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Trump signs order aimed at allowing churches to engage in more political activity

Linkura

Member
How many Catholics vote R?

About half.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis/
FT_16.11.09_Relig_ExitPoll_ReligRace.png
 

alternade

Member
Disgusting. We just keep racing toward the kind of society we demonize in the middle east. Republicans are so delusional about the "oppression" they tout they face. When privilege is your norm, equality feels like oppression.

When are we ever going to address the biggest domestic threat to America, White Christian Men?
 

Aurongel

Member
If they want to engage directly in politics and cultural issues then I 100% support their decision to do so but they need to pay taxes like any other organization that does the same.
 

Dazzler

Member
Disgusting. We just keep racing toward the kind of society we demonize in the middle east. Republicans are so delusional about the "oppression" they tout they face. When privilege is your norm, equality feels like oppression.

When are we ever going to address the biggest domestic threat to America, White Christian Men?

Came in to post this

It's 2017, church and state have no business being intertwined
 

Koomaster

Member
Where is all the religious persecution coming from? I just don't see how (christian) religious organizations are being oppressed by the gov't that they need even more protection and consideration.

?____?
 

Hale-XF11

Member
Really wish I had started the immigration process a year ago for my move to Canada. I can't get there soon enough.
 

RRockman

Banned
Pretty sure the Pope outright said his behavior was non-Christian.

Any real Christian with a brain and/or actually reads their bible can tell you that. Unfortunately not many Christians in America that I've seen while living here actually fulfill either of those requirements.
 
I think this order is basically aimed against that, maintaining that tax exempt status while lobbying

Yet it's still a straight violation of the separation between church and state. I can almost guarantee that this EO will be shot down. If the fly ban gets shot down, so can this.
 
That doesn't matter that much in America. The mainstream Christian Right, Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham, etc. was with Trump from the beginning, and ferociously defended him through the campaign.

I'm saying imagine a scenario where instead of a soft denouncement, the Pope is able to outright declare, "The Vatican's official policy is that no parish will support Donald Trump for President of the United States, and all priests are required to inform their congregations that Hillary Clinton is the Christian choice for the position."

Obviously, it should not be allowed. I'm just saying that I don't think this works as well for Trump as he would choose to believe, given that most of the Pro-Trump congregations were already dog-whistling the ever-loving fuck out of things or, in many cases, outright overstepping the bounds to support him, anyway.
 

Ithil

Member
Any real Christian with a brain and/or actually reads their bible can tell you that. Unfortunately not many Christians in America that I've seen while living here actually fulfill either of those requirements.

There's a large portion of "Christians" in America that aren't actually Christians, they're some other new religion that's formed over the years. I don't know what you can call it, Americanism or something, but it's worship of capitalism, blind patriotism, a fake version of Jesus they cite nonstop, and hatred of basically everyone else on the planet.
 

cameron

Member
ACLU doing what they do
https://twitter.com/ACLU/status/860172386154532864

Donate to them if you can

A bit from The Guardian:
The order will also deal a regulatory blow to Obamacare just as Republicans are poised to roll back key elements of Obama’s signature achievement in Congress.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration required employee healthcare plans to offer coverage for a range of contraceptive devices and services.

However, it offered an exemption for groups with a religious mission that opposed contraception on moral grounds. To claim the exemption, an organization simply had to notify the health department that it would not cover contraception.

Many religious groups objected to even notifying the government that they didn’t intend to cover contraceptives. Because the government would make alternate arrangements to cover their employees, those groups argued, it was tantamount to the employers providing the coverage themselves.
These people have such trash beliefs.
 
One thing that Morning Edition on NPR pointed out this morning is that that it's liberal, Democratic churches who have been pushing most strongly for the political activism parts of this... They want to be able to advocate for Democratic leaders in their community, and the local church is often the only consistent community organization in low-income black communities.

Yes Catholics. Well, the Catholics who vote R anyway. They're generally single issue voters (abortion). Several members of my family are like this.

If Ds were anti-choice, they'd totally vote D.

The Catholic vote generally tends to break down along the general electorate, at least, it has in the last ~8 presidential elections. Catholics are also less likely to be single issue voters than other Christian denominations, as Catholics make up a significant portion of North East Democrats and South West Latino Americans. Politically, economically, and culturally, Catholicism is a very diverse religion.
 
One thing that Morning Edition on NPR pointed out this morning is that that it's liberal, Democratic churches who have been pushing most strongly for the political activism parts of this... They want to be able to advocate for Democratic leaders in their community, and the local church is often the only consistent community organization in low-income black communities.

That's kind of the point I'm driving at. The Republican-favoring congregations have already managed to entrench their position over the last few decades by finding wedge issues they can use to tacitly condemn the opposition (abortion, for example). They're already effectively acting as political entities.

For the record, I still think this is a mistake and should not be done, I just think it's a mistake that turns around and bites Trump in the ass (while also eroding the ethical fabric of American government).
 

EGM1966

Member
Churches deserve the right to engage in political speech.

It's the tax exemption they don't deserve.

Agree on Tax but how does the former work if you want division of state and religion?

Personally I disagree. Politics is the legal/social framework for everyone seperate from religion.

Religion is what you chose to do as an individual - I see it as no different than playing games or tennis. Should tennis clubs have a say in politics?

I mean I sure understand why religious groups want a say in politics and its exactly why I don't want them to have it.
 
Churches do not deserve political power or a voice what so ever. Christians aren't even supposed to have ties to the governments so it's pure hypocrisy on their part. We don't need religious fanatics having sway in what kinds of legislation is passed.
 

Aurongel

Member
It's still amazing to me that an irreligious con-man like Trump convinced the religious right that he actually cares about them.
He campaigned on a platform that clearly supported them, his personal character is irrelevant. We saw record numbers of evangelical voters this past election turn a blind eye to his shortcomings in that department. Pew Research broke this down wonderfully.
 
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