How Conservatives Co-Opted Christianity

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If you live in the United States, odds are you've encountered the distinctly American "conservative christian." It seems that these people, despite their fierce devotion to their faith, have no idea what the Bible actually calls them to do. In this episode, we're taking a look at how christianity was adopted and perverted by the American political Right, and how it differs from the christianity of the early church.
How Conservatives Co-Opted Christianity - Second Thought
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Citations and Further Reading:
Statistics
www.pewresearc...
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www.cnn.com/el...
The Religious Right
www.oah.org/ta...
Bryan, William Jennings. “The Inspiration of the Bible.” Seven Questions in Dispute, New York, 1924. academic.brookl....
Sutton, Matthew Avery. Aimee Semple McPherson and the Resurrection of Christian America. Harvard University Press, 2007. books.google.c..., 241-244.
Williams, Daniel K. God's own party: The making of the Christian right. Oxford University Press, 2012. books.google.c...
en.wikipedia.o...
The Religious Left/Christian Socialism
Montero, Roman A. All Things in Common: The Economic Practices of the Early Christians. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017. books.google.c...
Janzen, Rod, and Max Stanton. The Hutterites in North America. JHU Press, 2010. books.google.c..., 17.
Rauschenbusch, Walter. A Theology for the Social Gospel. New York, The Macmillan company, 1917. archive.org/det....
“The Uncompromising Anti-Capitalism of Martin Luther King Jr.” Huffington Post, January 20th, 2014, www.huffpost.c....
“History of the Religious Left,” September 28, 2020. straightwhitea....
religionandpol...
www.washington...
• Christian Socialist, M...
• Christian Socialism? W...
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
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[@vishalkeerthi101]

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Helder Carama, Brazilian Catholic archbishop

[@eduardocajias5626]

A Great Brazilian religious man... As Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns. On the other hand I see here more and more people (and evangelical priests) repeating words and phrases of televangelist Silas Malafaia or deputy - and "former" evangelical priest Marcos Feliciano: They say Bolsonaro and Donald Trump were sent by God.

[@SunflowerSocialist]

Worth noting that Archbishop Carama is currently a candidate for sainthood

[@anthonyml3472]

liberation theology is based

[@travisculley5934]

@VeroMithril You're Literally in Lockstep with The coming Anti Christ # 45 D.J.T & Are A TorahLeSS Carnally Minded People.

[@enricodelascio4330]

@@eduardocajias5626 triste o q estão fazendo com nosso país!

[@Master_WannaBe_]

Evangelicalism used to be a religious philosophy, now it’s a political label. My parents have stop calling themselves Evangelicals because it’s been coopted by these political fundamentalists that they want no business being associated with.

[@sunsoza8320]

The Evangelist invented their very own new religion entirely separated from Christian Thought n Beliefs n God. They worship money materials n hate n their god their deity is The Almighty Dollar. Their symbols r 💵💰 n 🔫 guns

[@windflower3619]

My grandfather forces me to go to church. If I don’t, war is on. He’s missing the entire point

[@tonycampbell1424]

To Evangelize means literally "to spread the good word." Hence, I am a Marxist Evangelical, a label that makes a lot of heads explode.

[@IxCloudxIx]

@@windflower3619 a grandpa can only firght so many wars. keep fighting and he well concede I would go to church and endlessly spew atheist propganda, eventually my parents got so disappointed and tired of trying to fight me that they just accepted me for who I am.

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

A wee little bit like taking a marxist economic reference to capitalists, and politically demonizing all trade for it as extortion BUT NEVERMIND

[@aletheiai]

"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise." ~ Sam Pascoe Don't bother with inaccurate quibbles about "Palestine". Etymology: "From Latin Palaestīna (“Roman province of Palestine”), from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistínē, “Philistia and the surrounding region”), from Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת‎ (p'léshet, “Philistia, land of the Philistines”). The term P-l-s-t or P-r-s-t, found in five Ancient Egyptian inscriptions (beginning with one at Medinet Habu from circa 1170 BCE and ending with Padiiset's Statue inscription from circa 900-850 BCE) as the name of a people near Egypt, is traditionally taken to be cognate. Seven Assyrian inscriptions contain the word "Palas(h)tu" or "Pilistu", which is usually also taken to be cognate."

[@dylanobedear]

I mean that's just not true. It didn't came to America, it came with America. And taking a look at Italy shows how much crazy these people already were, killing people because they were saying the earth wasn't the center of the universe. Christianity has been a disasrer to millions of people all over the word before America even existed.

[@minipac2]

@@dylanobedear I believe the idea is that the quote eloquently displays how Christianity started as a small group of people who were happy and committed to their theological beliefs, but sliver by sliver increased to a larger and more influential, but less contestable and more rigid in its rules. The quote isn't saying "oh, hey, Christianity wasn't problematic before American colonisation" - rather it's emphasising how it was beneficial (to those that believed in the religion) at first, was co-opted by Greece into a debatable neutrally enforced philosophy, became problematic/enforced with law by Italy and got truly terrible by America through commercialisation and exploitation. (To those who aren't atheists, please forgive my biased explanation, I know many Christians disagree - I am simply trying to apply the same bias as Dylan so that I can explain this quote from his atheist perspective. It's a convenient coincidence that I also am atheist)

[@S1LVAW0LF]

@@chat-1978 i mean, europeans fought religious wars amongst themselves and with muslims for centuries. I think after the destruction of ww2, they just decided to calm down. And there havent been many inter-euro conflicts since then. Some remain more religious, but the course of history has certainly shaped northwest europe's break away from religious convervatism.

[@hitomukawakami7124]

Love this quote.

[@jessl1934]

@MM King What was Marx's impact on philosophy?

[@fkieieek7732]

In very short fashion how they did it was one word: fear. Fear of immigrants, fear of communists, fear of homosexuals. Fear of others. Fear is the best way to motivate people towards a cause and this video certainly proves it. Great job!

[@Far_tinglol]

And disgust! Disgust is a powerful tool and it goes hand in hand with the fear aspect.

[@Kova-ow2en]

Communists are a legitimate threat. Read a history book, yeah?

[@lorimckay2704]

Exactly fear based theology when suppose to be love based ironic

[@Kova-ow2en]

@@lorimckay2704 how is it fear based?

[@FakingANerve]

​@@Kova-ow2enThat was explicitly detailed in the OP. 🤨 Are you asking how Christianity is based on fear? If so, I'd encourage you to read the "good" book. I can summarize the answer in one word in the meantime: hell.

[@Marxism_Today]

As Jesus said “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” - it’s hard to reconcile teachings like that with modern capitalism-imperialism Great vid! Thanks for bringing this up

[@viksatavikben7032]

@Marxist Paul Are you Christian?

[@elizabethdavis1696]

Wealth worship

[@gradientO]

@FBI typical FBI

[@elvastan]

Capitalism-imperialism is redundant. They're the same thing.

[@superrob1500]

Dennis Prager reconciled it in a video. Its a hilarious as you think. A fantastic display of Olympic level mental gymnastics.

[@fuglong]

As someone who grew up extremely religious and extremely conservative in the bible belt, I FEEL this vid. People are so brainwashed and full of hate down here it's scary sometimes

[@lazysnorlax3015]

And I dislike how they use god to justify their bigotted believes and how some politicians behave they speak for god. Like I remember during the election priests were literally saying god wants Donald Trump to win the election.

[@dickmcwienersonIII]

Go and read any Fox News article comment section and have a good time

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Fear and hatred are cornerstones of modern conservatism.

[@joehilner4830]

@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 I've got news for you, it isn't just conservatives using fear and hatred to manipulate you.

[@westham1516]

@@joehilner4830 Libertarians and fascists too.

[@antoniabenson5165]

“When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” -St. Basil the Great One of my favorite quotes.

[@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2]

It's incredibly frustrating to think that a middle-class conservative or fascist would be terrified of this...when the reality is, the only people who have to lose wealth and power to achieve a better world are billionaires, people with enough money to buy and sell every MAGA family thousands of times over. Not to mention that providing for the poor political power and a standard of living is not a zero sum game...

[@antoniabenson5165]

@@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2 So true.

[@zenogstwitch8296]

@@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2 Agreed one thing to mention even in Fascisms they held on to these values it was one of the reason why germany became what it was. So those that speak against it can't be fascists' because they only care about themselfs.

[@DaelinTV]

Orrrr socialism? People pay their taxes and everyone has the bare necessities. So if you like to collect shoes and prep for disasters with lots of food, you can. Just so long as no one goes poor. You can definitely have both. And that's what socialism is, a fair mix of communism and capitalism

[@antoniabenson5165]

​@@HTMangaka How so? To me, St. Basil is very clearly critiquing greed and the accumulation of wealth and possessions at the expense of the wellbeing of others.

[@john-wiggains]

This is very well written and researched. This has been my observations as well. When I got a Bible degree, and you know, had to actually study it and actually ask hard questions, I was surprised how much more “left” I became. I am a recovering evangelical.

[@zuluecho5886]

Where was it that you studied? I am curious and would like to look into getting a Bible studies degree when I get a little older.

[@vikingdrengenspiders7875]

Christianity isn’t left leaning

[@mariachi3217]

@@vikingdrengenspiders7875 neither is it right. The Bible is about care, compassion, and love to fellow brothers and sisters

[@vikingdrengenspiders7875]

@@mariachi3217 its not meant to be politicel

[@Howl-Runner]

@@vikingdrengenspiders7875 ya, you're right they fcking socialists... gd commie trash Liberalism 1 willingness to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; openness to new ideas. 2. a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

[@GuildsmanPirate]

“Christ chose the fishermen, because he was a communist," - Fidel Castro I am a socialist because I was raised Catholic. I’m amazed Conservatism has taken such hold of Christianity the way it has

[@ejshsvevwnhehehsb2669]

I’m a christian and a socialist liberal and it shocks me the amount of conservative “Christians” are willing to contradict their religion for their political view

[@sassyviking6003]

I was born and raised Lutheran, and still am. I just cannot wrap me head around how they can claim to be christian and yet all their ideals are antithetical to the teachings of christ.

[@melelconquistador]

Well yeah, it humbles people so you don't have to put them down yourself. Although that is not an absolute, sometimes the nail that sticks out has to be hammered down.

[@TheApple411]

The Catholic church has formally condemned socialism. You can’t be a socialist while being in good standing the teachings of the church

[@melelconquistador]

@@TheApple411 remember when they pope was disgusted by the hammer and sickle cross?

[@byLem]

The reason I left the "Christianity" was the disparity between the teachings of Jesus and those the church actually preaches. So I left the church with Christ in my heart.

[@sassyviking6003]

IF you ever want to give it another try, you are welcome. There are in fact many churches that actually teach what Jesus said. And while no one is perfect, we also aren't all the abominations that US conservative "christians" are.

[@benjaminvega7186]

My dad always taught me that the church is just bricks and mortar, like any other building. It's the person inside that matters

[@mediterraneanmint89]

Teachings of Jesus could be helpful guidance, don’t really need the rest of it.

[@heinzhaupthaar5590]

@@sassyviking6003 Didn't Jesus strongly disapprove of the very idea of churches and clergy? I think there was something.

[@Rayvn67]

some would say you are the church, and that what you left was never the church to begin with.

[@josephwilliams5292]

Remember when Christianity was about being generous at all costs and kind to marginalized groups? Rebelling against the religious leaders that valued traditions more than people and turned churches into places where goods were bought and sold? Those were the days.

[@Theos1919]

thats the thing tho it was never like that this vid pained some fantasy land where religion was progressive in thr past, when in fact the more in the past u go the more likely u are to be killed for not believing in that religion, the more likely women are opressed by religious dogma, the more religion is used to justify slavery, this whole vid is wrong

[@davewolf8869]

Pepperidge farm remembers.

[@josephwilliams5292]

@@Theos1919 the religion was progressive until it became the primary system used by people in power. After that, well, we all know the old saying

[@Theos1919]

@@josephwilliams5292 but people in power always used religion.... do u actually think people hundreds of years before us were progressive? u have to be insane to believe that, most women were still getting arranged marriages, suspicion of being a witch was enough to warrant the death penalty on what world do u live where u think thr people of old were progressive. if u ever lived in a third world country like me you'd know cos u have sort of a window into the old and its not a pretty image.

[@TheNeoVariable]

@@Theos1919 Depends on which part of the world and what time. There were the Mongols who didn't regard women as second class citizens. There were churches in France who didn't officially recognize gay marriage but did wed same sex couples together. There were churches in (England?) that taught people how to read and there were recognized reading material made by women.

[@zacpatproductions2052]

It’s always an interesting conversation when I tell fellow Leftists I’m Catholic, and an even stranger one when I tell fellow Catholics I’m a Leftist.

[@GalacticNovaOverlord]

Used to be catholic- that social upbringing plus logical thinking made me a leftist, and then I refined it as I aged

[@advisorywarning]

@@GalacticNovaOverlord I used to be Mormon.. I was raised to be ashamed and afraid of sexuality and it deeply affected me as a young girl… but leftism did the same for me as it did for you and I feel much more hopeful about the future even though it’s pretty scary rn. We need to teach our kids leftist principles… not the hateful bigotry of the right and I do believe that leftism and religion are constantly becoming reconciled as the popularity of socialism rises.

[@Robynhoodlum]

That's not nearly as strange as finding out my Grandparents, who are Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) are also Leftists.

[@lorimckay2704]

we should start a leftest Catholic club, but Im so shook at their stance I no longer go

[@frog_230_lover7]

​@@NSOcarththat's what divorce is for, so you can leave the marriage if you don't want it to continue anymore

[@frieddata]

As a Christian, the more I grow in my faith the more I cannot understand how a Christian could be a Republican. The worship of Trump by most in the church makes me very sad and disturbed.

[@itstriplem2069]

As a Christian I can't see how one would conflate conservative or progressive ideas ideas Christianity, since its literally a theocratic monarchy

[@claudeabraham2347]

Republicans respect religious liberty, also believe in voluntarism to help needy. Republicans support faith in Providence, nuclear family unit, & work ethic. All 3 of these are biblical & necessary for a healthy culture.

[@XxxMuseluverxxX]

@@claudeabraham2347 Religious liberty except to Muslims and others faiths. “Work ethic” but are the biggest supporters of nepotism and unearned intergenerational wealth. Nuclear family but they tend to have the most toxic family units I’ve ever seen lol republicans are an odd bunch

[@richhornie7000]

@@claudeabraham2347 "voluntarism to help the needy" is just another way of saying putting poor people under rich people's thumb, truly Christ like

[@claudeabraham2347]

@@richhornie7000 but your proposal puts me under the voters thumbs, not Christ like at all. If voters had first claim over my earnings, that leaves me with very little. I barely subsist, & we all are poor.

[@emuriddle9364]

When I was younger, we had a competition. To see who could build the highest tower. I won. And my prize was a small bucket of candy (Halloween). The game was a bit tense. So, I decided to share my prize with everyone else. I can still remember the smile on people's faces, when I did.

[@masondickerson9466]

This made me smile too.

[@MrJag1]

Good Job comrade ;)

[@Dong_Harvey]

One can both achieve and share the value of achievement.

[@loslingos1232]

Good!

[@davitdavid7165]

And your teeth were happy for it

[@maupalo2]

"Ending misery is impossible, but fighting it is a sacred duty" -St. Alberto Hurtado S.J., Chilean Catholic priest and politician

[@maxb.244]

The Jesuits are evil. Turn away from the Jesuits.

[@gahelo]

@@johnperic6860 so Christianity and God have made a compromise with rape, war, destruction, hunger and hate. God of Hunger

[@Finnboy-ml5jv]

@@johnperic6860 Shut up doomer. Life should be good. End of story.

[@galacticknight55544]

@@johnperic6860 That is all true, but we are called upon to love others as we love ourselves. That means trying to the best of our ability to ease the suffering in our world as much as we can.

[@NewRomens]

I’m a staunch atheist but I know that words like that are the true love of God( I don’t think they exists but if they did they’d say stuff like that)

[@loljakkon]

Ask any republican if they're christian they'll probably say yes but ask them if they think we should feed the poor and you'll see how strong their beliefs really are

[@Dalekzilla]

Amen! So true.

[@briobarb8525]

Very accurate! Namaste!

[@hirshel820]

Genuine question, what is that you assume they would say?

[@Jordan-wc6nh]

@hirshel820 Something along the lines of “Do I look like a commie to you?” or “They just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” or most likely “I got mine, fuck you.”

[@diamondrg3556]

Who should feed the poor and how much effort should be put in? That question requires nuance. The government should not treat the poor likes helpless babes and should not ignore them either. I would prefer organizations like churches and charities helping the poor rather than the gov.

[@violetlight1548]

As a Canadian, I think it's really weird, almost alien, that the country that originated the separation of church and state now pretty much demands its politicians be religious (and overwhelmingly "Christian"). I neither know nor care what religion, if any, Trudeau is, or any other Canadian politician, as long as they do their jobs. I vote based on policy, not on what centuries-old book they claim to read.

[@robertkennedy6397]

That's why Canada is better than the US where it really counts.

[@Cookiesantos777]

That's where the problem lies, the bigger an institution becomes( christian evangelical) the more power and control they assert, the more they want to control our lives, this isn't going to end well.

[@jgee8421]

Trudeau is catholic, but does not help the church in any it’s endeavours . And told churches in Canada not involved with residential schools to apologize ..

[@tonydai782]

@@jgee8421 Apologies are merely a symbolic gesture. Without action and policies to reconcile Canada and the Indigenous peoples that live here, apologies have little to no value except as an excuse for nothing more to be done.

[@johnadams7145]

@@robertkennedy6397 Come to California, you will love the opportunities you’ll have here. And I’m not religious or Republican so you can’t use that against me.

[@shookings]

I'm glad you got a sponsor for this one. Idk how old you are, but I get a feeling that you're about half my age, and yet you manage to articulate what's been knocking around in my head for twenty years, better than I ever could. Well done.

[@SecondThought]

Thank you so much! That really means a lot. I’m glad you enjoy my videos.

[@RFKtoenail]

@VeroMithril Why are you in all of these comments saying this, your not changing any minds and just saying this flat out just makes you look disrespectful and ignorant.

[@robertjohnson1647]

@VeroMithril Here's another one in a trillion for you! Exodus 21 condones slavery if I remember rightly, so I assume you are saying the bible is incompatible with modern standards? I think the reason some are getting offended is that that is old testament stuff beloved of fundamentalists. Most here are atheists, or left Christians who follow more the new testament as it contains things Jesus supposedly said.

[@styx8975]

@VeroMithril Arguing verses is pointless. I’m an atheist because I studied the authenticity of the actual books and verses and the Bible is extremely corrupted there’s no way to know what’s original and what isn’t. Hence arguing verses is pointless. My faults with religion tend to come from the general philosophical beliefs about God and the universe it’s much easier and more concrete to criticise. An all loving God who will throw people into Hell? An all knowing God who decided everyone’s fate is going to blame people for their sins yet logically he never gave them free will? Religious people love to say God gave them free will but he didn’t, it’s a direct contradiction of his very nature and the idea of Gods divine plan or fate or whatever you want to call it. The religions are absolute determinist, they leave no room for free will. If there was even an ounce of free will God wouldn’t be ‘all knowing’.

[@KMFDM_Kid2000]

@@SecondThought your videos are great and very necessary. Never stop, please.

[@Abiodun92]

It amazes me how far removed the Evangelical Christians in the US are from the teachings of Christ. As a Lutheran from Finland, religion and politics hardly overlap in my country, and most people here vote vote based on their own political views, religion is rarely a factor in that process. I could never imagine voting for someone based on their religion, in fact politicians here don't usually even feel the need to emphasize their faith or lack thereof, hell, I don't even know what most of my friends really believe or don't, because in our culture, religion is a very private matter and enquiries in to one's faith/disbelief is considered very rude and taboo. Following all that US evangelical bullshit is like watching reality TV, absolutely brain-dead stuff!

[@tripleh327]

as someone from italy i completely agree. i find alien the idea to ask someone what they believe in. it is their personal choice and i have no right to ask or know. and even in the land that was the cradle of catholicism for 2000 years we find ridicolous the idea of choosing politics based on their fatih. the last one that tried to stroke catholics voters in italy using a cross during a parlamentary debate was literally used as text example of ridicule and laughed off by literally everyone.

[@ryleighrage]

American society is sadly designed to rot your brain as much as possible, so you don’t question why the system never allows you to get ahead.

[@aganib4506]

@@ryleighrage As an American, I concur with you on your point--sad, but very true. I wish America just finally balkanize already!

[@someonerandom8552]

I’m from Australia and I concur. Whilst there is a political party here that is extremely similar to the Christian Right wing (even paid for by Murdoch) they’re usually the minority vote thankfully. I don’t vote based on religion but politics. Though admittedly my vote is more on which I think is the “lesser of the evils.”

[@BunsBooks]

I hope my fellow Americans will soon wake up and learn from nations like Finland (y’all are ahead of us in many respects, from a greater education system to better solving homelessness and poverty), religion should be personal not political. So many of these conservative zealots who shout “America was founded as a Christian nation” to validate their bigotry seem to forget that (even if our nation was founded as such) liberalism, egalitarianism, empathy, and Theosis are all central Christian values. Values unfortunately not upheld over here by Christians very often.

[@dioxideuniversal]

"If religious Americans truly want their faith to be a force for good, they must take their religion back from those who have turned it into a weapon of evil." thank you for the very explicit language here, reflects perfectly what growing up in the bible belt feels like. my family is pretty much ruined because of this

[@78Mathius]

Working on it in my own small way.

[@AuxCart]

Man, the last time I hear that was after... 2001

[@MrMarinus18]

I think we can blame a big portion of this on the Soviet Union and their foolish idea to crack down on religion. It's a mistake we need to be careful of not to repeat.

[@ivanj.conway9919]

@@MrMarinus18 : People need to start understanding and promoting the realization that what eventually, emerged within countries like Russia and China was NEVER, true, pure, proper, Communism and Socialism as it was originally and ideally envisioned. I'm beyond, sick to death of people presenting the corruption of the ideology as the actual, ideology itself, when it is not and never was. To be more fair and balanced here; we need to also, keep in mind that religion within Russia, was completely and wholeheartedly intertwined with Russian Monarchies as well, which maybe, gave it a bad taste in the mouths of the Russians of that time. Again, a corrupt form of Christianity even, then, as well. Just something to keep in mind.

[@cowanshields8087]

@@ivanj.conway9919 And that's not even mentioning that the Czar of Russia (King) owned most if not all of the Vodka producing factories and when presented with the idea of labeling each bottle of vodka with a hand Written bible quote he denied the proposal, another interesting fact about the Czar and vodka was that vodka bottles are not resealable because if you opened a bottle of vodka you were expected to finish it thus breaking the "Do not drink unto drunken-ness" rule set very clearly in the Bible.

[@jonunciate7018]

People only ever focus on MLK's "I have a dream" speech. The ones we don't talk enough about were far more powerful.

[@ericdaniel323]

Every January I'm treated to missives from my conservative friends about how today's racial/social justice movement would make MLK roll over in his grave because they know one short part of one speech he gave. When I ask their thoughts on the Poor Peoples' Campaign the response is generally just to pretend I didn't say anything at all. Pretty much the same as their approach to Christianity as a whole, I guess. Pretend the parts you don't like (in this case, most of Jesus's actual words) don't exist.

[@yourex-wife4259]

The only one focused in school because its relatively tame

[@muffinfighter3680]

@@yourex-wife4259 I went to school in Germany and I think I heard this damn speech at three times in 12 years. Don't get me wrong, it's a good speech but the others are more important and reflect more of his political position.

[@josephmellor7641]

"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" should be mandatory reading every year for students.

[@jamesdoctor8079]

Yes and people that have taken intro philosophy focus only on “letter from a Birmingham jail”. Mfers out here acting like they’re playing 5d chess bc they know just barely below surface level lol

[@sigourneycooper1801]

As a Catholic in the UK I find that majority of people vote left. Definitely more of an American thing

[@cassiedevereaux-smith3890]

We inherited your puritans.

[@redline589]

Christians shuldn't really vote, Jesus taught not to put faith in the governments of this system of things as gods kingdom will rule the earth Daniel 2:44

[@kronagan]

As a Canadian-British Catholic who had been to mass service in churches in UK, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong which are in general quite similar, I was taken to a Christian Sunday service by a friend a few years ago and it was a shocking experience. I suppose there's an inherent difference in Catholic vs Christian Sunday service anyway so that certainly plays a part. Still it took me by surprise.

[@chancephillips5411]

Saying that earthly governments will eventually end isn't saying to abandon influencing them while on earth. Jesus says we should defer to earthly governments (Mark 12:17), so why wouldn't Christians influence governments as well?

[@redline589]

@@chancephillips5411 Jesus spent his whole adult life getting people to serve god rather than man, He also said to be no part of world affairs - John 17:14 -16 - John 15:19 - Colossians 2:20

[@rickb3650]

I've always been fascinated by "conservative" Christians and how few of them know anything at all about their own religion. It's rare that I run into one that has even read the Bible once, let alone actually studied it, and even more rare for them to do the simple things the guy they worship told them to do. With very few exceptions all the big name evangelical Protestant Christian preachers have been exposed over and over as con men who don't practice what they preach, who view their followers as a dimwitted flock that only exist to be sheared as often as possible. Yet generation after generation, they obediently line up in the chute. I fear that we reached the transition from superstition to reason, too late.

[@notthis9586]

I've always kinda had this idea that religious texts are blown up in peoples minds to the point that it's almost forbidden knowledge to them. Like it's infallible becuase it is beyond them in some way, and actually reading it with a decent level of literacy and reason strips away the mystique. I might be way off base but that was my experience, even as a secular child I assumed the Bible held something... uniquely amazing becuase of the importance placed on it, but once I could read and comprehend what it was saying it lost the glint of mystery and became just another book.

[@Lily-ni5po]

I've come to think that Christianity is just a group identity and a "tradition" for them to follow as opposed to a religion. Evangelists are people motivated by fear that look for a strong leader to follow who will tell them what the rules they have to follow are and who the out-group they need to worry about is. The wrapping of Christianity as a white identity and as a set of rules and practices they can rely on gives them a feeling of security. Jesus serves as a symbol. His actual teachings don't matter to them, especially since his teachings are critical of their in-group/out-group mentality which they need to make sense of a complex world which terrifies them.

[@rickb3650]

@@Jinkypigs No, it's the non-televised Evangelical Protestant Christians as well. I hope there are some exceptions somewhere, but I've yet to run into one. As I said, they profess to worship Jesus while ignoring everything He told them to do. Thomas Jefferson, another guy they say was a role model, even made a special abridged Bible with just that content. It didn't help. Maybe I missed the part where Jesus told his followers to "Do as I say, not as I do".

[@rickb3650]

@@notthis9586 The more you learn, the harder it is to accept it any other way.

[@lewatoaofair2522]

It seems as if faith is prioritized over practice with these people. Given how their political activism comes in the form of forcing their beliefs and values onto everyone (their role in the “culture wars”) versus pursuing compassionate solutions to material issues (from economics to the environment), regardless of what their religious teachings actually say versus what they think they say. As someone who grew up agnostic, this has left a sour taste for me regarding religion as a whole. It’s really sad. I’d rather see religion as this albeit old yet still useful tool for social change and philosophical exercise rather than this reactionary and totalitarian apparatus/force.

[@PerryWinkle111]

I grew up in a televangelist-inspired cultish culture as a kid. I never realized it then, but as time went on I could just see that what they preached was not the same “still, small voice” I heard in my heart. I’m still a Christian and always will be, but I follow what feels real to me. Not something led by fear/peer pressure (as in the situation I grew up in) I was heavily influenced as a kid by my far-right, conservative, Christian family. They are not bad people, I love them very much. But I feel like they are sheep to the media. Only when I got into my teens did I begin to see this Thank you for this video. It helps me to understand why it always felt so wrong to me, and why it feels like far-right media feeds off of fear and constant anger. My parents are hardly ever at peace, always suffering by what the media feeds them. I wish they could understand. This video has given me a good enough understanding of how it all came to be, to attempt to free them from their small minded outlook I really hate how Jesus has become associated with such radical conservative political values. We shouldn’t forget that the people who executed were respected religious leaders in their community. Jesus was executed for going against how the religious leaders of that time period were using religion to exploit humanity, and fear and anger to control people. Fear and anger were what a large part of what killed Jesus in the end. This video spoke directly to me, I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for your time in making such great and informative videos, Second Thought

[@advisorywarning]

I grew up Mormon…. Everything you said is a 100000% on par. Unfortunately conservative Christians (or really any conservative/fundamentalist religion) ruin it for their kids and much of the relationship to god is taught by way of fear & shame. They can be so hateful and extremely judgmental of their own daughters/sons. They’re ruining their own families just bc their kids don’t want to believe the same as their parents.

[@BohoHobo948]

I hear you. I've had to cut myself off from one Christian relative who, whenever he has an audience, spouts the lies pushed out by the right-wing media channels. I forgive him and still love him, but just can't be around him, for my own wellbeing. God bless you as you deal with your conservative family.

[@FurtiveSkeptical]

Thanks for having an open mind and a healthy relationship with it. 👍

[@AlexandraNevermind]

Remember the popular saying from the 80’s “what would Jesus do?” WWJD was everywhere. Jesus seems to have actually been removed from the rights version of christianity. I appreciate your insightful comment.

[@aethetravelingstar4531]

If it's okay, may I ask your veiws on the LGBTQ, and the current events surrounding them? (Florida, Anti trans laws, the arrest of a women who was in position of a movie that featured a homosexual character) because, as far as I know of the right, I know that It can be... Uh, cutthroat? With it's thinking. I, myself am someone who falls under the queer umbrella and, I wanted to get your veiws on all of the things I consider a bout of insanity. If, it's okay. I also understand if you don't have an opinion, or do want to have an opinion towards these topics I brought up. And, it's okay if that's the case ^w^

[@jordanwaskelis4913]

I feel with conservatives it's less about the economics and more about hating LGBT people and trying to overturn Roe V. Wade.

[@emilygordbort7300]

@@davea6314 from experience with the kinds of people who vote Trump, that wouldn't work. My dad would immediately try and find some way to excuse it, or just go "Nobody's perfect lol"

[@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2]

Hating poor people helps them feel superior in a life that makes them miserable, it's definitely a supplement.

[@user-mc5wc5jm4f]

Come I don't think it's about hating LGBT people. I think a lot of conservatives, not just in the United States, but all over the world, don't want Progressive people co-opted and Christianity. For two thousand years the church has been clear about this.

[@patrickm70]

Assume much

[@DC-wk7yo]

I think for the average conservative, yes...along with hating/having power over BIPOC. But for those conservatives at the top it's all about money and power

[@DracoMagnius]

I think Eric Cartmen encapsulates Evangelicals and Republicans the best: Stan: "Do you even know anything about Christianity?" Cartman: "I know enough to exploit it."

[@commie_dog_boy]

god i fucking love cartman hes my favourite piss boy

[@DracoMagnius]

@@francismarion6400 I'm not an Atheist, but I do know that the Salvation Army donates money to anti-LGBTQ organizations and of you are LGBTQ they refuse to help you. So much for love thy neighbor. Want to learn more about how awful the Salvation army is? Here's a link to a video going into the skeletons in their closet.: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKu8fJudaLhmhbs Admittedly I know nothing about Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. So maybe they aren't as messed up as the Salvation army.

[@sama847]

@@francismarion6400 If evangelicals hadn’t completely gutted our government and deregulated it to shit, maybe our government would be able to do the things these “charities” do at a more effective level. Not to mention these charities have their own demons that have caused controversy. You’re not a serious person

[@jorrsk]

@@francismarion6400 what do you mean, there are plenty of charity organisations that don’t align themselves with any particular set of religious beliefs.

[@pancakes8670]

@@francismarion6400 Evangelicals also want to send gay people to concentration camps. A.K.A., they wanna send me to a concentration camp. I've never met a single Athiest who wants me dead. So can you explain what Evangelicals are doing to assist Queer folk like me?

[@blue_eyedfloozy]

I don’t know how anyone can look at the teachings of Jesus and ever think he would be a Republican if he was living right now. Truly in one ear and out the other with these people

[@brenics1993]

Jesus would have been disgusted by the left today

[@princetbug]

@@brenics1993 wait what

[@billyboleson2830]

@@brenics1993 Maybe....but he wouldnt think too highly of the opposing options either

[@brenics1993]

@@billyboleson2830 he’d believe in following the Bible’s teachings with no abortion, marriage being between a man and a woman, and putting god back in schools.

[@aa4a-a4]

@@brenics1993 he would also find the right's destructive obsession with capitalism abhorrent.

[@byakuyatogami2905]

I'm atheist but from what I've heard I do like what Jesus teaches... It's a shame that people only cite the parts of the Bible that allow them to make people suffer

[@tatiana-bi5fq]

Me too

[@byakuyatogami2905]

@@jeltoninc.8542 I mean the charity/being nice to people type stuff

[@ilduce5874]

Facts

[@hughquigley5337]

I agree, it is a shame.

[@keithpeterson5127]

😢

[@andromeda9592]

There’s a great book by Kevin Kruse called, “One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America”. It’s a wonderful, in-depth analysis of why Christian fundamentalism is so aligned with right-wing politics. He’s a Lib, but the book is solid.

[@audiobooksproject4829]

A book I strongly recommend reading is The Death of the West by Pat Buchanan. It gets into the liberal-conservative divide in the world, focusing on the US. I recorded an audiobook version of it, available on my (non-monetized) channel.

[@SilverXT]

Added to my list on Amazon. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@Greg29]

Why the "but" after you label him a "Lib"?

[@gking407]

@@Greg29 If “liberal” refers to a left-leaning person who defends “free” market capitalism, it would be ironic for them to criticize corporations. For a more thorough critique you’d have to read someone who wants to completely eliminate the current system.

[@piccalillipit9211]

@@Greg29 - I KNOW LOL - "He's a Lib but I've been told he does eat babies like the rest of them"

[@oceanthresher6184]

“It’s easier for a camel to get through the eye of the needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.” Conservatives: “Just censor that line. It flies in the face of our ‘trickle down’ bullshit.”

[@ispgravy4233]

My church growing up always mentioned that verse tho...

[@sotirmilivojevic6233]

They're protestants, they're all about accumulating riches.. and marrying their cousins ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@vassily-labroslabrakos2263]

And then they get angry when you tell them: to judge by your actions you turned the holy scripture is your toilet paper.

[@CrowTR0bot]

Conservatives: "No, you see, the Eye of the Needle was the nickname for a narrow gate in Jerusalem (that never actually existed) that a deft person could navigate a loaded camel through...

[@lollllolll.]

Conservatives hate rich people too, just for different reasons.

[@panIcIattach]

This video hit me really hard. I have lived all of my life in a Christian home in the bible belt, and to imagine what Christianity in America could have been makes me sick to my stomach. I am crying right now thinking about how much better the world would have been if people like MLK were at the forefront of Christian politics, and I hope it is not too late for a change.

[@evanbrown2594]

MLKs Christianity was subverted and marginalized by handlers who misled and used him... Had he not been killed he probably would have eventually pushed back and been removed from movement he started.

[@lollllolll.]

American """christianity""" You mean Walmartism, how about Corporatedicksuckity, maybe Obeseoccolutism. Your nation from the colonies all the way now has been the spiritual equivalent of a graveyard.

[@panIcIattach]

@@lollllolll. yeah that’s what I meant cause that is the context it was being discussed in.

[@evanbrown2594]

@@panIcIattach American Christianity is changing very quick. The problem is that it is turning against neoliberalism so needs to be smeared and attacked by those who embrace it, including mainstream progessive movments who have decided that there is more profit and power to be gained by jumping into bed with the nexus of political, corperate and cultural power.

[@jamest3116]

It changed to being selfishness pretty quickly, so I can see more informed people helping bring it back to selflessness at some point.

[@Evilmindy12]

I think once humans figured out being a religious figure pulls you out of a bad situation it spread like wildlife. People use Christianity to manipulate others, avoid accountability and get rich. I like the positive aspect of it, bring the people together, spread of love/help, and being a better human.

[@cdogthehedgehog6923]

The negatives FAR outweigh any "positives." Good thing fairy tale enthusiasts are on the downswing. Im sick of these dumbass blood cultists.

[@geckomoriadaimyoofwano7157]

Yes that is very true, many have used Christianity and religion to decieve and manipulate people but the Bible itself foretold this would happen and rejects such deplorable people and acts. True Christianity is much more that just a vessel for unity and love, if you look into it, it also gives us a hope for the future and helps us understand why we live in such conditions and what will be done to fix it

[@BondsmanBlaek]

LOL. Like wildlife. You should read something some time.

[@Cr1tt3rs]

"Being a better human" nice opinion

[@ydagan2400]

Imagine, you can be a decent human without any religious c rap

[@michelleespino9814]

MLK was such a revolutionary. I am so sad that they don't teach us who he actually was in school. He was a anti-war socialist.

[@kingspamaccount]

MLK was a Baptist minister. What do you think his thoughts were on @b0rtion? The truth is that both sides of the political spectrum try to co opt Christianity. The truth is that Christianity doesn't fit cleanly into either side. If there was a truly Christian candidate he/she would have to form their own distinct political party.

[@antiroman458]

@@kingspamaccount probably the same as most men at the time which was pro choice and he was adulterous too, no one's accused him of being a feminist, moreover does that make his other speeches criticizing the war and economic inequality untrue? Also the truth is the Right uses religion waaaay more than the left who tends towards a more heterogeneous population. Don't be a clown, it's not a good look.

[@kingspamaccount]

@@antiroman458 What proof do you have that MLK committed adultery? That was just a myth that was propagated to try to discredit him and the movement.

[@亲爱的爸爸]

people can find so many famous people are just socialist

[@kingspamaccount]

@@antiroman458 The argument that "most men" were pro choice and therefore a Baptist minister was also "probably" pro choice is completely fallacious. Baptist ministers were not "most men." Also the proportion of life v choice proponents varied based on geography just as it does today. So your broad generalization of "most men" is a statement that has no value in this discussion. Additionally, even if the right erroneously uses religion "way more often" that doesn't justify when the left does it either. His criticism of the war and economic policy does not make him a leftist in general. It just makes him agree with leftisst on *those particular issues.* This is a fundamental problem with American politics. So many left and right wingers want everything to fit into only two boxes. Like I said Christianity would need its own party because neither liberals nor conservatives fully represent it. Lastly your "clown" remark once again displays the lack of civility and humility in American culture and politics which is leading us further into a pit of turmoil and chaos.

[@worthasandwich]

When my father was in seminary he and his friends would play Calvinist Monopoly. At the start of the game you would secretly deal everyone a playing card, you would then play a game of Monopoly. At the end of the game everyone would revel their cards and the person with the highest card actually won Monopoly.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Soo... it's Calvinist because one guy was predestined to win, regardless of what they did?

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@ArkadiBolschek yes.

[@rickb3650]

LOL! That's the kind of thing that made me respect the Jesuits in my brief experimentation with one of their colleges.

[@aletheiai]

@@ArkadiBolschek Funny how ALL Calvinists appear to believe that they are one of the Elect, rather as soldiers about to go ashore on D-Day believed that someone else would be shot. Damn reality, we play mental tricks to retain our sanity.

[@AnoAssassin]

That's a bit wrong ain't it? Whoever won it naturally was preordained to win, you don't need to artificially overwrite the result because there's no uncertainty. Many things can happen but only certain things _will_ happen since there's no do-overs, this is timelines 101

[@theflaggeddragon9472]

Sadly, the people who most need to see this won't

[@129das]

That not true it still gives insight even to others.

[@Seydaschu]

It warms my heart to imagine the 2nd coming of Christ, him visiting a Televangelist Mega-Church, then... flipping over all the tables!~❤️🙏✝️

[@lol-ih1tl]

When the second coming of Christ happens, he'd be killed by an Israeli and/or Hamas missile the moment that happens.

[@RasheedGazzi-u5l]

​@@lol-ih1tlHe would either get deported, locked up, or murdered by "Real Americans".

[@primalconvoy]

AMEN. He might even get told to "get out of America for speaking Hebrew instead of English..."

[@GMDGeojumper2011-bl8sx]

That’s a high five symbol💀

[@Seydaschu]

@@GMDGeojumper2011-bl8sx Prayer is high-fiving yourself, confirmed.

[@thatscrub8351]

Both myself and my cousin are Christian. Difference being he is extremely conservative before this video came out I had a discussion with similar points to the video. His response: “well I’m still going to keep acting this way because it is in line with my beliefs.” It’s so frustrating because he only seems to listen to Ben Shapiro. It’s just… frustrating.

[@Zift_Ylrhavic_Resfear]

Have you tried this (copied from another comment)? "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Acts 2:44-45

[@nugrahadwianggoro]

Share Zoe Bee's KZbin videos about Ben Shapiro might help

[@Rich_P_Anya]

That is indeed unfortunate. How can anyone actually accept this Shapiro boy's ideas?

[@malmarci]

Maybe because he's not much of the faith itself like other US conservative christians D:

[@Rich_P_Anya]

@@Zift_Ylrhavic_Resfear nice 👍

[@sbrevoltuion5]

There was a TikTok recently talking about how evangelicals have prayed for revival for years….. it’s starting to happen with the rise of the Christian Left, and they hate it.

[@Mrjayceedee]

which tiktok video?

[@MyOwnLittleRepublic2]

I'd love to get the tags for that

[@kaptainkeef2069]

Ifu believe everything u see on TikTok u need to get your brain checked

[@audiobooksproject4829]

@@kaptainkeef2069 Yep. And a ton of pro-Christian accounts have been banned from TikTok. A lot of pro-life accounts have been wiped off that platform too. There are accounts that try to expose child exploitation, protecting minors, and those accounts have been banned, while child exploitation remains online. Those who think TikTok is some free platform where all views are out there, need to question more.

[@Chronorust]

@@kaptainkeef2069 It doesn't matter where the information comes from on the baseline. Is it actually true or not is the question you should be asking.

[@SimGunther]

"IMO The bible is the most important book in the world. Surely, this would help me rule over the pe....I mean create unity among the people ;)" - Gary Oldman, 2010

[@rickeybernard8156]

Ah yes, the Book of Eli. Classic.

[@aetherkid]

@@davea6314 that you have to trick believers instead of telling them the truth, that communism is good and religion is false, is itself a problem. We should respect and trust them as adults. Lying to them is what the fascist, the capitalist, and the priest does.

[@arachnofiend2859]

It's a strategy as old as Constantine.

[@notthis9586]

@@aetherkid Yeah... but the easy lies are so much more appealing than the hard truths... Like if someone walks up to a conservative evangelical and explains that most of what they believe is a malicious lie and the rest is a childish delusion they're gonna double down and get mad. The 'moral' highway is for the Obamas. Ima try the convincing arguement even if it relies on exploiting their supposed values

[@hetverzetsnel7148]

Dear christian brothers and sisters. Jesus/Yeshua/Issa (pbuh) was only prophet NOT GOD. Many many Christian scholars convert to the Islam because of the verses in the bible. JESUS WILL BE MAD AT YOU ALL FOR CALLING HIM GOD!!!!!! Read down below and open your hearts ❤️🙏⬇️ Matthew 7:22-23 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Matthew 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the PROPHET of Nazareth of Galilee. John 9:17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a PROPHET.” Luke 22:42 “Father, if YOU are willing, take this cup from me; yet NOT MY will, but yours be done.” Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with HIS FACE TO THE GROUND and PRAYED, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as YOU will.” (Just like Muslims) Corinthians 11:6 For if a woman does not COVER her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should COVER her head. ( Cover her head just like muslim womans) Christianity is not the religion of Jesus, but it’s the religion of Paul. If Christians really follow Jesus they would have been Muslims

[@ziggymack2233]

As a memphis native that has heard many recordings of MLK (national civil rights museum, etc.) I’m surprised to have not heard that speech until just now

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Very little of what he said is well recognized. The “safe” MLK that doesn’t challenge Americans in their beliefs doesn’t say these things. His opposition to the war in Vietnam is another thing that gets conveniently erased.

[@briobarb8525]

Keep listening, Ziggy. Namaste!

[@madnessoverload7824]

Although i'm an atheist, i can't deny that early christians had a great idea of how to run society.

[@cybermidas3973]

More like a few compassionate ideas mixed with authoritarian lunacy and tribalism. They were far more prudish, isolationist and ideologically intolerant than the pagans of their time. They still believed their loving Jesus would one day return and burn every non believer for eternity. At its core, early christianity was extreme religious collectivism, sanctified mob rule. It was a cult, after all. Not what I'd call an ideal way to rule society unless we admire totalitarianism.

[@halinaqi2194]

People back in the day had different ways of getting rid of opposition. Nowadays, they just do it behind the scenes. Human nature hasnt changed but the way it was expressed did.

[@DracoSuave]

Yeah and then the Roman Emperor took it over.

[@MrAlepedroza]

@@DracoSuave More like christians slowly got corrupted by power. Constantine's EDICT OF TOLERANCE (he did not proclaim any state religion) and late conversion was only one of the last cherries on top of what had been a long process of christians sneaking into political power. As prudish and intolerant it was, early christianity was at first an egalitarian, grassroots cult until it got corrupted when it mixed up with politics.... and was imposed by force by emperor Theodosius. By then, it was completely hyerarchical and corrupt as any big institution. Should be a warning call for every social movement today, wether left or right. As compassionate and egalitarian they may preach to be, they're quickly devolving into authoritarians by the day when they get tempted by political power. Folks, don't try to get the government to impose your ideas on others. Instead, persuade people to join you, live and let live. That's the only way we can break the wheel of hate and stop playing pawns of the elites.

[@GungerMonkey]

@@cybermidas3973 I’m guessing your talking about the Old Testament. It was a way to run society back then. We now have the New Testament to look to where we are to love. And of course in the end of the earth those who rejected Christ would be sent to hell. That’s the thing with religions, there’s reward and punishments.

[@SpaceLion444]

The Martin Luther King speech hits it right on the head, honestly, I'm dumbfounded that Americans can lears about king and not see the fierce socialism of the guy

[@rams3955]

its because schools only talk about him from the perspective of social justice. His economic views are never discussed even though it makes up a significant amount of what he talked about. Its almost like there's a concerted effort to erase the fact that he was an outspoken socialist in American education ;)

[@SpaceLion444]

@@rams3955 ah, the good old rewriting of history. In fra'ce we call it "Roman national" "the national novel" it took me 3 years studying history in an academic setting to deconstruct the bullshit usually served to every teenager in school.

[@rams3955]

@@SpaceLion444 I wouldn't call it so much rewriting of history as much as I would just actively ignoring important aspects of a historical figure lol. The way we talk about Marx in school on the other hand is actual rewriting of history haha.

[@G.Bfit.93]

@@rams3955 facts

[@yamnayaseed356]

Manufacturing of consent, they’re only shown one aspect of him

[@archvaldor]

I actually came to socialism through christianity. It is natural that sentiments such as "Love Thy Neighbour" lead you to develop a sense of solidarity with your fellow man. I've never really understood how a christian could support the selfish individualism of conservatism.

[@MyOwnLittleRepublic2]

Ura! My faith led me to the same!

[@princetbug]

yep. there's a point where religion becomes a tool for indoctrination rather than a lens through which to view the world in a light that is ideally good for humans as a whole

[@Nimish204]

I think it's due to their stance on social issues like gay marriage, abortion

[@MyOwnLittleRepublic2]

@@Nimish204 Which is wild, because before the moral majority movement in the 1970s, abortion wasn't a thing on most non-catholics radar.

[@CasperTimor]

It was actually the same for me. Christianity led me to socialism, ann I'm still a christian socialist to this day

[@nightfuryrevenge1825]

“I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was tired and you gave me rest. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

[@dstinnettmusic]

Thank you for making this. As a christian on the left, it can be very lonely at times and I would love to see a Christian Left that works to help the needy.

[@claire111]

The left are too busy ensuring they can kill the unborn and inventing labels for made up sexualities and genders to do anything useful for society.

[@lollllolll.]

Leftism will fall, look, the left in general grew from tumblr, Twitter and reddit. It was born a joke, it is a joke, but hey it will die differently, it will die with the full honors of being a clown and buried behind a circus where that cursed ideology belongs. They will never be missed. Jokes aside it's a bunch of kids making their parents disappointed and corporations sucking off blood from said kids. America.

[@budigunawan5624]

@@lollllolll. just like their parents before them being deceived by the elite by destroying the economy and the planet

[@claire111]

@FireEmeralds76 conservatives are not against immigration. We just believe in nation sovereignty, which requires people to follow legal immigration processes. Most South Asians have conservative values so do not belong on the left. The only reason they would consider being there is because the left have convinced people that the right are racist. They have nothing to offer their voting base, so have to use fear to manipulate them instead.

[@budigunawan5624]

@FireEmeralds76 hostile to you? how? there are some religious people on the left but yes I'm Asian too and religion is one of the taboo topics to talk about in general. There's a lot of people on the left who were scarred by religion/religious people when they're young so there's that. But keep trying to find your tribe.

[@aletheiai]

"One of the reasons some modern Christians have such difficulty understanding the teachings of Jesus is that they rip these teachings out of their own, original context and pretend they were delivered just recently, somewhere in North America." ~ Bart Ehrman

[@bismuth7398]

My God, this is perfect. Context is absolutely crucial to understanding Christianity.

[@NoonyJW]

Mormons 👀

[@bismuth7398]

@@NoonyJW Mormons are literally heretics.

[@aletheiai]

@@bismuth7398 Yeah, but let's not burn them at the stake.

[@aletheiai]

@@bismuth7398 I found another that I consider close to perfect: ""Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise." ~ Sam Pascoe

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

The current _Jacobin_ issue that I'm wrapping up has a Castro quote on the back: "Christ didn't choose the rich to preach the doctrine. He chose twelve poor workers - that is, he chose the proletariat of the time." ~ Fidel Castro By the way, if anyone is unfamiliar with the YT channel _Telltale,_ ( @Telltale ) the creator is an ex Jehovah's Witness who covers them and a wide array of other cults. Largely on the religious side of things. He definitely makes no secret of his disdain for many of this country's televangelist grifters. Absolutely worth checking out.

[@hetverzetsnel7148]

Dear christian brothers and sisters. Jesus/Yeshua/Issa (pbuh) was only prophet NOT GOD. Many many Christian scholars convert to the Islam because of the verses in the bible. JESUS WILL BE MAD AT YOU ALL FOR CALLING HIM GOD!!!!!! Read down below and open your hearts ❤️🙏⬇️ Matthew 7:22-23 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Matthew 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the PROPHET of Nazareth of Galilee. John 9:17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a PROPHET.” Luke 22:42 “Father, if YOU are willing, take this cup from me; yet NOT MY will, but yours be done.” Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with HIS FACE TO THE GROUND and PRAYED, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as YOU will.” (Just like Muslims) Corinthians 11:6 For if a woman does not COVER her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should COVER her head. ( Cover her head just like muslim womans) Christianity is not the religion of Jesus, but it’s the religion of Paul. If Christians really follow Jesus they would have been Muslims

[@ballisticm0use72]

@@hetverzetsnel7148 holy wall of text did you really spend three hours writing this comment that has so little to do with the original dont you have better things to do?

[@SunflowerSocialist]

Great quote from Fidel. Also Ive been watching a bunch of telltale vids lately, He's great.

[@idminister]

"The Bible does not describe the backgrounds of all of Jesus’ disciples. It only reveals the vocations of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew. Three of the gospels tell us that Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fisherman (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). They were partners in a fishing business. Matthew was a tax-collector (Matthew 10:3). The vocations of the rest are unknown." so to declare they were "twelve poor workers" is inserting information and bias that is not in the records

[@idminister]

@@screwsinabell I doubt the "proletariat" would consider a tax collector a fellow member of the "proletariat" and later major members: Luke a doctor, and Saul/Paul was a member of the religious elite and had personally hunted followers of the Christ and had them stoned. Fidel was just coopting something to make his side look good, even if it is a complete sham. And his distortion of truth has sadly been successful.

[@MovieEggman]

Conservatives co-opting Christianity is one of the leading factors in my journey to Atheism. I still think Christianity at its truest form is very socialist in social issues.

[@Uncle_Ruckus_]

Christianity is not socialist stop being fooled by the communists into thinking so

[@ashtonsherrod7824]

Please know Jesus isn't a hateful person as a Christian myself I feel ashamed that there are people who claim to love Jesus but are racist, antisemitic, and for murdering civilians in war. There is neither Jew nor gentile neither slave nor free nor male nor female you're all one in Christ Jesus, also the original Christians, the deciples were jews and Jesus himself is a jew. As I Christian I feel ashamed people did this to the word of God.

[@briobarb8525]

Namaste! Religion is man made. Spirit doesn't have to be religious! Blessings to you!

[@matthewkopp2391]

Simply regard Jesus as a great ethical philosopher and you will get the Good News.

[@pink_kino]

@@matthewkopp2391 Christ is more than some ethical philosopher lol, if that's all you see him as then he''ll just say to you to depart from him.

[@talos2384]

Ironically if Jesus came back today these so called Christians would denounce him

[@Bigp1077]

Especially when they found out that Jesus was actually been a brown skinned socialist.

[@NoonyJW]

& deport him back to Palestine

[@Theohybrid]

Agreed And I'm a Christian myself. Its very ironic.

[@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive]

@@Bigp1077 He wasn't a Socialist. At least not in the way modern humans use the word.

[@davitdavid7165]

@@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive did you watch at least 5 minutes of the video or have any knowlage of the bible?

[@0.-.0.-.0]

Matthew 25:41-45 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

[@justinallen2408]

@Han Boetes wrong centralized religious institutions give it to them not the actual faith itself. People are led astray and we all need to be weary of wolves in sheep skin

[@Peasham]

Now cite the one where god told Moses to go murder a buncha innocent people for no reason.

[@aetherkid]

Oh look, a few good verses What about all the pro slavery, pro genocide sections?

[@0.-.0.-.0]

@@Peasham My intention in posting these verses was to show the disconnect between what Jesus said and how "Christians" behave. Locking kids in cages when their parents brought them to the U.S. in pursuit of a better life. "No handouts!" That type of behavior. That type of hypocrisy.

[@0.-.0.-.0]

@Han Boetes Religion is definitely a great vehicle for mind control. The followers are primed for it.

[@wamsang7818]

My middle school history class on world religions completely rips the conservative conception of Jesus to shreds He preached that everyone was equal and that "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" If a fucking middle school class disproves conservatives then I don't even know what to say edit: bruh wtf 100 likes 0.0

[@Chrome-uc3fw]

They would say "Schools are teaching communism!!! REEEEEEEEE"

[@Chrome-uc3fw]

@@davea6314 Hope it works on even the most stubborn of republicans, and oh boy have i seen them

[@wamsang7818]

@@davea6314 I highly doubt that will work they are just going to call you fake news and stop listening

[@Peasham]

To not take into account the rest of the book, which fuels Conservatives, is pretty silly.

[@wamsang7818]

@@Peasham what parts of the book fuel conservatives? Probably the parts they cherry-picked that are even slightly homophobic

[@chornethefirstborn1768]

Thank you so much for this video!! I'm a trans Christian and I've had a very difficult time finding my way back to my relationship with Christ after everything I experienced in the church. It wasn't until I read about his life and teachings that I actually realized what "Christ's love" even means - Seeing life through the lens of helping our fellow man and learning from our sins to become better people is what ACTUALLY helped me find love and purpose, not shame and fear of damnation. Unfortunately it seems like that's what most of mainstream American Christianity is right now. I really appreciated the historical insight into how that happened, and the progressive theologies you covered too. I hope we can find our way back to that again. :)

[@joseg.solano1891]

True christians aren't trans

[@pink_kino]

Christ isnt just about helping others but also helping yourself and your own individual piety

[@Uncle_Ruckus_]

You can't be trans and Christian. You can't accept God but also continue with your lifestyle of sin. You choose one or the other

[@pink_kino]

@@Uncle_Ruckus_ so true

[@EntityAndTheKeeper]

I am so proud of you for this! It gives me hope! I was thrilled to see this video because I've made a project out of showing Christians from their Bible how their faith has been Co-opted, and here's this great video on it acknowledging how truly radical Christianity can actually be if the adherents took it seriously! And I am so happy for you that you were able to move beyond the hatred and vitriol that cloaks itself in the name of Christ while defiling that name. It's not my intention to evangelize the LGBTQ community, but many in that community have been profoundly impacted - for better or worse, and often worse - by the Christian community. Some of those impacts are irreconcilable, but for the people whose faith is/was important to them, I want them to know, as you have found, that even though the earthly church has cast them out, they are still loved and if they want that faith in their lives, it is by no means incompatible to be LGBTQ and Christian. God bless you and thank you so much for putting your experience out there. I hope you can be a light for others and help both sides see how much *bigger* Christianity is than either has been lead to believe.

[@ericxplackis]

My parents are gonna love this one

[@KomodoMagic]

Is that sarcasm?

[@josesoria8335]

Let me know if you need a place to stay after they kick you out. Kekw.

[@SlowpokeSpartan]

Oh yeah

[@kryptoid2568]

i hope you're doing alright

[@Dragrath1]

@VeroMithril You have been very vocal in the comments and while there is problems with the religious mindset from the perspective of a wholly rational being but you also need to consider the way the human brain has evolved through natural selection, as evolution has not selected for rational thought logic and science. Instead the human brain has selected largely for conformity with social identity constructs in order to maintain cohesion within groups we identify as part of. In this light any belief, aka something considered a fact not questioned even if there is no evidence to support it, shares a common origin focused around preserving the survival of the group by preserving cultural knowledge and practices from rapid change. This context is important as anthropological studies of peoples today and via archeology shows that historically there was no distinction between culture and religion the division was largely a construct of the Abrahamic faiths which took a hardline our god is the only god approach. A god however at its root is simply a way our ancestors came up with to explain the world around them effectively its an example of Personification of some observed property of nature (which is another innate human bias). The evolution of cultures was largely controlled via natural selection with cultures ill suited for survival being removed which ultimately leads to cultural narratives containing a wealth of useful information for survival given the shared record of past experiences of that culture. Ultimately humans have undergone natural selection for partial eusociality which is both the source of our greatest successes and failures, faults and virtues. Ultimately short of rewriting the human brain from scratch to function in a more rational manner I don't think it is possible for religion like belief structures and narratives to be entirely rid of it is too hardwired into our brains and too coupled with other neurological pathways that attempting to eliminate it via rewiring the human brain would be an extremely dangerous prospect. Instead we likely need to adjust our approaches to work with evolution and not against it at least until we achieve sufficient knowledge to be confident on the safety of rewiring the human brain.

[@sistermadrigalmorning233]

As a progressive Christian THANK YOU. I'm tired of being lumped in with the Christian right when they do NOT represent Jesus.

[@coreyham3753]

The charlatans and scammer preachers on the christian right are a large part of the problem.

[@ladygrey4113]

Same I’m a prochoice Catholic and it fucking annoys me that our bishops are so batshit bonkers that even the Vatican has seen our bishops as overkill for quite a while. I loathe my hometowns bishop who has been found out to secretly send teenagers to harass patients of our women’s clinic (that does abortions).

[@infinitelink]

@@ladygrey4113 "Abortion" once referred to Roman patriarchs rejecting and placing newborns on the steps of their houses to either die of exposure or be collected by slavers: the realist Christians all had in common that they would go rescue infants first--the modern "harassers" tend to been women to keep kids and/or adopt instead of murder. You can call yourself what you want, but you're literally in opposition to the literal earliest believers, beliefs, and confession of Christians (and Jews, whose Torah forbids exposure of infants) on these matters. So your god is not their God: The inconvenience of Christianity is it's not left-wing (as our times). Though you can't do say it's exactly what people stereotype our right-wing as either... No surprise if you read it Jesus' words on the few vs the many, or the narrow/hard way.

[@Muslim-og3vc]

just say you are a non Christian then, even as a Muslim and i am disgusted at your faith of claiming to be a Christian while you put who you believe as God's morals below your subjective liberal filth

[@NAT-mi1ps]

@@Muslim-og3vc why does there have to be hate here? I see no problem with Christianity.

[@dankwise3746]

As an atheist with a highly conservative upbringing, this was perhaps one of the most personally impactful videos I’ve ever seen. It has drained all the murky resentment I had towards Christianity and religion as a whole and replaced it with a clearer understanding and tolerance. KKomrade Jesus has a nice ring to it lol

[@lm_b5080]

mate good on you for breaking free of the terrors of conservatism; i hope you'll see more & more that many Christians out there aren't like that & really are all about the Matthew 5 principles, which have nooo connection to what happens in modern evangelism

[@MrTaxiRob]

Don't forget that Paul never even met Jesus, and he took control of the church from the apostles who did. It's been shit since then: therefore socially conscious Christianity is actually a roots movement. And this videos skips over the early Mormon church, which was also socialistic. Their continued existence in the US was dependent on them getting with the capitalist program, or they were in real danger of getting Wacoed.

[@audiobooksproject4829]

You're being influenced by the extremely anti-Christian media. Listening to those who HATE Christians and Christian society about what Christians are all about is probably not the best source. Question. Think. I also recommend reading Pat Buchanan's book The Death of the West. It does a great job getting into the liberal-conservative divide in the US. The book is full of stats, specific cases, etc. I recorded an audiobook version, available on my channel.

[@cutecats1368]

The conservatives are traitors of Christ, instead of protecting the weak from the strong, they protect the strong from the weak. If you still want to try to believe in god, I would recommend you to developed your own ideas about him and cherry pick the bible hard. The bible is not "the word of god", it is the testimony of humans and since even according to the bible all humans are children of the original sin, it would be unwise to assume that there are no lies hiding in it (I consider hell a lie, there are bible translations without the word hell). I was atheist until someone told me that god talks different to everyone, and this is why he looks different to everyone. Maybe you even find him in Budhism or atheist mysticism- if this softens and opens ones soul than I guess one met him without knowing :)

[@julioaguila6285]

Comrade in Christ

[@benjaminjane93]

And what’s doubly scary is that it has now been co-opted by the incels and red pill, the latter of which has also co-opted Islam.

[@CooliusCaesar]

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart..." -Acts 2:44-46

[@mftarik1255]

Sounds like cummunism to me 😡

[@nonymouswisp8176]

@@mftarik1255 that's the point

[@UniquelyUnseen]

As someone who grew up in a New England town full of mainline Protestants, I was raised around whatt you might call a "leftwing" church. The youth group would go down South every now and again for mission trips to build homes or do some other type of charity work. There were some places I went where genuinely I felt like if they knew we weren't "just Christians" but our actual theology we wouldn't be nearly as welcome. The God I was taught was compassionate and forgiving, not banishing you to the fires of hell for the smallest slight.

[@bismuth7398]

Agreed. The Evangelical denominations are just disgusting when you take a closer look at their dogma.

[@jaridkeen123]

Im pretty shocked someone has not argued in court Abortion is a Religious freedom. They might actually win if they argue that case. You could argue that only Christians / Catholics cannot get abortions because its against the religion. But if your an atheist you have no religion, therefore your rights are being taken away because of someone else's beliefs. You would argue that Religion is over stepping its boundaries by making everyone else follow there Abortion beliefs. If Abortion was legal it wouldnt effect Religious people because they can choose to not get an abortion, but taking it away is infringing the rights of others by denying them the ability to access a religious right.

[@VitaeLibra]

Try it and they'll abort you though... Edit: Also for the record that is exactly what the church of satan is doing right now but in true religious fashion the christians are using that as a reason to claim moral high ground My B. It's the satanic temple

[@Necro_Hexual]

Satanic Temple has made it an official Satanic ritual in an attempt to give it religious exemption in states that have outlawed it.

[@jaridkeen123]

@@Necro_Hexual They shouldn't have too. The whole point is no religion should force its beliefs through American Law.

[@stephs8665]

@@jaridkeen123 Yea, and that's what the Satanist argue lol

[@carrieullrich5059]

Forced abortion by priest is literally part of the old testament. Women accused of being alone with a man that wasn't her husband with no proof, were required to drink bitter herbs and the death of the mother or the child were considered gods will. Nothing in the new testament bans this practice.

[@ozzyfozzy4261]

As a Pastor who believes in Christ against all odds... I just want to say: "Thank you!"

[@harrietharlow9929]

Same here. Let's hope that those who support the right-wing Christianist view wake up and smell the coffee.

[@ivanj.conway9919]

He seems to be as much a man and messenger of God as any materialistic, corrupt, televangelist could ever be. God should protect him so he can carry this much needed message well into the future.

[@adamplentl5588]

What does that mean exactly?

[@rohhsand3044]

Are you self conscious about the lack of evidence for your god’ existence?

[@ozzyfozzy4261]

@@rohhsand3044 Of course! Faith and doubt are siblings. If it should turn out that God doesnt exist... well, at least I had a happy life and inspiration to do what I suppose were good deeds.

[@tristanneal9552]

The last sentence of that MLK quote gave me chills. Wow.

[@lollllolll.]

Milk Licking Kowboy?

[@darthjarjarbinkstherealsit6832]

*Waves hand* You will feed the algorithm

[@KomodoMagic]

I will feed the algorithm

[@Bigdeathy]

The algorithm feed I will

[@rickeybernard8156]

F*CK the algorithm.

[@filipwolffs]

The algorithm shall feast.

[@gneissnicebaby]

Reporter: "Is that YOUR bible?" Trump: "Its a bible" Perfect illustration of the fake Christianity of conservative politicians

[@Necro_Hexual]

While holding it like a used tissue

[@jared1964]

And he's holding it upside down too

[@The-Devils-Advocate]

@@jared1964 Not a Christian, but I am interested as to why you can’t hold the Bible upside down. Can you explain please?

[@awhahoo]

@@The-Devils-Advocate I might be wrong, but I would assume in the way he was holding it, you are to hold it right way up. And its also hard to read upside down

[@The-Devils-Advocate]

@@awhahoo Understood, thank you.

[@elisebeaufeaux8261]

Thank you for shedding light on how we got here, what you’re doing is a great thing. I respect your ability to uncover and bring to truth a very disappointing and disturbing shift that has happened in modern church goers. I love Christ and I’m so glad that the Holy Spirit lead me here. Your honest approach shows that the love of God is so much bigger than the hate that’s been spread by false prophets and anti-Christ “Christians.” I really hope that these people can see the error of their ways before they pass. I hope they can turn away from it and embrace the true love of the God of Reality.

[@lizc6393]

Beautifully said Elise, Yeshua bless and keep you my sister ♥️

[@elisebeaufeaux8261]

@@lizc6393 Thank you sister. God be with you too. ♥️

[@3243_]

I agree, but let's also keep in mind that there are those on the other side who would say the same about people like us.

[@elisebeaufeaux8261]

@@3243_ Sure, and they have every God-given right to think so too. That’s why the mercy of the cross is a gift and not forced upon people. God wants us to choose him. I just want people to choose him too. It breaks my heart how lost some people are. It breaks my heart how hurt and bitter people can be when they don’t have to feel that way. It’s always on my mind that some people would flip it on me. I hope it’s on every Christian’s mind.

[@claytonreeves150]

@@3243_ Please explain how a conservative could realistically claim (with examples) that we are spreading hate and intolerance the way we know they are. I see the claim from them all the time, but they never actually prove their claim, they just spout the words.

[@NotFadeAway522]

The last few years, my church has let me down repeatedly, with the preacher advocating for the Epoch Times during a sermon, showing Prager U videos during church, holding a trump rally at the church, and seeing how hateful so many members are toward people who vote like I do. I've only been once in the last year and a half and have lost so much desire to go to church when it seems that they're worshipping trump and capitalism instead of worshipping God. Has anyone else gone through similar experiences?

[@EtherImperial]

I've been an Atheist for decades now, but if the studies i've seen are to be believed then you are not alone. Church attendance is way down across almost all age categories. It's dropped more with younger people though.

[@nathanfielure4305]

Electoral politics doesn't do shit.

[@TheNeoVid]

It's extremely common. Nowadays, I'm tempted to straight up ask any Christian I meet, "Jesus Christian or Trump Christian?"

[@Affluent-Ghetto-Blackman]

@@EtherImperial It’s a generational thing your correct the more educated the world becomes the last likely people are to fall for the church. And I AM LOVING IT.

[@OzCroc]

Stop being religious. You'll become so much happier.

[@imlovely6522]

The fact that we get free short documentaries on KZbin by Second Thought is truly a gift. 👍

[@SecondThought]

Thanks so much! That means a lot.

[@ikengaspirit3063]

Thank Capitalism.

[@jacobballance117]

@@ikengaspirit3063 tHaNk CaPiTaLiSm

[@therealgadielsepulveda]

@@ikengaspirit3063 Yes but no?

[@mr.lagafact4731]

@@SecondThought You who are atheists proclaim to have more in common with Christ, than Christendom itself! As much as you have no fear of God, you defame Christ for Godless politics.

[@zeighy]

So you're telling me a WOMAN led the movement of evangelicals... and then somehow the men in lead now puts down women as servants to men. Ironic.

[@lollllolll.]

Follow the orthodoxy and leave the heretical churches behind ☦

[@manualLaborer]

christianity was always very male-centric against women, so... not surprising a woman couldn't do that math.

[@TheTrueOnyxRose]

Actually not ironic at all if you read Christian history.

[@joseanl]

Now we know why in "handmaids tale" one of the big minds behind the creation of gilead was a woman, and the writer of the book, a Canadian woman

[@captainstabbin5374]

@@manualLaborer this simply isnt true, you have never read the bible, and this video is extremely wrong, it paints the events in the bible like thats how you were meant to live rather than thats how things were and they made do,

[@cafe8681]

I fell out of the religious faith when I was a child. I think it's a little funny how there's multiple warnings of fake prophets and hypocrites in their own bible, yet...

[@AJayTwo001]

Going deep into my religious beliefs pulled me out of my conservative beliefs before I got too politically active. I'm rather grateful.

[@tiredburns6021]

Even when I was a child, when I saw megachurches and evangelicals on tv selling things and think, "This kinda goes against jesus' teachings doesn't it?"

[@lizzyred3677]

I did too, I didn't even know how I knew the difference when I was little. I just kinda had a feeling

[@styx8975]

Same thing happens to almost every religion. I’ve definitely seen it happen to Islam where the community was generally socially conservative and that caused them to vote conservative. Despite the fact that Zakah (one of the 5 foundations) is clearly socialist in nature or the fact that it’s believed that Muslims created the first welfare state where taxes were used to help the poor, sick, disabled, children etc. “They ask you as to what they should spend. Say: “Whatever good you spend should be for parents, kinsmen, orphans, the needy and the wayfarer; and whatever good you do, Allah is all-aware of it.” “Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah’s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night.” (Bukhari)

[@danielsayre3385]

In the early history of the churches, in Northern Africa, I believe (some) Muslims and Christians considered each other to be of the same religion for some time before differences were really hammered in over the next 1000 years. Source: Africa in World History from Prehistory to Present third edition, - Erik Gilbert and Johnathan T. Reynolds chapters 6-8

[@zagreus1249]

Correct, and it is spread very wide across multiple nations.

[@danielsayre3385]

In the first chapter or two of Precolonial Black Africa by Chiekh Ante Diop i think it touches on how African societies already had great social welfare within their communities, and that it was often a narrative from people outside the continent with the intention of said narrative to show that Africa was somehow primitive, wild, and in need of western influence and religion. If you want to know more about this Google "Prester John" Speculation: (which will be lacking to someone who knows what they're talking about since I probably don't), I get the impression that monotheism is better at dominating belief systems and making less room for other perspectives. maybe that would prevent it from being accepted so readily. What i think matters is that the core values of the new worldview resonate with the community, for them to adopt that worldview

[@ikengaspirit3063]

Ah, yes. An Atheist telling Muslim what they should believe.

[@zagreus1249]

@@ikengaspirit3063 what’s wrong with that ?

[@megspradlin7345]

I grew up in Texas during the 80s and watched as Conservatives took control of Christianity. Graduated high school in 98, and one of my earliest papers in University focused on the Christian Coalition and how under the guidance of Pat Robertson and his ilk, Conservatives were able bring politics to the pulpit and use Christianity to further their political goals.

[@Cr1tt3rs]

Texas still thinks it's constitutional to have a law disallowing atheists from running for office. This will bite them in the ass in the near future as this nation's founding fathers were diests and masons not Christians. Making a nation allowing all religions and non-religious to be welcome. Beauty of technology progression is they can't lie as easily anymore. Rewriting history then ironically calling everyone else out as if they are the ones doing it.

[@briobarb8525]

I hope they gave you an A!

[@TisDana]

We definitely have some mega churches in Texas.

[@megspradlin7345]

@@briobarb8525 Oh goodness no. See, it was supposed to be a general paper about the organization and I turned it into something else. Got too weirded out by what I read to -not- say something about it. I also waited til the last minute. I deserved the grade I received. ;)

[@Mchages]

Thank you for all your work, JT. I've been a Bernie supporter since 2015 but along with your help, I've become staunchly anti-capitalist and genuinely identify as a Socialist. Keep up the great work and know that I am one of many you have influenced for the better. Cheers!

[@johay899]

Yay

[@internetperson8638]

Bernie is a Capitalist, or as Joseph Stalin said, the Social Democrats are Social Fascists.

[@elmstreet2036]

@@internetperson8638 i wouldn't say he's a full on capitalists, but i extreamly agree that any so called "democratic" party. ain't that left leaning as people think. but it can be information i don't have.

[@internetperson8638]

@@elmstreet2036 He is a full on capitalist. Not installing a dictatorship of the proletariat keeps the bourgeoisie in power thus maintaining the dominant mode of production. Any welfare or semi-democratic policies can easily be undone and lead to capitalist restoration.

[@ThatOneGuy0006]

My grandfather was a pastor who left the Southern Baptist Convention in the 80s after the fundementalists took it over. He would have loved this video.

[@Darkflowerchyld718]

This is beautiful. My niece is Christian and struggling with being a more liberal minded Christian. This is exactly what she needs to hear. Thank you 💙

[@carrieullrich5059]

Have her read just things Jesus said Jesus Christ is very progressive. ❤

[@Rich_P_Anya]

@@carrieullrich5059 when I was a child this is how I was introduced to Christianity and I am infinitely grateful for it.

[@merbst]

#Irreligion Religíon is harmful

[@Ste-The-Leo]

America's version of Christianity (or at least what we see on TV and online) has been twisted and distorted. Instead of following the principles that Jesus lived and died by, it's used to control the American masses and to incite emotional responses, instead of promoting clear minded discussions.

[@Kaylakaze]

Have her read the Bible (the WHOLE Bible, not just cherry-picked, out-of-context pieces), then she'll stop being a christian and it won't be a problem anymore.

[@bloojerseyy]

A lot of people would be surprised to know that Quakers were instrumental in early US prison reform. Their view on crime was focused on rehabilitating criminals.

[@bravobytz1820]

most people I talk to are surprised quakers still exist. when my cousins got gay married as quakers in the early mid 2000's my christian coworkers were completely shocked. "The OATMEAL PEOPLE?" they asked. Because yes. Thats how most americans think of quakers. Not as the founders of our country but as oatmeal people.

[@yuki-sakurakawa]

Most would be shocked to learn Richard Nixon was a Quaker

[@TheSuicune7]

I’m considering converting to Quakerism or leftist Protestant. A large reason on why I’m non-denominational is that most churches are Evangelical

[@abrillanderos3064]

Can’t start my morning without a fresh Second Thought upload 😤

[@gradientO]

It's night here. Hello!

[@Creddiam]

for me it's my weekend :P

[@Theokal3]

THANK YOU! As a Christian myself, I am baffled by how the American version of Christianity has turned out and how Americans seem to think of them when they think Christians. As a result I'm left uncomfortable when I see Leftist people hate on my Religion while desperately trying to explain them that's now how we all are.

[@GalacticNovaOverlord]

Still, religion isn't that much to be proud of either...

[@holdenmatteson229]

@@GalacticNovaOverlord How so?

[@corv1d770]

Jesus was a very leftist figure, I wish more knew. I'm not Christian anymore, but I respect true Christians who aren't hypocrites. The philosophy of Jesus is a respectable one.

[@ethanlorenzo702]

I disagree with the Theology, Economics, and Political views of this video, however even as a Traditional Right Wing Paleo-Conservative Classical Protestant, I do think alot of the Criticism here of the Christian Evangelical Right and the Republican Party is pretty valid. I think I would in many areas agree that Evangelicals have made a "deal with the devil" when it comes to allying itself with the Republican Party, I do suspect we would disagree on the finer points of what we mean in saying that.

[@pkj2148]

@duckynado Pope Pius isn't Jesus. The Catholic church doesn't represent Chrisitianity as a whole.

[@Occam31]

I, as an atheist, adhere more closely to the teachings of Jesus than a lot of conservative “Christians.”

[@eldizo_]

"My religion is to do good."

[@kalebroberts5518]

Actions show who are true Christians, don’t let imperfect men drive you away from a perfect, loving God. Love you all!

[@129das]

Faith is a funny compilated thing for sure. defenily with those who don't know much about it that why cults are a thing

[@kalebroberts5518]

@@129das Forgive me if I misread your message, but are calling Christianity a cult? I’m asking for a polite discussion not an argument.

[@austinhernandez2716]

Like Jesus telling the slaves to obey their masters?

[@CBSmith-js9yl]

The abortion argument is usually lauded as the modern birth of this movement but Jerry talked a lot about the government going after church run schools….(he just forgot to mention the IRS was looking into churches racially segregating students, violating the civil rights act, taking away their tax exempt status)

[@Justanotherconsumer]

“School choice” has a lot of racist baggage.

[@BondsmanBlaek]

The "Abortion Argument" has been around and codified as Christian law since the fourth century, and Jewish law since before that, and Buddhist institutional law before that, and Zoroastrian law 5000 years before Christ. There's nothing modern or exclusively Christian about it. The knowledge that life begins at conception is pan-religious and ancient.

[@NicoleGarzino]

@@BondsmanBlaekNot in the US. Up to the 1970s, many mainstream and large fundamentalist Christian organizations and denominations supported the freedom to choose - in fact, many supported Roe v Wade, including the Southern Baptist Convention and other evangelical movements. It was deemed an issue only for the Catholics. It wasn’t a thing for most Christians until they needed a new politicized, unifying “issue” after their anti-segregation stance was no longer acceptable. The pro-life movement in the US (outside of Catholicism’s ongoing advocacy) really came from racist ideology.

[@joshuaciresoli2927]

Bob Jones University v. Internal Revenue Service, the preceding "Christianity Under Attack" Dobson and Falwell political poison.

[@tatiana-bi5fq]

@@NicoleGarzino 👏👏👏👏

[@Bisquick]

I wish these "christian" evangelical folks would maybe read their freaking bibles, since if they take everything literally it's curious they for some reason gloss over like Leviticus 25 regarding a divinely mandated Jubilee year which wipes out societal debt and other social bondage like accumulated property.

[@hitomukawakami7124]

They’ll just tell you that all of that shit is for Jews and it doesn’t apply to them.

[@sierrasteffen2573]

Old testament.

[@hitomukawakami7124]

@@sierrasteffen2573 Exhibit A

[@sierrasteffen2573]

@@hitomukawakami7124 have you even read the Bible

[@hitomukawakami7124]

@@sierrasteffen2573 can you even tell me what the Bible is?

[@kvdrr]

"As soon as a religion comes to dominate it has as its opponents all those who would have been its first disciples." ― Friedrich Nietzsche

[@LiaAwesomeness]

as a christian socialist, it's heartwarming to hear you repeat what i and many others like me try to explain to people so often. thank you, second thought

[@drophat]

socialism is the gov stealing peoples money and pretending it's charity when they give it to the poor

[@kova1577]

Sounds like an oxymoron statement to me

[@elgoldenresena_arts1478]

Progressivism and capitalism are anti Christian.

[@elgoldenresena_arts1478]

@@kova1577 It depends the cultural side.

[@stacynez541]

I was raised in the Southern Baptist church in Texas, where i was born. All i know is there were so many contradictions and the Christians i have been around do not live according to the teachings if Christ. My experience there was that it was a fear and shame based religion with a lot of judgement and no love. They thought they were the only ones who knew what's right and what God wants. Everybody else was going to hell. Plus there were about a million contradictions according to what suited the situation. Then came Trump and even with everything he has done to hurt people and spread hate and chaos and how he encourages violence and is a racist a sexual predator and a life long criminal they believe he's God's warrior sent to save us. All I know is there is nothing spiritual or loving in the Christianity I was brought up in, in fact they were the most spiritually asleep people I've known and I want nothing to do with their religion.

[@SunflowerSocialist]

I’m a proud Christian socialist and I hated that my faith has been co-opted by the conservative right!

[@johay899]

Same here

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@@davea6314 Honestly thats a better method than Ive used, which is just to quote bible passages condemning wealth and greed and accusing them of worshiping Mammon.

[@arcaninety]

How do you reconcile the fact that your religion supports slavery and conquest and condemnation of arbitrary groups of people? you hate that its been 'co-opted', but you can't see the obvious synergy? that this was inevitable? this weird focus on Jesus/New Testament teachings completely ignore, uh, the Old Testament. or are you one of those weird hippie-Christians that just reads Romans 8 repeatedly and ignores Jesus's teachings on gehenna? you know the kingdom of God is not socialist, right?

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@@arcaninety I reconcile it by ignoring “new atheist” edge-lords

[@Mae_Dastardly]

@@SunflowerSocialist ha. Nice one

[@ecoRfan]

This is one of the greatest videos I've seen. Time is our friend: we can use timelines to see how things got corrupted, including the Christian faith. It's un-Christian to exploit people, demonize others, be greedy, practice a prosperity gospel, and leave many behind.

[@moca304]

As a christian in the Philippines (you know that country that kinda breathes christian teachings where it is so deeply ingrained our constitution was based off of it?) I feel as if conservative Americans have twisted christian teachings so much so, especially republicans, to fit their agenda and narrative that I dont even recognize it anymore when they preach it. Fundamentally, Christianity is about love and acceptance. A religion that was FOR EVERYONE. Our most basic commandment is to Love thy neighbor as one loves thyself. You cannot do that if u only care about yourself and go in and on about me me me and what I believe in instead of going oh, we may have different opinions or you may be different, but I still love and accept you.

[@briobarb8525]

Namaste!

[@briobarb8525]

Namaste!

[@claytonr.young-music912]

Thank you for this enlightening video. As someone who follows American politics from a distance, I've had a hard time reconciling online comments demeaning Christianity with the blessing it had been to my life. I've been able to make some sense with the reasoning that if you can convince someone that something evil is for a benevolent cause, they will not only condone it, but be very engaged because it simultaneously satisfies their sinful desires while also having a guise of supporting their desires to do good. This video helps make it clear how this principal happened in politics. "Wo unto them that call that which is evil good and that which is good evil" is the key scripture here.

[@JamesDavy2009]

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

[@Pollicina_db]

Yeah, on one side you have those crazy right winged christians that actually aren’t christian and then you have people that grew up in toxic christian environments and later became leftist and (most probably) part of the LGBTQ that is supposed to be accepting of everyone, but trashes on Christianity and Jesus like there’s no tomorrow. Its crazy…

[@tinamoul]

Ah that kids face at 00:18. He perfectly captures my mood on Sunday mornings growing up. He would rather be anywhere else.

[@cakeisyummy5755]

Oof.

[@styx8975]

At least you Christians didn’t have to go to mosque almost every day. And pray 5 times a day (and night f*cking hell but I couldn’t wake up for fajr.)

[@ryantennyson7562]

Thank you for quoting MLK in the proper context. I'll never be a 'liberal' Baptist again. The man's words ring true now. Workers unite.

[@SunflowerSocialist]

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”-Luke 4:18

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@@post-leftluddite honestly if you told me that was a quote from Lenin, Mao or Bernie Sanders, I’d probably believe you, because it is the truth

[@AndrewManook]

@@SunflowerSocialist Sanders? Lol

[@SunflowerSocialist]

@Goth- Inner Obi-Wan- Bosch I wouldn’t know because I am a Christian socialist.

[@sunflowersamurai10]

cool name

[@Vearru]

As a trans nondenominational Christian who genuinely and deeply cares about actual human rights, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. It’s just so amazing to see more people talking about the true meaning of Christianity and how it is very much against evangelical Christians. Just thank you very very much.

[@pipperoni3636]

Heresy. I pray you learn the true Gospel, I pray for your soul.

[@Vearru]

@@pipperoni3636 Did you forget the /s?

[@pipperoni3636]

@@Vearru No, repent.

[@Vearru]

@@pipperoni3636 I see, in that case I have to ask which part of my beliefs are wrong? Is it that I’m supporting Jesus’s very anti capitalist message of living off what we need, donating what we don’t need to those who do, and not hating people who are generally outcast by society? Or is it that I don’t follow a denomination just as Jesus’s disciples only followed after him directly. Or is it that I am trans, in other words a eunuch “…for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven” -Matthew 19:12. Or is there something else in my life that I’m not following the Gospel while I’m doing?

[@pipperoni3636]

@@Vearru Homosexuality- Romans 1:26 Looking at your other comments, bad language- Colossians 3:8 Also the Bible is pro private property, not exactly anti capitalist- Leviticus 25:23 Trans =/= eunuch, don't know where you got that idea from. Progressive Christianity is 100% progressive, 0% Christian. My comment was initially much more elaborate but was deleted by KZbin, you can probably guess why.

[@singletona082]

tl;dr: Blame Regan's 'southern strategy'.

[@labmanatlarge]

And televangelists

[@styx8975]

That started with Nixon.

[@andrewt7264]

Thank you, I needed this video. I'm a liberal minister working in a highly conservative area, and it has been an enormous struggle to get my congregation as well as many of my fellow ministers to see these points.

[@AlternateTimelord]

Liberal? You need to step that up, go socialist.

[@joelraymond6799]

Ecclesiastes 10:2. 💯

[@AlternateTimelord]

@@joelraymond6799 ?

[@richhornie7000]

Liberals are either just capitalists or people who want to give compromise to capitalism. Republicans are somewhat liberal.

[@Corridor3000]

@@AlternateTimelord "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." That is the verse they are referring to

[@atemyafim1857]

This is amazing!! When I became a Christian 2 years ago I was a republican. After reading the Bible I was a leftist socialist….not to be confused with neoliberalism of the Democratic and Republican Party. I was forever changed thanks to Jesus! I never knew all this history so this is amazing!

[@briobarb8525]

Namaste!

[@pink_kino]

Scripture isn't Socialist, you can argue Distributism but not Socialism. Also leftist? that would be just taking Christ totally out of context to be like "oh he was cool with prostitutes"(no he wasn't he wasn't "cool" with their sin but he came to bring us all to him as we all sin and have repentance in him so we can be faithful to God) Devolving Christianity to political traditions of man is a problem but it's more so a problem on the Left as they have alot of the time no real tangible faith and have a very small gospel, not the Gospel of Jesus Christ

[@blue---monday]

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars need restructuring."

[@dudebroswaggle5724]

This is one thing that always frustrates me. I grew up in church and I was told to read and learn. Then my family would vote for these guys who didnt seem to understand Jesus at all. When I asked why? I was told I just didnt understand. Jesus wouldn't want us to turn away immigrants, turn away poor people from hospitals, or want us to drone strike innocent children. But somehow my family goes to church AND believes that this is all fine. Smh I dont get it.

[@annekekramer3835]

I don't think any (true) Christian would get it... Follow the golden rule, "do unto others what you would have them do to you", and you should be fine. Jezus was a socialist too.

[@halinaqi2194]

I'm not sure how it is in christianity, but in islam, you are judged on the day of judgement. Now I'm not particularly religous, but I have to wonder what would they say then? Their actions for voting for destructive leaders caused so much human suffering. I honestly dont think we as a society can change fast enough to correct so many mistakes humanity as a whole has caused. I'm very worried about climate change.

[@michaelmorse4444]

"Around this time evangelicals grew in socio economic power and voting power" *evangelical preacher jumping up and down and waving arms like a chicken*

[@phileas007]

not just any chicken. A holy, deeply spiritual chicken.

[@Ascend777]

I thought he was pretending to be a cute kid throwing a temper tantrum while his audience adoring him, but he does have the mind of a kid though.

[@bb2fiddler]

They're such clowns

[@MadameSomnambule]

Because of how conservative my hometown, mom, and Christian schools I went to were, it took me until just last year to actually look into leftist politics and goals because leftism was endlessly demonized when I was in school, same with the lgbt movement which was why it took so long for me to realize I’m a lesbian. Tumblr at least slowly got me to embrace social justice, but it took several years for me to to cumulatively be able to do that. It kinda started as a culture shock in a way before I learned more about gender identity and what blm actually stands for. Evangelical Christianity is pure poison for our society and makes people into the most hateful individuals on the planet. It’s absolutely tragic, even moreso now that I know where it all started.

[@harrietharlow9929]

I had to leave the mainline Orthodox Church because I realised I could never fufill what I felt God was calling me to, and I could no longer deal with the homophobia of the mainline church.

[@briobarb8525]

Good for you for waking up to love. And I really mean Spirit's love the most. After that...your heart is your guide.

[@lorimckay2704]

i am so sorry seen that happen to another young lady where i live, so hard to attend christian school that says you are not worthy

[@northviola1656]

Hmm...never felt hate in my heart but I'm definitely a Christian. Woke culture, antifa wimps, and these suburban marxists who know absolutely nothing about growing up in an actual communist country seem to be the people who hate people like me.. Christians who oppose evils like abortion (let's be real, lets call it murdering the unborn)

[@lordbunbury]

As if Jesus would ever vote conservative.

[@doriannamjesnik3007]

Jesus would vote neither

[@lordbunbury]

@@doriannamjesnik3007 Yeah, but the video is about Christian Conservatives. Not about Christian Democrats, or Christian ‘Insert party’.

[@yc99official95]

well Jesus would oppose abortion but also oppose the death penalty, war, police brutality and would fight to combat climate change

[@kova1577]

@@lordbunbury because those don’t exist

[@maryperry1773]

@@kova1577Yes they exist. My husband is a Christian democrat.