An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/24/us/white-christian-nationalism-blake-cec/index.html


CNN
—
Three men, eyes closed and heads bowed, pray before a rough-hewn wooden cross. Another man wraps his arms around a massive Bible pressed against his chest like a shield. All throughout the crowd, people wave “Jesus Saves” banners and pump their fists toward the sky.

At first glance, these snapshots look like scenes from an outdoor church rally. But this event wasn’t a revival; it was what some call a Christian revolt. These were photos of people who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, during an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The insurrection marked the first time many Americans realized the US is facing a burgeoning White Christian nationalist movement. This movement uses Christian language to cloak sexism and hostility to Black people and non-White immigrants in its quest to create a White Christian America.

A report from a team of clergy, scholars and advocates — sponsored by two groups that advocate for the separation of church and state — concluded that this ideology was used to “bolster, justify and intensify” the attack on the US Capitol.

*snip*


No shit.

[Dave in VA]

1. They may use the word christian

but they don't worship christ, they worship some hybridized form of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Sylvester Stallone.

But nothing close the teaching of christ.

Just my $0.02

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. They're imposters, no doubt about it.

[Mariana]

3. Only non-Christians would ever threaten American democracy.

Christians would never do anything like that, because Christians are better.

[Boomerproud]

4. I read the article. Long but important read.

I have a migraine.

[Nevilledog]

5. Did you get it before or after reading the whole thing?

[Boomerproud]

6. During.

The knowledge that there's no reaching these people and they are gaining, not losing, power.

[dalton99a]

7. +1. It is a must read

Much of the House January 6 committee's focus so far has been on right-wing extremist groups. But there are plenty of other Americans who have adopted teachings of the White Christian nationalists who stormed the Capitol — often without knowing it, scholars, historians, sociologists and clergy say.

White Christian nationalist beliefs have infiltrated the religious mainstream so thoroughly that virtually any conservative Christian pastor who tries to challenge its ideology risks their career, says Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the New York Times bestseller, "Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation."

"These ideas are so widespread that any individual pastor or Christian leader who tries to turn the tide and say, 'Let's look again at Jesus and scripture,' are going to be tossed aside," she says.

The ideas are also insidious because many sound like expressions of Christian piety or harmless references to US history. But White Christian nationalists interpret these ideas in ways that are potentially violent and heretical. Their movement is not only anti-democratic, it contradicts the life and teachings of Jesus, some clergy, scholars and historians say.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. Nah, christianity has ALWAYS felt the need to rule over others.

[Sky Jewels]

13. Yep. Especially women and gay people.

The whole point of that convoluted goat-herder mythology is to push patriarchy as a way to oppress the masses to enrich the few (males) at the top. They're still grifting off of people to this day -- the Vatican is sitting on untold billions, charlatan TV preachers are raking in millions, and on and on.

All the main characters in the Big Book of Tall Tales are male: Yahweh the cruel sky god, Jesus the son (who is also Yahweh himself and also a real boy ... go figure ... did I mention it was convoluted?), Moses, David, Saul, Jacob, Abraham, John, Paul, Peter, etc. The main women protagonists are Eve--blamed for the fall of humanity, Mary--who got raped by the cruel sky god, and Mary Magdalene--depicted as a prostitute by the RCC starting with Pope Gregory.

It's astonishing people still believe this nonsense.

[Ferrets are Cool]

17. +1

[Progressive dog]

9. Unfortunately

when you deal with religion, there is no such thing as an imposter. Since they are based on beliefs (not facts), they can be pretty much anything you want them to be.
Christianity was used to justify slavery, to hang witches, to torture and murder non-Christians. Christianity is being used to ban abortions.
Religions, including Christianity, have no voice in our government, period.

[keithbvadu2]

10. The Christ they supposedly worship was not white.

The Christ they supposedly worship was not white.

The Christ image they worship is white.

--------------------------
What race/color/ethnicity was Jesus?

It depends on whose living room wall his image hangs.

Ironic that Ben Carson’s Jesus looks different than the evangelicals’/Donald’s Jesus.

[JI7]

11. It's not imposter . It's just another sect. Similar to ISIS

and Taliban in Islam.

[Solly Mack]

12. K&R

Last edited Sun Jul 24, 2022, 06:37 PM - Edit history (1)

White Supremacist Ideas Have Historical Roots In U.S. Christianity



American Christianity’s White-Supremacy Problem

[CloudWatcher]

14. Evil Christians? Must not be *real* Christians

Hmm, why do I have the urge to reference "No True Scotsman" again?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman

[BlueIdaho]

15. What took CNN so long?

And where is the rest of the M$M? These extremists in Christian disguise will gladly destroy America unless they are stopped.

[roamer65]

16. Imagine a world absent of ALL religious extremists.

Less conflict and less CO2 emissions.

That sounds like Heaven to me.