Hey, isn’t that Achilles from the movie Troy? I had no idea he was Christian.
I am not at all surprised by the revelation that evangelical Christians think they’re waging a holy war against trans people. Now we have even more evidence, in the email lobbyists write to politicians, with both incessantly claiming that God is on their side.
“Under His wings,” one lobbyist wrote in an email. “The Devil never sleeps,” another person sent in an email chain about the distinction between gender and sex. “I pray for the 2nd coming more and more.”
These missives are part of a trove of leaked emails between South Dakota GOP Rep. Fred Deutsch, anti-trans lobbyists, and other state lawmakers about anti-trans policies that are filled with language so deeply religious that, at times, the communications read like scripts from The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s the language, one expert told VICE News, of Christian nationalists who believe they’re engaging in a holy war.
The way these people talk to each other…it’s all Bible references and piety, while they’re advocating to increase the suffering of children. For someone like me, who is rather firmly anti-religious, it’s repulsive.
The repeated notes about “blessings” and “prayers,” as well as sign-offs like “God bless you” and “Under His wings,” proliferate throughout the emails, which frequently reference explicit religious motivations for targeting trans people.
“Know that many have prayed and are praying for you this day. Do not back down, nor should you be afraid. Know that the Lord is with you. The children of South Dakota belong to him. He is jealous over them. Let his jealousies be spoken forth in the House of Representatives of South Dakota today so that his children would be made safe. Know you are HIS representative today. Do not be afraid. Stand firm in what is right,” wrote Vernadette Broyles, a lawyer and president of the Georgia-based Children and Parental Rights Campaign, which mobilizes against “gender ideology,” in 2020.
They can’t muster a good argument or a rational defense for their behavior, so they resort to claiming Biblical authority. It’s lazy and stupid and done for an evil purpose, and damn the evidence. For the Bible tells me so (which it doesn’t, actually — most of this stuff is interpolation and reading their biases into the text) is all they’ve got.
Emails from 2020 show right-wing lobbyists and politicians rejoicing after Idaho passed two anti-trans bills. One of the bills, which is still being fought by the ACLU, bans trans women and girls from girls’ sports, and is rooted in the myth that trans women have a leg up in sports, though evidence has consistently stated the opposite. “Dear Friends,” wrote Young, the Idaho representative, “I cannot thank you enough for your help and support! It is official—Governor Little signed both H500 and H509 today! Many tears and prayers of gratitude! The fight goes on!” Young sent the email to nearly 30 people, some of whom have also lobbied against abortion, including Deutsch.
It’s the same story with the abortion holy war. It’s all based on emotional biases and ignorance, bolstered by a misreading of their holy book. I bet if we had a trove of email from anti-abortion lobbyists and politicians, it would be full of the same sickening god-talk.
It’s also driven by paranoia and a persecution complex. They actually believe that trans people are an overwhelming powerful force bent on destroying a tiny band of Christian martyrs, so they need to eradicate them first.
“Stopping the existence of transgender people and the acceptance of trans people in the public sphere is to them some sort of religious imperative,” Lecaque told VICE News.“It’s particularly fascinating that this group that has all this money, control in state legislatures, control of the house, they had a presidency, is acting like somehow they are David in the struggle.”
None of this is particularly surprising, and none of it is new. Today’s Christian nationalists believe that America is an inherently holy, Christian land, and that it’s their duty to restore God’s kingdom in order for Jesus to return. Part of this means that they think the country’s laws, policies and cultural institutions should reflect evangelical Christian values, VICE News previously reported. As a result, contentious cultural and political issues, like drag queen story hours and “critical race theory” are perceived as Satanic. Indeed, the Devil came up in the leaked emails.
“I completely agree that it is Christian Nationalism, although I tend to refer to it as religious extremism,” Shupe said in an email to VICE News. “Christian Nationalists are a danger to the LGBTQ population, and society in general: a genuine threat to people’s lives and safety. They feign compassion while doing everything possible to strip us of our civil rights and ability to safely exist and participate in society.”
Yes! Christianity is the poison in America’s veins. It’s everywhere. It is the Goliath that you find imbedded in every city, every small town, and every little farm across the country.
It’s not the only cause for the prejudice, though. I have to wonder about the atheists who are happily siding with religious extremists to condemn the trans ‘agenda’.
Jesus has wings?
Right-wings around the world are about them. They say they are about their holy works, or patriotism, but only because they fool themselves to believe their holy works and countries have their values.
In particular, the American “Christian” right reject the values that the Bible depicts Jesus Christ of having, and it rejects the values set in the preamble of the Constitution. It likes authoritarianism that excludes everybody not like themselves.
From the same Vice news site that has the story linked inthe OP here :
https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d378d/anti-trans-bills-2023
Plus :
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjv45x/florida-banning-treatment-for-trans-adults-gender-affirming-care
Also :
https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7bjvq/south-dakota-forced-detransitioning
Yeah, they are genocidal and want to wipe trans people out – and they’ll move onto the rest of the Queer community immediately afterwards – if not simultaneously.
Not only non-Christian but also very bisexual being famously the lover of Patroclus in the original Illiad by the original Homer -if that hellenic Poet actually existed. The movie, perhaps not so surprisingly if disappointing made the lovers into cousins – and, well, not lovers. Because of course..
StevoR @3 quotes the VICE News piece further:
Missouri too I’m afraid. There are now two anti-trans bills, one to deny gender-affirming health care to minors, and another to limit participation in sports. Our fundie governor won’t say yet whether he’ll sign them; he says that he hasn’t seen the bills yet, which I doubt. My guess is that, at least, he sees the need to pretend to be rational and not just prideful and hateful.
SteveR@3 making people cousins who weren’t originally can be dangerous. The old ’90s Sailor Moon dub made a couple of characters who were girlfriends in the original into cousins, which made their relationship odder than if they’d just said they were friends.
As for this Lord person, the description of the children of South Dakota being his, and him being “jealous” over them, makes him sound like a potential child abuser. Maybe they should be investigating him.
Christians in US, Muslims in Iran etc, Hindus in India…. yet most of the people I’ve known who claim they are one of these hav been really fine folks. I think the overwhelming thing the arseholes have in common is shoutiness. Did I just hear someone say “Hitchins”?
How often do you see xian and hate in the same sentence these days?
Almost all the time.
xian hate pastor. xian hate church. xian hate.
It’s their brand identity these days and it has its problems.
Hate is an all time best seller but it isn’t what many people want to spend their life on.
To be sure, there is also a large (or maybe not very large?) group of xians who oppose the fundies.
The local Methodist church has a female head pastor and posters everywhere proclaiming their doctrine of “Radical Inclusion”. I’m sure Trans people wouldn’t have a problem there.
Because I’m a sniveling liberal, afraid of offending any the primitive, sub-human, savages that believe in the supernatural rather than accepting the reality that is our purposeless, materialistic universe.
If Christians are wondering why young people are leaving in droves, they ought to look in the mirror. Their increasingly overt bigotry is pulling them down.
These anti-Trans children laws targeting their gender affirming health care are…unconstitutional.
They’ve already lost in court in Alabama and Arkansas.
They violate the 14th amendment’s equal protection under the law rule and also the Due Process rule.
I’m sure most of the state legislators know this.
At this point, it is xian virtue signaling. They all hate the same things so that makes them good xians or something.
Hmm, they frequently sign “Under His wings”. So, God has wings, man is made in his image, so where are your wings, demon?
They also claim, while 7 out of 10 people disagree with them, that they’re a majority, claim divine protection and threaten to use firearms to enforce their Taliban rule.
Logic, math and reason are beyond them, thankfully, so is quality marksmanship. Having shared a range with such idiots, I’ve found that the safest place on the range is behind their target. Figuring that out, I always swiftly depart and now only patronize ranges that only allow sane marksmanship, ejecting yahoos and banning them.
But, seeing their imagery is entertaining, as their exemplar is a Greek polytheistic bisexual man.
Worrying is, these people want to gain enough authority to control our nukes.
… imbedded [sic] in every city, every small town, and every little farm …
Not quite: I know of more than a few little farms run by pagan, agnostic, and atheist little farmers.
Same as science holy war, same as historical holy war, same as political holy war, and others.
I believe someone said they were henceforth referring to these people as ‘Nationalist Christians’ or Nat Cs for short.
cates: IIRC, that was Mrs. Betty Bowers.
This is entirely accurate. You nailed it better than I ever could.
Chigau @ 1
Jesus is a member of that winged people in Flash Gordon.
.
Historically “God is on our side” is a statement rarely followed by success.
Gott Strafe England!
@1 chigau (違う) said: Jesus has wings?
my reply: yes, of course, but they only come in barbeque!
And, all we need to stem the epidemic violence in this country is “thoughts and payers”
I do feel sad for all those unfortunate people in the united stats whose lives were destroyed by the fossil fueled climate disasters. Except for those who ignore the emergency crews that plucked them from certain death and then say ‘god saved us’. What about your other ‘righteous’ neighbors, why did god murder them??? Logic and honesty elude these Nat Cs.
Whoa! I just read on Scheerpost.com: ‘We’re not going to fix it’ says GOP congressAhole after Nashville shooting. Rep. Tim Burchett’s remark about stopping gun massacres is in stark contrast to his remarks about drag shows: “Dadgummit, we don’t put up with that crap in Tennessee”
– – – I shriek, “Help, we’re locked in this nationwide insane asylum.”
OOPS, sorry miskeyed: not thoughts and payers, meant to say: thoughts and prayers
A little less than two years ago, I was forced into a disturbing revelation. A disturbingly large minority of the “skeptical” community embraces the outright transphobia that is the “gender critical” movement, including skeptics whom I had once admired. Since then, I have drifted further away.
Condemning all Christians based on the actions of right wingers is no better than it would be to condemn all atheists based on those who are anti-trans, anti-feminist or libertarian. Inclusive, liberal Christian churches exist. We shouldn’t alienate our allies on social issues by tarring them with the same brush as the repulsive, hate-filled conservatives.
I second @charley
A frightening thing is the utter confidence with which these religidiots spout complete nonsense.
@22 charley said: Condemning all Christians based on the actions of right wingers is no better than it would be to condemn all atheists, etc.
I reply: charley, I understand and accept your good intentions. I have posted my position here and it is as in our published books: We appreciate and respect anyone’s honest, caring decent attitudes and actions. But, we cannot accept nor respect the irrational, supernatural, fantasy religious beliefs people hold. Almost all religions have some good tenets. But, religion has a long tradition of being the most murderous, destructive force in history. We rate it right up there with abusive, destructive Crapitallism.
@ 22
As an atheist, I will NEVER trust a theist–regardless of how “nice” they make their filthy superstitions sound. Mainstream Christianity only provides cover to the theocrats.
@ 23
Sorry, but I feel that’s redundant.
@ 22
As an atheist, I will NEVER trust a theist–regardless of how “nice” they make their filthy superstitions sound. Mainstream Christianity only provides cover to the theocrats.
@ 23
Sorry, but I feel that’s redundant.
Well, religion and unrestrained capitalism have gone hand in hand throughout history to acquire undeserved, unrivaled power, using the most abusive and destructive means available.
I’ve caught more than a few admit as much with one sentence: “I can do whatever I want to”, while in a position of power and operating under color of office.
That’s precisely why we’ve put regulations and laws in place, history has shown that without those laws and regulations, things come utterly off of the rails. Alas, that’s something Libertarians refuse to acknowledge or even learn about, being in their echo chamber filled ivory towers.
OT but not by much.
Another classic example of xian rot.
This bill only applies to minors.
It is still very likely unconstitutional. It turns the state of Idaho into a prison for its residents.
It is also almost totally unenforceable. People travel all the time.
How is the state of Idaho going to know when a minor gets an abortion in the next state? They won’t unless someone rats them out and even then, where is the evidence for a court case. In an incinerator in Washington state.
“How is the state of Idaho going to know…”
If you’re female, you’ll have to prove you’re not pregnant to leave the state.
If you’re male, you’ll have to prove you really are a male to leave the state.
And require a male family member to escort them while traveling.
If it works for the Afghan Taliban, it’s good enough for the Christian Taliban.
@29. raven : First good to see you back commenting here. Hope you are okay.
Second and far less happily – how willthey know? Basically by doing what Stalin did and having snitches and informants and putting every potentially child bearing human under suspicion and control. neigbours telling on them even family. Any hint of pregancy or loss thereof reported. Maybe compulsory registration with the authorities who get to decide and determine thefates of theri
cattlechattel subjects. Whilst genociding all the queeer ones.Didn’t tehyalreayd have bills preend of Roe Vs Wade at the hands of Trump’s treason SCOTUS essentially doing that and deputising all the males to sue and inform on and remove the choices for all and any pregant people?
PS. Oh & religious / morality people similar to the one’s used in Iran to enforce “proper” hijab use etc.. in the new Christian theocracy they are seeking to create. Gilad made real in essence.
^ That’s religious morality police natch. Gilead (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale#Setting )
These laws being the one’s I thinking of here :
Source : https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/us/abortion-law-regulations-texas.html
&
Source : https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/07/in-the-gops-new-surveillance-state-everyones-a-snitch/
Landa da free, homo da brave! These authoritarian Christian Supremacist fascists are working on making their sick fantasies and everyone else’s nightmares happen already.
Stevo R @ 34
Isn’t “Landa” the name of the SS officer in “Inglorious Basterds” ? Apt.
… Also, Hugo Boss made much cooler uniforms than whatever the religious police in Saudi Arabia or Iran is using.
They are fascists. =|
This is horrifying. At work I’ve gotten a reputation as the “safe tech” for the trans* customers to come to for hormones, syringes etc. and I’m worried sick about them :< Plus, the inevitable extension of this is that anyone who…how would they put this, “aids and abets gender treason” or something? — would end up in whatever blacklist or gulag or death camp these nuts end up creating.
This is seriously frightening. I’m really hoping my bid for emigration to Canada works out, because I just can’t stay in this country any longer. I am done.
didn’t “we” do this kind of government a long time ago In the early colonial period by the puritans?
this time the manipulators are easier to see, ie. the rich and powerful.