Something Is Seriously Wrong With the Bible Belt (And No One Wants to Say It)

[Jersey Girl]

Why do so many hard right, religious conservatives ignore the well documented fact that 9 out of 10 of the most impoverished states, with the highest teen pregnancy rates, crime rates and incarceration rates are in the Bible belt with the highest percentage of people who claim to be devoutly religious?

I don't know why they ignore the stats. I do think there's a difference between being religious and being say, a Christ follower. But you didn't define religious. If that's based on church attendance stats, that's no guarantee that those who regularly attend are Christ followers.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ~ Matthew 7: 21 (out of context)

[Jersey Girl]

People see through the sham that is Christianity, so they see little point in spending their time, money, and energy so a pastor and his cadre can make money off their hard-earned dollars. They don’t mind having a vague relationship with god or Jesus, but it wouldn’t be any different if the god were allah or paganism.

Creating a third space that costs a man and his family in real terms of time and money better do more than make them feel saved. I think they feel saved, anyway. Or they don’t don’t care.

What do? I dunno. The MAGA cult seems to fill the need for that purpose and third space that church used to provide. The thing is that being MAGA is quickly becoming third rail for most. It’s so toxic most people, at least publicly, want nothing to do with it.

What’s the solution? I don’t give two flying "F"s about red states and their identity crises. They’re a bunch of “F” ups like Ajax18.

MAGA as I know it to be has nothing to do with Christianity. It's precepts are in fact the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. That's the MAGA organization I'm addressing, not individuals within the group.

I can't rightly cast stones so far be it from me to throw every individual into the same bucket.

I may or may not have contradicted myself there. Did the best I could on short notice and a very long day over here.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Your attitude seems to be based on the idea that someone who decides that Christianity is not true must have come to that view because they in some way refused or were morally unable to live up to the demands of what you believe that religion to be.

Those who decide incorrectly that Christianity is not true, do so because they lack the faith necessary to gain this spiritual knowledge. You don't get this spiritual knowledge by wandering off so far away from God that you can barely catch a glimmer of the light of His spirit. You don't recognize these truths by demanding evidence. You recognize these truths as you follow Jesus's commandment to be believing and not of little faith. Jesus says in John 7:17, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." If you don't have a testimony, perhaps you weren't willing to do what it took to gain a testimony.

So I'm not saying that you're necessarily immoral Chap. I'm saying that you lack the faith necessary to gain spiritual knowledge. I'm saying that people like DocCam are wasting a golden opportunity to progress spiritually, which is very sad because it's an opportunity he earned before he came to this world, that he's throwing away. What's even more sad is to see people suffering the same afflictions as the faithful in this world and yet it profits the faithless little if anything spiritually. It's just wasted pain and suffering. It's a wasted life. And yet God still relentlessly pursues people like DocCam knowing the potential he still has, seeing Him in positive ways that I more often than not fail to see. It's sad because there is nothing more sweet than being able to feel the love of God even as mortal men in our aged and afflicted bodies right now, not just in eternity. But that would require faith.

Get screwed you racist prick.

More on Trump’s posting of the clip that showed the Obamas as chimpanzees:

https://youtube.com/shorts/DPTndYn4LMM? ... u4rgirHZy-

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

People see through the sham that is Christianity, so they see little point in spending their time, money, and energy so a pastor and his cadre can make money off their hard-earned dollars. They don’t mind having a vague relationship with god or Jesus, but it wouldn’t be any different if the god were allah or paganism.

Creating a third space that costs a man and his family in real terms of time and money better do more than make them feel saved. I think they feel saved, anyway. Or they don’t don’t care.

What do? I dunno. The MAGA cult seems to fill the need for that purpose and third space that church used to provide. The thing is that being MAGA is quickly becoming third rail for most. It’s so toxic most people, at least publicly, want nothing to do with it.

What’s the solution? I don’t give two flying "F"s about red states and their identity crises. They’re a bunch of “F” ups like Ajax18.

MAGA as I know it to be has nothing to do with Christianity. It's precepts are in fact the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. That's the MAGA organization I'm addressing, not individuals within the group.

I can't rightly cast stones so far be it from me to throw every individual into the same bucket.

I may or may not have contradicted myself there. Did the best I could on short notice and a very long day over here.

I get the distinction you’re making, but in practice many MAGA supporters and leaders explicitly tie the movement to Christian identity, especially in the Bible Belt where faith and politics are often intertwined. So while you may see MAGA’s positions as contrary to Jesus’s teachings, a large part of the movement and its base understand their politics as connected to their Christianity. That’s why people often see the two as linked, even if not everyone agrees with that connection. I mean, we have an avowed White supremacist with a user handle that promotes Adolf Hitler talking about faith. His faith and his politics are one and the same. The same goes for the MAGA cultists who espouse a different flavor of Christianity.

[Gunnar]

Why do so many hard right, religious conservatives ignore the well documented fact that 9 out of 10 of the most impoverished states, with the highest teen pregnancy rates, crime rates and incarceration rates are in the Bible belt with the highest percentage of people who claim to be devoutly religious?

Although Chap's reply is superior to mine, I'll go ahead and reply anyway:

With Jesus around to forgive their sins, it becomes okay to commit sin.

Thanks to both you and Chap. But I was already aware of how the fundamentalist Christians of the Bible Belt rationalized their behavior and dismissal of the precepts of Christ to treat even the poor (especially the poor and needy) with compassion and to help them to improve their lot, instead of discriminating against them. Their bigotry against others who don't share their economic status, race, religion or ethnicity only underscores their own inherent immorality and irrationality. Jesus would be ashamed of them!

[Gunnar]

MAGA as I know it to be has nothing to do with Christianity. It's precepts are in fact the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. That's the MAGA organization I'm addressing, not individuals within the group.

You have surely got that right! If more Christians were like James Talarico, this would be a much better world!

[Jersey Girl]

MAGA as I know it to be has nothing to do with Christianity. It's precepts are in fact the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. That's the MAGA organization I'm addressing, not individuals within the group.

I can't rightly cast stones so far be it from me to throw every individual into the same bucket.

I may or may not have contradicted myself there. Did the best I could on short notice and a very long day over here.

I get the distinction you’re making, but in practice many MAGA supporters and leaders explicitly tie the movement to Christian identity, especially in the Bible Belt where faith and politics are often intertwined. So while you may see MAGA’s positions as contrary to Jesus’s teachings, a large part of the movement and its base understand their politics as connected to their Christianity. That’s why people often see the two as linked, even if not everyone agrees with that connection. I mean, we have an avowed White supremacist with a user handle that promotes Adolf Hitler talking about faith. His faith and his politics are one and the same. The same goes for the MAGA cultists who espouse a different flavor of Christianity.

Contrary to Jesus's teachings? They're not even in the ballpark. One way to fix that and it's not going to happen, is for a reporters/journalists to ask them, any of them, on camera to provide New Testament scripture support for their claims. I mean, chapter and verse. They. can't. do. it.

The only people I've seen come close to that are independents on youtube going into rally situations and stating scripture TO a MAGA supporter. And what you get then is deer in the headlights with a side of stammering.

Because there doesn't exist any New Testament support for the overall principles of the MAGA movement.

I think I saw Hegseth quoted at the National Prayer Breakfast as saying that the USA was founded as a Christian nation.

No, it was not.

We've got politicians rewriting or simply ignorant of American history as well as Christian Nationalists who are ignorant of the scriptures they claim to live by as Christians.

I'm pretty sure I saw that Ajax said something about investing in religion and getting a testimony or something like that. As if God were a giant slot machine where you put in your what? Put in your what? And out comes a testimony that ensures eternal life?

Whatever happened to salvation the free gift of God?

Rambling. Shutting up about it now.

[Jersey Girl]

MAGA as I know it to be has nothing to do with Christianity. It's precepts are in fact the very antithesis of what Jesus taught. That's the MAGA organization I'm addressing, not individuals within the group.

You have surely got that right! If more Christians were like James Talarico, this would be a much better world!

I know I've got it right. I try to limit my exposure to the toxicity of what's going on, but I do have one ear to the ground. From what I've heard from Talarico and I think I've heard enough to know, he's a straight up Christ follower who functions directly from scripture. I'm glad you are able to see good examples of what it means to be a Christ follower. I remember the days when LDS and ex-LDS thought we were all televangelists.

The thing with Talarico being so prominent in the news is that I think (hope) you can see that one who truly strives to follow Christ is dependable and trustworthy. He's not going to bend himself into a pretzel or twist the truth as he sees it for big money donors. He's straight, steady, he knows who he is and firm in what he believes and he's unwaivering.

He's not about answering to money. He's about answering to God.

[Jersey Girl]

Although Chap's reply is superior to mine, I'll go ahead and reply anyway:

With Jesus around to forgive their sins, it becomes okay to commit sin.

Their bigotry against others who don't share their economic status, race, religion or ethnicity only underscores their own inherent immorality and irrationality. Jesus would be ashamed of them!

Right there. Right there. Right there. You nailed what is at play with regard to the impact of all of your above to humans reaching their full potential and how they are kept down. So good, Gunnar!

[Chap]

Your attitude seems to be based on the idea that someone who decides that Christianity is not true must have come to that view because they in some way refused or were morally unable to live up to the demands of what you believe that religion to be.

Those who decide incorrectly that Christianity is not true, do so because they lack the faith necessary to gain this spiritual knowledge. You don't get this spiritual knowledge by wandering off so far away from God that you can barely catch a glimmer of the light of His spirit. You don't recognize these truths by demanding evidence. You recognize these truths as you follow Jesus's commandment to be believing and not of little faith. Jesus says in John 7:17, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." If you don't have a testimony, perhaps you weren't willing to do what it took to gain a testimony.

So I'm not saying that you're necessarily immoral Chap. I'm saying that you lack the faith necessary to gain spiritual knowledge. I'm saying that people like DocCam are wasting a golden opportunity to progress spiritually, which is very sad because it's an opportunity he earned before he came to this world, that he's throwing away. What's even more sad is to see people suffering the same afflictions as the faithful in this world and yet it profits the faithless little if anything spiritually. It's just wasted pain and suffering. It's a wasted life. And yet God still relentlessly pursues people like DocCam knowing the potential he still has, seeing Him in positive ways that I more often than not fail to see. It's sad because there is nothing more sweet than being able to feel the love of God even as mortal men in our aged and afflicted bodies right now, not just in eternity. But that would require faith.

Thank you for your calm and reasonable response. I think the difference between us is about the interpretation human beings chose to give to the sensations they experience. You are assuming that somebody like myself has never had any of the sensations you characterise as, for instance 'the light of [God's] spirit' (a common reference for Christians of most varieties). I would like to suggest that you should consider the possibility that a non-believer like myself can have had, and may continue to have, the sensations to which you give those labels, but interprets them as part of the amazing experience of being human, without feeling the need to assume the existence of the trans-human being you call 'God'.

An atheist world view can hugely increase one's sense of wonder at what a human being is - because some of the most marvellous things about us are no longer exported into the concept of a supernatural being. Good and bad, it's all us. There is a Jewish saying 'save one person, save the world', which hints at this view.