Weird Religious News from the past week

weirdWhen faced with many of the items of weird religious news, the most immediate and obvious is to go for the idea that this is stupidity incarnate. When it comes to Trump himself most of those who engage directly with him more or less confirm that he is indeed quite stupid, but that’s not the whole picture when it comes to the right-wing religious demographic.

When we use the term “Stupid”, then what do we actually mean?

It can mean many things, for example a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or common sense. We can dismiss much of that as an explanation because there are some smart people adopting and embracing many of these stances. Often very smart people can adhere to utterly absurd notions, and while doing so dream up very smart ways to justify it all. So what is going on?

The real answer appears to rest firmly within our psychology. We are at heart emotional creatures who will often crowdsource our beliefs from our those we feel are our tribe. If everybody around us appears to believe something, then often we will adopt the same without giving it too much thought.

Why have a posting like this one?

Beyond the pure entertainment derived from mocking the pure lunacy of it all, I also cling to the thought that it just might give some reading it some pause before the make the leap and adopt the same stance without first asking themselves if it is actually true.

What Happened During the past Seven days?

St Trump still gets worshiped …

  • Actor and right-wing activist Jon Voight breaks down in tears of thanks to God for President Trump.

The most corrupt and incompetent administration is US history is apparently also the most prayed for …

Meanwhile, it turns out that supporting Trump is really not going to be a good move for the religious right …

  • Donald Trump is Good for the Religious Right but Bad for Spreading Christianity

Our way or civil war, and other bits of “Vote GOP or civilisation will end” fear mongering that is designed to manipulate voters …

  • End Times broadcaster Rick Wiles warns that the “deep state” is setting the stage to remove President Trump from office, which will “provoke a civil war.”
  • Finally, right-wing pastor Jim Garlow has written a new book in conjunction with Religious Right pseudo-historian David Barton that warns that “we are at a crisic moment in America” and the nation may not survive. Of course, back in 2008, Garlow was frantically declaring that “America as we have known her will be forever gone” if Barack Obama was re-elected … and yet, miraculously, the nation still exists.

We also had the usual imaginary enemy “It’s all Satan’s fault” claim, also designed to manipulate the believing voters …

  • Christian nationalist right-wing activist David Lane says that “Satan and those who serve him therefore will go all out in order to gain power over America’s various cultural mountains of influence” and therefore “evangelicals must come to comprehend the scope and scale of what’s at stake in the Nov. 6, 2018, and November 3, 2020, elections.”

Weather modification related claims popped up …

… and before the storm even hit shore, Pat thanks god for sparing his properties and smiting others further south instead (Pat’s god is clearly quite a dick) …

Apparently Trump is 9/11 and Obama’s fault, and yet the GOP started a war over 9/11 for no reason related to 9/11 and it was Obama who tracked down Osama, not Bush …

  • Southern Evangelical Seminary president Richard Land credits 9/11 with the election of Donald Trump:

“I think that’s one of the reasons that Donald Trump was elected president. I think that the people did not feel that the Obama administration was taking this idea of the safety of the country seriously.”

Demonising gay people for no rational reason at all is still as repugnant as ever …

We want your money, send us your money or “they” will outspend us …

This guy will now have plenty of time to read the bible …

  • GOP Legislator Sentenced to 220 Months in Jail for Bible School Kickback Scheme

The salad guy is back. Having previously claimed broccoli and celery, this week his “proof” is grapes …

  • Creationist Kent Hovind Now Says Grapes Are Proof That Evolution is False

Anti-science is still as popular as ever …

  • Baptist Preacher Denounces Vaccines Because He Has No Clue How They Work

No seriously, being opposed to basic science really is popular. Given this next item, I wonder if they will call upon a flat-earth believer to do their geography textbook reviews …

  • Arizona Asked a Young Earth Creationist to Review Evolution Teaching Standards

Yet more stories of Catholic Child abuse emerged, this time from Germany …

  • Church-Commissioned Report: German Catholic Priests Abused More Than 3,600 Kids

… and the lies and coverup still continue …

  • The Diocese of Buffalo Lied About How Many Priests Have Been Accused of Abuse

A GOP candidate rejects Medicaid expansion in order to drive people into religion  …

  • GOP House Candidate Rejected Medicaid Expansion So People Would Find God

Finally, just when you think nobody could be that stupid, up pops a group quite determined to prove you quite wrong about that …

  • Believers in this Growing Religion Think They Are Reincarnated Aliens

Highlight of the week

Religion continues to shrink and decline in the UK…

  • British Survey Says Only 2% of Young People Belong to the Church of England

Caution

I do feel obliged to add one final note of caution. Most humans are religious to some degree, it is part of our cultural inheritance. The majority also know that most of it is simply metaphor, ritual, and myth that binds us together. This posting is not about the vast majority who are generally quite reasonable and decent. Instead it is focused on those that take it all way too seriously and sail off over the horizon leaving reality far behind.

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