433 Comments

I'm not sure what all this angry, chest- thumping, bullying, "don't tread on me" thing that we've come to call Christianity is, but here's what I do know:

It isn't the Gospel.

It isn't Good News for the poor and marginalized.

It isn't the Prince of Peace.

It isn't the perfect love that casts out fear.

It isn't Jesus by any measure.

It's a toxic cocktail of power, control, fear, nationalism, and white privilege- and it looks much more like the bloated opulence of Rome than the early Church that resisted it.

Excerpts from John Pavlovitz

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And it is not Christianity, it is fascism.

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And the rest of Christianity, in the mainstream media…? crickets. Sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say.

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I'm part of the "rest of christianity", John, and so are others here, I think. Please don't paint us all with the same brush. There are still many of us who go directly back to what Jesus said as recorded in the Gospel, and not to what His "interpreters" like Paul and others said/say. KJ21-Matt: 24:11:

"And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many."

We are in this together raising our voices!

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I'm sorry, Bruce, but you and the "rest of Christianity" had better start raising your collective voice a LOT louder, because this Christian Nationalist crowd will steamroll right over you with all the rest of us if you don't. In my opinion, mainstream Christians stood by quietly and let them get this far when it could have been stopped when they first hijacked your faith.

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Dear Betsy, please take a deep breath (That's what I have been doing for quite some time now). While doing so, would you consider the reality: There is no such thing as a homogeneous group that I or most Christians today belong to that I would consider joining. 40,000,000 (or more) Americans have also walked away from "churches" in the last 25 years. In the US, church membership has fallen below 50%, and in other countries (EU) it is even higher. Like Groucho Marx said: "I refuse to join any club that would have me..." THERE ain't no "Collective".

"Christianity Today" sometimes offers real oppositional commentary, but even that organization is marbled with darkness.

Liberal christians are far and few between, and when we do raise our voices and are active, it's like you imply..."spit on a hot stone". Thanks for the push though, we need to do more.

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How are we to do that? I am a Unitarian Universalist, not necessarily Christian, but a religion none the less. We are speaking up and out, but our voices are not amplified.

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I would have never known UUs were speaking up or out, and I suspect no one else does either. All but one US Representative claims to follow a religion. Call those hypocrites out on this.

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Me too.

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Christian Nationalism has zero to do with any religion. It's a cult. And there's no reasoning with the cult members. None.

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Do "Christian Nationalists" (i.e. Fascists, White Supremacists) also insist their "members" be Whilte, Male, and Blond ? Or was that just a Hitler thing ?

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Betsy, our faith has not been hijacked, however the media has led you to a false conclusion that Jesus People are standing silent against the loud voice media give false prophet evangelical nationalists. The outrageous get noticed by the click bait media. Actual Christians do not. This is not a matter of faith but rather that of an America willing to be suckered by the loudest voice. You are falling for it and blaming us as complicit

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The voices are out there. No one in the 'mainstream' media is attentive to them. Example, the NYT once had Peter Steinfels writing on belief that migrated to the Op Ed page with Ross Douthat, not an attentive move.

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John did say, "...in the mainstream media..." Certainly, many (most?) Christians do not accept the actions and direction of the MAGA, right wing, fundamentalist, evangelicals pushing their "values" on the rest of us. Please note, I did not write "fundamentalist, evangelicals," but "MAGA, right wing, ..." But, to John's point, to those that do not support those radical actions, the silence is deafening. Whatever opposing Christian views there are sure don't get the airtime or print columns like the crazies get.

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Maybe “good” Christians could take a page from Act-Up? Get noticed.

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We can demand that MSM elevate those voices. They are out there.

“To be clear, I’m not being critical of Christians playing a strong leadership role in our advocacy. Christians are best positioned to reject the idea that Christian Nationalism is rooted in true Christian values. This distinction is critical, especially given how many people (and Christians) are still waking up to the problem. Christian leaders have greater potential to resonate with fellow Christians, who are still hovering around a super-majority in America. And when Christian messengers criticize Christian Nationalism, they are less likely to be perceived as anti-Christian.

So, it’s both heartening and unsurprising that in this moment of threat to church-state separation, there has been a surge of Christian advocates engaging. My friend Amanda Tyler, head of the Baptist Joint Committee, founded Christians Against Christian Nationalism to rally Christians to speak out against this dangerous political movement that warps Christianity. Andrew Whitehead and Sam Perry, leading academics studying and exposing White Christian Nationalism, are Christian. Christian Ethicist David Gushee recently penned a book, Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies, on the importance of fighting against Christian Nationalism and for church-state separation.

Rob Reiner and Dan Partland’s excellent new film “God & Country,” which exposes and highlights the dangers of Christian Nationalism, is studded with Christian voices. It opens and closes with powerful clips of the Rev. William Barber II speaking from a Christian perspective, showcases Christian scholars like Kristin Du Mez, Anthea Butler and Whitehead, and spotlights conservative Christians like journalist David French and former Christian Nationalist the Rev. Rob Schenck. Not every expert is Christian; I am so proud of our in-house experts, Rob Boston and Andrew L. Seidel, and their amazing contributions to the film. But Reiner, who was raised Jewish, and Partland have made clear that the Christian emphasis is intentional.“

https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/to-all-the-christians-fighting-christian-nationalism-thank-you/#

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I really have always liked Rev. Barber and Rev. AL too. Reiner will catch hell for being Jewish but the film is an eye-opener. Have seen excerpts…

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The Beat interviewed Reiner a day or so ago:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G0CvtjXFw2I

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Films and books and such, regardless of how awesome they might be, are “preaching to the choir,” both literally and figuratively. They won’t reach the important audiences, with rare exceptions.

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I would argue that they are important means of connecting to others different from selves. Not necessarily the best and not complete. A window into seeing the humanity of people, which a person may have been taught to fear. It can as easily be used for opposite purposes though. It’s always up to us, what we choose, the best in us or the worst in us.

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A sobering nightmare of a night for America Joyce as we pass through this unjustified darkness imposed upon us by a cult. How can it possibly be anyone’s business to dictate individual rights. It’s totally political and a sacrilege and affront to those who practice their faith outside that realm. Thank you for your post and the attention you are bringing to all of us on this serious predicament until we take back both houses of Congress

🇺🇸🗽🗳️🥁☮️💙

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American Taliban.

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Well the Catholic Church had no problem with fascism the last time around, so no surprise

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And so the story ends…

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The 3,000 give or take Polish priests murdered by the Nazi’s might beg to differ…God bless!

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And the Pope? And Father Coughlin?

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To which you can add Lenard Fenney the anti semeyic Jew hating Jesuit from Harvard. No defending them or the lunatic bishop from Texas , just fired by Francis. The church is sinful and constantly in need of reform, but that nor those noted make it a fascist institution

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Debatable.

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Although I am an Atheist myself I like to recall a saying I once heard... "God gave us Faith, the Devil gave us organized religion"...

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The term "Christian Nationalism" is an insult to Christians world-wide. Whenever I read the term in print, what I say in my head is, "UnChrist-like Nationalism."

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Evil, self-serving nationalism disguising itself as - Christian Nationalism

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Thank you. "Christian Nationalism" is an oxymoron.

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Jesus said to Pilate: “My kingdom is no part of this world.” John 18:36

But the fundamentalists are intoxicated with the prospect of power. This will end badly for them.

Governments have long used true Christian ethics to inform their laws, but that is their voluntary choice; Christians are not directed to impose their values on unwilling people by law. They are only authorized to resist having unchristian values imposed on them by law. (Acts 4:18-20 is an example.)

I should add, these “fundamentalists” are just another perversion of original Christianity. But other commenters have said it better.

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"Christians are not directed to impose their values on unwilling people by law. They are only authorized to resist having unchristian values imposed on them by law. (Acts 4:18-20 is an example.)"

I believe you are making an arguably false distinction between Christians as individuals and Christianity as a set of organised religions, that perpetuate themselves through history and time.

For most of history since the Roman Empire, Christianity HAS been forced on the populace, with severe penalties (including torture and gruesome execution) for non-compliance. It has caused untold bloody wars, and set back advancement in science by at least a millennium.

Islam has an an evil history too - and continues to write it still. It is not a defence to simply state that most Christians (and most Muslims) are "good people".

That is what the First Amendment is all about - freedom FROM state religion. Marx was right about it being the opiate of the masses.

As an atheist living in a free, secular society - Australia - what the Alabama Chief Justice wrote is simply astonishing and unbelievable. The separation of church and state has to be fiercely defended against by everyone of good will and possessing rational thought.

I don't want to tar all Christians with the same brush, but I'm not sure Christians can be relied on to defend the ideals of the secular state the way atheists have to do it so passionately. Freedoms seem to be being lost every day.

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The distinction is between Christianity and Christendom, which repressed Christianity when it rose to power in an unholy ‘marriage’ of Church and state in the 3rd century (or before). This was the foretold apostasy from original Christianity. It dominated governments for centuries, underwent an incomplete “Reformation” that was not much of an improvement, and then the states began to distance themselves from this stranglehold in the 17th century. But Christendom’s grip has really weakened in the last 50 years or so. The next step is her destruction, also as foretold. She falls first, because of her prostituting what should be holy to greed for wealth and power in this world. So yeah, church will get separated from state one more time. For good. But that doesn’t make the state all sweetness and light. It too is made of corrupt men. Those trying to right the ship cannot keep it afloat.

So the prophecy continues: the nations that bedded with wicked religion will be dealt with. Fantastical, you may say. Delusional. But can you really offer a more plausible hope for mankind’s survival, considering what we are now facing?

The relevant scripture is Rev 17, 18 and 19 (3 chapters) with the key verses at 17:4-6 and 15-18. “Babylon” translates as ‘confusion’. This is the symbol of all forms of religion that dishonors God and sows confusion (you would say that’s all of it, but I think you’d agree that in all matters, truth does exist, while everything that contradicts truth is not-true.) Truth can be hard to find, but we persist in trying to find it, in science, in what works, in right vs wrong.

So, God either exists or he does not. Both cannot be true. And if He exists, he will have standards of good vs bad. Truth is not found in every contradictory belief, and while some say “truth is whatever you believe,” that’s obviously not. Wishing don’t make it so.

Jesus said, “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth.” Pilate cynically retorted, “What is truth?” Was he right? Is truth unknowable? How do you decide whom to listen to? The confident bloviating demagogue (DJT) or the humble teacher who helps you see inside yourself honestly? (JC)

All that to say that the destruction of false religion is in fact decreed by God, as Rev 18:1-8 makes clear. You should be very happy with that. See 18:20.

Freedom. Set your sights high. Not merely to be free to do as you please, but to be free to live forever. If God exists, that is not out of reach.

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I'm sorry mate - and it might seem coarse and blunt - but as soon as anyone quotes Chapter & Verse from the bible, in any political discussion about the church and state whatsoever, I know for a fact that I'm dealing with a snake-eating, happy-clapping god-botherer.

What other position could I possibly take? You cannot deal with the total political theocratic takeover of a sleepy America, by quoting the effing bible! Thank god for atheists!

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You decry close-minded prejudice… with close-minded prejudice.

It’s snake-handling, not eating, btw. And that kind of religion is not bible based, despite their ardent zeal and conviction. Following feelings is dangerous.

“The religion that is clean in the view of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself undefiled from the world.” —James 1:27

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Jews as well are not supposed to impose their religion on others. For the most part they do not, or just, they do not.

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Christian and nationalism should not be in the same sentence. There is no national religion and the constitution demands separation of church and state. This ruling is abhorrent and is clearly unconstitutional. Every individual is free to be personally guided by their religious beliefs; however, states do not have the right to dictate to the rest of the country! With this approach we are no longer the United States. Perhaps that is still the goal of the confederate states.

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It is the wolf poorly dressed in sheeps clothing.

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Eric Doub: As a practicing Catholic, disillusioned with Christianity, trucking on with Catholic Christianity because of the Holy Presence of Our Lord in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, and the two great commands -- to love the One, God with one's whole heart, one's whole mind, one's whole being, and to love one's neighbor as oneself precisely because the command to love neighbor is a command of the One, the Holy; and because of all of the holy teachings of the Our Father -- including to "give us this day our daily bread" is to ask for the Spirit of God to move our actions to love the One and to love our Neighbor.

Period.

As a Catholic I am totally disillusioned with institutionalized Christianity and attend Mass regularly for the Holy Sacrament and His Glorious Presence and for the good people around me.

But I won't talk about it outside of Mass, because there is too much loud "Christianity" and the priestly abuse has made me look to alternatives in the Lutheran and Orthodox or even Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicism. But my family keeps me in the Catholic Church, despite my unhealed disillusion.

As a lawyer, with the state of the legal profession, if I were young -- I am 76 -- I might enter the law, but I would seriously consider other professions.

Disillusioned in all respects through Christianity and the law through our Congressmen and national races.

Honestly, all the muscular, flag-driven "piety" and "patriotism" (oh, and my whole life was the Navy and Air Force -- all of my life -- people WHO NEVER SERVED A DAY will loudly wear the American flag as a hat or shorts or shirt or display about 100 flags or oversized ones) is wearying and unappetizing -- and serves effectively an emetic or even a strong, very strong laxative, really.

I applaud your statements, Eric Doub, but the American brand of Christianity is so loud and selfish and commercial to reach untold masses, and for what, for an Orange Snout to drive a right wing agenda into the ground.

I say the political dialogue should leave religion totally out of the discourse. Years ago, I thought otherwise. But disillusion has set irreparably in.

No mistake: Eric Doub: Your comments are good, and if American Christianity were in the spirit you express, I would join you. I do join your spirit.

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Armand, you said my thoughts exactly. I’m not a Catholic but a Lutheran. However, I have turned away from organized religion but have not abandoned my spirituality. The government has no business in my personal relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Why is no one challenging the Constitutional separation of Church and State??!

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I'm Lutheran. We had a worship meeting last night where we all said we need to SPEAK UP. Silence is compliance.

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Why hasn't anyone challenged this and other obvious disregard to the Constitution. Wasn't the U.S. founded by many seeking religious FREEDOM!

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Maybe they will, Susan, but with the composition of today’s Supreme Court I don’t think they’ll win.

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"Eric Doub: As a practicing Catholic, disillusioned with Christianity, trucking on with Catholic Christianity because of the Holy Presence of Our Lord in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, and the two great commands -- to love the One, God with one's whole heart, one's whole mind, one's whole being, and to love one's neighbor as oneself precisely because the command to love neighbor is a command of the One, the Holy; and because of all of the holy teachings of the Our Father -- including to "give us this day our daily bread" is to ask for the Spirit of God to move our actions to love the One and to love our Neighbor."

This is all dead-set creepy to my mind ... Christianity (especially Catholicism) and rational thought about the secular state do not mix.

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Difficult history, Armand. Thank you.

I am learning from all these comments. To note: I only quoted others; those were not my writings. But I'm glad the posts were so thought-provoking.

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Eric I was gobsmacked that Alabama Justice Porter quoted extensively from the Bible to justify the ‘embryo ruling.’ I thought that the !st Amendment separated religion from government and that legal precedent was integral to our judicial system.

I’m extremely nervous, since the Old Testament provides some frightful religious precedents. Should courts destroy entire towns? (If so, I have some suggestions). As for slavery, the OT seems to approve.

On balance I prefer judicial decisions based on the Constitution rather than the Bible, though the New Testament expresses some positive thinking.

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As for being gobsmacked, Keith, I had a similar reaction. But I think one of the defining characteristics of this era is "no more trying to hide it." So much behavior, so many crimes, so many court decisions, now contain no element of trying to disguise the values driving them.

So I think it is up to us to be less shocked and to simply see clearly what is in front of us. That can help us respond more quickly and effectively.

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Eric,I will not mention 'God' or 'Godliness' 41 times but, I will tell CJ Parher to take his "7 Mountain" babble & go to hell.

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Eric. WWJD? I’m picturing a bunch of tables getting tossed about in the Temple

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It’s the Crusades all over again….

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They “take precedence” because the readers of this comments section are voting to elevate them above other comments, JUDITH, not because nobody wants to hear what you have to say, or that your comments are worthless. More power to you, as a resident of Alabama, to do what you can to protest this Christian Nationalism. As a resident of a state which is, thankfully, not Alabama, there’s nothing I can do, no matter how horrible the outcome of this ‘legislation’.

Ironically, your complaint mirrors the frequent Christianist rhetorical manipulation of the concept of the separation of church and state to indicate that Christians are a protected class that are sworn to take legal action against non-Christians for not believing in Christ, God, etc. As a devout atheist, this mental gymnastic routine is abhorrent, and it has led to violence and murder committed by those who claim to follow Christ. My religious upbringing gave me the knowledge to see the un-Christlike actions of people more willing to pervert Christ’s words to their own ends than follow the actual teachings.

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After living most of my life as a Catholic and then as a Muslim, I learned that religion is nothing more than manipulation and social control. Alabama is a perfect example of political power in the guise of religion.

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VOTE BLUE. Yes, it will take time to "undo" the culture of your state. This is certainly a case of "beliefs" v science and originalism.

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Judith, I’m just making my way through the comments and haven’t seen yours yet but please tell us how we can help you in Alabama.

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Not sure I would brag about being from a racist state….

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woah there- This is called Civil Discourse. Please don't condemn all people from any given state. Their leadership is terrible. Nothing is helped by dissing due to where they live...

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Maybe they should be reminded of the saying, “open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

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Long but so telling, this quote by Dave Barnhart, a traditional Christian pastor, is on point about these Alabama "justices":

"The unborn" are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don't resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don't ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don't need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don't bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It's almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.

Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn."

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“Love thy neighbor” is pretty hard, because you know who that is. Not yet born people are easier, because they are an abstraction. Even your descendants in the future are hard to imagine, so why fight climate change for their sake? They probably wouldn’t like you or share your values, anyway. Jesus never mentioned climate change, did he?

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As a Christian, I say AMEN!

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Wow, Eric, I think you hit the nail right on the head!! That's why I believe the term " Pro Life " is hypocritical. They are NOT pro life because that requires taking care after birth.

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And denouncing the death penalty, which, by the way, is on the slate in Alabama for yet another barbarous nitrogen gas execution and coming up soon. These legislators are just sadists. It doesn’t paint their voters in such a sparkling light either. Private schools and homeschooling have played hob with education there it looks like.

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Thanks, Rex. (And to be clear, I was quoting someone else.)

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Eric, such a perfect response, thank you so much.

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Excellent quote. Thank you for posting it. As a former Christian, I've felt sadness for years at how our values have become so twisted in my lifetime. This is a personal observation only, not to attributed to anyone else. My reading of history, especially in Europe, informs me that we have killed so many and destroyed so much in our desire to demonstrate our love for our God, and our need to show we are so God-like in our profession of faith. Careful reading shows these actions overshadow even the horrors of the Holocaust.

I suspect that next we will read that it will be illegal for a woman - or the parents of - unused embryos to discard them. My understanding is that IFV consists of many embryos created, but only a portion of them actually used to create a living child. Will the parent's choice to discard the remaining embryo's because they are no longer needed be considered murder? Society seems to redefine what constitutes life faster than we can adapt. A woman's choice, in my humble opinion, should never be subject to someone else's personal religious beliefs.

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Note that these embryos are only a few days old! How is that a person?

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It’s not. It’s a blastoma. A mass of undifferentiated cells that can’t be identified as human or any other vertebrate. Idiot ruling.

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He forgot that all women are included in the list of those who are thrown under the bus.

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Thank you for your thoughtful response. Sums it up nicely, sad as it may be.

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Thank you Eric. Right on point.

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@Eric Doub: THIS! 👆 💯🎯

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You’ve stated a great, needed to be said, mouthful here. The unborn are uncomplicated and uncomplaining.

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Is it the same Alabama claiming the sanctity of life as this Alabama?

“Capital punishment in Alabama is a legal penalty. Alabama has the highest per capita capital sentencing rate in the United States. In some years, its courts impose more death sentences than Texas, a state that has a population five times as large.[1]”

Isn’t this HYPOCRITICAL?!

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Southern white Xtians are BORN hypocritical. The joys of Fundamentalism: they can sow wild oats six days a week and pray for crop failure on the seventh and be rewarded for so doing.

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Yes!

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Good one, Kathy!

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Yep

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As Heather Cox Richardson has explained, they never gave a damn about the Constitution to begin with.

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Right. They establish christianity contrary to the first, at least that what iIthink not being a constitutional legal expert. I can only read.

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The misogyny and religious extremism in these rippling legal decisions should compel us all to action. These legal judgments cannot stand. A Republican future is no future.

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It was said that we’ll become a fascist when it comes wrapped in a flag and dragging a cross. Christian nationalism must be stomped out.

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It was only a matter of time. As it is also only a matter of time until contraception is outlawed. Not kidding.

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Next on their agenda; Alito just alluded to it! Contraception should be our rallying cry following warnings about national abortion ban! Every Republican candidate should be asked about those two issues in a public forum in order to put them on record! I respectfully suggest that asking about their position on embryos would not focus the attention of the voting public anywhere as much as contraception! Let’s get all of them on record and then raise it publicly and frequently before the election in every state and congressional districts!

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I will never understand the concept of antiabortionists supporting laws against the use of contraceptives…

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That's because it's actually not about the babies, it's always been about control of humans, specifically women right now. And those using methods they don't approve of to be able to have a baby as we've seen with IVF the past couple of days. But it will then expand to gay marriage, gay adoption, those unmarried and cohabitating, equal rights, the list goes on. Essentially, anything other than what they believe their "God" their "religion" has dictated that they alone are entitled to impose on everyone else.

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They definitely DO NOT understand either! You are giving these freaks too much mental credit!

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Because their loved ones will always be able to get both (and do).

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Exactly! That is what I have been discussing with my friend. I am currently in a country unfriendly to abortion thanks to anti-genocidal laws, but not to birth control. My daughter is in university here. The Morning After pill is easily available by 24 hour pharmacy, with no prescription. In Blue States I understand that many Universities have them available in such ways. Not sure about Red States. These are the kinds of things that Universities in Red States might have but not advertise. It is not good for universities bottom line if pregnant students cannot abort either a chosen or unchosen act that leads to an unwanted pregnancy. Having had conversations with my daughter and her friends on birth control both before and after they have become sexually active, I can only say the schools are not doing a great job of covering birth control, in favor of talking a lot about equality in relationships and honoring gay and transgender students. The problem is not that they are making a more inclusive sex ed, but that they are leaving out the basics. While the good news is that unwanted teen pregnancies are dropping, the bad news is that we still have too many of them and more of them compared to other wealthy nations. Access to birth control is critical in reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22792555/

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Hi Linda, I am wondering if you are wondering about sex-education in public schools? It was dropped from the national curriculum during Bush Junior's tenure. Text books were rewritten with all mention of conception and pregnancy prevention removed. Some states chose to continue to teach sex ed - and some of them left it up to individual boards of education. So many kids who previously had guidance from informed teachers, had only their peers to give them information.

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College professor. You have no idea how many students have zero clue about their bodies. The religious ideology has caused this stupidity.

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Hi Tiggr, I am a university professor as well (education policy, now retired). Indeed, the archaic mess of a lack of sex education in public schools is the result of the Reagan era ('just say no'); and furthered by the Christian nationalist evangelical leadership, whose end-game for fifty years has been to reverse our abortion rights and have promoted an 'abstinence only policy.'

They achieved their primary goal of erasing abortion rights with their support and election of Trump (their Orange Jesus puppet who installed the SCOTUS puppets Kavanaugh, Coney-Barrett, Gorsuch creating a far right voting bloc on the SCOTUS); Bush Jr., who promoted abstinence only sex education: it has taken a perfect storm to get us here. I think one of the best 'outcomes' if we can think of it in those terms, is indeed having the exposure to corruption that Trump has brought. He said he was going to 'drain the swamp.' He has exposed the creatures in it. We at least now know what we are fighting. I have a lot of faith in the American public that they will vote Blue for Biden, establish a Blue bicameral Congress and stay engaged after November to push for cleaning up Congress and their cronies and the SCOTUS. For example, Ginny Thomas could be indicted, forcing Clarence's resignation. We just need to stay on point with educating and working for a Blue vote, up, down and sideways. And stay engaged following November's election. The founding father's wanted an educated citizenry who could challenge and confront their elected leaders. We must be that.

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Absolutely!!!

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💙

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A lot of what is going on in sex education from what I understand in public schools is abstinence only as far as I know. However, sex ed is currently not mandated in Illinois, if taught is supposed to be comprehensive.

https://siecus.org/state_profile/illinois-state-profile-22/

When I taught it a long time ago in public schools in IL it was. I have taught it in private schools, in elementary grades where nothing learned is learned if not reinforced. I am currently mostly familiar with private schools. The three young women I spoke with about birth control a few weeks ago each went to a different private school, all supposedly progressive. None of them knew of cervical caps or diaphragms. I consider this a glaring absence of knowledge. When most of your education comes from Tiktok it is bound to be spotty. Shame on American schools for being afraid to teach sex ed. Shame on parents for making it such difficult terrain. The Netherlands remains the model of mandated comprehensive sex ed instruction, and that is why they are one of the 5 countries with the lowest unwanted teen pregnancy and STD rates. According to the UNICEF report card below, the Netherlands has one of the lowest teen birth rates and one of the lowest abortion rates, so they achieve their low unwanted pregnancy rate by other means. I like that the term in the Netherlands for using both condom and pill is Double Dutch. This has led to reduced STDs numbers in teens as well.

https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/repcard3e.pdf

The Nordic countries also do well. Scroll to page 23 to read about how they have achieved this. It includes good comprehensive sex education on contraceptives. Page 25 discusses Finland's research on the use of the Morning After pill that is quite interesting.

Here is more information on the Netherlands. Scroll down to see the country facts about the Netherlands.

https://www.bzga-whocc.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/BZgA_CountryFactsheet_Netherlands.pdf

While comprehensive education has worked in some Northern European countries, I do not know what makes Japan and South Korea so effective. Still, my focus is whether the girls/boys and young women/young men in the USA are being provided with good information to make the best choices for them. I do not think this is so in the USA in public or private schools. Abstinence only, and opt-out/opt-in policies are not helpful for making sure that there is a consistent, widely taught comprehensive curriculum.

https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/sex-and-hiv-education

Scroll down to see the chart comparing the states.

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Maybe people with a platform, such as Planned Parenthood, etc., should post on Tiktok. If kids are going there they’ll find the information.

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Fantastic idea Paula!

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