this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2023
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Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) bashed former President Trump online and said Christians who support him “don’t understand” their religion.

“I’m going to go out on a NOT limb here: this man is not a Christian,” Kinzinger said on X, formerly known as Twitter, responding to Trump’s Christmas post. “If you are a Christian who supports him you don’t understand your own religion.”

Kinzinger, one of Trump’s fiercest critics in the GOP, said in his post that “Trump is weak, meager, smelly, victim-ey, belly-achey, but he ain’t a Christian and he’s not ‘God’s man.’”

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[–] Ingiald@feddit.nl 141 points 11 months ago

"If those kids could read they would be very upset"

[–] Ashyr@sh.itjust.works 85 points 11 months ago (5 children)

I kind of want to tell him that republicans who don't support trump don't understand their party.

[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 28 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

...don't understand the demographics of their party.

It's all about advertising to the racists and to the putin-bots. Trump only is a smelly and horrible means to a very ugly end.

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 6 points 11 months ago

Even before that, it was about protecting the "good" people from the "bad" people. It just has gotten to the point where you no longer get cancelled for racism.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago (3 children)

He wants to be in the Party That Cuts Taxes And Bombs Brown People, but not... you know... the Party That Tweets Rudely.

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[–] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 66 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Jesus would not recognize modern Christians by almost any measure.

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 38 points 11 months ago (12 children)

If Jesus returned today, American evangelicals role would be first in line to crucify him a second time

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[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Imagine if you had a time machine and could pick him up and show him St. Peters basilica today.
The shit fit he would throw would make the cleansing of the temple look like nothing.

[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 8 points 11 months ago

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

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[–] Bonesince1997@lemmy.world 54 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Maybe ask yourself why your people are so stupid in the first place, Adam.

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 43 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Matthew 19:24

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 38 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (6 children)

They have an excuse for that. It's really fucking stupid.

There are two popular interpretations for the phrase “eye of a needle.” The first theory is that it is a reference to the tiny hole at the top of a sewing needle. Simple enough. The second theory is that it is a reference to a gate with the name “the eye of the needle” that was in first century Jerusalem. The gate was so small that anyone that hoped to get a camel through would have to take all of their baggage off the camel, get it down to its knees, and kind of shimmy the camel through the tiny opening.

You can see why this is important for Bible readers. Either Jesus is saying that it is impossible for a rich man to get into Heaven, or he’s saying that it’s really challenging for a rich man to get into heaven.

https://classictheology.org/2021/10/12/through-the-eye-of-an-actual-needle-the-fake-gate-theory/

Of course, there is zero evidence for such a gate ever existing. Rich Christians just want to excuse their wealth.

[–] A7thStone@lemmy.world 35 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Even with that questionable excuse it would mean you have to give up all of your possessions and humbly come to god on your knees. They really just want to ignore their own book.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Oh, but they tithe! So they don't need to give up anything else!

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 7 points 11 months ago

Does willing all of your wealth to your children count as giving up your wealth when you die? Cause that seems to be their plan.

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[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

It's also stupid because it ignores the part right before the camel metaphor

16Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,’ c and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ d ”

20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

It just says sell your possessions and give to the poor.

Most Christians don't really know the Bible very well. They think Paradise Lost or Dante's Inferno are canon. They do all sorts of mental backflips to justify what they want to do anyway.

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[–] drislands@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Good post, thank you for sharing!

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[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 37 points 11 months ago (12 children)

He’s not wrong, but this is honestly the ‘no true Scotsman’ fallacy.

The bible does technically say you should treat your fellows as you would want to be treated and promotes brotherhood, but it also says women and other races are inferior and advocates for truly heinous behaviour. Cherry picking has always been the point, and shitloads of crimes against humanity have been officially sanctioned by the church.

There’s a very good reason the founders these people claim to venerate wanted the church and state to be separate. They were deists, but not overt Christians, and they’d seen what happens when religion mingles with government: horrible, horrible things.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 33 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (16 children)

I don't think so. He's not saying they aren't "true" Christians, an undefinable standard of "true. He's saying they don't understand it. Christ flipped the tables and whipped the money changers, these people worship a real estate speculator. Christ's message is one of social welfare and commonwealth, conservative populists literally killed Jesus for blasphemy.

Like, he's right, they don't understand it. I went to Christian Sunday school. There wasn't one lesson about taking health insurance from poor people and charging interest on school lunch debt.

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[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They're reactionary nationalists; I think they understand their religion just fine.

That's kind of the whole problem with basing one's worldview on magical thinking though: when you have to interpret moral instructions, its only as good as the lens you use. In this case, their religion is filtered through fear, bigotry, and power politics.

I have much more respect for Christians who use humanism as their lens, but they're also picking and choosing what they want to from the Bible Buffet.

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[–] charonn0@startrek.website 24 points 11 months ago (4 children)

He's got an unrealistically high opinion of Christianity.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've got a high opinion of Christianity and Christians. I have an incredibly low opinion of "Christianity" and "Christians".

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I've also heard that no true "Scotsman"....

Edit: no, it's ok guys, I put it in quotes.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

It's not a "No True Scotsman" if the definition of being a thing is acting a certain way and you don't do that.

You can tell everyone in the world you're an ultra marathon runner, but if you don't run ultramarathons, you're not an ultramarathons runner.

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[–] crsu@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago (6 children)

There's a question here of scripture vs religion. I think very clearly people who follow Trump do not understand the Christian scripture/Bible.

But scripture isn't what religion is. Religion is the faith system that develops around that scripture, even if it's contradictory at times. In that sense, evangelicals understand their religion perfectly well.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (8 children)

I can pick and choose verses as well.

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[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 20 points 11 months ago (2 children)

If you can believe some old book full of fairy tales is true, then you can believe literally anything.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago

For a Republican, this is quite a smart analysis.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago (2 children)

In their defense, neither do Christians that don't back Trump.

[–] Copernican@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (12 children)

You should talk to some ELCA Lutheran's or Unitarian Universalists. Not all Christians are bad.

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[–] Veraxus@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Their religion is hate and harm.

That is distinctly different from their scripture, which is the exact opposite of those things. They call themselves “Christian” while spitting in the face of the teachings of the man their “religion” is named after.

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[–] xc2215x@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

He is right but it is has been this way before.

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[–] AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml 11 points 11 months ago

Kinzinger doesn't understand their religion

[–] tacosplease@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

At this point that has got to be the ONLY quiet part Republicans don't say out loud.

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