this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2024

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551

Trump just promised an authoritarian ‘task force’ to impose Christian ideology (www.msnbc.com)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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The former president is still feeding the Christian right’s persecution complex

In recent campaign stops and on social media, Donald Trump has reprised lies aimed at inciting his Christian-right base against Joe Biden. These tirades, centered on the false charge that the Biden administration is persecuting Christians, aren’t just Trump’s typically dubious claims. Much like Trump’s lies about a stolen election, they are designed to immerse his loyalists in a grievance-laden alternative reality in which Trump alone can rescue them from an evil government threatening their freedom.

In a Dec. 19 speech in Iowa, for example, Trump pledged, “As soon as I get back in the Oval Office, I’ll also immediately end the war on Christians. I don’t know if you feel it. You have a war. There’s a war.” Speaking just after the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified him from appearing on the state’s GOP primary ballot, Trump tied this “war” to his own legal woes. “Under crooked Joe Biden, Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted and government has been weaponized against religion like never before. And also presidents like never before,” he added. “I always say Al Capone was treated better than I was treated.”

Trump has promoted the theme of Christian persecution in the past, but is elevating it again as these legal issues mount. His clear purpose is to deflect attention from his own criminal liabilities by insinuating that the same Biden administration he falsely claims is unfairly targeting him for prosecution is similarly persecuting religious Americans.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 122 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Do you know what "War on Christmas" really means? It means "everyone who isn't a Christian should either conform to us or get the fuck out of this country because it's a Christian country." Which is one of the reasons that all of us who were born here, maybe had ancestors here going back generations, whose only "crime" was not being Christian are regularly made to feel like we're foreigners in our own homeland. I didn't celebrate Christmas growing up in religious Indiana. I was treated like shit for it. There's no war on Christmas. There's a war against people who don't celebrate Christmas or even just dare to say they aren't big fans of Christmas. Enjoy our holiday our way. Or else. That's the war. And they're the ones waging it.

We should be allowed, in "the land of the free" to not want to take part in Christmas for any reason be it another religion, psychological issues, it's too commercial, you think Santa looks stupid, whatever, and not be given shit for it by these MAGA assholes trying to force their theocratic will on all of us.

[–] rdyoung@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

What's even better is that Christmas isn't even a religious holiday (not in the way they think it is). The current version of Santa was created by Coca-Cola in the 30s iirc and Jesus' birthday would have actually been sometime in the summer or early fall. Basically, Xmas as we know it here is less than a century old and originally had nothing to do with Jesus or any other religious nonsense.

Xmas, Easter and more have been preempted by the catholic church. They were originally pagan holidays based around the seasons, the sun, etc

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 34 points 11 months ago (2 children)

You're mixing things up a little. Santa wears red and white because of Coca Cola advertising. He used to wear all kinds of crazy colors. Jesus's "birthday" is celebrated in December to coincide with winter solstice celebrations that already existed in Roman times. It's hard to tell when it "should have been", but there wouldn't be shepards outside with their flock at night in December. Maybe Spring.

[–] GentriFriedRice@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The shepherd at night is probably a red herring. Shepherds stay out at night during lambing season which is February-April in Europe and North America but November-March in Israel

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 8 points 11 months ago

Possibly. But also a census (the reason for Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem) in wintertime would not have been practical in Ancient Judea.

There's a surprising number of people writing about this:

A great deal more could be said, but for now I simply want to draw the reader’s attention to the time period which keeps coming up in relation to the first census headed by Quirinius: the years 8–6 BC. Keeping in mind that the Magi gave Herod information that prompted him to kill all the Bethlehem boys “from two years old and under” (Mt 2:16, probably meaning between the ages of one and two), plus they visited Herod at Jerusalem rather than at his winter quarters at Jericho, this visit probably took place in the summer or early fall of 5 BC (we have to allow for their travel time to and from Persia while avoiding the hardships of a winter journey). Add between one and two years to that, and early spring in 6 BC seems to be a good fit for Quirinius’ census.

The Roman and Judean rulers knew that taking a census in winter would have been impractical and unpopular. Generally a census would take place after the harvest season, around September or October, when it would not seriously affect the economy, the weather was good and the roads were still dry enough to allow easy travel…Luke's account of the census argues strongly against a December date for Messiah's birth. For such an agrarian society, an autumn post-harvest census was much more likely.

https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects-main/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/4368-pinpointing-the-date-of-christ-s-birth

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[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Christmas isn't just for christians. It is also important to the state religion: capitalism.

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

No. "War on Christians" is a test balloon that went over well in Bumblefuck Anywhere so he's using it now. It used to be "Mexico will pay for the wall" but now it's this. Back in the Gee Dubya days there was a news cycle - it's very specifically pin-pointable, like one week it started; where gays were going to get married and make us all marry gays and oooh bad.

Same shit. Different fear wand. Old, old bullshit. Works every time on ignorant people. Democrats will sometimes try this with actual fears like "they're going to drive the economy into the ditch" but it never works the same. It's never got the enough stench of sheer panic and maniacal idiocy when they do it. Also Democrats aren't as reliably susceptible to it so it's also kind of pointless there.

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[–] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It's not necessarily that they want to impost Christmas on everyone. Sure that's a by-product.

What they want is not to feel like their holiday is being attacked. Something as simple as "Happy Holidays" is seen as a threat to their personal beliefs and they feel attacked when people use it. So if you don't say anything and just say "have a nice day they don't care. But as soon as you say something triggering like "happy holidays", they flip out.

Because they feel attacked, they feel justified in forcing others to say Christmas.

Again, fully manufactured rage for the purpose of maintaining what they feel is right.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago

That is part of it, but there is a big contingency of Christians in this country that think this is a Christian country and non-Christians do not belong here. I have encountered them and their hostility many times in my life.

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[–] VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf 7 points 11 months ago

you think Santa looks stupid

As someone who's not a fan of Christmas but IS a jolly fat man with a big beard (dark brown with gray in it, though, not white), that's not my FAVORITE reason...

[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 60 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

[–] Suburbanl3g3nd@lemmings.world 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Doesn't say anything about the President. Ha! Checkmate! /s

[–] Ranvier@sopuli.xyz 6 points 11 months ago

But congress makes laws not the president.

'You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one.'

Oh, right.

[–] catch22@startrek.website 56 points 11 months ago (1 children)

“I always say Al Capone was treated better than I was treated.”

Sounds fair to me, Al Capone was just a gangster, this fuckhead is trying to start the fourth reich

[–] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

~~fuckhead~~ is trying to start the ~~fourth~~ reich

Adolf Shitler is trying to start the Turd Reich.

[–] BeautifulMind@lemmy.world 54 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So basically his campaign promise is to violate the constitution, his strategy to get into office is to tell lies designed to divide Americans and it looks like the MAGAs are thirsty AF for it

[–] VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf 54 points 11 months ago (4 children)

So basically he wants an American version of the Iranian "Morality Police" torturing and killing people for not adhering to their archaic dogma.

And they thought "Y'all Quaeda" was a joke..

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

Never did. It's just astounding all the republiQan women are like, "oh yeah of course absolutely" and then actually fucking do it.

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[–] BiggestBulb@kbin.run 42 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Ramping up his authoritarian rhetoric, Trump pledged in the lowa speech to institutionalize an authoritarian crackdown of the same sort he falsely accuses the Biden administration of implementing. “Upon taking office, I will create a new federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias to be led by a fully reformed Department of Justice that's fair and equitable," he promised. «Its mission will be to investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment and persecution against Christians in America."

This is the quote from the article about the task force.

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 33 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I don't think people understand what's going to happen if he gets elected again. He's talking about re-purposing the Department of Justice into some McCarthy-esque nightmare that will be targeting schools (including universities). If it is not clear what the GOP's intention is here, you have not been paying attention. Read about Project 2025. This shit is terrifying.

I hope everyone likes what's going on with public education in Florida, because it's going to become a nationwide thing.

Everybody needs to vote. We know it's not your first choice, but this election is about keeping our Republic from falling apart. Vote for Biden, and then we can focus on finding a young progressive candidate for next time.

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

Yeah it's going to get worse for a lot of people quickly if Trump gets in office. It was bad enough the first time. That should be painfully obvious to anyone who wasn't living under a rock during the last Trump presidency. He will make life worse for many groups. Non-Christians, LGBTQ+, POC, those with health issues, etc.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah if he gets into office I’m fleeing the country while I still can

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[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 18 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I’m currently reading ‘The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism’ and it’s about exactly this.

The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism https://a.co/d/bBZ3hkA

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 38 points 11 months ago (4 children)

In a Dec. 19 speech in Iowa, for example, Trump pledged, “As soon as I get back in the Oval Office, I’ll also immediately end the war on Christians. I don’t know if you feel it. You have a war. There’s a war.”

LMAO imagine saying this shit.

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Right? How oppressed are you if there is a building dedicated to your religion on every street?

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I can't. It's literally demented. His blabbering is so fucking off the rails it may as well be Martian for all it matters. Just angry chirps and barks and squeaks with the little accordion hands going back and forth. Fucking insanity.

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

I’m sixty. I hope I live long enough to piss on his grave

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[–] andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 32 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I always say Al Capone was treated better than I was treated.

How can anyone take him seriously. He's talking like he got crucified or something. Let's all cry for a baby Trump who lost an election, then a coup attempt, and is still in the top 1% with all his loyal sponsors he syphons money from. How many lawyers he changed over just the last year? How an average american can even find this spoiled kid relateable?

[–] Princeali311@lemm.ee 9 points 11 months ago

Not to mention the audacity to claim to be a Christian compared to Catholic ass Joe Biden and his dumbass followers believe him.

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[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 29 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This smells a lot like very old school anti-Catholic sentiment. People forget that the KKK hated Catholics just as much as blacks. They don't see Biden as a real Christian like they are.

[–] CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wasnt Trumps dad a grand wizard or something?

[–] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 22 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I don't think he was a grand wizard, but he was arrested during a KKK march in NYC in 1927.

The Wikipedia citation states Trumps denial it even happened, and this:

The KKK was then a far-right white nationalist Protestant group in the U.S. that specifically targeted black and brown people, Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. (It also opposed birth control, consuming alcohol, and the public teaching of evolution.

Edit - adding the Wikipedia page on Fred Trump as reading that you'll see the "apple didn't fall far from the tree" and Trump learned from the beginning that:

Rules don't apply to the rich
Even when "enforced" you deny and keep criming because you're rich

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

But Trump did get David Duke's endorsement twice.

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

Oh FFS … when will this chuckle fuck just fade into infamy?

He’s probably less religious than I am and I’m an atheist.

Maybe if we’re lucky he’ll get syphilis and die in prison like Capone did.

[–] limelight79@lemm.ee 21 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It is incredibly frustrating that Christians see this man as a good person, basically the antithesis of everything they supposedly believe. Three wives? Cheating on your pregnant wife with a prostitute? Doesn't go to church.

I hope the Lincoln Project or whatever it was saved some good stuff for this election.

[–] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" seems to be a piece of timeless historical wisdom by Voltaire that unfortunately just never seems to fall out of relevancy when it comes to pointed criticism of the Christian church specifically, and religion more broadly.

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[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

This coming from the guy who a) never goes to church; b) publicly held a Bible upside down for a PR image; c) only believes in himself.

[–] Ranvier@sopuli.xyz 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Nononono, he said two Corinthians is his favorite book. He knows all about Bible and such. And then he liberated that episcopal church by tear gassing a bunch of people who were viciously standing near the lawn, just like Jesus would do.

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

The stuff this man gets away with is really unlike anything I've ever seen. I remember he said something about he could shoot someone in board daylight and people would cheer. I originally thought he was joking, but boy if I only knew back then.

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[–] ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The Christian religion is garbage and we never should have let those fucking people on our shores.

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[–] wabafee@lemm.ee 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Would he prefer to be called supreme leader next?

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

I've heard he's tired of being called "Cheeto" and now wants to be called "Jumbo Puff".

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

Grifters gonna grift.

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