Praying is just talking to your imaginary friend, and having it tell back to you what you want to hear.
These elected representatives are no more mentally developed than elementary school children. Must be from a state full of lead pipes.
These people think all compassion and “wokeness” is preformative because everything in their lives is preformative.
Wish they’d pray for forgiveness because then that would mean admitting mistakes.
I think there’s a biscuit that they’re all looking at
Alright boys, whoever takes away the most rights gets the last one!
Do you win or lose if you get to eat the biscuit, or is it just a matter of perspective?
Why are they praying in a huddle? Do they all shout in unison “GO TEAM” afterwards ?
Don’t you also have separation of church and state? Wasn’t that what you were founded on?
It’s so the microphones can’t catch the stuff they’re praying to be forgiven for.
That would mean admitting they did something wrong, which is impossible for these ghouls.
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Church and state have been separated.
They simply joined the Church of State.
They have found a way to make praying to the magic man in the sky even more ridiculous.
separation of church and state? NoSaw this somewhere else in lemmy.
Oh please white Jesus and white God. Bless us while we take food from the mouths of millions. Take Healthcare from millions of infirm. And life itself from those evil brown people both here and around the world.
Amen. /s
It bothers me how pretty this is. Like, the best logo you can never use anywhere.
It is the logo of magic the gathering circlejerk sub on reddit
That’s hilariously self-aware
Change the colours up to the gayest possible and you’re good
It’s like Ubuntu meets onlyfans.
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And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:5-6
When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Isaiah 1:15
There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.
Ezekial 23:20
(side note, while looking up this verse it brought me to biblegateway.com where it shows dozens of translations basically in a list, and here is what the MSG (The Message) version translated that one single sentence into:
“Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she became even worse than her sister in lust and whoring, if you can believe it. She also went crazy with lust for Assyrians: ambassadors and governors, military men smartly dressed and mounted on fine horses—the Assyrian elite. And I saw that she also had become incredibly filthy. Both women followed the same path. But Oholibah surpassed her sister. When she saw figures of Babylonians carved in relief on the walls and painted red, fancy belts around their waists, elaborate turbans on their heads, all of them looking important—famous Babylonians!—she went wild with lust and sent invitations to them in Babylon. The Babylonians came on the run, fornicated with her, made her dirty inside and out. When they had thoroughly debased her, she lost interest in them. Then she went public with her fornication. She exhibited her sex to the world. “I turned my back on her just as I had on her sister. But that didn’t slow her down. She went at her whoring harder than ever. She remembered when she was young, just starting out as a whore in Egypt. That whetted her appetite for more virile, vulgar, and violent lovers—stallions obsessive in their lust. She longed for the sexual prowess of her youth back in Egypt, where her firm young breasts were caressed and fondled.
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Ezekiel 23%3A20
How fucking creepy is that? First of all, the entire concept of this “translation” just seems like outright heresy, but what the fuck even is this?? Did the dude just read about massive dongs and it got him all horny so he wrote some Bible fanfiction in the middle of his “translation”?
Absolutely wild.
Edit: For people who don’t click the link: This is one single verse according to Bible Gateway. This is not an entire section, this is the verse I quoted above as translated by the dude who makes this “translation.” Or maybe Bible Gateway is wrong I dunno. Almost like having 3000 translations of your holy book dilutes it.
Edit: Because apparently people think I’d lie about something like this…
If you googled a single verse (this verse), and you saw this come up, how would you have reacted?
That translation is actually very accurate, but what you posted is 23:11-21, not just 23:20.
The Message is a “paraphrase” translation (“sense-for-sense”), which means it translates the concepts rather than just words (literal translation). Most Bible translations are literal translations, which is problematic because numerous connotative errors arise. Idioms, colloquialisms, and context are all lost in those translations. Today, the loss of context is often intentional, as restoring the context dramatically changes the meaning and puts it at odds with modern politically corrupted dogmas. To avoid those errors, The Message often translates groups of scriptures together instead of separately to achieve a more connotatively accurate english result.
If you were to read the same chunk of scriptures in another translation, you’d find the same content. Where The Message differs is that it attempts to translate idioms into modern (as of 20 years ago) versions, which often has hilariously anachronistic “how do you do, fellow kids” results.
That said, it’s one of the more trustworthy translations available, though plenty of grains of salt are still required.
Did you click the link? Every other translation is a single sentence. This is one single verse translated in The Message according to Bible Gateway. Why would they do that?
That said, it’s one of the more trustworthy translations available, though plenty of grains of salt are still required.
According to whom?
I’ll just leave these here. They’re the exact website you mentioned using.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+23&version=MSG
Why would I lie about something like that?
You conflated the way the website displays content (literal versus paraphrase translations) with the translations themselves (you literally painted the paraphrase translation as “fan fiction”). I clearly explained how the different translations work, that the content itself is the same for all available translations, and why the translations are likely to be displayed differently. Additionally, the website is freely accessible and confirming these things takes seconds.
But you appear to have ignored everything I said and then doubled down on your own bizarre take. And again, this is all easily verifiable in seconds on the website you, yourself, mentioned.
It doesn’t really matter whether you are trying to be deceptive on purpose or whether you are simply clueless and obstinate. Doubling down on a bad take after getting something so wrong makes for some potent fremdschämen.
Metaphorically, the whore in that passage is Israel. You could switch out the Assyrians and Babylonians for the various nation states that arm Israel today…
Isn’t it so awesome that you can just make anything mean anything?
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies. Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Amos 5:21;23-24
But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Just to be clear, the “justice” being referred to here is literal genocide performed by the Israelites.
Eh, no? The transgressions are named in Amos 2:4-12; it’s the slavery, the way they treat the poor, the greed, and the incorporation of polytheistic practices like sacred prostitution.
Metal as fuck
Yeah I don’t think they’ve read that bit.
or any bit. pretty sure a bunch of them cannot read at all.
You will never convince me that shit like this is more than just performative play-acting for the sake of their base.
They aren’t actually fucking praying. They don’t actually believe any of this shit. It’s a tool used to keep the support of their base of white christian nationalists.
That’s why we see them doing shit like this now than every before.
In a world where more liberal minded Christians are balking at how “unchristian” these idiots are turning out to be, they have to make these shows louder and more obvious…and make damn sure there’s a camera around, so that they can play even harder to the more extreme supporters.
If they were to quietly go about their business with no “performative acts of faith”, more people would recognize them as the monsters they are.
But with shit like this, 81 year old grandparents the country over can look at them and say “I don’t understand what they’re doing, but they MUST be the good guys because look how christian they are…”
If anyone thinks America is getting out of this without resorting to firing squads and hanging these fuckers upside down in town squares, they’re naive as fuck.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
The bible also says to take care of the poor and a bunch of other stuff they actively work against.
The poor stakeholders you mean?
Exactly. But performative acts like this play to their base. And their base is almost exclusively people who haven’t read the very book they profess to follow.
Most athielsts (myself included) have read more of the bible than any of these people ever have.
Wealthy republican politicians are too smart(/?) to be religious??
Top tier engineers in all fields can be found quietly attending church. It’s incredible—religion, a helluva…
Oh DEFINITELY people like orange hitler prob think about zero about god (idk if he’s literally atheist but obviously not religious)… CERTAINLY plenty of wealthy republican politicians are atheists and will never admit it…
But ohhhhh boy isn’t it worse that some genuinely believe especially the evil parts of the Bible? (Maybe “worse” is a little unfair, I deeply respect some very ethical & intelligent people who happen to have strong faith traditions)
The most worrying thing is that I think they do believe (a form of) it. They believe their god is helping them maintain power, and is helping people.
They just don’t see us as ‘people’.
They absolutely do believe in this shit. They’re a bunch of evil idiots.
Fucking cult!
They don’t actually believe any of this shit.
I agree with everything else that you’re saying, but I wouldn’t be so sure about this. Have you ever noticed how it’s much easier to start online flame wars when you actually believe in the batshit stance that you’re arguing as opposed to pretending to believe it for the sake of trolling? I think it’s a similar thing here. I don’t think humans are that good at compartmentalising, so in order to do something performatively so often and so well you have to trick your mind into actually believing it in a sort of corrupt way. I know this makes me sound like a middleschooler, but I think George Orwell’s concept of doublethink is very much real in cases like these.
Generally with humans, I assume about 99% act in good faith, regardless of what they are arguing for. Someone could argue for genocide in good faith, for example. The last 1% are sociopaths who have some intense issue with emotions or socializing, and do awful things on purpose.
I think most of the republicans are good faith, they just have shitty ideology and problem solving skills, and dont do enough to counter their own biases.
Ever see one of those photos with HitlerPig in the middle, with a group of people all with one hand on his shoulder, all with their eyes closed, praying? And there in the middle front, is HitlerPig, who we all know is an absolute Sociopath, and doesn’t believe any of that crap.
So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
The fact that these liars weren’t struck by lightning while posing for this photo, is proof positive that the God they claim to worship doesn’t exist.
Also the lack of salt pillars
While I’m sure that some are just cosplaying as Christians, i have no doubt that there are true believers there. I mean, RFK doesn’t believe in germ fucking theory, so we know that being crazy is no hindrance from getting power. Is it really so hard to believe that Americans elected Congressmen who believe the earth is 6000 years old?
Their god is a vindictive evil fucker. A god of hate, and they mirror themselves in his image.
The observation from the words that I would now insist upon is this. – “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.” – By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God’s mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment.
Johnathan Edwards
Don’t worry, you will start a war with us, that will end like the war in Ukraine for Russia 😇
Circle jerkin 4 Jesus.
yeah I thought it looked kind of gay notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat
Sticky communion wafer.
I’m just going to assume these are republicans and furthermore call them scumbags, hypocrites, and heretics.
Matthew 6
1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
I don’t know how anyone takes them seriously. They should be laughed out of the room and shunned by polite society. But there are a lot of bullshit “christian” churches peddling nonsense, I guess.
Just one more part of the books they have never bothered with
The type of person who critically reads the bible is the type of person who stops believing in religion. Sort of a shitty paradox.
Was just about to quote this. Seems like they really read the book. 🤡
I think the guy all the way on the right was just caught squeezing the ass of one of his Republican colleagues as they passed a law that will kick millions off of Medicaid and close down hospitals so that they can fund brown shirts to the tune of what other countries pay for whole militaries.
“Dear God, please help us kill the poors and the gays and the brown and blacks. Amen.”
Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
1 John 4:20
4:20, ayoooo! /s
The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.
"So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
Genesis 19:34-36
That must have been some special magic booze to get the old man so drunk he couldn’t recognize that he was fucking his own daughters, yet leave him capable of getting it up to do the deed…
Joke’s on you, I’m an only child.
Not a single Christian among them. What exactly are they praying for, did anyone ask?
Optics, they are praying for optics.
It’s funny how fast Murica has fallen into authoritarianism, I’m genuinely having a hard time believing that such a large portion of the population can be so stupid.
Think of how stupid the average person is
Half of em are dumber than that
RIP St George
We need him now more than ever. He’d happily carry our disdain.
If stupidity has a symmetric distribution.
It’s been the calculated plan for far longer than I can remember.
Conservative politics relies on stupid uneducated voters incapable of critical thinking.
The voters that, with a lack of actual knowledge of their own through either experience, formal education or even just good old fashioned intellectual curiosity about the world around them, will happily cede their opinion to the first authority figure who tells them what they are already presdisposed to believe and confirm their biases.
It’s the entire reason there has been a coordinated attack on the liberal arts and college education under the guise of “financial constraints” and the push in the last few decades towards trade schools.
Conservative politics requires stupid who are content to learn how to be a tradesman, without any of that inconventient history or critical thinking getting in the way.
I get that’s been the game plan, and to be honest it’s worked perfectly, but poor people actually gloating about “owning the libs” while shooting themselves in the foot, the face and all else beggars belief!
The truest line ever uttered in film…
“A person can be smart. But people are dumb, panicky dangerous animals, and you know it.” – Kay from MiB
We’ve all been hardwired with groupthink. We had to be. When a member of your tribe comes running by in a panic, you don’t have time to stop and think what the hell is he running from?, you just start running along with him. It’s the difference between living to hunt another day or getting killed by a bigger predator than you are.
The more people that are running. The more important it is (to our brain) to just start legging it. No one wants to be the straggler at the back that gets picked off. For that reason, group-think and herd-mentality skews incredibly towards the simplistic. In terms of evolution, there’s no time to worry about the why…you just trust that if everyone else is running, you probably should be too. In terms of modern day that is the susceptibility of uneducated people to dogma, polemics and confirmation bias.
A single person…and individual that has critical thinking skills and the ability to look at the wider context, can overcome that instint. They can stop and say “hmmm…maybe I should look and see if this really is something that is going to harm me.” They can reason themselves out of group-think.
But without that context. Without that critical thinking, you have almost no choice but to rely on the fact that if someone is telling you to run, they must know more than you…so get it in gear.
Whether that person is telling you to run from a predator, or to hate immigrants, it’s all due to the same inherent mentality in humans.
Spot on regarding the person vs group. Being a fan of history I’m amazed at how far we’ve come technologically, but how our base instincts haven’t changed. Even in the face of all the evidence about our behaviour historically, we repeat our mistakes time and again.
It’s the good-ol’ lizard brain and it isn’t going away.
It’s the part of the brain that controls emotions, moods, fear, fight-or-flight, etc… The Limbic Cortex
The sole purpose of critical thinking skills and knowledge of things like history, civics, etc… (whether that comes from education, experience or just good old fashioned intellectual curiosity) is to give the rest of our brain the context necessary to override that lizard brain. (In my opinion).
Too many people just don’t care enough about the world around them to bother with that and are content to just let their lizard brain run things. It’s these people that are susceptible to group-think, and it’s these people (ironically) who think that they are ones who are thinking for themselves when in reality it’s quite the opposite.
Jesus actually said something about that, it turns out. Not that it matters to these knuckleheads.
Well they got em. The Lord truly does provide 🙌🥴
The concept of God was invented because it’s an unbearable thought to think that men like these will get away scot free with what they’re doing
The concept of God was invented by men like these to enable exactly what they’re doing :)
It’s the ultimate authoritarian power fantasy, and the human mouthpieces for that ultimate authority tend to be very well taken care of.
Not a single Christian among them.
You don’t get to decide this, regardless of how embarrassed you may be.
Oh they may call themselves Christians, but none of them uphold the ideals or beliefs of Christians. They are hypocrites. The same day they do this they take away healthcare from millions, take food out of children’s hands, and ramp up more violence to those already hurting.
I don’t care what their label is they put on the outside, none of these are Christian. They openly spit on the morals that Jesus laid down.
The bible begs to differ. I’m sure your source is better though on what makes a Christian.
The Bible tells you that you get to decide who is a Christian or not?
I’m afraid not, sir/madam. In fact, I believe it says precisely the opposite.
Since you’re not discussing in good faith,I won’t bother responding again. You know what I meant but anyway, they’re idol worshippers and infidels.
If your behaviour is any indication then being a Christian means talking down to people and refusing to discuss or consider ideas other than your own.
Sounds about right.
Jesus didn’t stutter when he talked about strangers, the poor,those in need, the sick, and the wealthy. I suggest you read the bible critically. Any member of congress who backs Trump and claims to be Christian will burn in their version of hell fire. Much like the so called muslims leading the Gulf countries.
We don’t know what jesus said at all tbh.
Since you’re not discussing in good faith
OK, what? Holy shit what a cop out…
I know exactly what you meant, and I’m tired of seeing this “no true Christian” shit everywhere. You don’t get to disown these people.
Edit: Who are the 5 additional people that upvote a Christian comment calling other Christians “infidels.” What fucking site am I on?
