Oklahoma Pastor rips apart the fake religiosity of Trump supporters.

[pnwmom]

The whole piece is a great read. This is the conclusion.

http://okgazette.com/2016/11/16/commentary-what-have-we-done/

In the 31 years I have been in ministry in Oklahoma City, I have heard Republicans insist that character counts for more than anything, especially as it applies to Bill Clinton. “By your fruits you shall know them” they quote scripture, while sparing us no lurid details about Clinton’s infidelities.

Democrats are all secular humanists, they said, and the problem with America is that not enough people go to church. If we had the Ten Commandments in plain sight, they say, morality and virtue would return to America. Really? If you vote for someone who violated all 10 of them, then obviously something else matters a lot more to you than the religion you are wearing on your sleeve. As for the seven deadly sins, see Donald Trump.

This is the unmasking of evangelical religion in America. It is not, in the end, about character or virtue. It is not about what love does to transform the human heart. It is about power, it is about fear, and Donald Trump tapped into widespread economic frustration and a smoldering rage about the displacement of the working class, especially less-educated white workers. They believe that Trump is the strongman who can save them. He is the first president ever elected who has never held office or served in the military and does not seem to understand why nuclear weapons cannot be used.

He doesn’t go to church; he mocks communion by saying that he “eats those little crackers and drinks those little cups of juice,” and then he boasts about his sexual conquests and calls his opponent a “nasty woman.” We almost elected the first woman president of the United States. We almost sent that unforgettable message to women and girls everywhere. Instead, we elected a sociopath and think he is an answer to prayer.

God help us.

Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers is senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC Church and professor of social justice in the Philosophy Department at Oklahoma City University.

[MotorCityMan]

1. Great Article

God help us, indeed.

[progressoid]

2. Posted to Facebook for all my religious "friends"

[2naSalit]

3. K&R

[Hekate]

4. KnR

[japple]

5. Well, you know what the response from the bigots will be:

"Oh, he's a liberal college professor, not a real christian."

[groundloop]

12. And my response to them: Jesus was a radical that hung with prostitutes, beggars, and the homeless

Furthermore, he taught us to feed the hungry, clothe and provide shelter to the poor. He healed the sick. He'd be branded a socialist today.

[ShakeWell]

28. wait..

I thought we just learned that if Jesus were alive today, he'd be a gun totin' conservative capitalist? /s

[cornball 24]

61. AMEN!!

[ck4829]

53. "That's your education talking"

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. It would have been nice to hear this BEFORE the election day

I was pining for someone, anyone, in the evangelical leadership to denounce Trump. It seemed so obvious that he was the antithesis of a Christian.

But Christians, especially evangelicals, are susceptible to charismatic leaders telling them what to think. And their "leaders" are susceptible to not upsetting their flocks of brainwashed sheep.

[ShakeWell]

29. yeah, but the babies...

SIV's clinging to the baby killing at one day before birth... fucking unreal that religious rule can overtake common sense to this magnitude in 2016. Not a single mention in the bible about abortion but that fire can keep some of the base voting GOP no matter what orange shit gibbon they throw up there to run.

[pnwmom]

32. He wrote this on September 20, in response to another philosopher

who compared Trump to Hitler.

https://oneworldhouse.net/2016/09/20/it-is-happening-here/

Those who are insisting on voting for either Gary Johnson or Jill Stein believe that they are casting a protest vote against a corrupt system. Those who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 felt the same way, and world history was changed when the election was called for Bush by the Supreme Court. We are facing the same possibility, only with even worse possible outcomes. I beg my idealistic friends, especially those who supported Bernie Sanders, as I did, not to make this mistake. Purity does not trump practicality here, and a vote for either independent candidate is a vote for Trump. Put the country ahead of yourself, please.

[KittyWampus]

42. Max Lucado did speak out. He's a well known pastor in Texas who writes popular books.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/february-web-only/why-max-lucado-broke-his-political-silence-for-trump.html

[The Hitman]

7. Been thinking about this a lot

Especially with my Evangelical family members who play the "Have you accepted Jesus?" card with me far too often.

Typical hypocritical B.S. from the religious right.

[cwydro]

8. K and r. nt

[BSdetect]

9. He avoided military service actively by getting a fake medical condition.

I'll bet that has magically disappeared.

A miracle?

[SpankMe]

10. The pastor put my very thoughts into strong words. Now *that's* a Christian! n/t

[keithbvadu2]

11. Political Christians rather than Christians of faith

[Spitfire of ATJ]

13. Bible Thumpers for "President Pussy Grabber".

[mcar]

14. K&R

[TinCup]

15. That's My Pastor

In this deeply red state Dr. Meyers is a voice in the dark.

[ladym55]

16. Sounds like he is a great guy

And he has courage. It isn't easy to BE a Christian when surrounded by "Christians," right-wing white evangelicals who yap about Jesus and ignore all of his teachings.

[renate]

27. lucky you!!!

What a comfort it must be to sit with everyone else in that congregation and hear those words.

I just don't get how these thoughts make him an outlier. It's the way Christianity is supposed to be but so rarely is.

[pnwmom]

33. Welcome to DU! nt

[yesphan]

37. I don't often attend church

but when I do, it's to Mayflower.

[world wide wally]

17. The Religious Right is simply a wing of the Republican Party that feels a need to be

approved by a "higher authority"
But now they have Trump in that role.
Hasta la vista, God.

[Mendocino]

18. Sometime during the primary

he attended a church service and tried to put some money in the communion plate. Any one that been to church twice in their life knows the difference.

[Ilsa]

20. OMG. For real? I wonder where this happened and

in which church (denomination) and why it wasn't broadcast by ted cruz.

[Mendocino]

23. Feb.1 in Iowa.

I would link it but I been having a on and off problems with that since the hack. Just Google something like: Trump puts money in communion plate.

[Ilsa]

26. Got it. Thank you. Don't know how I missed that. NT

[MyOwnPeace]

21. Well, there were.........

these two Corinthians that walked into a bar in Oklahoma City...................

"Two Corinthians, 3:17, that's the whole ballgame," Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd of students at Liberty University who knew Trump was attempting to refer to "Second Corinthians."

Yep, God help us all...........

[Mendocino]

24. "So two Corinthians walk into a bar..."

[grantcart]

55. Two Corinthians walk into a bar and one raises his hand with two fingers outstretched and says

"I will have 5 beers please".

On my daily walks I engage as many people as I can and when they learn that I have lived in Muslim countries they usually pull back and show fear of some kind. I ask them "do you think we should get rid of all Arabic influences in our education?". The answer is almost always "yes, of course". I reply that I think the 0 is pretty handy and I am not sure how we could get computers to run on Roman Numerals.

[Ilsa]

19. "If the Middle-Eastern Jesus himself came knocking, Trump would deport him."

Trump probably thinks Jesus had three blonde wives.

[rurallib]

22. "We almost sent that unforgettable message to women and girls everywhere"

But there was another message sent - that oppressing women through whatever means is ok.

[TwilightZone]

25. Many of those same people claim that the hand of God elected Trump.

And that he's "God's gift to America".

They are one seriously deluded bunch.

[Nevernose]

31. No offense to DU Christians, but

We're talking about a group of people who believe that a rabbinical wizard who died two thousand years ago is whispering psychic messages to them that only they can hear.

When that's the baseline, it's not much of a stretch to be "seriously deluded" enough to vote for Trump.

[Skittles]

59. yup

if you can believe that, you can be convinced of ANYTHING

[Mariana]

63. Exactly. Their religiosity is not fake at all. It's very real.

"God can use anyone to accomplish His will!" I've been told. I say, "Sure, if it's God's will to see the country go down in flames!"

[YOHABLO]

30. These evangelicals who supported Trump are all hypocrites.

I went to the Quick Trip to buy some gas on election night and went in to get a bottle of water. The girl there asked me how I was doing and I said not so good since they had just elected Donald Trump as President. She said: "well, god has his plan for us all, so we can't question what god sends us". I looked at her like she was a nut case and walked out. But this is how these religious folk roll. "It's all in god's plan". That is such a load of crap. No, the problem is we have a citizenry that is dumber than a door knob. So if this truly is ''god's plan'' check back with me in 4 years and let's see how you like it.

[BlueProgressive]

35. When God sent John Wilkes Booth, was Booth

part of God's Gold Plan or God's Platinum Plan?

Or God's Theatre Plan?

[DonCoquixote]

34. if this was preached

I would attend church:

"This is the unmasking of evangelical religion in America. It is not, in the end, about character or virtue. It is not about what love does to transform the human heart. It is about power, it is about fear, and Donald Trump tapped into widespread economic frustration and a smoldering rage about the displacement of the working class, especially less-educated white workers. They believe that Trump is the strongman who can save them. He is the first president ever elected who has never held office or served in the military and does not seem to understand why nuclear weapons cannot be used.

He doesn’t go to church; he mocks communion by saying that he “eats those little crackers and drinks those little cups of juice,” and then he boasts about his sexual conquests and calls his opponent a “nasty woman.” We almost elected the first woman president of the United States. We almost sent that unforgettable message to women and girls everywhere. Instead, we elected a sociopath and think he is an answer to prayer.

God help us."

[Grins]

36. Too late!!

We're past the Nov. election, pastor.

And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. - Luke 22:54-62

You had far more than three chances, pastor.

[dmr]

38. To be fair, this was an LTTE --

-- Letter to the Editor.

We don't know what he has said or done leading up to the election.

This LTTE was wonderfully written, and hopefully some of its readers will do some serious soul searching.

I think, also, this LTTE gives a bit of comfort to the faithful who are sickened by the election outcome.

[pnwmom]

40. He wrote this on September 20, in response to another philosopher

at his same University who compared Trump to Hitler. They both spoke out before the election.

This is by contrast to some so-called progressives who, in other forums, were helping Trump along.


https://oneworldhouse.net/2016/09/20/it-is-happening-here/

Those who are insisting on voting for either Gary Johnson or Jill Stein believe that they are casting a protest vote against a corrupt system. Those who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 felt the same way, and world history was changed when the election was called for Bush by the Supreme Court. We are facing the same possibility, only with even worse possible outcomes. I beg my idealistic friends, especially those who supported Bernie Sanders, as I did, not to make this mistake. Purity does not trump practicality here, and a vote for either independent candidate is a vote for Trump. Put the country ahead of yourself, please.

[trotsky]

39. "Fake"?

Fuck that shit. "Fake" implies they're not religious at all, that they're what then... nonbelievers?

You want to know what made a majority of Catholics join the right-wing Protestants in voting for Trump? One issue: ABORTION. Their sincere, deeply-held religious beliefs include the belief that human life begins at conception. To them, abortion is the #1 issue facing our country. To the Catholic Church, it's the #1 sin.

They put up with the rest of Trump's shortcomings because they were told he will help stop abortion.

But you bet your ass they're religious. It's bigotry against non-believers to suggest otherwise.

[pnwmom]

41. Many Catholics voted for Trump because they did not let their beliefs about

abortion "trump" their beliefs about everything else. They realized that no one is perfect but Trump was evil.

Anyone Christian who voted for a hater like Trump was making a mockery of Christianity.

[trotsky]

43. Many, yes. But MORE voted FOR him.

I made this point before the election, and I remember you fighting with me about it, insisting that Catholics were progressive and wouldn't vote for Trump.

I was right. You were wrong.

[pnwmom]

44. At the time we spoke Catholics were supporting her but more of them

swung the other way after Comey's two letter bombs, and I regret that.

I also am suspicious of the Florida vote counts, where HRC had what statisticians thought was in insurmountable lead among hispanics (almost all Catholic) till the day of the election. And then it evaporated. Florida is one of the places with the paper-less, highly hackable DRE machines, concentrated in the heavily Democratic areas around Miami/Broward County, and I'm always going to think something happened down there.

[trotsky]

45. What is your evidence that Comey's announcements swayed Catholics? n/t

[pnwmom]

46. That they had previously been supporting her and then some swung to him.And

obviously his announcements affected many. Her overall margin plunged from 9 points to 2. Why would Catholics have been immune from that?

[trotsky]

47. That doesn't answer my question.

What is the evidence that backs up your claim it was Comey's announcements that swayed them, instead of anything else?

[pnwmom]

48. Why would they have not been affected by the overall drop in support

that occurred, with HRC's poll lead plunging from about 9 points to 2?

[trotsky]

49. Still waiting for your evidence.

Let me know when you find it.

[pnwmom]

50. You have your opinion and I have mine. There is no way for either one

to prove it based on the lack of solid evidence that is out there.

I, unlike you, think that Catholics reacted to Comey's letter bombs like most of the electorate did. You are sure they made up their minds for other reasons. There is no way to prove either position with the information that is out there.

[trotsky]

52. Evidence, eh?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/10/donald-trump-rides-late-catholic-wave-to-white-hou/

Mr. Richards said Catholics initially were reluctant to back the reality TV star because of his vulgarity and harsh tone on immigration. The turning point, he said, came in the third presidential debate when Mr. Trump contrasted in stark terms his opinion on abortion against that of Mrs. Clinton.

“You remember the third debate, the one question about abortion that had never come up in a debate, came up,” Mr. Richards said. “Trump fumbled around a little bit but finally nailed it. There was not a Catholic that watched that who could not remember the ghoulishness of Hillary Clinton when it came to partial-birth abortion and Trump’s impassioned, commonsensical defense of unborn human life. It was huge.”

Your church itself - its priests and hierarchy - made it clear to parishioners (in violation of IRS rules) that abortion was the #1 issue.

I understand that as a liberal Catholic you find this hard to accept, but it's the truth.

[pnwmom]

54. Your "evidence" is an OPINION from a rightwing source in a rightwing publication.

'

And my OPINION is that Obama won the Catholic vote even though he had the same position as Hillary -- so the abortion issue is not dispositive for Catholics.

And they ARE enough like other voters that they were strongly effected by the two letter bombs.

[trotsky]

56. And yet it's more than you've got!

[pnwmom]

57. Your rightwing source is ignoring the historical evidence. Catholics TWICE

voted for Obama even though he has the same position on abortion that Hillary has. So for most Catholics the abortion issue is not dispositive.

So that leads me to believe that Catholics were as affected by the letter bombs as most voters were.

[trotsky]

58. If you want to understand how the other side thinks, you have to look at their reporting.

Instead of just relying on people who agree with your viewpoint to tell you what THEY think the other side was motivated by.

I understand why you want to attack the source, but I want to understand what happened.

A man who monitored Catholic opinion in the election claims the abortion question was huge. Your church has consistently positioned abortion as the #1 sin. I realize this is hard for you to accept as a pro-choice Catholic (you are, right?) but it's the truth.

[Initech]

51. Excellent, there needs to be more of this!

[florida08]

60. a Progressive christian

Guess that's not an abomination after all.. Looks like a good website

http://mayflowerucc.org/

[Hortensis]

62. If we worry, how about those who believe in Satan?

Victory over the U.S. by Satan and those of his demons roaming the earth would explain all for them.

I'm not a person of faith, but I live in the Bible Belt. Just last night, in the middle of the night, once again I lay awake worrying about the successful corrupting of a large majority of conservative voters and what that might portend for the destruction of our democracy. And once again I wondered how many religious leaders were lying awake, sick and worried as I was. A vote for Trump, and all that came with it, was not just a massive moral and intellectual failure, for Christians it was a failure of the teachings of Christ and the instruction of the Bible. And probably at most 1 out of 5 know it.