As a 'Seismic Shift' Fractures Evangelicals, an Arkansas Pastor Leaves Home.

[elleng]

Kevin Thompson thought he would lead his hometown church for the rest of his life. Then came Trump and everything after.

*Mr. Thompson could not tell how his sermon was received. . .So he was caught off guard when two church members expressed alarm about the passing reference to (Tom) Hanks. A young woman texted him, concerned; another member suggested the reference to Mr. Hanks proved Mr. Thompson did not care about the issue of sex trafficking. Mr. Thompson soon realized that their worries sprung from the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory, which claims that the movie star is part of a ring of Hollywood pedophiles.

For decades, Mr. Thompson, 44, had been confident that he knew the people of Fort Smith, a small city tucked under a bend in the Arkansas River along the Oklahoma border. . .

But now, he was not so sure. “Jesus talks about how he is the truth, how central truth is,” Mr. Thompson said in an interview. “The moment you lose the concept of truth you’ve lost everything.”

A political moment in which the Supreme Court appears on the brink of overturning Roe v. Wade looks like a triumphant era for conservative evangelicals. But there are deepening cracks beneath that ascendance.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/us/arkansas-pastor-evangelical-churches.html?

[Achilleaze]

1. The deceit within "christian" churches is epic

Get a clue, churchgoers.

[captain queeg]

2. I've heard God is love. I've also heard God is truth. I don't see how anything can survive long

while ignoring truth.

[Skittles]

3. isn't that what religion is all about?

I mean, seriously

[jaxexpat]

11. Faith, the definition alone should be enough to make sane folks stay away.

The "acrophobic" light-headedness experienced when relinquishing rationality has many labels; conversion, coming to or finding Jesus, washed by the blood, etc. Some even call it "ecstasy". That's pretty symbolic if you look at churches as places where users meet to try and re-establish the novelty of their transient euphoria experience, their initial high.

It's a desperate path evangelical types follow. No experience in their lives has ever fixed their awareness of living like that moment when they leap into the fantasy of death and "survive", reborn. The drudging harping and condemnation and the cherry-picked verses for hope of joy in a life worth living rest side by side in the bible and in the well-polished framework of its religious teachings and practice.

The cynicism and egomania of evangelical leaders is one of the strangest and most dangerous peculiarities of America's experiment with free speech. Their ability and tendency to manipulate masses of the underclasses inspires imitators all over the world.

[Stuckinthebush]

13. Excellent

Spot on. Religious faith is seen as a virtue. It is actually such a major liability and allows one to be manipulated by religious leaders who claim revealed truths guide them and their followers.

[Delmette2.0]

18. When I was about 10 years old I asked the pastor how I get faith.

He said You just do and walked away.

Years later my brother asked me of I was a Christian. I said kind of. Then he asked Why? Without thinking I replied Because I was brainwashed as a child.

Isn't it interesting how a simple question can make us tell a hidden truth? This makes me rethink everything. I started listening to Atheist podcasts and reading Atheist articles.

I will never go back to the fairy tales and submit to any man ever again.

[Skittles]

25. interesting

I wasn't raised with religion so I received no brainwashing - from the outside looking in, it's all a bunch of nonsense. I can tolerate delusions as long as they stay out of my business but increasingly they seem unable to do that.

[Delmette2.0]

26. When i left home to go to school and work I was not a regular in church.

Over the years it never seemed important. When my brother asked me about my beliefs it was a reflex to 18 years verses 28 years of not caring. The truth in my subconscious just popped out. He agreed with me and I eventually found out that my sister did too.

[eppur_se_muova]

27. When I was about five (IIRC) the pastor gave a sermon that referred to believers in other religions

... I believe he had been giving some "inspiring" story about missionaries in Africa, and how the people there fought against the Christians, and insisted on keeping to their own beliefs. Since we had always been taught that the Bible was God's Word and the Absolute Truth, I didn't understand how these people could do something so obviously wrong (to my ~4-5 yo mind) and asked my mother why they believed in some other religion. Being a simple and straightforward type, she gave me a simple and straightforward answer: "I guess that's just the way their parents taught them." As young as I was -- and I have very few memories remaining from that age -- I remember the rush of clarity that came with that answer. People believed whatever religion their parents taught them ! No matter what it was ! No matter how weird or nonsensical ! I don't remember explicitly thinking at that time "Well, that applies to the religion you've taught me, too" but I do remember that being the critical point at which my unthinking acceptance of "our" version of Christianity was fatally undermined, and it became just one possible view of the world which I was free to accept or reject. By the time I was ten, and knew about Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and magic all being fake, and had been exposed to Greek, Norse, and Native American myths, I realized they were all just enchanting fairy tales, and not to be taken at all seriously.

That being said, I do believe Jesus was a real, historical man -- not divine or immortal -- and he did have a few good ideas which took much of the cruelty out of the older beliefs. And there's no denying the huge impact he had on history, particular in Europe and the West. But his followers have perpetrated a huge amount of bad along with the good, and overall, we're better off without Christianity, or any religion.

[Aussie105]

4. When your church makes you want to vomit . . .

Walk away.

Just walk away.

[mgardener]

6. I did

And I am not going back.

[oldsoftie]

5. How do "Christians" continue to back the LEAST Christian president in history?

[BasicallyComplicated]

7. White Christians

The same white evangelicals who still use the church to side door racist ideas and white supremacy are drawn Trump. This story should shock no one.

[Botany]

9. "Fort Smith AR, a small city tucked under a bend in the Arkansas River along the Oklahoma border..."

'nuff said.

[Cosmocat]

8. RIGHT, unfortunately that illustrates how lost this country is

that it is just accepted.

Joe Biden is an honestly devout christian, as was Jimmy Carter, perhaps the most truly devout president we have had in our lives.

Their disdain for them is unmeasurable.

While they point to the literal human embodiment of the seven deadly sins as a modern day saint.

[czarjak]

12. The Chosen One?

[vlyons]

10. Because they aren't really Christians

Oh they wear a big flashing neon label that says "Christian." But it's just a label. What they really practice is a very selfish form of ego that uses religion to make others wrong, so they can make themselves feel self-righteous, better than, more godly.

[taxi]

14. Roosevelt created an office to design and spread propaganda, Evangelicals heralded it.

That was in 1942.

the Office of War Information (OWI) designed and spread propaganda both in the United States and abroad during World War II. The OWI produced posters, films, photographs, and exhibitions to promote civilian support of the American war effort, often portraying Nazism as a direct threat to the United States and to American values.1 Many of these materials framed Christianity as inherently American and used religious imagery to evoke American identity.

The seismic shift that some Evangelicals are becoming aware of had been going on for nearly four decades prior to Mr. Thompson's birth. It is a sudden change only for those who had been comfortable in accepting the lies and propaganda spread through their religious leaders.

https://perspectives.ushmm.org/item/desecration-of-religion/collection/propaganda-and-the-american-public

[Wednesdays]

15. Is there a non-paywall link to the article?

[sinkingfeeling]

17. My question as well. My granddaughter lives in Ft. Smith.

[keithbvadu2]

16. Political Christians rather than Christians of faith.

[wryter2000]

20. I often wonder how many people who scream about Christian values

Actually go to church. Evangelicals probably do, but the random Republican that spouts about this being a Christian country? I just don't know. I'm sure Trump doesn't.

[Missn-Hitch]

19. So, I guess he won't be attending the potluck Sunday.

Cheryl makes a bitchin' green bean casserole.

[cilla4progress]

21. I belong to a Unitarian Universalist fellowship -

We have no dogma, only 7 principles that embody tolerance, respect for all on their spiritual journey, even nature-based religions.
Last I checked UUs were the only religion to make space for pagans ... with whom I identify.

Religion can be a place to do good, provide for those in need (including non-humans), coalesce around a shared spirituality and - most importantly - action, to benefit, love, and support all beings. We all probably even know a few "Christians" who walk this path!

It's blasphemy what is excused in the name of a non-white young middle eastern anti-establishment Jewish carpenter (historical Jesus). Lies and hypocrisy - all of it!

[cilla4progress]

22. Weird - trying to access article through free online subscription through my local library,

but it's not coming up?

Ok - found it, but it's grayed out.

[lees1975]

23. This has been going on for a long time

I saw it creeping in during the late 70's. When Jimmy Carter, a bonafide, genuine, born-again Southern Baptist Christian ran for President in 1980 against the never-had-been-to-church-in-his-life Ronald Reagan. They have blended their right wing extremist politics with Biblical prooftexts and created a new religion that is not Christian at all, but is completely apostate. Mr. Thompson would probably have been OK, but the real issue he touched on, that caused enragement and anger, was when he got involved in changing the high school mascot. That exposed him as a "liberal" as far as his brainwashed congregation was concerned.

I don't call it Christianity any more, because its not that.

[dalton99a]

24. QAnon is the true religion, and Trump is the true God