they do.

          • Phlogiston@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Gods were invented so the in-group could pray to smite enemies. They were designed to suck for the out-group.

            • cmbabul@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Eh there’s a fair argument that they were invented to explain the things that at the time were unexplained and then taken control of by those who wished to do that. Every culture has creator gods or spirits.

              Not to say that modern belief in God or gods isn’t built around oppression as it absolutely is

              • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Priests came along and said, “do what I say and the crops will grow, everyone will be happy.”

                After some years of crops failing and priests getting strung up, they evolved somewhat. “I’m just a messenger, I can have a word with the big guy but if the crops fail it’s because you guys didn’t do what God told me to tell you to do. Sinners.”

                Nice scam.

            • theotherone@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              As long as you don’t outlaw the observance of him. Then he’ll drive your women insane, leave them to rip animals apart and eat the flesh raw. Cheers!

  • AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I’m an atheist, but the Old Testament certainly gives me sympathy for Lucifer rebelling against a tyrant like this:

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
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      11 months ago

      See also God punishing the serpent for encouraging humans to seek knowledge and God punishing humans for not remaining ignorant.

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        11 months ago

        What’s more, God is omniscient. He knew the serpent would tempt Eve. He knew they would eat the fruit. And yet, he still put it in easy reach. Then punished them when they did what he knew they were going to do.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        There’s also Exodus, where Pharaoh is going to let the Jews free but then God hardens his heart and he says no. Why? Because God told Moses he would say no. And then God tortures all the Egyptians for it and murders their kids afterward.

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          11 months ago

          And then tells Jews that he’s gonna drown the Egyptians in the Red Sea, does it, and then yells at the Jews for celebrating.

          Celebrating their freedom… From the Egyptians… Who God manipulated… Did… Did God enslave the Jews??? Oh man, my people were chosen by God, but God’s a bitchy bully!

          Also, show me one non-biblical piece of evidence that my kind were ever enslaved in Egypt.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Even dumber. “Just kidding, bro. Sacrifice this goat instead. Yeah, the one just hanging out over there you could have sacrificed this whole time. Remember how you told your son God would provide an animal? That animal, doofus.”

    • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”

      Abe say, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”

      God say, “No” Abe say, “What?”

      God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but

      Next time you see me comin’, you better run"

      Abe said, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”

      God said, “Out on Highway 61”

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I’m so glad that a secular nation gets to have a snake handler like this to be third in line for POTUS. It’s infuriating that these Republic of Gilead freaks have so much power.

    It’s cute that they like a book; there is at least 1/3 of the nation that want no part of their little book club.

  • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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    11 months ago

    Does anyone know if there are any political communities that don’t consider op-ed pieces to be news? For example, a community that has strict rules that news must be free of journalistic bias and only cite news that factually happened with no agenda?

    Because that would be cool.

  • Jaysyn@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    Well I don’t believe in any of those fairy tales & think they need to stay the fuck out of government.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    The devil is in all of us. That is what it means to have knowledge of good and evil. We know how to do evil, we know what it is.

  • Paragone@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Then you probably know-about this:

    https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/

    and this, which also hinges on Daniel, which identifies that when Hamas put the bait in Israel’s face, & Israel too the bait, then Israel’s annihilation becomes certain within 1 decade…

    https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+24%3A15-22&version=AMPC

    ( it is less-specific, I’m just identifying that it

    a) hinges on Daniel’s abomination, &

    b) identifies Israel’s ANNIHILATION, which is certain, now.

    Hamas went nihilist, no longer being deterred by threat of anything, & committed the strategic sacrificing all Palestinians, in exchange for tripping a sequence that would showcase Israel’s nihilism/sadism,

    and once you remove the deterrent power from your weapons, because you’ve made the opponent nihilist, then “martyrdom” becomes an option, for them.

    The entire Muslim region’s going to lose its ability to care what damage Israel does to them, so Israel won’t have any “deterrent” anymore:

    the NEED to annihilate Israel is growing, now.

    Animal/rabid escalation upon escalation upon escalation.

    Like clockwork.

    Inevitable.

    Inescapable.


    Oh, this, too…

    There’s some line in Rev which says someone with bear paws

    ( which means this, btw

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/kremlin-papers-appear-to-show-putins-plot-to-put-trump-in-white-house

    &

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/time-to-confront-trump-putin-network )

    will have his “head injury” cured, and it’ll be called miraculous…

    I’m betting that the shattered-narcissism in Trump, gets suddenly replaced with careful absolute-psychopathy.

    Christmas-ish?

    Maybe.

    Within a season or 2, certainly.

    If that happens, it’ll just be another “delusion” of mine to claim that evidence could possibly exist in ANY religious text, according to the materialists/physicalists/existentialists…

    Their dogma prohibits Universe’s evidence from contradicting them.

    But, these are ScientificallyTestablePredictions, obviously.

    Scientific Method insists that simply waiting & seeing is the only valid method of testing them.

    Does your belief choose to side with eating-popcorn, or getting prepping?

    Scary question, isn’t it?

    _ /\ _

  • Godric@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    What a headline XD

    There should be a word for insults that the person speaking them thinks are zingers, but just makes the insulter look like a schoolchild.