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Today’s Topic: Three new books combat right-wing Christianism, authored by two Episcopal priests and a religious scholar, respectively. The one I found most interesting is The Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism by Carter Heyward, one of the first women in America to be ordained as an Episcopalian priest. Let’s discuss!
[Note: I haven’t read the book, but the chapter titles at the second linky above.]
After detailing the sins, the author suggests calls to action in response. These are, I think, potentially exciting. I think placing each call directly below each “sin” may let us see solutions more clearly. I will share a few of my thoughts on each topic, but I would like to know what you think. Please add your own thoughts in the Comments!
Deadly sin 1: Lust for omnipotence.
Why have people wanted power just to have power anyway? Power to make things better, I can see. Power to be like $Rump and just sit there doing nothing or worse, I don’t see the attraction.
Call 1: Sharing power with one another.
I think I know what I “should” do better than could any nosy body who might try to tell me what to do. Together, we can pool our talents and make progress.
Deadly sin 2: Entitlement.
We see this a lot, don’t we? People who think because they’re white or rich or straight, they should get an outsize share of privileges and advantages.
Call 2: Humility.
Truth is, we are none of us better than another. So we should share and share alike. And not be so judge-y of others.
Deadly sin 3: White supremacy.
Obviously! I think a lot of this comes from fear of losing privileges. Even amongst some who are not all that privileged — in fact their fear might be greater, in that if they lose some of what they have, they might not have enough to live on. But that’s no excuse for deciding “I’m better than you”.
Call 3: The Blackness of God.
God, of course — if there is One and if We are made in Their image as stated in the Bible — must be at once female, male, and nonbinary. And white, black, brown, and all the shades of skin tone. Given how much God is thought of as a White Male in our main culture, then were I to draw God, I would likely draw Her as Black, when I’m not envisioning Her as a pootie. In an ideal world, we would think of God as all these identities at once. Since we do not, thinking of God as a Black Female evens the scales a little. I imagine that is the author’s idea. Not to take away your White God Guy, but to add to Her images.
Deadly sin 4: Misogyny.
The argument is sometimes raised that there were no female leaders in the Bible. However, stories about female leaders, if they existed, were likely erased by the later patriarchy. And just because something did not exist at the time of Jesus does not mean it is forever forbidden. Or why does any Christian use a refrigerator?
Call 4: Empowering women, Celebrating sexuality, and Affirming gender diversity.
I think that we should all be encouraged to use our talents and pursue our interests, regardless of whether or not they fit gender roles. And that sexuality is a sacred gift to promote closeness, support and love. And that diversity always makes the world more interesting.
Deadly sin 5: Capitalist spirituality.
Like the say, the love of money is the root of all evil. They’re not entirely wrong.
Call 5: Transforming capitalism.
We are facing the growth of AI. Many think that will mean the death of most jobs. We’ll have to see how it goes, but if so, we need universal basic income or some sort of “socialism” for everyone to survive. We can afford it because the economic activity will be “earned” by robots and the rest of us can benefit from it if they let us. Or enough of us insist upon it strongly enough.
Deadly sin 6: Domination of the Earth and its creatures.
When I was a child, I was frustrated that the Church did not preach more about being good stewards of the Earth and the evils of pollution. Now, after clean air, clean water, and clean lands laws, we are faced with climate change that makes everything even worse.
Call 6: Belonging with the Earth and animals.
I spent part of today in the garden, so can verify how great it is to enjoy plants and growing things and fresh air and frolicking wildlife. When we all do our part, we will benefit not only our physical health, but our mental health. Are we going to let fossil fuel magnates have their way??
Deadly sin 7: Violence.
Amazing that the God of Love and Peace on Earth is used to somehow justify wars and big gun toys. I have sometimes been able to get right wingers thinking by asking lots of questions. “What is Christian about guns?” might be a good question to ask repeatedly of every MAGA you encounter.
Call 7: Break the spiral of violence.
At the very least, do not let minor annoyances escalate into something serious, especially if you have weapons around. Walk away, and be happy to be the bigger, more mature person. Remember it’s OK to just let someone be wrong on the Internet!
SO what do you think about these? Are there more? Are there some more important than others? Are there any you would eliminate? What are your ideas on these topics? Any of them could easily be an entire diary unto themselves or even a series! This is an Open Thread. Please feel free to chat on these or other topics below.
And don’t forget, Illegitimi non curreren patrium!
Finally, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday! We still have people who could use a little help from their friends!
PLEASE NOTE:
When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money.
COMMUNITY NEEDS LIST AS OF 7/05/23:
Fundraisers who want a diary to be or stay on the list: PLEASE kosmail requests and donations received to njm5000 by Tuesday evening to be included on the Wednesday morning updated list.
Living on the financial edge—need help? Check out the Helping Directories before your next emergency.
Housing and Living Expenses Fundraisers and Other Links
When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end.
anotherdemocrat—has a diary up: Anyone know where I can find a 2nd job? She’s in Austin and is suddenly $24000 in debt, mainly due to an HOA assessment! From the diary: “So, $24,000 is more money than I can ask even a big community like Daily Kos to donate. I have a venmo: at Becky-Helton, Cashapp: $B3ckyHelt0n, and GoFundMe, if anyone wants to help with next month’s payments but for a big total like that, I need a 2nd job. My day job is M-F from 8-5, so it would have to be evenings & weekends.” and “Skills: writing, 20+ years of customer service work, super reliable…” Kosmail, if you can help.
BMScott posted this: From a Daily Kos Guild tweet about Christopher Reeves:
“Christopher's house burned down early in February. An insurance dispute has made it difficult to access his funds for necessary items, so we're trying to keep him and his family sheltered, fed, and clothed. PLEASE help however you can.” There is a GoFundMe that currently stands at $15,360 15,385 15585 15,635 15,710 towards a newly revised goal of $25,000. Christopher has opened a computer shop in Leavenworth, at 2110 S. 4th Street. They do repairs (I asked), but the GFM is still his main source of income.
jtg—needs about $7,000 6150 5760 5460 5435 5185 4935 4500 4100 3900 3700 3290± (awaiting update) for dental work.• GoFundMe • KoFi • PayPal• Patreon • Amazon Pet Supplies •
AZnaturegrrrl—needs help rn with kitteh food and supplies. Especially needs the special Royal Canin aging loaf in sauce wet food for Yuki, plus syringes for the feeding, and puppy pads with adhesive strips. From AZ: “I have a list on Amazon or Chewy vouchers would work just as well (I think Chewy has a sale on as well):“ *Chewy gift cards to naturegirl61 at icloud dot com • amazon wish list is www.amazon.com/…
Kossacks really stepped up, with orders, $, and Chewy cards. Leaving this up to get more of a cushion for supplies and food. <3
Thanks, as always, to the donors.
BeadLady has posted the updated Kos Katalogue 2023: Please Check — Katalogue 2023 Members. Please Kosmail her as soon as possible if you have corrections or additions.
So glad to see progress, thanks to you all!
Please note also that Chef Bobby Neary, “@nuevopioneer,” passed away January 14, 2023. We will continue to post his favourite charity to honour him — please consider a donation to the Satos, the street pets of Puerto Rico! Bobby adopted his own Sato, Missilu, as well as raised funds for PR’s Satos.
I’m in for a mickle each week toward a variety of DKos members on the Needs List. I hope you’ll join me. Always glad to see the needed amounts gradually decreasing!
If helping financially isn’t the right choice for you at this time, you can still help. Tip and rec the diary so it stays visible. Share on social media: Twitter, Facebook, whatever platform you use, to bring the attention of others outside our daily readers. And offer words of encouragement to people who are struggling. It can be scary to be struggling, and it can feel lonely. Let them know we understand and are here to help.
If you can, whenever you see fundraiser diaries from someone you know here, please visit the diaries and leave comments for their authors. Those words of encouragement are vital!
If you don’t like fundraisers, please just move along. They are a longstanding tradition at DKos — Until we vote in enough progressives to create a much stronger social safety net (maybe in 2024)!
And finally, please note: This diary is a little late because I fell asleep writing it! So I plan to go lie down and take a proper nap. Caregiving has worn me out! But I will engage in Comments this evening. Thanks to all! Enjoy the discussion.