Rep. Mike Johnson, the newly elected Republican House speaker, used to conduct a seminar in churches premised on the idea that the United States is a ā€œChristian nation.ā€ This ministry, as he has referred to it, is yet more evidence that Johnson is committed to a hardcore Christian fundamentalism that shapes his views of politics and government.

The seminar, titled ā€œAnswers for Our Times: Government, Culture, and Christianity,ā€ was organized by Onward Christian Education Services, Inc., a company owned by his wife, Kelly Johnson, a Christian counselor and anti-abortion activist who calls herself a ā€œleader in the pro-family movement.ā€ The website for her counseling serviceā€”which was taken down shortly after Johnson became speakerā€”described the seminar, which featured both her and Johnson, as exploring several questions, such as, ā€œWhat is happening in America and how do we fix it?ā€ The list includes this query: ā€œCan our heritage as a Christian nation be preserved?ā€ There were different versions of the seminar running from two-hour-long lectures to retreats lasting two days.

    • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)@badatbeing.social
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      1 year ago

      Agreed. We need to start enforcing the separation of Church and State. A politician shouldnā€™t be pushing policy based on some religious belief. Not everyone in the US is Christian, and then among those that do identify as such, you have a hundred branches of groups that didnā€™t like something the trunk was doing and branched off to do their own thing. Basing any policy on something that sub group canā€™t even agree upon seems insane.

      Every time these people come out and say we need to do xyz because of some religious belief they have, that policy should be null and void on the spot and that person removed from office.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        To paraphrase many othersā€¦those religious rules are for the believers in that religion, not for others. If Iā€™m not in their little book club, I simply donā€™t care what their ā€œgodā€ says, nor do I ever have to be concerned with it, ever. Only they have to listen to their ā€œgodā€. But there is no fun in that for those afflicted with the authoritarian mindset - they want to busybody others and be full-time Karens for everyone in the nation, if not the world.

        The freedom of others to not only outright ignore their little bookclubā€™s rules, but also to mock their beliefs is exactly what the Christopaths hate and loathe about this country, though, since it was founded as a secular one. If anyone were to doubt this is not a thing with them, one only need to point out the phenomenon known as ā€œfatwa envyā€. I think if they are that unhappy about it, they should move somewhere more receptive to their regressive views about ruling over others in the name of their ā€œgodā€.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Well, Qbert said sheā€™s tired of hearing about separation of church and state, meaning she should be disqualified for the same reason, but even after the vaping and the groping on top of that, sheā€™s still in office, sadly.

        • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          The xtians always use the ā€œIā€™m not perfect, just forgivenā€ thing which just says it all, really. The not very subtle implication being that, even if caught doing things in public like having your yabbos given a good fondling while you yank the crank of your BF (was her divorce finalized at this point? Isnā€™t that adultery? Does xtianity even allow divorce in the eyes of their god?) after some vaping, she is still better than you are if youā€™ve not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior.