Clay Bennett for May 24, 2022

People find it very easy to fool themselves. And people in charge have a big REASON to do so when there’s trouble. And of course the folks who are ALREADY deluded in that they think they hear their god talking to them find it easiest of all.

I hope they are praying for forgiveness instead of hoping to escape the consequences of their actions and inactions!

Thoughts and prayers… for long sentences and time to reflect and repent after they have done their time.

It’s about time.

My favorite was a Southern Baptist I worked with who believed lightning was going to strike me down after I said I believed the bible was written by man, not the literal word of God. I also played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons at the time and he was always asking how the Devil Worshipping was going.

“The Preying Hands”

All of these religions might as well be upfront and include sexual predation in their tenets. Maybe make it their 11th commandment if there are horny old guys in charge so that everyone knows what they will be practicing.

What’s it take for these churchgoers to understand what is happening? Their “holy leaders” grift, scam, intimidate and literally use them. It’s a version of organized crime at the altar.

Any Church leader found guilty of anything will cry a little bit, pray some, ask for forgiveness,announce that the Lord has forgiven his sins, and be welcomed back into the fold.

Organized religion: producing hypocrites from day one.

Mere handcuffs? Jesus had a better idea, and an eminently cartoon-worthy one:“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6 KJV).

Secure those cuffs BEHIND the perp.

Just more evidence of the hypocrisy of organized religion – it’s pathetic that so many of the “righteous” and the “law & order” crowds are neither.

People who attend glass churches, shouldn’t throw stones

They’re the worst kind of proclaimed Christians…..

I get to jump your bones because God wills it.

Thank dog we are atheist.

Obviously the Catholic Church does not have a monopoly on such shenanigans, or hypocrisy.

Ah finally updating from Catholic priests to other denominations. It’s about time. Where ever there are men in power, there is going to be corruption, and abuse.

Preying hands.

Perverts come in all sizes, shapes, gender, political affiliation, wealth, etc, etc,etc,

“We’re gonna do a political rallly and we’re gonna honor Jesus…They’re not gonna tell us ‘separation of church and state.’ We are the church! We run this state!…The church runs the state of Georgia!”— GA gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor at rally

“Ye shall know them by their fruits” – Matt 7:16 KJV

What’s the big deal?

Catholic priests have been doing it for decades, maybe centuries.

Which TOTALLY proves that none of it happened.

.

Moreover, aren’t most of those Church Leaders Republican?

Everyone KNOWS: It’s OKAY If A Republican Does It!

Nice. Typically trenchant.

Effing hypocrites. Hateful, despicable, pious frauds. Sadly, all too typical of similar ‘religions.’

For those who missed it or were just too lazy to check for it in the news…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/southern-baptist-leaders-to-release-private-database-on-sex-abuse-revoke-ex-leader-s-benefits/ar-AAXES2Y

And it is simply a statement of fact that they are pushing to encourage the release of data and records regarding church and/or clergy’s abuses for the past few decades.

Suffer the little children…..but how is our biblical prosperity doing?

So, it seems the SBC kept a database of sexual predators, but did nothing about it. Hmmm.

Why?

Is that what Jesus would do? Methinks (IMO) fiscal practicality won the “do nothing” decision: see, they’d rather not have anything get in the way of their lucrative means of fleecing their flock.

Political parties sure as hell don’t like bad publicity, and neither do religions. After all, the business of both is to fool the masses while milking money from them. No wonder Republicans and (for example) Mormons are totally simpatico with each other. They are both avaricious, greedy for power, always seeking to expand, and exclusive in their selection of members and donors.

Sometimes, the really stupid religious nuts manage to screw themselves and their church by being brazenly indiscreet about their political motivations and hatred. As is the case with “Pastor” Greg Locke whose association with the Republican Party combined with his violent hatred of “demon” people means… ta-dahhhh! He loses his IRS Tax Exempt status.

https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-greg-locke-claims-he-gave-tax-exempt-status-church-1709615

https://www.rawstory.com/pastor-greg-locke-aborts-taxes/

https://crooksandliars.com/2022/05/crazed-pastor-greg-locke-loses-tax-exempt

I remember when there was the so-called “Value Voters” summit during the 2016 campaign, the Duck Dynasty guy (Phil Robertson) offered to baptize tЯц☠p. As he put it: “If you really want to see something wild, film it, Donald, film me baptizing you. The left-wingers will literally go crazy and the evangelicals will swarm you like a mighty thrall because then we would know we have God on our side.”

Yeah. Because “everyone knows” only card-carrying “Value Voters” and Talibangelicals have exclusive dibbs on patriotism and religion, with an inside track to heaven, right? Ya want proof? Look at how many Republican candidates have been told by “God” that they needed to run for office or commanded them to do something. And the Governor of KY said in that same “Value Voters” summit that “blood should be spilled at the tree of freedom” if tЯц☠p lost the election. What’s next, an outright seditious call for an insurrection in the name of “God”?

“Mark my words, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] Party, and they’re sure to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.”

- Barry Goldwater

CB…timely and perfect. Just what observant political tooning should be. What astounding “christian” hypocrites in the SBC, seduced by their own power and greed lust. The ugliest of righteousness. Think Jeeeezus would be proud of you? And the baldfaced hypocrisy of “Praying for Forgiveness”…nothing more than hope for a get out of jail card: “I sinned! But I admitted the crimes! I deserve forgiveness!” No, axxholes, you deserve to be in prison as “the new guy” and see how it is to be on the receiving end of “whorific” sex crimes. That eye for an eye thing…isn’t that in your “bible”? May the SBC be financially bankrupted (they’re already morally bankrupt) and all their self-righteous members be disillusioned with the truth about their lying, false prophet “leaders.”

There are two kinds of people I won’t do business with: those who wrap themselves in the flag and use “Patriot” in their name, and those who pretend to follow the Bible. If they need to advertise they are honest by claiming to be “Christian”, I put my hand over my wallet and escape as quickly as I can.

It’s Not Just Young White Liberals Who Are Leaving Religion

Only 47 percent of American adults said they were members of a church, mosque or synagogue, according to recently released polling that was conducted by Gallup throughout last year. It marked the first time that a majority of Americans said they were not members of a church, mosque or synagogue since Gallup first started asking Americans about their religious membership in the 1930s. Indeed, Gallup’s finding was a kind of watershed moment in the long-chronicled shift of Americans away from organized religion.

Only 60 percent of Americans who consider themselves religious are part of a congregation, compared to 70 percent a decade ago, according to Gallup. But the bigger factor, Gallup said, is the surge of religiously unaffiliated Americans — people who are agnostics, atheists or simply say they are not affiliated with a religious tradition. The rise of this group — sometimes referred to as “nones” because they answer “none” when asked about their faith (and, you know, it’s a play on words) — isn’t new.

By nearly all measures, the nones now represent at least a fifth of all American adults, rivaling Catholics and evangelical Christians as the nation’s largest cohort in terms of religious faith (or lack thereof). They are the fastest-growing religious/nonreligious cohort — the nones went from 12 percent of American adults in 1998 to 16 percent in 2008, to 24 percent in 2018, according to data from the General Social Survey. Gallup puts this group at about 21 percent. Pew Research Center says 26 percent. The Cooperative Election Study suggests their ranks are even larger, at about 32 percent.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/its-not-just-young-white-liberals-who-are-leaving-religion/#:~:text=People%20are%20leaving%20mainline%20Protestant%20churches%20and%20Catholicism,were%20a%20decade%20ago%2C%20according%20to%20GSS%20data.

Must have thought they were catholics.

From Durer to durance.

Too bad they did not investigate Baptist pastors and their adulterous relationship with parishioners.

It’s rather commonly realized that most people consider themselves to be Unitarian Universalists without knowing that UUs actually exist. Why? They don’t proselytize or send out “missionaries” and don’t spend their small amount of money on advertising.

What do they believe? That all the major religions have intrinsic worth and merit, and that it is up to the individual to find his or her own spiritual path. Their places of worship do exactly that, where like-minded people get together to talk about their issues and help one another in love and fellowship, without the icons, guilt, or invisible deities taking attendance. Their numbers include atheists, agnostics, jews, Buddhists, Wiccans, recovering Catholics, and Christians of every flavor.

Then again, UUs, as a bunch of educated, peaceful people not affiliated with specific religions, have been targeted many times before simply for being “liberals”.

If they stop looking down on people who aren’t the same race that they are, the SBC can do much better!!