DebbieM-you are soooo right!!! Thank you!!!! All of MAGA have absolutely proven, with this horrible excusing and ‘splaining away such blasphemy, all of maga has duly sold out their very souls, or what little is even left of the ones who had even a teeny bit of soul left.
Gone now!!!! To still, after trump performs literally himself being Jesus, and MAGA ALL KNOWS trump DID MEAN EXACTLY THAT, in trump’s picture portraying himself as Jesus!!! All MAGA knows full well trump truly does perceive his own worthless person to truly BE “as” Jesus and that picture was totally done with utmost intentionality and all MAGA duly knows this!!!! THAT IS blasphemy all you fake christian’s!!!!! Look up the definition if any maga can actually read or even have a bible for more than just show!!!!! All of maga and their coterie of fake christian leaders and sycophantic followers, need be more than ashamed!!!!!! Maybe they all should ask the God in heaven they wear sooo loudly and in our faces for their fake “being a christian” performances, what the true and real God up in heaven, watching all this, does in fact truly “think of all this”!!!!
Great post in pointing out how utterly vacuous MAGA influencers are. It's beyond pathetic. I personally thought the post was stupid, but insignificant. I mean, if that's the proverbial straw that upsets one's moral sensibility, then there wasn't much there in the first place. Trump has mocked a disabled person-- not as satire or comedy-- out of spite and meanness, talked about grabbing women's privates, been found liable for sexual assault, been found guilty on 34 felony counts, and has been banned from running charities in NY because of fraud. MAGA has been just fine with all of that. But, a post of himself as Jesus-- whoa!!! That's a bridge too far! Really? FFS, these people are just as hollow morally and ethically as the worst cinematic sociopath. Well done, Mike. It exposes how their "faith" is nothing but an instrument to subvert what they don't like. Beyond that, there's no conviction, nothing. Period. F*ck 'em all.
You have to realize they have been mislead by some of the so called “pastors” in their churches who justify and excuse Trump and his minions behavior. Yes, they have been conned, and sadly they seem to ascribe to an authoritarian hierarchy with God at the top, seeking personal salvation (and living in fear of going to hell) and completely missing the centrality of grace.
Very good point. And I commend you for exhibiting more grace with them than they would ever consider for an opponent. In the scenario you describe, I think their behavior exhibits the ease of which they embrace motivated reasoning. And that being the case, I doubt there was much true morality or ethics behind their faith in the first place, other than those of wanting to eliminate everything they disagree with. If faith is a given in the world (I truly wish it weren't), then the world needs more Reggie Whites and fewer Riley Gaines :-)
Living in the south a few years would teach a lot of northerners how phony the "Bible Belt" is. Even those who really believe the basics of the Jesus story still use their religion as a cudgel against those who don't conform to their beliefs, and they LOVE money and power over others.
Mike...Trump's MAGA fans do not understand what real patriotism is. I had a NUN who taught American History explain very concisely what it is, and I still quote her...more than fifty years later: Patriotism is not America right or wrong. It's America when it's right, I'll cheer for it, and when it's wrong, I'll speak up and work to fix it. She was an amazing woman who also cried when she taught us about child labor.
Once your only moral and political compass is personal wealth, everything in your life becomes a profit motivated transaction. Maga are whores. And as the late great wit Dorothy Parker said: you can lead a whore to culture but you can’t make them think.
I always value whatever message you express every day. And to think that a month or so I had never heard of you! Now I check for your videos or columns as soon as I go online every day!!
Great article I enjoyed reading. I will not sell my soul for any politician ever and hope if I do ignore things like this in someone I follow that I will be called out! Something is lost in MAGA it’s their soul!
The sad thing is, most of these devout Christians subscribe to the theology of the Antichrist as the precursor of Jesus’ return—but they are worshipping the closest example of the “Antichrist” archtype I have seen. They have swallowed the koolaid of Trump’s cult and don’t even recognize it. I say this as a practicing, theologically trained and devout Christian—who thinks that the “antichrist” is a misinterpretation and distortion of Biblical scripture, invented to create separation of “good” and “bad” limiting who gets to go to Heaven.
Any minister, priest or member of the clergy who preaches anything other than peace and brotherhood has bought into the notion of evangelism as a for profit business. You can't read the Commandments or certainly not the Beatitudes and support violence, discrimination, and racism.
I wrote this the other day on your Catholic column, and it’s just as true today in response to your current column as it was then.
“I don’t wonder if there are any MAGAts that can look at this and just say, “well, that’s just Trump being Trump.“ they are determined to be conned, and there’s really not much that can be done about them..
And why do I say that, apart from the obvious? All anybody who’s interested needs to do is this: Google “ picture of Jesus in a white robe with a red cloak.” the vast majority of the images that show up are Jesus in a white robe with a red cloak or shawl.
In short, this was intentional.
Now whether it was intentional because this half of a man is rapidly descending into dementia, or it was intentional because he wanted to see how far he could provoke and poke his followers, because that demonstrates his power over them no matter what he does, or because he believes his own press kit and sees himself as the second coming of Jesus…
Who the hell knows? All I can say is that Biden stumbled at a debate, and the next day his campaign was toast. Trump does something as blasphemous as this, and the religious MAGAtous attitude seems to be not to worry about it.
So either we have an epidemic of mental illness in this country, or a cult that will follow him right down to the punch bowl of Kool-Aid, or they really don’t care about blasphemy as much as they care about using their religion to have power over other people.”
Back to today, at least briefly: Personally, as far as I can tell, they have sold out their souls, their intellectual integrity, and their morality, because what they are really interested in this power, money, and Dominion over people that they cannot be bothered to care about because of their minds, that makes them weak.
I’m absolutely sure that none of this is a surprise. I’ve written about it here many times. That was what my entire essay on the insurrection was about. from that essay, now nearly five years old:
“My conclusion? Looking at what people do, rather than what they say they are doing, provides much better information about who they really are. His base just wants a con man, a sociopath, a criminal, a manipulator, and unfortunately, a strong man to guide them and embody their aspirations. That's all there is to it, and nothing more. But how anyone could look at a venal, corrupt, dishonest, bullying, weak, lying narcissist like Trump, a self-confessed sexual abuser, and see strength, is beyond me.
But therein lies the answer as to how we got to this point. Not to put too fine a point on it, but nearly half the this nation is ethically crippled, reality challenged, intellectually deranged, educationally debased, empathetically destitute, morally lazy at best and morally bankrupt at worst. No nation has ever survived this, nor can it, unless the other half stays vigilant and active.
Why are they this way? I think the answer is found in ONE word: DESPITE.
In his most Catholic books, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson writes about DESPITE for three very long, excellent novels. It is the essence of evil. Loosely defined: “I’m better than you, and so whatever I do, you simply don’t matter. I will make sure that you know it.” So, another word for it is CONTEMPT. It has a lot more meanings than just that, but that is what LBJ was talking about when he said: “I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
I couldn’t have said this better myself. It’s just amazing that this person is still the POTUS. I’m still finding it hard to absorb that. He should’ve been in a straight jacket long before now, along with his enablers. And yet, he attacks the Pope and portrays himself as JESUS with absolutely no remorse whatsoever. And tries to convince the rest of the world that he’s the only one who’s sane. SMH.
MAGA International is showing its cracks, too. The Italian far-right leader, Georgia Milani, took Trump to task for his attacks on the Pope. The Prime Minister-elect of Hungary, Peter Magyar, called out his predecessor's use of government finances to fund C-PAC conferences.
Isn't the first rule of medicine is to "do no harm"? Trump has harmed everyone and everything he touches his entire life. He is The Destroyer. If he were a doctor, he would lose his license in a heartbeat. He is becoming more diabolical by the day. About all that's left for him to do is openly worship Satan. Southpark has advance notice on that--not far from the truth. His "intercourse" with Satan has birthed a group of people so blinded by and in the grasp of the devil, they can't find their tongues to condemn the obvious. Eventually his "cup of evil" will be full and he will get what he so richly deserves.
They've ALL sold their souls - many times over.
Assuming they had them to sell :-)
only second hand souls
I think you need a soul to sell one. As Billy Preston sang, nothing from nothing leaves nothing.
Tim Tash-AMEN for sure!!!!! God will indeed have his day-just wish it could be sooner more than later!!!!
Thanks for reminding me that yes, “nothing from nothing leaves nothing”!!! Great song by the way!!!
And truly “nothing” is exactly on point here!!!!
JoJoK
DebbieM-you are soooo right!!! Thank you!!!! All of MAGA have absolutely proven, with this horrible excusing and ‘splaining away such blasphemy, all of maga has duly sold out their very souls, or what little is even left of the ones who had even a teeny bit of soul left.
Gone now!!!! To still, after trump performs literally himself being Jesus, and MAGA ALL KNOWS trump DID MEAN EXACTLY THAT, in trump’s picture portraying himself as Jesus!!! All MAGA knows full well trump truly does perceive his own worthless person to truly BE “as” Jesus and that picture was totally done with utmost intentionality and all MAGA duly knows this!!!! THAT IS blasphemy all you fake christian’s!!!!! Look up the definition if any maga can actually read or even have a bible for more than just show!!!!! All of maga and their coterie of fake christian leaders and sycophantic followers, need be more than ashamed!!!!!! Maybe they all should ask the God in heaven they wear sooo loudly and in our faces for their fake “being a christian” performances, what the true and real God up in heaven, watching all this, does in fact truly “think of all this”!!!!
JoJoK
They sure did and still continue to do so all of it being paid by us.
Great post in pointing out how utterly vacuous MAGA influencers are. It's beyond pathetic. I personally thought the post was stupid, but insignificant. I mean, if that's the proverbial straw that upsets one's moral sensibility, then there wasn't much there in the first place. Trump has mocked a disabled person-- not as satire or comedy-- out of spite and meanness, talked about grabbing women's privates, been found liable for sexual assault, been found guilty on 34 felony counts, and has been banned from running charities in NY because of fraud. MAGA has been just fine with all of that. But, a post of himself as Jesus-- whoa!!! That's a bridge too far! Really? FFS, these people are just as hollow morally and ethically as the worst cinematic sociopath. Well done, Mike. It exposes how their "faith" is nothing but an instrument to subvert what they don't like. Beyond that, there's no conviction, nothing. Period. F*ck 'em all.
You have to realize they have been mislead by some of the so called “pastors” in their churches who justify and excuse Trump and his minions behavior. Yes, they have been conned, and sadly they seem to ascribe to an authoritarian hierarchy with God at the top, seeking personal salvation (and living in fear of going to hell) and completely missing the centrality of grace.
Very good point. And I commend you for exhibiting more grace with them than they would ever consider for an opponent. In the scenario you describe, I think their behavior exhibits the ease of which they embrace motivated reasoning. And that being the case, I doubt there was much true morality or ethics behind their faith in the first place, other than those of wanting to eliminate everything they disagree with. If faith is a given in the world (I truly wish it weren't), then the world needs more Reggie Whites and fewer Riley Gaines :-)
Living in the south a few years would teach a lot of northerners how phony the "Bible Belt" is. Even those who really believe the basics of the Jesus story still use their religion as a cudgel against those who don't conform to their beliefs, and they LOVE money and power over others.
Sing on! I grew up in the South, which is why I probably don't have a lot patience for faith-based hypocrisy of any kind.
"The proverbial straw that upsets one's moral sensibility, then there wasn't much there in the first place."
THIS!!!!!!!!!
Mike...Trump's MAGA fans do not understand what real patriotism is. I had a NUN who taught American History explain very concisely what it is, and I still quote her...more than fifty years later: Patriotism is not America right or wrong. It's America when it's right, I'll cheer for it, and when it's wrong, I'll speak up and work to fix it. She was an amazing woman who also cried when she taught us about child labor.
Once your only moral and political compass is personal wealth, everything in your life becomes a profit motivated transaction. Maga are whores. And as the late great wit Dorothy Parker said: you can lead a whore to culture but you can’t make them think.
They’re all nihilists. No core values or principles; just allegiance to whatever or whomever they believe will bring them the most money and fame.
I think of this whenever someone says, "We need to be more like the Republicans! We need to fight dirty!"
No. We need to keep reminding people that we're better than that.
I always value whatever message you express every day. And to think that a month or so I had never heard of you! Now I check for your videos or columns as soon as I go online every day!!
If "Dr. Trump" is the "Great Healer", why does the United States still not have healthcare for all?
This "physician" needs to heal himself, both in mind and body.
Great article I enjoyed reading. I will not sell my soul for any politician ever and hope if I do ignore things like this in someone I follow that I will be called out! Something is lost in MAGA it’s their soul!
The sad thing is, most of these devout Christians subscribe to the theology of the Antichrist as the precursor of Jesus’ return—but they are worshipping the closest example of the “Antichrist” archtype I have seen. They have swallowed the koolaid of Trump’s cult and don’t even recognize it. I say this as a practicing, theologically trained and devout Christian—who thinks that the “antichrist” is a misinterpretation and distortion of Biblical scripture, invented to create separation of “good” and “bad” limiting who gets to go to Heaven.
Any minister, priest or member of the clergy who preaches anything other than peace and brotherhood has bought into the notion of evangelism as a for profit business. You can't read the Commandments or certainly not the Beatitudes and support violence, discrimination, and racism.
I wrote this the other day on your Catholic column, and it’s just as true today in response to your current column as it was then.
“I don’t wonder if there are any MAGAts that can look at this and just say, “well, that’s just Trump being Trump.“ they are determined to be conned, and there’s really not much that can be done about them..
And why do I say that, apart from the obvious? All anybody who’s interested needs to do is this: Google “ picture of Jesus in a white robe with a red cloak.” the vast majority of the images that show up are Jesus in a white robe with a red cloak or shawl.
In short, this was intentional.
Now whether it was intentional because this half of a man is rapidly descending into dementia, or it was intentional because he wanted to see how far he could provoke and poke his followers, because that demonstrates his power over them no matter what he does, or because he believes his own press kit and sees himself as the second coming of Jesus…
Who the hell knows? All I can say is that Biden stumbled at a debate, and the next day his campaign was toast. Trump does something as blasphemous as this, and the religious MAGAtous attitude seems to be not to worry about it.
So either we have an epidemic of mental illness in this country, or a cult that will follow him right down to the punch bowl of Kool-Aid, or they really don’t care about blasphemy as much as they care about using their religion to have power over other people.”
Back to today, at least briefly: Personally, as far as I can tell, they have sold out their souls, their intellectual integrity, and their morality, because what they are really interested in this power, money, and Dominion over people that they cannot be bothered to care about because of their minds, that makes them weak.
I’m absolutely sure that none of this is a surprise. I’ve written about it here many times. That was what my entire essay on the insurrection was about. from that essay, now nearly five years old:
“My conclusion? Looking at what people do, rather than what they say they are doing, provides much better information about who they really are. His base just wants a con man, a sociopath, a criminal, a manipulator, and unfortunately, a strong man to guide them and embody their aspirations. That's all there is to it, and nothing more. But how anyone could look at a venal, corrupt, dishonest, bullying, weak, lying narcissist like Trump, a self-confessed sexual abuser, and see strength, is beyond me.
But therein lies the answer as to how we got to this point. Not to put too fine a point on it, but nearly half the this nation is ethically crippled, reality challenged, intellectually deranged, educationally debased, empathetically destitute, morally lazy at best and morally bankrupt at worst. No nation has ever survived this, nor can it, unless the other half stays vigilant and active.
Why are they this way? I think the answer is found in ONE word: DESPITE.
In his most Catholic books, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson writes about DESPITE for three very long, excellent novels. It is the essence of evil. Loosely defined: “I’m better than you, and so whatever I do, you simply don’t matter. I will make sure that you know it.” So, another word for it is CONTEMPT. It has a lot more meanings than just that, but that is what LBJ was talking about when he said: “I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
Back to today: that pretty mich sums it up.
I couldn’t have said this better myself. It’s just amazing that this person is still the POTUS. I’m still finding it hard to absorb that. He should’ve been in a straight jacket long before now, along with his enablers. And yet, he attacks the Pope and portrays himself as JESUS with absolutely no remorse whatsoever. And tries to convince the rest of the world that he’s the only one who’s sane. SMH.
Very well and thoroughly stated! Thank you for your what you are doing here.
MAGA International is showing its cracks, too. The Italian far-right leader, Georgia Milani, took Trump to task for his attacks on the Pope. The Prime Minister-elect of Hungary, Peter Magyar, called out his predecessor's use of government finances to fund C-PAC conferences.
Isn't the first rule of medicine is to "do no harm"? Trump has harmed everyone and everything he touches his entire life. He is The Destroyer. If he were a doctor, he would lose his license in a heartbeat. He is becoming more diabolical by the day. About all that's left for him to do is openly worship Satan. Southpark has advance notice on that--not far from the truth. His "intercourse" with Satan has birthed a group of people so blinded by and in the grasp of the devil, they can't find their tongues to condemn the obvious. Eventually his "cup of evil" will be full and he will get what he so richly deserves.