I think its parsing a bit when Tim distinguishes between the government and people. The people voted in the government who are people. The governments actions against native Americans? Blessed by the people, Jim Crow ? Blessed by the people. Look at the present, after nearly 8 years of Trump and 4 of them on the record he's got a great shot of being president again. Think about that he's devolving too! Yet the " people " are like yes we want more! Jill Lawrence has a great article in this publication about it. So if Trump wins the " government ", will do very bad things because nearly 80 million Americans would have signed up for it and blessed its actions. It's not like Trump isn't telling us what 2.0 would be like. Mr Johnson is correct in that the American character is deformed unfortunately he's got it backwards he ought to attend a Trump rally and watch the reaction of the " people ".
The danger is here in two forms of individuals who are sure they have God’s ear and also speak with God’s voice. Perhaps we would be better off to use the brains that came from someplace, be sparing but accurate in our criticism of the dead, and focus our criticism on our own limited thinking and repetitive behaviors.
"So there you go. The speaker of the House thinks that the prevalence of American teen bisexuals is a sign America is so depraved that it deserves God’s judgment and the best we can hope for is that he shows us mercy."
Note the outrageous double-standard. He obsesses over teen bisexuals, while considering Trump, who has broken every Commandment multiple times, a "Savior" sent by God himself.
Traditional critical thinking liberals and conservatives ought to seek an alliance to preserve an open society against both so-called far left and far right authoritarians. I believe we could argue effectively on the basis of the Sermon on the Mount as well as other teachings of Jesus that keeping women in a dependent and second-class status without rights to own property, as was the custom among the bronze age Israelites, is not even respectful let alone loving of mothers, wives, sisters or any female.
Moreover, the 2d Amendment has been inverted to promote oppression of different beliefs rather than protect the non-criminal practice of religious or other customs of diverse cultures in a single country or coalition of open societies.
Shared the well written article. The comparison and contrast between the 2 'sermons' was excellent.
In re some comments, we rightfully ought to distinguish between Old Testament Christians and followers of the New Testament; i.e., Christ-like Christians. The jealous and wrathful conception of God amongst ancient Hebrews does not apply to a loving God, the Father of Christ.
Mike Johnson lacks faith; he worships a religious institution and the interpreted “rules of faith.” He is passing judgment upon all that do not share his beliefs and his “faith” drives his decisions. This is why church and state are separate.
Do you mean rastafarians or is it pastafarians? I do love pasta.
but joking, aside, you are 100% correct. They insist people believe what they believe, but if that actually happened, they'd hate it, because then they wouldn't persecuted for their faith. (basically, they think everyone wants to destroy them for their true faith.) How you can control the government and also be persecuted is beyond me.
Thanks, Tim. That is a brilliant compare and contrast political analysis of two seemingly disparate statements. You provided me with a head slap ‘I could have had a V-8!” moment.
Dear Mr. Miller. The Bulwarks attention to Mike Johnson brings to mind a 6th century observation regarding Christianity.
I have met some honorable Christians and therefore cannot write anything against Christianity itself-only against those who have used it to their own ends and made a parade of holiness as a means to their own advancement. Fourteen centuries later, here we still are. For God’s sake.
I wonder if the Bulwarkian Christians are now to be considered Christian ‘vermin’? Long history of Christians doing for one another
Our modern prophets of judgment and destruction bring to mind two points. First, the acknowledged great prophets of Scripture , beginning with Moses, plead that they are not qualified to bring the Lord's message, and He has to reassure them He will give them the gifts they will need. I haven't seen anything like this humility in the moderns. Second, they all, both Left and Right, really relish the prospect of the destruction to come. It reminds me of Jonah. Everyone knows at least the outline of the first half of the story, the three days in the belly of the fish, although they likely do not know how or why Jonah ended up there. It's the fate he suffers for refusing and trying to escape God's commission to preach to the sinners in Nineveh. The second time he gets the orders, he does obey. He must have turned out to be one whale of a preacher! The people of Nineveh, including the king, do repent in sackcloth and ashes, and the Lord, as he often does, changes His mind about the destruction He had in mind for them. Seeing the success of his preaching, Jonah is really chapped; he was so looking forward to seeing righteous judgement visited on Nineveh. Now, he prays, "Just take me now". I fully expect our modern preachers of judgment and destruction will be equally frustrated.
It's okay to like or not like the Septum piercing, to each his own. I was just laughing that you specified you were Millennial as these things were done before you were probably born or old enough to care about it. It just struck me as funny, not a personal dig or anything. It's all good! :)
It makes me sick to think that the gop thought invading countries to spread democracy was “righteous” considering what it has become. Trump has America dangling from his fingers while the world watches because he is bastardizing every freedom afforded us. We have a Bible thumper as house speaker trying to move the hatred football another ten yards while again, the world watches.
Fundamentally, we loathe the people who strap on suicide vests in the name of Allah and/or 72 virgins while turning a blind eye to the countless children who get slaughtered in our schools - while the world watches.
And what are we doing to improve it? We allow MTG, Gaetz, and Fox News to drive the bus over a cliff because there’s money in it. Ordinary people working ordinary jobs send a portion of their paycheck to a multibillionaire who flies around on his own private airliner. These people slam anybody who dares to reach over the aisle to make America better. All while the world watches in horror.
We have over 100 Republican poll workers and the same amount of democrat poll workers working in every precinct in the country. The world watches us convince ourselves that all these republican poll workers in every precinct in every county over several states rolled over and let the democrats steal votes from the guy they wanted to win.
But here we are - the house speaker calling us the righteous ones - while the world laughs at us.
"I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave's point of view. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America! “I will not equivocate; I will not excuse;” I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just."
Thank-you Tim, great article!! In my life I have met more agnostics and atheists than religious people. That is because of my career at NASA.. I never heard any of them spewing hatred against anyone. I am of course agnostic. We are not depraved nor bad, just that we prefer to use our brains and be critical thinkers. That what Johnson and MAGAS hate besides women, blacks, gays, etc., Critical THINKERS. Johnson sounds more like a preacher than a government official. Well, we don't need pastors, we are not sheep.
I think its parsing a bit when Tim distinguishes between the government and people. The people voted in the government who are people. The governments actions against native Americans? Blessed by the people, Jim Crow ? Blessed by the people. Look at the present, after nearly 8 years of Trump and 4 of them on the record he's got a great shot of being president again. Think about that he's devolving too! Yet the " people " are like yes we want more! Jill Lawrence has a great article in this publication about it. So if Trump wins the " government ", will do very bad things because nearly 80 million Americans would have signed up for it and blessed its actions. It's not like Trump isn't telling us what 2.0 would be like. Mr Johnson is correct in that the American character is deformed unfortunately he's got it backwards he ought to attend a Trump rally and watch the reaction of the " people ".
The danger is here in two forms of individuals who are sure they have God’s ear and also speak with God’s voice. Perhaps we would be better off to use the brains that came from someplace, be sparing but accurate in our criticism of the dead, and focus our criticism on our own limited thinking and repetitive behaviors.
"So there you go. The speaker of the House thinks that the prevalence of American teen bisexuals is a sign America is so depraved that it deserves God’s judgment and the best we can hope for is that he shows us mercy."
Note the outrageous double-standard. He obsesses over teen bisexuals, while considering Trump, who has broken every Commandment multiple times, a "Savior" sent by God himself.
Quick follow-up.
Traditional critical thinking liberals and conservatives ought to seek an alliance to preserve an open society against both so-called far left and far right authoritarians. I believe we could argue effectively on the basis of the Sermon on the Mount as well as other teachings of Jesus that keeping women in a dependent and second-class status without rights to own property, as was the custom among the bronze age Israelites, is not even respectful let alone loving of mothers, wives, sisters or any female.
Moreover, the 2d Amendment has been inverted to promote oppression of different beliefs rather than protect the non-criminal practice of religious or other customs of diverse cultures in a single country or coalition of open societies.
Food for thought 🤔?
Shared the well written article. The comparison and contrast between the 2 'sermons' was excellent.
In re some comments, we rightfully ought to distinguish between Old Testament Christians and followers of the New Testament; i.e., Christ-like Christians. The jealous and wrathful conception of God amongst ancient Hebrews does not apply to a loving God, the Father of Christ.
Mike Johnson lacks faith; he worships a religious institution and the interpreted “rules of faith.” He is passing judgment upon all that do not share his beliefs and his “faith” drives his decisions. This is why church and state are separate.
Goddamn this is a terrific article. Tim needs to publish more stuff here!
Do you mean rastafarians or is it pastafarians? I do love pasta.
but joking, aside, you are 100% correct. They insist people believe what they believe, but if that actually happened, they'd hate it, because then they wouldn't persecuted for their faith. (basically, they think everyone wants to destroy them for their true faith.) How you can control the government and also be persecuted is beyond me.
Thanks, Tim. That is a brilliant compare and contrast political analysis of two seemingly disparate statements. You provided me with a head slap ‘I could have had a V-8!” moment.
Dear Mr. Miller. The Bulwarks attention to Mike Johnson brings to mind a 6th century observation regarding Christianity.
I have met some honorable Christians and therefore cannot write anything against Christianity itself-only against those who have used it to their own ends and made a parade of holiness as a means to their own advancement. Fourteen centuries later, here we still are. For God’s sake.
I wonder if the Bulwarkian Christians are now to be considered Christian ‘vermin’? Long history of Christians doing for one another
Our modern prophets of judgment and destruction bring to mind two points. First, the acknowledged great prophets of Scripture , beginning with Moses, plead that they are not qualified to bring the Lord's message, and He has to reassure them He will give them the gifts they will need. I haven't seen anything like this humility in the moderns. Second, they all, both Left and Right, really relish the prospect of the destruction to come. It reminds me of Jonah. Everyone knows at least the outline of the first half of the story, the three days in the belly of the fish, although they likely do not know how or why Jonah ended up there. It's the fate he suffers for refusing and trying to escape God's commission to preach to the sinners in Nineveh. The second time he gets the orders, he does obey. He must have turned out to be one whale of a preacher! The people of Nineveh, including the king, do repent in sackcloth and ashes, and the Lord, as he often does, changes His mind about the destruction He had in mind for them. Seeing the success of his preaching, Jonah is really chapped; he was so looking forward to seeing righteous judgement visited on Nineveh. Now, he prays, "Just take me now". I fully expect our modern preachers of judgment and destruction will be equally frustrated.
It's okay to like or not like the Septum piercing, to each his own. I was just laughing that you specified you were Millennial as these things were done before you were probably born or old enough to care about it. It just struck me as funny, not a personal dig or anything. It's all good! :)
It makes me sick to think that the gop thought invading countries to spread democracy was “righteous” considering what it has become. Trump has America dangling from his fingers while the world watches because he is bastardizing every freedom afforded us. We have a Bible thumper as house speaker trying to move the hatred football another ten yards while again, the world watches.
Fundamentally, we loathe the people who strap on suicide vests in the name of Allah and/or 72 virgins while turning a blind eye to the countless children who get slaughtered in our schools - while the world watches.
And what are we doing to improve it? We allow MTG, Gaetz, and Fox News to drive the bus over a cliff because there’s money in it. Ordinary people working ordinary jobs send a portion of their paycheck to a multibillionaire who flies around on his own private airliner. These people slam anybody who dares to reach over the aisle to make America better. All while the world watches in horror.
We have over 100 Republican poll workers and the same amount of democrat poll workers working in every precinct in the country. The world watches us convince ourselves that all these republican poll workers in every precinct in every county over several states rolled over and let the democrats steal votes from the guy they wanted to win.
But here we are - the house speaker calling us the righteous ones - while the world laughs at us.
This got a lot of grief in its day:
"I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave's point of view. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America! “I will not equivocate; I will not excuse;” I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just."
Excellent Tim, excellent!
Thank-you Tim, great article!! In my life I have met more agnostics and atheists than religious people. That is because of my career at NASA.. I never heard any of them spewing hatred against anyone. I am of course agnostic. We are not depraved nor bad, just that we prefer to use our brains and be critical thinkers. That what Johnson and MAGAS hate besides women, blacks, gays, etc., Critical THINKERS. Johnson sounds more like a preacher than a government official. Well, we don't need pastors, we are not sheep.