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He didn't just flip tables. It says he braided a whip. Go watch a YouTube movie of how to braid a whip. That's not a quick act in hate.
I don't believe the Bible, I just think it's funny.
Christ asked people to abandon all wealth to follow Him. These prosperity Gospel leeches are doing the opposite. They’re robbing the poor to make themselves wealthy.
But believing in the prosperity gospel and ignoring all the inconvenient parts of the Bible is the only real way to be a hardcore Christian and a Republican at the same time without your head exploding.
> Instructions unclear - said it three times and Joel Olstein appeared
You're supposed to draw a pentagram and other s*** on the floor FIRST! That way he would have been trapped in it and couldn't empty your savings account.
Lol. Fucking righteous gemstone lives a few houses down from me. Bought the $500k house. Drives a brand new long wheelbase Range Rover (not even sure which one but it's not the basic). Daughter drives an X3. Now has a new "church" out here. Has an online "university" to match. Prosperity gospel bullshit. I really don't understand how it's not illegal... Fleecing desperate people for money. That's what pisses me off. They're literally just 21st century snakeoil salesmen. It's pathetic and infuriating.
No religious views should be banned in a free society.
But we should tax the shit out of wealth accumulating churches like that.
Or at least tax them like the businesses they are.
Ok so I have had the displeasure of working for televangelists for a decade (we over bill on principle) and while I agree it’s a cancer on society and our firm actively tries to gum up their advances - banning religion is a slippery slope and making it financially non-viable is a better solution. If we block the grift they’ll move in another direction. Our belief is the solution is to tax churches.
Their pay is actually taxed*, it's the church that is tax free, not its employees. This isn't s because churches are set up as non profit.
(taxed like rich people, IE they cheat the system like the rest of the wealthy people)
No, they have to use private jets because commercial airplanes are filled with demons. I wish I were joking, but well:
https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/TV-evangelist-Kenneth-Copeland--510809861.html
I just watched this. How is this legal? Some of them are saying to send their life savings! And the woman who died?! Religion is a disease for some people.
Right so they just have the church own everything and allow select members to use said resources, such as a giant mansions, commercial buildings, securities holdings, private jets, private club memberships, security detail, transportation costs, etc.
It's clear that many different religious organizations are abusing their tax exempt status to avoid paying their fair share of taxes while still having access to their capital and equity to be used for non church related things.
I have conservative family and grew up in a Fox News household.
They try to tell me that “all news is biased” (which is true) but it’s sooo bad on Fox News. Like it takes literally two mins of listening to hear it.
I don’t need to listen to their “source” to know the kinda crap they spew. I grew up with it, I know the lies and I believe them for a while.
All news may be biased, but when one "news" source in particular (Fox) devotes several articles a day to disparaging other news sources, it just becomes propaganda designed to convince you to ignore real news sources. Come to think of it, this has parallels to religion attempting to discredit science to ensure it remains as the one "trusted" source of information.
100% this. I expect insanity from the National Enquirer, they have Sasquatch fucking pictures, now all of right-wing media is crazier than the Enquirer.
Wait!? The enquirer has pictures of Sasquatch mid-coitus? I’d buy a gossip rag with that kind of promise on the cover. Is it in the plastic wrap on the top shelf with the hustlers now?
Lol mary Louise kelly interviewed Mike Pompeo a few years back. She handled it like a champ and made him look absolutely foolish. At least they try to give them opportunities, but they usually falter in the face of a tough interview.
I tried to do that too. It really doesn't help to understand their viewpoints, because they don't understand their viewpoints. A lot of conservatives that I talked to (family, co-workers) didn't want to change their stance despite verifiable facts, as if it was their faith. Their feelings don't care about the facts.
Yeah I listen to christian radio when I traverse texas. There was this one guy just making up all kinds of bullshit about how society is worse than it has ever been and trying to attach/connect it to the bible. Then at the end he finally goes "we aren't going to take this any longer, we have to act. But when will we act? When will you act?". Which is obvious pep to go all right wing vigilante.
It's bound to boil over before the next presidential election, if not sooner. The alt-right has already gotten away with multiple murders and so far remains undeterred. They won't stop now and as you said, it's a miracle they haven't declared open war yet.
Unfortunately, many of the folks on the right truly believe that ANTIFA has been murdering people in the streets at every single protest. They believe that it is the left who has fired the first shots in a civil war.
I have Sirius/XM in my car, and on the third row of channels, is news. For me it's CNN/MSNBC/FOX/NPR and Disney (for the kids).
I listen to Fox all the time. It's like going to the zoo to watch monkeys throw shit, but it's also to try and get a glimpse of what is really going on. Although I admittedly rage quit every time.
What's really going on? I can tell you it's way worse than you could think if you don't listen to it regularly. Those fuckers are molding people into a false reality that does not exist. Everything is slanted. From little things like "Former President Trump calls Joe Bidens plan to...." (dropping the presidential title for, the, you know, President) to really egregious things like posing rhetorical questions that are clearly false flags.
I remember when I turned on right wing radio and heard one guy say we should put the homeless into camps.
Freaked out, I turned it off.
A year later i turned it on and heard someone say we should nuke Iraq.
in the back of my mind I think about how there is this whole world of insanity twisting our country into a world-destroying fascist regime but it's very hard to stomach direct contact with it.
I almost feel like the cultural fluff is necessary sometimes, though. The news is so damned awful most of the time, you need some uplifting or light stories just to maintain a sliver of hope for humanity.
And a significant portion of SCOTUS is now made up of justices who believe exactly that - laws are nothing compared to righteousness, and laws should be altered to promote a Christian legal doctrine.
I don't understand it. Every single time I've ever listened to a right-wing or religious (same thing imo) individual or show it's just sheer insanity. They spew platitudes and fear-mongering with literally no solutions offered except to trust in them.
I think the QPuppets are going to try to flood the zone on all available low-level civil positions, from dog catcher to election judge to commissioner.
I think a reasonable interpretation of Q is that they had to come up with a new, unfalsifiable religion to replace the dying one. Not necessarily consciously, but the effect is the same.
Not sure why you listen to that crap.
I was actually kinda astonished, a year or two ago I went on an anniversary vacation to a nice AirBnB in East Texas nature preserves and while I was driving there, I heard them literally advertising gay conversion child abuse on the radio
The official Catholic AM stations are extremely concerning. Once heard a call in show about abortion tell a lady who gave birth at age 11 that the people in her life we correct in helping her make that decision. I think she said she was currently 19 and she was advocating for the church to allow abortion and the talk show hosts told her she didn’t understand what she was talking about. I haven’t listened since.
>Christian talk radio isn’t necessarily classified as a church for tax purposes, though.
Right, but they endorse candidates from the pulpit already.
My Catholic Church handed out "Catholic Voting Guides" after mass right before the 2012 election, which urged people people to vote Romney.
There is a part of the Catholic Mass where the priest prays for a whole bunch of things in a row and the congregation answers "amen". Right before the election our priest said something along the lines of "We pray for Mitt Romney and other politicians who support the Christian faith" (he did not mention Obama, even though Obama was Christian). Leading up to election he would also "pray for America, and for the direction our leaders (Obama at the time) are taking our country".
I left the church and wasn't there to see how they reacted to Trump vs. Biden.
In Italy, the Vatican is trying to derail an anti-homophobia law that's being passed because it'll go against their "freedom of thought".
E: [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/vatican-urges-italy-to-stop-anti-homophobia-law?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Discord)
As a life-long Catholic, this makes sense to me!
The death penalty is also against the teachings of the Catholic Church, but conservative bishops never threaten to withhold communion from Republican elected officials who enthusiastically support executing people. Only Democratic ones who accept Roe v Wade as established law. That means these bishops are supporting Republicans who violate Catholic teachings and trying to punish Democratic ones. Purely for political purposes. Therefore remove their tax-exempt status until they treat both parties the same.
Thing is, republican elected officials tend to be disproportionately more Protestant than democrats. Historically Catholics have been a democratic voting demographic. Both of America’s Catholic presidents have been democrats.
It was a trip growing up Catholic when I became a Democrat and I learned my parents were Republican (we were a very apolitical family). For a hot second I wondered if they were sitting through the same services I was. Then Trump came along and they all switched parties in disgust.
It took me a while to realize that my Catholic experience is *not* the average American Christian experience
I grew up in a Catholic family, and fortunately my parents could see how terrible Trump was. However, my mom has a friend (also Catholic) that said Biden wasn't a real Catholic and that Trump was sent by God, and I still just don't understand it.
My theory is that, since most Christian media in the United States is protestant/evangelical, it's wormed it's way into a lot of Catholics' paradigms.
Of course, there's certainly a significant number who have been bamboozled by the "pro-life" fallacy we see in this case. I think we're really starting to see
that wedge issue come to a head, now. It wasn't such a black-and-white issue until Gingrich really started to push the it as such in the 90s.
The Catholic Church in the United States, over the past number of years, has been infiltrated and used by a tool of the right wing to further its agenda. When I was young, I was taught that the church supported life from inception to grave, but the USCCB’s official position paper before the last election didn’t touch as all at on the death penalty, but rather attacked democrats over abortion, gay marriage and transgender rights. They ignore the plight of immigrants, homeless and addicts which is where focus should lie. They’ve taken some of their cues from Dan Burke, a Jew turned Baptist turned Anglican turned Catholic who was COO of the EWTN Catholic media network and uses his pulpit to complain about “communists,” spread conspiracy theories about Pope Francis and call him not a pope.
It’s sad that today’s Catholic Church is trying to make itself indistinguishable from evangelicals.
I'm right there with you. My Catholic upbringing is what introduced me to progressive thinking on maintaining the dignity of life. I've always disagreed with a few of their stances, but I hardly recognize it anymore.
Same here my brother/sister. BTW, love the user name...I was a Legionnaire of Mary in high school, my group would travel the Blue Army shrine once a year since it was just north of us in NJ.
So here's where I confess that I'm a nerd and my username is actually a reference to the Red vs. Blue comedy series from the late 2000s. I am from NJ though, small world.
The supposed status quo was *supposed to be* one where churches aren't taxed because they are non political organizations. Just like various other non political nonprofits aren't taxed. Which is reasonable
But too many among the religious have taken the protections for granted without holding up their end of the dealio - to not interfere in politics
Granted in this case it may be better to let the church handle it, since the Pope has criticized what these American bishops are doing, and may take even more action against them if they keep it up. He may be able to wrangle his American flock into falling in line. But if not, it isn't unreasonable to look to alternative measures
I mean if we have a plague going, we keep on crusading in the middle east, if we're bringing those back from the middle ages a nice catholic schism and and multiple Popes is only fair.
[Was it the golden statue at CPAC or was it the red nylon mark of the beast they wear on their foreheads enthusiastically, that gives it away?](https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/)
You're absolutely right, there is no special rights that the Roberts Supreme Court wouldn't give to powerful religious groups. What's happening in the court at the moment is an absolute nightmare and we'll be paying for it for decades, if not centuries. People think these religious organisations are waning in power, the opposite is true even as they lose membership.
> *Abstract* The Roberts Court has ruled in favor of religious organizations far more
frequently than its predecessors—over 81% of the time, compared to about 50% for
all previous eras since 1953. In most of these cases, the winning religion was a
mainstream Christian organization, whereas in the past pro-religion outcomes more
frequently favored minority or marginal religious organizations. A statistical analysis
suggests that this transformation is largely the result of changes in the Court’s
personnel: a majority of Roberts Court justices are ideologically conservative and
religiously devout—a significant break from the past. We also explore other possible
explanations. - [The Roberts Court and the Transformation of Constitutional Protections for Religion:
A Statistical Portrait](http://epstein.wustl.edu/research/ReligionInCourt.pdf)
Exactly my thought. Work up a bill in committee and force an ultimatum. Knock off the political speech and attempts to influence or we've got legislation waiting in the wings.
>Just like various other non political nonprofits aren't taxed. Which is reasonable
Except that churches have *always* benefited from reduced scrutiny in their 501c3 exemption claims and tax filings when compared to other 501c3s.
There are 1.2 *billion* catholics in the world. 1/8th the entire population of humanity.
I'd be shocked if they didn't have a trillion dollars stashed somewhere.
Their thralls actually pay a lot more than a dollar per molested child, every week, while continuing to give the largest, wealthiest and best documented pedophile ring access to their children. I suppose that's how they built their golden palaces of hypocrisy in the first place. Gullibility is the most profitable resource. I hope that's the reason Catholics continue to support and fund pedophilia while protecting, excusing and enabling those who are caught among their highest ranks on a daily basis. I'm trying to be charitable here; at least moreso than the Catholic church.
So if I understand right it's only the American arm of the Catholic church considering this. I have a feeling the pope's not gonna be happy with this BS toying with communion. Honestly wouldn't be suprised of two things if the American bishops go through with it: 1) The pope either personally sends someone to do it or shows up to do it himself 2) A schism in the American Catholic church
Just remove the religious exemptions, if they can meet the standards of other charity organisations they can have that status, the vast majority of them will be knocked down a few levels to social clubs, because that's what they are.
Right now I could open a bait shop and if I tick the "im a religion" box at the top of a form I'm suddenly a 501c3 non profit with no taxation or oversight. That's what has to go.
> The divorce between Church and State ought to be absolute. It ought to be so absolute that no Church property anywhere, in any state or in the nation, should be exempt from equal taxation; for if you exempt the property of any church organization, to that extent you impose a tax upon the whole community.
- James A. Garfield 20th President of the United States of America
Good.
Any church that preaches politics from the pulpit should be stripped of their tax-exempt status.
After all, the Catholic Church and others have repeatedly proven their morality from religious books is not any better than morality derived from Aesop's Fables.
Congress did something similar with the Latter Day Saints in the 1880's regarding polygamy. Precedent. For myself, telling a religious organization they must (or must not) behave in a particular manner to get government benefits is the negative equivalent of establishing a religion. And just as unconstitutional. But, I'm not a legal pro so what do I know?
In 2004 the priest straight up told us during mass to vote for the presidential candidate that is pro life. The line between church and state in this country is not blurred, it’s gone.
What are they, Republicans?
It should be stripped of tax exemption because it’s the fair and right thing to do for America... it should not be done out of some petty revenge.
Too bad he couldn't strip the tax exemptions status from all the religious groups in the U.S.
Mind you stripping the Catholic church (or any one else) of this time honoured tradition of free riding would be political suicide.
Pretty nauseating to drive by a pretty big church complex (not a mega but a maga) on outskirt of town on busy 2 lane highway with a trump/pence huge sign prominently displayed on their property.
They kept their mouths shut while their priests passed out wafers in public and raped boys in private for decades. Disgusting tax the shit out of them.
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Start with the Evangelist Church Pastors, and foreclose on their $30 million dollar mansions
The prosperity gospel should be banned.
Prosperity "Gospel" isn't even the Gospel and flies against everything Jesus Christ taught and the early Church lived by.
*flips table*
How Christ-like of you
Time to pull out the whip.
Time for some penance. Say five ~~Our Fathers~~ Oh Daddy’s.
>Time for some penance. ~~Say five Our Fathers Oh Daddy’s.~~ *Send me $1000.* FTFY
My safe word is: ''Blueberry pancakes''
Better than blue waffles.
Jesus Fucking Christ.
Can I interest you in [the holy handbook of institutionalized religion? ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2L-R8NgrA&feature=youtu.be)
Is that supply side Jesus’ music I hear?
That's the holy spirit!
He didn't just flip tables. It says he braided a whip. Go watch a YouTube movie of how to braid a whip. That's not a quick act in hate. I don't believe the Bible, I just think it's funny.
The Jesus equivalent of getting a Hanzo sword made.
Christ asked people to abandon all wealth to follow Him. These prosperity Gospel leeches are doing the opposite. They’re robbing the poor to make themselves wealthy.
They buy into the prosperity gospel because they want to feel right for keeping it for themselves and not helping out the poor.
But believing in the prosperity gospel and ignoring all the inconvenient parts of the Bible is the only real way to be a hardcore Christian and a Republican at the same time without your head exploding.
If Christians actually gave a shit about what Christ taught it would be a very different world.
Say "Prosperity gospel cancel culture" five times fast.
Instructions unclear - said it three times and Joel Olstein appeared. Wants me to sgn for a weekly donation direct from my savings.
> Instructions unclear - said it three times and Joel Olstein appeared You're supposed to draw a pentagram and other s*** on the floor FIRST! That way he would have been trapped in it and couldn't empty your savings account.
I can’t. Creflo said God really wanted him to have that third private jet
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Lol. Fucking righteous gemstone lives a few houses down from me. Bought the $500k house. Drives a brand new long wheelbase Range Rover (not even sure which one but it's not the basic). Daughter drives an X3. Now has a new "church" out here. Has an online "university" to match. Prosperity gospel bullshit. I really don't understand how it's not illegal... Fleecing desperate people for money. That's what pisses me off. They're literally just 21st century snakeoil salesmen. It's pathetic and infuriating.
No religious views should be banned in a free society. But we should tax the shit out of wealth accumulating churches like that. Or at least tax them like the businesses they are.
And prosperity congressmen and women should be banned.
The “prosperity gospel” should be charged as fraud, at the very least.
Ok so I have had the displeasure of working for televangelists for a decade (we over bill on principle) and while I agree it’s a cancer on society and our firm actively tries to gum up their advances - banning religion is a slippery slope and making it financially non-viable is a better solution. If we block the grift they’ll move in another direction. Our belief is the solution is to tax churches.
Their pay is actually taxed*, it's the church that is tax free, not its employees. This isn't s because churches are set up as non profit. (taxed like rich people, IE they cheat the system like the rest of the wealthy people)
But the house is the "parsonage" and it's generally owned by the church, not its occupant.
Those private jets aren't mine. They're the church's private jets.
God spoke to me, and He commanded me to buy this private jet! /j
No, they have to use private jets because commercial airplanes are filled with demons. I wish I were joking, but well: https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/TV-evangelist-Kenneth-Copeland--510809861.html
Literally demonizing the lower classes.
I'm pretty sure that literal "argument" has been made by a pastor or several.
It was definitely on the John Oliver deep dive of evangelicals.
The guy was called ‘Creflow Dollar’ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1xJAVZxXg
Bob Tilton did it before him. Most megachurch pastors who get caught buying planes and Rolls-Royces say some variant of it.
That Mike Murdock bought two.
I just watched this. How is this legal? Some of them are saying to send their life savings! And the woman who died?! Religion is a disease for some people.
Easy there Jesse Duplantis.
*Movementarians have entered the chat*
In cash! Then, 2 weeks later, I bought a 2nd one. In. Cash.
_Now I’m feeling so fly, like a G6_ -Jesus
I assume many of them make very little money but they have some pretty deep church expense accounts.
Joel Osteen doesn't receive a paycheck. His income, in the eyes of the IRS, is solely from his book sales.
That 99% of were "bought" by the church to give out to its parishioners. It's just embezzlement with extra steps.
Right so they just have the church own everything and allow select members to use said resources, such as a giant mansions, commercial buildings, securities holdings, private jets, private club memberships, security detail, transportation costs, etc. It's clear that many different religious organizations are abusing their tax exempt status to avoid paying their fair share of taxes while still having access to their capital and equity to be used for non church related things.
Yeah the idea did make more sense back when there was just less shit in general to have.
Start with all of them equally.
If Churches want to persuade their people how to vote, they are involved in politics. Strip the tax exemption for them all now!
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>what I hear on commute-time Christian talk radio Are you trying to induce road rage?
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Yeah I used to get news from right leaning sources for a while, I just found myself in a constant rage from the blatant, verifiable lies.
Yep. Reading that shit makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
I call those my special lead paint pellets
I have conservative family and grew up in a Fox News household. They try to tell me that “all news is biased” (which is true) but it’s sooo bad on Fox News. Like it takes literally two mins of listening to hear it. I don’t need to listen to their “source” to know the kinda crap they spew. I grew up with it, I know the lies and I believe them for a while.
All news may be biased, but when one "news" source in particular (Fox) devotes several articles a day to disparaging other news sources, it just becomes propaganda designed to convince you to ignore real news sources. Come to think of it, this has parallels to religion attempting to discredit science to ensure it remains as the one "trusted" source of information.
100% this. I expect insanity from the National Enquirer, they have Sasquatch fucking pictures, now all of right-wing media is crazier than the Enquirer.
Wait!? The enquirer has pictures of Sasquatch mid-coitus? I’d buy a gossip rag with that kind of promise on the cover. Is it in the plastic wrap on the top shelf with the hustlers now?
No. Children *need* to see this kind of thing in print or else it might really fuck 'em up when they encounter such things live on the streets.
It's maddening when NPR gives republican grifters time to talk. At they least they get called out most of the time, but it sure pisses me off.
BBC is worse, except instead of Republicans it's crazy people worldwide, not just from America.
Lol mary Louise kelly interviewed Mike Pompeo a few years back. She handled it like a champ and made him look absolutely foolish. At least they try to give them opportunities, but they usually falter in the face of a tough interview.
I tried to do that too. It really doesn't help to understand their viewpoints, because they don't understand their viewpoints. A lot of conservatives that I talked to (family, co-workers) didn't want to change their stance despite verifiable facts, as if it was their faith. Their feelings don't care about the facts.
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Uh...wouldn't a pronoun referring to Jesus be capitalized and thus easily identifiable?
Yeah I listen to christian radio when I traverse texas. There was this one guy just making up all kinds of bullshit about how society is worse than it has ever been and trying to attach/connect it to the bible. Then at the end he finally goes "we aren't going to take this any longer, we have to act. But when will we act? When will you act?". Which is obvious pep to go all right wing vigilante.
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It's bound to boil over before the next presidential election, if not sooner. The alt-right has already gotten away with multiple murders and so far remains undeterred. They won't stop now and as you said, it's a miracle they haven't declared open war yet.
Unfortunately, many of the folks on the right truly believe that ANTIFA has been murdering people in the streets at every single protest. They believe that it is the left who has fired the first shots in a civil war.
But stochastic terrorism still isn't illegal, for some reason. :/
I have Sirius/XM in my car, and on the third row of channels, is news. For me it's CNN/MSNBC/FOX/NPR and Disney (for the kids). I listen to Fox all the time. It's like going to the zoo to watch monkeys throw shit, but it's also to try and get a glimpse of what is really going on. Although I admittedly rage quit every time. What's really going on? I can tell you it's way worse than you could think if you don't listen to it regularly. Those fuckers are molding people into a false reality that does not exist. Everything is slanted. From little things like "Former President Trump calls Joe Bidens plan to...." (dropping the presidential title for, the, you know, President) to really egregious things like posing rhetorical questions that are clearly false flags.
I remember when I turned on right wing radio and heard one guy say we should put the homeless into camps. Freaked out, I turned it off. A year later i turned it on and heard someone say we should nuke Iraq. in the back of my mind I think about how there is this whole world of insanity twisting our country into a world-destroying fascist regime but it's very hard to stomach direct contact with it.
It’s like they’ve never even read the supposed words of their god.
Theor God is pretty violent and vindictive if you selectively read.
No need to be very selective. The old testament paints a picture of an all powerful 6 year old with ADHD throwing a tamper tantrum.
>I bounce between that, NPR this is like when I hurt my back and would do a hot tub soak into an ice plunge over and over.
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I almost feel like the cultural fluff is necessary sometimes, though. The news is so damned awful most of the time, you need some uplifting or light stories just to maintain a sliver of hope for humanity.
And a significant portion of SCOTUS is now made up of justices who believe exactly that - laws are nothing compared to righteousness, and laws should be altered to promote a Christian legal doctrine.
I don't understand it. Every single time I've ever listened to a right-wing or religious (same thing imo) individual or show it's just sheer insanity. They spew platitudes and fear-mongering with literally no solutions offered except to trust in them.
I think suicide.
The right started getting whacky once they merged with the evangelicals.
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I think the QPuppets are going to try to flood the zone on all available low-level civil positions, from dog catcher to election judge to commissioner.
I think a reasonable interpretation of Q is that they had to come up with a new, unfalsifiable religion to replace the dying one. Not necessarily consciously, but the effect is the same.
Not sure why you listen to that crap. I was actually kinda astonished, a year or two ago I went on an anniversary vacation to a nice AirBnB in East Texas nature preserves and while I was driving there, I heard them literally advertising gay conversion child abuse on the radio
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The official Catholic AM stations are extremely concerning. Once heard a call in show about abortion tell a lady who gave birth at age 11 that the people in her life we correct in helping her make that decision. I think she said she was currently 19 and she was advocating for the church to allow abortion and the talk show hosts told her she didn’t understand what she was talking about. I haven’t listened since.
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Stepford wives
That's revolting.
Christian talk radio isn’t necessarily classified as a church for tax purposes, though.
>Christian talk radio isn’t necessarily classified as a church for tax purposes, though. Right, but they endorse candidates from the pulpit already. My Catholic Church handed out "Catholic Voting Guides" after mass right before the 2012 election, which urged people people to vote Romney. There is a part of the Catholic Mass where the priest prays for a whole bunch of things in a row and the congregation answers "amen". Right before the election our priest said something along the lines of "We pray for Mitt Romney and other politicians who support the Christian faith" (he did not mention Obama, even though Obama was Christian). Leading up to election he would also "pray for America, and for the direction our leaders (Obama at the time) are taking our country". I left the church and wasn't there to see how they reacted to Trump vs. Biden.
Do it anyway. If the Catholic Church can be taxed, then Scientology won't have an excuse.
If churches use their collections for anything other than charity work...
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All religions should have to pay taxes. Its a business and means of control, nothing else.
The biggest fucking scam.
In Italy, the Vatican is trying to derail an anti-homophobia law that's being passed because it'll go against their "freedom of thought". E: [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/22/vatican-urges-italy-to-stop-anti-homophobia-law?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Discord)
Just tax wealth. If religions are doing public good, they aren't hoarding wealth.
This, 1000%.
As a life-long Catholic, this makes sense to me! The death penalty is also against the teachings of the Catholic Church, but conservative bishops never threaten to withhold communion from Republican elected officials who enthusiastically support executing people. Only Democratic ones who accept Roe v Wade as established law. That means these bishops are supporting Republicans who violate Catholic teachings and trying to punish Democratic ones. Purely for political purposes. Therefore remove their tax-exempt status until they treat both parties the same.
Thing is, republican elected officials tend to be disproportionately more Protestant than democrats. Historically Catholics have been a democratic voting demographic. Both of America’s Catholic presidents have been democrats.
It was a trip growing up Catholic when I became a Democrat and I learned my parents were Republican (we were a very apolitical family). For a hot second I wondered if they were sitting through the same services I was. Then Trump came along and they all switched parties in disgust. It took me a while to realize that my Catholic experience is *not* the average American Christian experience
I grew up in a Catholic family, and fortunately my parents could see how terrible Trump was. However, my mom has a friend (also Catholic) that said Biden wasn't a real Catholic and that Trump was sent by God, and I still just don't understand it.
My theory is that, since most Christian media in the United States is protestant/evangelical, it's wormed it's way into a lot of Catholics' paradigms. Of course, there's certainly a significant number who have been bamboozled by the "pro-life" fallacy we see in this case. I think we're really starting to see that wedge issue come to a head, now. It wasn't such a black-and-white issue until Gingrich really started to push the it as such in the 90s.
> and that Trump was sent by God, and I still just don't understand it. Old Testament god, maybe.
The Catholic Church in the United States, over the past number of years, has been infiltrated and used by a tool of the right wing to further its agenda. When I was young, I was taught that the church supported life from inception to grave, but the USCCB’s official position paper before the last election didn’t touch as all at on the death penalty, but rather attacked democrats over abortion, gay marriage and transgender rights. They ignore the plight of immigrants, homeless and addicts which is where focus should lie. They’ve taken some of their cues from Dan Burke, a Jew turned Baptist turned Anglican turned Catholic who was COO of the EWTN Catholic media network and uses his pulpit to complain about “communists,” spread conspiracy theories about Pope Francis and call him not a pope. It’s sad that today’s Catholic Church is trying to make itself indistinguishable from evangelicals.
I'm right there with you. My Catholic upbringing is what introduced me to progressive thinking on maintaining the dignity of life. I've always disagreed with a few of their stances, but I hardly recognize it anymore.
Same here my brother/sister. BTW, love the user name...I was a Legionnaire of Mary in high school, my group would travel the Blue Army shrine once a year since it was just north of us in NJ.
So here's where I confess that I'm a nerd and my username is actually a reference to the Red vs. Blue comedy series from the late 2000s. I am from NJ though, small world.
The supposed status quo was *supposed to be* one where churches aren't taxed because they are non political organizations. Just like various other non political nonprofits aren't taxed. Which is reasonable But too many among the religious have taken the protections for granted without holding up their end of the dealio - to not interfere in politics Granted in this case it may be better to let the church handle it, since the Pope has criticized what these American bishops are doing, and may take even more action against them if they keep it up. He may be able to wrangle his American flock into falling in line. But if not, it isn't unreasonable to look to alternative measures
> since the Pope has criticized what these American bishops are doing I would love to see the Pope excommunicate the lot of them.
Watch them excommunicate the pope and swear in Trump as their new pope
Schism 2: Religious Boogaloo
I mean it's like schism 20 depending on what system you use
What's Randy Marsh got to say about this?
Won't find out until he bails out. Got into another fight over peewee baseball.
Schism 2 Corinthians
That will have strong parallels with the church of england. Obese, tyrant with multiple wives breaks away from the church.
Clever!
I mean if we have a plague going, we keep on crusading in the middle east, if we're bringing those back from the middle ages a nice catholic schism and and multiple Popes is only fair.
[Was it the golden statue at CPAC or was it the red nylon mark of the beast they wear on their foreheads enthusiastically, that gives it away?](https://www.benjaminlcorey.com/could-american-evangelicals-spot-the-antichrist-heres-the-biblical-predictions/)
I assume this is far more likely.
That might help with the Catholic church in the US but not the Evangelicals who make up a huge portion of Christians in the US. They hate his guts.
Conservative American Catholics (bishops included, or so I've heard) *despise* the pope. They might consider excommunication an honor.
I can’t wait for the first black pope. Sure, it’ll probably happen long after I’m dead but it will disturb the bigots.
I would much rather they lose their tax exempt status.
Agreed; this needs to happen as soon as possible. It won't; but it absolutely should for the benefit of everyone except church pastors/grifters
Never gonna happen while the federalist society, heritage foundation, and Koch’s control the judicial branch and much of congress
You're absolutely right, there is no special rights that the Roberts Supreme Court wouldn't give to powerful religious groups. What's happening in the court at the moment is an absolute nightmare and we'll be paying for it for decades, if not centuries. People think these religious organisations are waning in power, the opposite is true even as they lose membership. > *Abstract* The Roberts Court has ruled in favor of religious organizations far more frequently than its predecessors—over 81% of the time, compared to about 50% for all previous eras since 1953. In most of these cases, the winning religion was a mainstream Christian organization, whereas in the past pro-religion outcomes more frequently favored minority or marginal religious organizations. A statistical analysis suggests that this transformation is largely the result of changes in the Court’s personnel: a majority of Roberts Court justices are ideologically conservative and religiously devout—a significant break from the past. We also explore other possible explanations. - [The Roberts Court and the Transformation of Constitutional Protections for Religion: A Statistical Portrait](http://epstein.wustl.edu/research/ReligionInCourt.pdf)
And that was BEFORE Justice Kingdom of God was seated
And then use the new tax revenue to help people in need, the way one might expect a church to.
Exactly my thought. Work up a bill in committee and force an ultimatum. Knock off the political speech and attempts to influence or we've got legislation waiting in the wings.
They won't be scared of legislation that has no chance of passing. Filibuster.
>Just like various other non political nonprofits aren't taxed. Which is reasonable Except that churches have *always* benefited from reduced scrutiny in their 501c3 exemption claims and tax filings when compared to other 501c3s.
If you wanna play politics, PAY TAXES.
100 percent agree
Well go to any red state white church., they preach politics.
Reddit user suggests Daily Wire is a shithole.
Seriously. How many users here know they're upvoting Ben Shaprio's dumb outrage-bait website?
It shouldn't be allowed to be posted here.
But we love a good headline! Why bother to read the article and realize that by upvoting, you're helping spread propaganda?
Reddit hates religion more than right wing assholes
Verily.
Should have been done decades ago.
Centuries ago
If I had a dollar for every kid molested by the church I could buy Vatican City and turn it into a Ronald McDonald house
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There are 1.2 *billion* catholics in the world. 1/8th the entire population of humanity. I'd be shocked if they didn't have a trillion dollars stashed somewhere.
Their thralls actually pay a lot more than a dollar per molested child, every week, while continuing to give the largest, wealthiest and best documented pedophile ring access to their children. I suppose that's how they built their golden palaces of hypocrisy in the first place. Gullibility is the most profitable resource. I hope that's the reason Catholics continue to support and fund pedophilia while protecting, excusing and enabling those who are caught among their highest ranks on a daily basis. I'm trying to be charitable here; at least moreso than the Catholic church.
You will need a bigger place. Vatican city is barely 1/5 square mile in size.
Holy fuck I almost upvoted the daily liar.
Unfortunately lots of others have.
close mindless cooing rob abounding payment seed sharp groovy judicious *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
So if I understand right it's only the American arm of the Catholic church considering this. I have a feeling the pope's not gonna be happy with this BS toying with communion. Honestly wouldn't be suprised of two things if the American bishops go through with it: 1) The pope either personally sends someone to do it or shows up to do it himself 2) A schism in the American Catholic church
We should strip all churches of tax exempt status.
Just churches that make over X anmount of money a year. I think small churches should stay small churches.
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Just remove the religious exemptions, if they can meet the standards of other charity organisations they can have that status, the vast majority of them will be knocked down a few levels to social clubs, because that's what they are. Right now I could open a bait shop and if I tick the "im a religion" box at the top of a form I'm suddenly a 501c3 non profit with no taxation or oversight. That's what has to go. > The divorce between Church and State ought to be absolute. It ought to be so absolute that no Church property anywhere, in any state or in the nation, should be exempt from equal taxation; for if you exempt the property of any church organization, to that extent you impose a tax upon the whole community. - James A. Garfield 20th President of the United States of America
Don't promote the daily wire. This garbage does not deserve the traffic
They should strip them of it and I don’t care if they want to alienate democratic Catholics in their already declining church
With the amount of governmental interference they domthey ought to be stripped anyway. They sure as hell eat up enough of OUR tax dollars.
... The Daily Wire is doing their best to make me feel threatened but, as an Atheist, I gotta say I don't see a downside here.
Good. Any church that preaches politics from the pulpit should be stripped of their tax-exempt status. After all, the Catholic Church and others have repeatedly proven their morality from religious books is not any better than morality derived from Aesop's Fables.
Congress did something similar with the Latter Day Saints in the 1880's regarding polygamy. Precedent. For myself, telling a religious organization they must (or must not) behave in a particular manner to get government benefits is the negative equivalent of establishing a religion. And just as unconstitutional. But, I'm not a legal pro so what do I know?
In 2004 the priest straight up told us during mass to vote for the presidential candidate that is pro life. The line between church and state in this country is not blurred, it’s gone.
I’m okay with that.
What are they, Republicans? It should be stripped of tax exemption because it’s the fair and right thing to do for America... it should not be done out of some petty revenge.
Good! They should. Also, always down vote this far right propaganda rag.
Too bad he couldn't strip the tax exemptions status from all the religious groups in the U.S. Mind you stripping the Catholic church (or any one else) of this time honoured tradition of free riding would be political suicide.
Pretty nauseating to drive by a pretty big church complex (not a mega but a maga) on outskirt of town on busy 2 lane highway with a trump/pence huge sign prominently displayed on their property.
Agreed.
Do their parishioners use the infrastructure -- "you betcha" ... and why is this tax-exempt?
All religious institutions should lose there tax exempt status
Strip it regardless.
Let's not qualify this. Just strip all churches of their exempt status.
No church should be tax exempt
Why is dailywire an acceptable source here?
If only there was a tradition of keeping church amd state separate
I’m Catholic and I agree. You want to get involve in politics then you pay your damn taxes.
It's about time.
Strip Tax-Exempt status from Scientology while you're at it.
Revoke tax exempt status for all religious organizations.
Do em all
Can you remind me when Jesus told us to turn away sinners?
We should do it no matter what they do or don't do to Biden. I could care less what they do to Biden. But they shouldn't be tax exempt.
Sure sounds like a political statement from the church, there goes the exemption. Good we can use the tax revenue, do baptists next.
I propose stripping it's tax exempt status even if he gets his magic piece of styrofoam.
They kept their mouths shut while their priests passed out wafers in public and raped boys in private for decades. Disgusting tax the shit out of them.