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Pete Hegseth, Lee Zeldin, etc. #wingnut #conspiracy #pratt #fundie religionnews.com

In his speech to senior military leaders on Sept. 30, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took a well-worn page out of the climate skeptic’s playbook: He framed climate change research, policy and activism as a “religion.” More specifically, he declared there was “no more climate change worship” in the Department of War.

Hegseth has been calling concern with climate change a “religion” for a while. He’s far from alone. Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced a wave of sweeping environmental deregulations back in March, exclaiming, “we are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age.” (Zeldin likes the rhetoric.)

Similar remarks were made during the first Trump administration. In 2016, Kathleen Hartnett White, a nominee to head the Council on Environmental Quality, called belief in climate change a “kind of paganism.” William Happer, a physicist and frequent adviser to President Donald Trump in 2017, called climate scientists “a glassy-eyed cult.” More recently, former Trump economic adviser and Heritage Foundation fellow Stephen Moore asserted that “climate change is not a science, it’s a religion

Mike Johnson #racist #fundie #wingnut religionnews.com

House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed religious freedom concerns on Wednesday (Oct. 29) about clergy protesting mass deportations being shot with pepper rounds and pepper bullets by Department of Homeland Security agents, saying the agents have conducted themselves in a “measured” manner.

“Religious freedom does not extend and give you the right to get in the face of an ICE officer and assault them, if indeed that was what happened there,” said Johnson, a Southern Baptist, in response to a question from Religion News Service. “What I’ve seen is a measured approach by the people who are trying to enforce our border laws, our immigration laws, and that was desperately needed and desired and demanded by the American people.”
In recent incidents at a U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency detention center in Broadview, Illinois, and at a Coast Guard station in Oakland, California, ICE and Border Patrol personnel have been filmed shooting clergy with pepper balls, pepper rounds or rubber bullets, or faith leaders have reported agents doing so.

In a lawsuit filed in Illinois earlier this month against DHS, a group that includes journalists, clergy and demonstrators argue federal agents have violated the religious freedom of faith-based protesters, among other claims. A federal judge quickly sided with the plaintiffs and issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 9 limiting the agents’ ability to use violence against protesters, including “religious practitioners.” The Rev. David Black, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chicago who was filmed being shot in the head with pepper balls, is a plaintiff in the suit.

The House speaker was asked about one of the incidents in a press conference earlier this month but claimed no knowledge of the incidents when first questioned about them on Wednesday, before outlining his understanding of the religious freedom issues involved. He later added, referring to ICE agents: “Thank the Lord that there are people who are willing to do that difficult job or put on the badge and show that kind of courage. We should be on the side of law enforcement.”

Anna Kelly #racist #conspiracy #wingnut religionnews.com

In a statement, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the Episcopal Church’s decision “raises serious questions about its supposed commitment to humanitarian aid.” She argued “Afrikaners have faced unspeakable horrors” and are “no less deserving of refugee resettlement than the hundreds of thousands of others who were allowed into the United States during the past Administration.”

Kelly added: “President Trump has made it clear: refugee resettlement should be about need, not politics.”
The Trump administration has otherwise all but frozen the refugee program, with Afrikaners among the few — and possibly only — people granted entry as refugees since January, despite thousands from other countries hoping to enter the U.S. to avoid persecution and violence. Shortly after he was sworn in, Trump signed an executive order that essentially halted the refugee program and stopped payments to organizations that assist with refugee resettlement — including, according to one group, payments for work already performed.

Abilene Christian University #fundie #homophobia religionnews.com

Abilene Christian University is revisiting its sexuality policy after over 2,000 students, alumni and friends of the university voiced concerns about Holy Sexuality Week, a school event on relationships and sexuality some claimed included one-sided, exclusionary messages about LGBTQ people.

From Nov. 6-9, the school, which is affiliated with Churches of Christ, hosted a handful of speakers who addressed topics related to sex and sexuality. Ninety percent of those speaking events, [university President Phil] Schubert said, were not focused on same-sex relationships. Perhaps the most controversial speaker was Christopher Yuan, a speaker and author who has taught at Moody Bible Institute and who used to identify as gay. In his chapel session, Yuan emphasized God’s unconditional love but added that love doesn’t include unconditional approval of a person’s behavior.

“The opposite of homosexuality is holiness,” said Yuan. “In fact, the opposite of every sin struggle is holiness.”

Yuan also said that just as people who struggle with depression shouldn’t make their identity about being depressed, people shouldn’t make being gay their identity. He went on to compare identifying as gay to identifying with watching pornography or committing adultery. “None of us should put our identity in our sin struggle,” he said.

Schubert said each of Holy Sexuality Week’s sessions, including Yuan’s, effectively balanced truth and love and was pervaded with a “spirit of kindness and compassion.” Schubert said he would not characterize any of the speakers’ remarks as “hateful.” While society often interprets disagreement as hateful, he said, Abilene Christian strives to have effective conversation about a host of relevant topics, “and even in our disagreement, reflect love and compassion that is from God.”

Richard Dawkins and Helen Joyce #transphobia #dunning-kruger religionnews.com

During a recent episode of his podcast “The Poetry of Reality,” Dawkins spoke with author Helen Joyce about the “influence of gender ideology on society.” There was no mention of how Joyce has previously said transgender people who have transitioned are “damaged” and “a huge problem to a sane world.” Nor did Dawkins bring up how she believes “reducing” the number of people who transition is a moral imperative.

Dawkins not only agreed with many of her points, he added that “sex really is binary” and that kids are choosing to be trans under pressure from both their peers and teachers. He also insisted that people like him were the real victims of abuse, wondering why “all the bullying (goes) one way.” (In fact, a study from 2021 found that trans people are four times more likely than cisgender people to “experience violent victimization.”)

The podcast episode dropped days after Dawkins wrote an essay for the British magazine The New Statesman answering the question, “What is a woman?” Dawkins’ reductive response boiled down to “A woman is an adult human female, free of Y chromosomes,” as if the absence of a single chromosome answers the question. That flies in the face of what many scientists have said about the subject.

“There are cisgender women who have XY sex chromosomes, and many other exceptions to binary sex. Around 1 in 1,000 people are intersex,” said Jey McCreight, a science communicator with a Ph.D. in genomics who has consulted on trans inclusivity for biotech companies. McCreight added in an email: “That’s pretty common as far as biology goes. A study may treat sex as binary out of practicality, but scientists understand that reality is more nuanced.”

Despite acknowledging those exceptions exist, Dawkins casually dismisses them, just as he dismisses the genetic influences many experts believe contribute to the development of trans identities. Those exceptions and influences are reasons the American Medical Association and other major medical organizations have supported gender-affirming care.

Mark Jones #fundie religionnews.com

(=His response to being called out on persistently harassing others across two sites, even after getting blocked=)

What are you, a troll ? You shouldn't take the side of liberals or trolls. It isn't good when you side with them.

Armran Kaymackian #fundie #homophobia religionnews.com

These fourteen points laid out in this statement are so incredibly basic. There is absolutely nothing controversial or sensational about it. These are fundamental biblical teachings that Christians in every part of the globe have held to for literally thousands of years. There is not one bible believing regenerated Christian who disagrees with these statements. They are not in anyway hateful or bigoted. The fact that there is so much backlash is evidence of just how far Christians have been swayed from Gods word. This statement is full of clear lines and redemption for sinners. For example adultery is a sin according to Gods word let's say in twenty years there is an enormous movement that declares not only is it not a sin but God himself affirms it, that doesn't change the fact that it is a sin it is destructive and contrary to what God wants for us. Furthermore if I had a brother who was cheating his wife I would tell him it's sinful not because I hate him but because I love him. True followers of Jesus don't hate sinners we love them enough to tell them the truth of what God clearly says no matter how unpopular that becomes and we will continue to do so. Let me say for all my Christian brothers and sisters we love homosexuals and denounce hatred of all sorts, give your heart to Jesus turn away from sin confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and you will be saved, and you will be changed forever in this life and the life to come God bless you and keep you.

(=Pro gay Christian reply deleted=)

Dear Chris, if you in fact believe that God created men and women to be homosexuals rather the heterosexuals, and if you've searched the scriptures prayerfully and find that God is indeed affirming same sex marriage that is your decision to make according to how you understand it further more I don't believe that factual evidence will be enough to change your mind and more importantly your heart I am not interested in convincing you otherwise. I leave that between you and God. I believe that you are actually fully aware of the truth of Gods word and I believe that your merely suppressing the truth because it doesn't coincide with the homosexual life style you've chosen to live in direct defiance and rebellion to God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you in all truth according to Gods Holy Word. May he richly bless you and chasten you as a Father chastened his son he knows your deepest thoughts and feelings and he loves you and longs for a broken and contrite heart God bless you.

Tasseio #fundie religionnews.com

I know homosexuality is not normal, that is why it isn't a mental illness, they have been deceived by a demon (spirit) of homosexuality.
All mental illnesses have a demon behind them.
If you don't think demons exist you're in for a rude shock.

N/A #fundie religionnews.com

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hateful letters sent anonymously to three mosques in California with a warning that President-elect Donald Trump would “cleanse” the United States of Muslims have stirred fears among congregants, a community leader said.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said on Saturday (Nov. 27) that the letters were identical and were postmarked as being sent from Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles.

Ayloush said his group is considering asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the letters, which he believes were sent to other mosques aside from the three that received them earlier this week.

Civil rights groups have signaled alarm over attacks targeting minorities, including Muslims, since Republican Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 8. There have also been reports of harassment toward Trump supporters.

The letters were sent earlier this week to the Islamic centers of Long Beach and Claremont in Southern California and to Evergreen Islamic Center in the Northern California city of San Jose, Ayloush said.

They are signed anonymously as “Americans for a Better Way” and say that Trump would “cleanse America and make it shine again” and would carry out a genocide against Muslims.

“You Muslims would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge,” the letter said.

Ayloush said he has counseled the three mosques to work with their local police departments to have the letters investigated as hate crimes.

The San Jose Police Department in a statement said that, following a report about the letter, it sent officers to Evergreen Islamic Center on Thursday and that a unit that handles hate crime investigations will conduct the probe.

Trump’s name has been mentioned in some hateful graffiti markings that surfaced since his election.

A representative of Trump’s transition team could not be reached immediately for comment.

Last year, as a candidate in the Republican presidential primary, Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump this year pledged to suspend immigration from countries where Islamist militants are active but did not say he still wanted to ban all Muslims.

Following his election, Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, promised to be a president for all Americans.

CAIR has tallied more than 100 incidents targeting Muslims in the United States since Trump was elected.

Be Brave #fundie religionnews.com

Atheism is a political movement and the self-deluded “elites” that drive the forces of this machine want nothing more exceptional than power and control. Let’s not ascribe anything noble to godless fanatics of political power and control.

While Muslims and death threats are as common as blood flowing in the “Islamic world,” let’s keep things in perspective. Atheists are not in this for tolerance and diversity. They are out for complete control. The Humanist movement that has done just that since the beginnings of the 20th century is proof that atheism is a totalitarian belief system that has only been slowed slightly since the Russians showed us what’s up with it.