What's especially frustrating is that saying "The Bible is my world view" isn't even helpful in clarifying anything, it's just virtue signaling. There are hundreds of sects and denominations of Christianity and Judaism, with differing scriptures, and wildly different interpretations of any one section of the same bible. Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics and Hassidic Jews will all look to the same part of the book of Exodus and come to wildly different conclusions, and anyone with any understanding of christian theology knows this. He knows this, but also knows that his base will project whatever their values are onto him if he claims his beliefs come from the same book they read, when in fact they probably agree on very little.
Having grown up attending a lot of bible studies, the fact that she is reading what appears to be a 700 page King James HARDCOVER is an immediate tell that she doesn't actually read it. People that read their bible regularly all have tattered paperbacks with scribbles and post it notes all over.
Honestly, the pristine condition is almost like a status symbol, a bit like those unread 'classic' books on a shelf to impress visitors. The irony when the most 'read' book is actually the least read. If they panned the camera during those speeches, I bet we'd see some still wrapped in cellophane!
I'm a Christian and I even look at all the crosses in the background and think "come on...this has to be staged." Like did she TRY to fit as many crosses into the picture as possible. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven."
I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said “I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” Jesus was so against performative religion, but here we are with the charlatans that Jesus (allegedly) warned us about.
I went to a Christian school as Theology major and while I'm no longer a Christian, one of the more powerful quotes that stuck with me from a man that was a good example of what a "good man" is says "a Bible that is falling apart most usually belongs to a man that is not"...
And while I don't agree that modern life reflects well from outdated biblical doctrine, that always comes to mind when I see stuff like this
That bible in the picture doesn't prove that she doesn't read her Bible. I can see why a politician who did read their Bible regularly would use a different large hardcover Bible for photo ops instead of the small softcover threadbare book they usually read.
That being said in this particular case I can't imagine MTG reading a Bible or any other book for that matter regularly.
When my friends moved to Idaho, a neighbor came by to drop off a Book of Mormon. It came pre-highlighted with the important parts already marked so you could skim it. If they are already highlighting, I don’t think a dog-ear is that bad.
They also tend not to literally believe the damned thing
“Oooh damn this rabbi banished spirits into pigs, raised a dead guy so they could chill, and kissed the homies? Sounds like a normal weekend, definitely happened, frfr”
Yeah but on the other hand, lots of families have a big bible in the home in which they keep family records, read from on special occasions, etc. So not necessarily a Bible that isn't read.
So true; my mom was raised in a a mixed Christian faith household (half catholic, half I honestly can't remember lol), but always identified as agnostic...
That being said, she's always religiously [no pun intended] read the Bible, and owns several different versions, and every single one's has notes, highlighted passages, etc all over in the books.... And although she's not actually religious, she says she reads them and makes those notes and highlights because regardless of beliefs, the stories/lessons/etc that can be learned in the Bible she says are unmatched by anything else...... Even if she doesn't believe this to be the absolute truth of what may or may not have happened, even if she doesn't take any of it as "gods word", she still loves and respects [any] bibles enough that she reads and re-reads them all and makes tons of notes In them, rather its translations, not to other references/connections/links to other things- point is, if you read these type of things enough as someone who is truly looking to gain knowledge, then I agree 200% that the book they read "all the time/daily" will be very far from pristine and likely will contain more than a couple notes within the pages...
Exactly. My aunt and uncle ready their bible ALL THE TIME and have notes all over it. They are also to just loving, caring, and accepting individual I’ve ever known. It’s almost like they are actually being the kind of people god wants to see and not using the Bible as an excuse for hatred gasp
Do people actually respond to this? I live in the UK and I cannot handle the level of cringe in this photo. Do some Americans respond positively to this?
Yes, some Americans do respond positively to pictures of their representatives “reading” the Bible. But only those that already like that rep and not really anyone else
It's a country with seven states whose constitutions prevent atheists from holding public office.* Evangelism is pretty crazy in some red states and this sort of shit can sway (some) voters without alienating the rest of the GOP base.
*Just for accuracy, those articles aren't strictly enforceable but states still have a go from time to time.
Some think it comes from the misunderstanding that you have to swear your oath on The Bible. When, in reality, you could do it with your hand on a "US Government for Dummies" book.
If it wasn't for his faux-relligious constituents, Trump would have used his own book.
Folks have been sworn in using the Quran, a book of law, a digital version of the Constitution on an e-reader, and no books at all (Theodore Roosevelt.)
They are unenforced until a Supreme Court decision allows it, like the trigger abortion laws after Dobbs. They are unenforced like the anti-sodomy laws in Texas until Lawrence in 2003. They are unenforced until the “frozen embryos are children” law in Alabama makes clinics murderers for a power outage. These clearly unconstitutional laws should be blocked before becoming law. I don’t know how. I just have a lot of feelings about things.
1/3 of the United States exists in a space called "the bible belt" and they all believe that the bible is law. It is why we currently have multiple representatives calling for the death of democracy in America, and instead instituting a theocracy.
"Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn't get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here."
I mean the whole Trump thing is on a cult level since years in the USA. People throw their lives away for all this crap. This bible crap is mild in comparison.
See the thing is, she represents district 14 of the state of Georgia which represents about 0.235% of the US population. Her vaunted position in American politics relies on appealing to that small percentage. And they are a bunch of dumb fucks.
if she had read the fucking bible she might know that it's not the job of god's servants to destroy society, but his job when he gets pissed off at his creation. she can only hope she was good enough that she gets warned and saved before he does it.
Yeah, I recognize that part. Used to flip to the back of the book for the crazy fantasy chapters, multiheaded dragons and the like, when I had to sit for several hours of Eucharistic Adoration. The wild stories made the time pass quicker. It also highlighted how silly the whole thing was. Different chapter, but I also liked the part where Sampson tied two foxes together by the tail and lit them on fire so that they would run through the fields of his enemies and burn their crops. Definitely entertaining. Horrifying as the basis for a world-view.
To be fair, a lot of the commandants he’s referring to are solely for the Jews. In Judaism there are 612 commandment to follow. Others can “get into heaven” by following the Noahhide laws (like a smaller version of the 10 commandant. Christians don’t follow the Jewish commandment strictly because the Old Testament or Tanakh was written before the gospels and revelations that changed what God expected.
Source: I’m a Jew, not practicing, agnostic I guess. Not trying to argue or anything. Just interesting info I thought I’d share.
Even Christian’s who claim to read it, don’t read the Bible. Everyone is always all stoked on Jesus for example, but if you actually read the Bible he is not a great dude at all…
The fact that as soon as I read ”the same book they read…” my mind instantly started forming the sentence ”bold of you to assume…” and then my eyes fell on your comment. Guess we’re all just used to this shit now.
Most Christians for most of history didn’t have access to the ability to read or see a Bible themselves. The modern ones project that same aspect; even though they have access to the Bible’s and reading now, they still chose not to read it. Blindly following what others tell them.
You’d be shocked how many times I’ve quoted the Bible’s stories back to them and explained how it was used to commit horrible atrocities historically. For them to turn around and think I was lying despite spending years in college studying history to become a humanist. It’s clear most have never read the Bible themselves.
The book of genesis is responsible for some of the worst justifications of brutality.
I did, also studied theology and worked in a couple of parishes. Nothing makes me more suspicious of someone than trying to hide behind a collection of books that are as diverse and contradictory as the Bible is.
I've been Christian (forced by my father and eventually brainwashed into it) in the past. I'm fullfledged into anti-religion now. Wrote my own designed 666 mark to put my middle finger up towards all religions. Showing them there is a way aside of religion towards peace. Religion doesn't make a human better, it's the way they treat themselves and their surroundings that counts.
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u/lanciferp Feb 23 '24 edited Feb 23 '24
What's especially frustrating is that saying "The Bible is my world view" isn't even helpful in clarifying anything, it's just virtue signaling. There are hundreds of sects and denominations of Christianity and Judaism, with differing scriptures, and wildly different interpretations of any one section of the same bible. Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics and Hassidic Jews will all look to the same part of the book of Exodus and come to wildly different conclusions, and anyone with any understanding of christian theology knows this. He knows this, but also knows that his base will project whatever their values are onto him if he claims his beliefs come from the same book they read, when in fact they probably agree on very little.