DeSatan is a power-hungry psycopath. He has constituents from the most deranged groups of Americans. Democrats need to get out the vote. It's our last chance to retain democracy, something the GQP does not value in their thirst for power.
“God help us”, here’s an old Goldwater quote: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, l've tried to deal with them”.
IMHO, Jesus was not transactional, unlike the "Christian" nationalists (white nationalists/white supremacists). The KKK claims to be Christian. There's no way that Jesus would make a deal with the devil, aka, the last several Republican presidents, just to get the Supreme Court he wanted. Besides, he rebuked the devil in the desert before he started his ministry. He also stated to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's. This doesn't sound like any of these people who want to impose their "religion" on everybody else.
Germany had to learn the hard way that in order for a democracy to survive, it has to have zero tolerance for fascist propaganda & demagoguery, which is why Nazi rhetoric is outlawed there. The US should have followed their example post-WWII.
As a long time reside of Florida, I have seen many Republicans come and go. None have been at the caliper of DeSantis. He is an embarrassment and has outraged many people who live here but not enough..... Republican retirees and immigrants who are afraid of "socialism" voted him in twice as governor.
I am not a religious person although I am very spiritual. I have read the Bible and understand much of it. I do not take it literally. Ever since the Europeans descended upon the North American continent, they have pushed their unwavering demand for everyone to be " Christian" despite the fact that they left Europe because they were being told what faith they were allowed to practice. We've been forcing Christianity on people for almost 250 years including indigenous people, Jewish people, Muslims etc. Now we have to deal with Christian nationalists who are as far away from Christianity as one can possibly be. I think you could say it is equivalent to the Antichrist.
None of these Christian nationalists (better known as white supremacists) understand or appreciate the concept of jesus's message and purpose here on Earth. They are convinced that he is white blue-eyed and blonde haired which in fact most scholars will tell you he was not. And he was Jewish.
I shake my head in wonder as I reflect on the sermon of the mount beatitudes:
The Eight Beatitudes
1. The Poor In Spirit...
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mathew 5:3)
2. Those Who Mourn...
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Mathew 5:4)
3. The Meek...
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Mathew 5:5)
4. Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness...
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Mathew 5:6)
5. The Merciful....
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Mathew 5:7)
6. The Pure In Heart....
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Mathew 5:8)
7. The Peacemakers...
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mathew 5:9)
8. Those Who Are Persecuted Because Of Righteousness...
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mathew 5:10-12)
Are there 8, 9, or 10 Beatitudes?
While some have debated as to the exact number of Beatitudes, most scholars agree that the number is 8. (Verses 10-12) of Mathew appear to all be referring to the same group of people, those who are persecuted.
First Will Be Last, Last Will be First
From those who mourn and are persecuted, to those who are merciful and pure in heart, we find Jesus blessing people who some would consider to be downtrodden and weak. As it so often seems with man, it will not be so in the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Mathew 19:30)"
I don't see any actionable Christianity in Christian nationalists.
They revile every single one of these beatitudes which is considered jesus's gold standard of teachings.
So just because you see the word Christianity mixed in with Christian nationalist don't be fooled into thinking that these people are any kind of Christian.
And if I am wrong and this is what Christianity is all about, then that is not any place I ever want to be.
Trump is a nightmare, mostly because he’s a petty, incompetent, childish & narcissistic clown. DeSantis has all these same failings to one degree or another, as well as being a far bigger threat to our country, & thanks to Donnie’s conquest of the Supreme Court & federal judges, he’d likely have little trouble creating & enforcing legislation that will further erode our rights & freedoms as Americans
It kind of blows my mind how many people in my inner circles have their heads in the sand. Everything that has happened and IS happening in other countries CAN absolutely happen here.
Right off the top of my head: Voter intimidation up to and including violence. There are plenty of people still alive who remember what the South used to look like before and during the civil rights movement. There are (fewer) people still alive who remember the run-up to WWII in Europe.
Honestly, the one thing giving me hope is that most of the current generation is seeing right through the GOP's "culture war" nonsense. And a lot of these kids are gonna be voting for the first time ever next year, kids who have grown sick of the DeSantises and the Trumps of the world.
Except the Christian Nationalists have been having "quiver-fulls (large numbers of children who have been thoroughly indoctrinated in either Christian Nationalist schools or home schooling. From childhood they have been trained with fire arms and indoctrinated with an ideology of the coming Armageddon. Hence many of the mass shootings.
Fascist Florida is your warning when the gop gerrymanders the shit out of your state and an avowed racist flavor of the month gets emboldened to display his authoritarianism. MSM is surely a partner in this travesty where normalized fascists is the flavor of the month. Solution: stop subscriptions to corporate media and support local writers instead. Next challenge: get thee to local meetings and take note of the extremists among them and alert your neighbors as to who not to vote for...
For historical context, re-watch Jesus Camp on stream. It clarified how the Evangelical population would take root in mainstream society by election to small offices, like school boards, city council, etc. This film was made in 2006 and those indoctrinated children are all voting adults today
DeSatan is a power-hungry psycopath. He has constituents from the most deranged groups of Americans. Democrats need to get out the vote. It's our last chance to retain democracy, something the GQP does not value in their thirst for power.
One thing I do not know but would love to know, is if:
1. DeSantis truely believes these things; or
2. He is aware that his policies are toxic, but he is more interested in power.
I do not know which is worse (and find it hard to believe that DeSantis is that stupid to fall into category 1)
he believes it. But it doesn't matter -- he believes in using it to amass power.
Oh he believes it quite thoroughly. I feel sorry for his children..😢
Where you wrote ‘tenant’, I think you mean ‘tenet’. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenet
Thank you! Typo, autocorrect madness!
“God help us”, here’s an old Goldwater quote: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, l've tried to deal with them”.
~ Republican Barry Goldwater
IMHO, Jesus was not transactional, unlike the "Christian" nationalists (white nationalists/white supremacists). The KKK claims to be Christian. There's no way that Jesus would make a deal with the devil, aka, the last several Republican presidents, just to get the Supreme Court he wanted. Besides, he rebuked the devil in the desert before he started his ministry. He also stated to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's. This doesn't sound like any of these people who want to impose their "religion" on everybody else.
To borrow from Jimmy Breslin's pithy observation about Rudy Giuliani: DeSantis is "a small man in search of a balcony."
History has gone from "Il Duce" to "Ill Douche."
"Snowball's chance in Hell". DeSatan will fail, he's a paper tiger. I believe there is still a separation between church and state, no?!?
Supposedly. Doesn’t seem to be preventing the GOP from mashing the two together, unfortunately
Germany had to learn the hard way that in order for a democracy to survive, it has to have zero tolerance for fascist propaganda & demagoguery, which is why Nazi rhetoric is outlawed there. The US should have followed their example post-WWII.
As a long time reside of Florida, I have seen many Republicans come and go. None have been at the caliper of DeSantis. He is an embarrassment and has outraged many people who live here but not enough..... Republican retirees and immigrants who are afraid of "socialism" voted him in twice as governor.
I am not a religious person although I am very spiritual. I have read the Bible and understand much of it. I do not take it literally. Ever since the Europeans descended upon the North American continent, they have pushed their unwavering demand for everyone to be " Christian" despite the fact that they left Europe because they were being told what faith they were allowed to practice. We've been forcing Christianity on people for almost 250 years including indigenous people, Jewish people, Muslims etc. Now we have to deal with Christian nationalists who are as far away from Christianity as one can possibly be. I think you could say it is equivalent to the Antichrist.
None of these Christian nationalists (better known as white supremacists) understand or appreciate the concept of jesus's message and purpose here on Earth. They are convinced that he is white blue-eyed and blonde haired which in fact most scholars will tell you he was not. And he was Jewish.
I shake my head in wonder as I reflect on the sermon of the mount beatitudes:
The Eight Beatitudes
1. The Poor In Spirit...
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mathew 5:3)
2. Those Who Mourn...
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Mathew 5:4)
3. The Meek...
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Mathew 5:5)
4. Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness...
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Mathew 5:6)
5. The Merciful....
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Mathew 5:7)
6. The Pure In Heart....
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Mathew 5:8)
7. The Peacemakers...
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mathew 5:9)
8. Those Who Are Persecuted Because Of Righteousness...
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mathew 5:10-12)
Are there 8, 9, or 10 Beatitudes?
While some have debated as to the exact number of Beatitudes, most scholars agree that the number is 8. (Verses 10-12) of Mathew appear to all be referring to the same group of people, those who are persecuted.
First Will Be Last, Last Will be First
From those who mourn and are persecuted, to those who are merciful and pure in heart, we find Jesus blessing people who some would consider to be downtrodden and weak. As it so often seems with man, it will not be so in the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Mathew 19:30)"
I don't see any actionable Christianity in Christian nationalists.
They revile every single one of these beatitudes which is considered jesus's gold standard of teachings.
So just because you see the word Christianity mixed in with Christian nationalist don't be fooled into thinking that these people are any kind of Christian.
And if I am wrong and this is what Christianity is all about, then that is not any place I ever want to be.
This is very frightening. He could be much worse than Trump.
Trump is a nightmare, mostly because he’s a petty, incompetent, childish & narcissistic clown. DeSantis has all these same failings to one degree or another, as well as being a far bigger threat to our country, & thanks to Donnie’s conquest of the Supreme Court & federal judges, he’d likely have little trouble creating & enforcing legislation that will further erode our rights & freedoms as Americans
It kind of blows my mind how many people in my inner circles have their heads in the sand. Everything that has happened and IS happening in other countries CAN absolutely happen here.
Right off the top of my head: Voter intimidation up to and including violence. There are plenty of people still alive who remember what the South used to look like before and during the civil rights movement. There are (fewer) people still alive who remember the run-up to WWII in Europe.
Complacency will kill democracy as we know it.
Honestly, the one thing giving me hope is that most of the current generation is seeing right through the GOP's "culture war" nonsense. And a lot of these kids are gonna be voting for the first time ever next year, kids who have grown sick of the DeSantises and the Trumps of the world.
Same here- the kids are alright. I just wish we weren’t handing them this complete shitshow
Except the Christian Nationalists have been having "quiver-fulls (large numbers of children who have been thoroughly indoctrinated in either Christian Nationalist schools or home schooling. From childhood they have been trained with fire arms and indoctrinated with an ideology of the coming Armageddon. Hence many of the mass shootings.
Agreed 100% - we call him DeSatan here in Florida - very dangerous!
Fascist Florida is your warning when the gop gerrymanders the shit out of your state and an avowed racist flavor of the month gets emboldened to display his authoritarianism. MSM is surely a partner in this travesty where normalized fascists is the flavor of the month. Solution: stop subscriptions to corporate media and support local writers instead. Next challenge: get thee to local meetings and take note of the extremists among them and alert your neighbors as to who not to vote for...
For historical context, re-watch Jesus Camp on stream. It clarified how the Evangelical population would take root in mainstream society by election to small offices, like school boards, city council, etc. This film was made in 2006 and those indoctrinated children are all voting adults today
That was one of the most frightening movies I have ever seen