As someone who doesn't drive due to a visual disability and rides a bike as primary means of transportation found out about this after health insurance refused to cover hospital bill after hit & run. (Broken rib and concussion, so not too bad)

Every horror people are rightfully angry about ICE doing in detention centers has happened to people locked up in jails and prisons associated with the criminal punishment system.

“Culture” can become an idol. As can “race,” “ancestry” and “patriotism.” Something that we worship. That isn’t God.

The Presidency isnt the only power that needs curbed. The Speaker of the House should not: - have essentially veto power over legislation by refusing to allow votes - be able to delay sitting a duly elected representative. -be able to effectively disband congress by going on recess. -etc.

Mike Johnson is the final end game for democracy. The legislative branch powers are now aggrandized to one quasi dictator who is working on behalf of an even bigger dictator in the White House.

I mean the deep logic of Toy Story is screwed up to begin with. At best it started with a heavy handed moral allegory about how good and nice boys respect their things and depraved boys blow them up. At worst it said things should be treated like people because they might have demons in them.

With all the discussion of "manliness" today. What makes a man a "man" is not his gender, or differences between him and women. What makes a man, a "man" is that he is mature and has self control unlike a "boy". (This true for women and girls as well) "Manliness" is not gender, it is maturity

the least masculine thing a man can do is judge another mans masculinity

The "masculinity" exemplified by Paxton or Miller is what the "masculinity" of prior eras sought to protect others from. (Of course the "masculinity" of prior eras often failed spectacularly at this, with exceptions built in on who was worth protecting, and what they were being protected from)

How has conservative American Christianity slid so far from the truth? In part, it is because we based our identities more on who/what we opposed rather than who/what we supported. Trump opposed our enemies, "the left" so we became his ally. (Without realizing that evil often fights evil)

If your idea of missionary work involves killing people then you are not a missionary for Christ. Especially if you then brag about it! In rare cases of self-defence you might have a weak argument for a killing. (A very weak argument) But multiple instances? No, there is no excuse.

Maybe the theological divide isn’t between conservative and progressive or Baptist and Catholic or complementarian and egalitarian or whatever but between those who are gracious and those who enjoy being big jerks. Every camp’s got them.

Realizing that the complaint about Democrats saying God is "non-binary" is both simpler and dumber than I initially thought. They likely hear "bi-sexual" when the term "non-binary" is used. This term conflation is seen in how they mistake "vegetarian" for "vegan" in the same diatribe.

These aren't considered positions, really—they're just triggers. Dog whistles. Conservatives like Paxton only use language like "All are welcome" when it's politically expedient to do so, but in reality they'd prefer for everyone who's different to just disappear and stop making them uncomfortable.

It should go without saying, but theologies that bestow the Imago Dei only on certain persons and not others are fundamentally anti-Christ. You are made in the image of the invisible God—who is spirit, not male—regardless of your diet or your chromosomes or whatever else.

The next "Great Awakening" in America will likely require a "Great Awokening" where the conservative church has to confront and repudiate the sins of its past, especially involving racism and bigotry.

I've been getting a little overwhelmed with the Trump DOJs frivolous investigations but this one somehow feels like a new level of awful. Trying to make even winning a Civil lawsuit against Trump a criminal offence.

CNN: The DOJ has launched a new criminal investigation into one of Trump's enemies, E. Jean Carroll. The source is telling CNN that the investigation now is focused on whether she committed perjury during her two civil lawsuits against the president.

There are a lot of people for whom their religion has little to do with truth or faith - or sacrifice or compassion - and everything to do with cultural belonging.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭17‬-‭18‬a ‭[NKJV‬‬] #bible #verseoftheday #dailyverse

Anyone else struck by the fact that many people complaining about "woke" politics are the same ones who probably use the "great awakenings" in American History as an example of our "Christian heritage". I doubt the similarity in these descriptions is a coincidence.

I mean, isn't it basic theology that God does not have a gender? This is pretty much the orthodox position. We refer to God with gendered pronouns cause human language is imprecise. Only Jesus has a gender, cause he was incarnated. Father is Gods role, not His gender.

Referring to image bearers of God as “illegals” on your political mailings is not the way to get me to vote for you.

Pope even "stayed in his lane" here. He focused on the societal and moral implications of how technology is used/implemented/owned. He didn't try to tell the what specific algorithm to use! Tech industry wants to be able to whatever they want, with nobody able to question them about it.

While I view Trump as an anti-Christ I am thinking in American history he should be described as the anti-T.R. Roosevelt. His presidency has reversed almost all of Roosevelt's legacy. National Parks, regulatory agencies, professionalizing civil service, pro-trust, etc.

When activism is a business, people with similar ideologies are competitors, not allies.

Hegseth uses religion as a bonding agent. That's all it means to him. Nothing else. The message is not important, only that they're all batting for the same team.

12. "Building for the common good means accepting the limits and weakness of humanity without considering them an error to be corrected"

You all are making a Baptist need to read an encyclical by the pope for reasons other than condemning it. How dare you! (Not liking the fact that I find myself more in agreement with the pope, than the "leaders" of my "denomination")

I don't know it was possible to make computers bad at math, but the dreamers in Silicon Valley managed to do it!

But a lot of you just *love* the emotional rush of punching at "the Israelis," and I'm sorry but I just don't believe that you aren't enjoying getting to take a swing at some Jews Being critical of Israel but not antisemitic does in fact mean not taking *pleasure* in attacking Israel

remember when computer speakers were psychic and could predict incoming phonecalls

Claiming that ChatGPT cites sources is like when someone says "It's in the Bible" but they're proof texting. Or someone misusing a data set. It might be in there. The source might say those words or info. But that doesn't mean it's correct. It doesn't mean the source argues that point.

A POSITIVE THOUGHT FOR TODAY Honestly, voting is like taking a bus. If there isn't one going exactly to your destination, you don't stay at home and sulk—you take the one going closest to where you want to be. We can vote better than they can cheat.

Seeing bluesky sharing the article about how porn created right wing politics is entertaining as many do not seem to realize some of the implications. If true, that article proves that porn is bad for society just like conservatives have been saying! (Just not quite in the way moat meant)

Even better, Companies Like Amazon and Microsoft essentially telling workers "you will get high marks for using this usage billed tool as much as possible" then being shocked that they used so much! This should not have surprised anyone! They incentivized wasting money.

most of the time when people want to compare modern christian theocracy to "sharia law," I'd like them to consider instead the history of repressive puritanism in modern western christianity instead.

There’s a real opportunity here for the church to shred this generational conflict by fostering inter-generational (and cross-partisan!) discourse while centering on the only thing that really binds us together: Jesus.

Maybe the issue is that the only college experience these journalists know is the "elite" schools. (And likely not even representative of many students at those "elite" schools) They dont have experience outside of their bubble and assume all colleges/universities are like what they experienced.

Becoming convinced that we need to limit the power of the speaker of the House as well as the executive branch so this can't happen. Trump could not have bypassed congress so effectively if Johnson was not using his power as speaker to support Trump.

Very good thread discussing MAGA and other extremists. Does not lose sight of their humanity, comes from a place of empathy, but also focuses on fighting against the extremism and once it is politically defeated, seeks/hopes to "redeem" its followers. This is the way.

I am not a lawyer, but WOW. This behavior completely upends the entire purpose of the grand jury.

Does your local tech company understand consent? > Yes! > Maybe later

Yet more evidence for my belief that MAGA is a religion that wears Christianity as a skinsuit and worships Trump as its god.

We need to limit the veto power of the president in cases where congress is countering a presidential action. 1. Presidential executive order. 2. Congress:"no you can't do that" 3. "Veto!" This has turned the veto power into a permission slip.

As someone who grew up in fundamentalist circles, this is needed. I would particularly be interested in an exploration of how fundamentalism went from a rejection of the "social gospel" to embracing their own version of it in MAGA.

I am more and more convinced that Trumps goal in his presidency is to erase the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt. -Eliminate the regulatory agencies. -patronage form of civil service. -destroying our national parks -allowing trusts (monopolies) -walking loudly, with a small stick. -etc.

In a similar vein I have come to loathe the singing of the national anthem and other "patriotic hymns" in church services. To have a July 4th church service is seesentially sacrilege in my view.

The myth of the Puritans being central to American History and our "christian nation" was taught to me as a child, as a BAPTIST. The same Puritans who exiled Roger Williams, made being a Baptist a crime, and whipped 2 Baptists for the "crime" of their beliefs.