Excellent article, Adam. I’m a Catholic priest and I couldn’t have written it any better. Perfectly stated. Let us all keep Jesus’ gospel message of peace and love, at least in our hearts, and then, in imitation of him, share it with all others. Yes, lets keep religion out of government and bring in morality, integrity and decency.
You must be a Jesuit, whom I admire greatly. Religion without critical thought is just a cult. I believe that thoughtful reflection upon ones beliefs only makes that faith stronger.
Exactly right as usual. I wonder what faith leaders who follow Trump and ask their followers to do the same think about what they are doing—I always believed that faith leaders were a contemplative lot. Perhaps that is a thing of the past. I cannot understand how anyone who reads the New Testament and professes to spread the word of God can honestly say that Trump is essentially Jesus incarnate. It sickens me.
Amen! As the Bible predicts many Christian’s will be deceived by the Antichrist. Trump is the front. The Golden Calf being worshipped. While ignoring, “love one another as I have loved you!”
Then there was a golden statue of you-know-who presented as a gift at CPAC...the irony explodes here. Not a single evangel batted an eye as they posed for photographs beside the garish image of their equally garish leader.
First, let me say that I believe that everyone is free to chose what to believe or how to live. I do not have a right to say otherwise.
As an antheist, I find those that that hide behind their religion; insincere at best. Finding a bible verse to justify actions for this or that. Or some that only need confess and they are whole again, free from the burden of the crimes/sins they committed. It is all too convenient.
For me, it is more realistic to take responsibility for my actions and to have empathy for others. I don't need a religion to tell me to be kind and to help where I can. I certainly don't need a religion to then tell me it is OK to be mean and bully others; to shame the disadvantaged, to tell others what to do, how to live - in the name of their god. What is that? And the "mega churches", where the preachers are traveling on private jets from home to home.
My theory is that the racists in this country see they can use "religion" to get their holy grail of a white 'Merica. "the south shall rise again" mentality. I bet if you looked into all of the yelling, hating people in the maga movement who are citing god and Jesús as their guiding light; you would find their hearts filled with hate and bigotry. Definitely not what some believe are the principles of religion, of love and tolerance. After all, it is all up to interpretation, isn't it?
I have no inclination to tell anyone how to live their life or what to believe. That is not my responsibility or my right. I can lift others up when I see they need a hand with no ulterior motive other than helping where I can. That is how I choose to live my life; to be kind. That does not mean I am unable to defend myself when attacked. I will stand up to bigotry and hate and abuse. Always.
If you have never seen A Face in the Crowd (1957), please go watch it and think of today's political environment, especially Trump. Your jaw will drop.
I'm a Christian who very much needed Christ in my life and am currently living in a potentially dangerous situation (family mental illness) where I know that He is protecting me. Nevertheless, I agree with my fellow Christian, Adam, 100 percent on the subject at hand and constantly grieve over former fellow church members (I left) and family members who have now committed what I can only call years-long idolatry where Donald Trump is concerned. (BTW, Jesus more than likely did not have blonde hair since He was Jewish and brown skinned.)
But the main thing I wanted to say to you in the current context is that I too highly recommend "A Face in the Crowd", Andy Griffith's first movie and definitely not "Mayberry light fare". I wish every single Trump supporter would watch it. Trump cares nothing for them but to use them for his own selfish ends, and great shame is being brought on the Church and the gospel of Christ because of their willful delusion.
Angela, thank you for sharing your views. While you do not claim to be living a Christian life, you certainly embrace the best of behaviors for yourself and your fellow man. I applaud you for your honesty, and your care for self AND others.
You are moral, have integrity, and the courage to speak, harming no one in the process. A good and decent person has no need to apologize for atheism, (I understand you are not apologizing). I wish you a long, happy, rewarding life in the company of others who share your beliefs. 😘
thanks for sharing this, Dee. I subscribe and missed this article. I identified with quite a bit, especially the parts of taking responsibility and action. I don't sit back and say "well, it's all in god's hands now". I do what I need to do to help, not wait. It has given me a lot more to think about. cheers
Having indicated in another comment that I am a "non religious" American who strongly supports the U.S. Constitution, I will add that I am reluctant to be identified as an "atheist" for many of the stereotypical mischaracterizations cited by Kate Cohen in her linked article in the Washington Post.
One stereotype that I have (unfortunately) found to be correct, however, is that atheists tend to adhere more than "average" Americans to extreme leftist ideologies. Chief among these is the principle expounded by Karl Marx (an atheist) of "To each, according to his need, from each, according to his ability."
The current "woke" movement extends that to advocating that not only government, but private entities dependent upon government for grants and favorable legislation, should aggressively act to guarantee "equity" -- which, in practice, would mean equal outcomes (however measured) for everyone in virtually every facet of American life.
But as an old fashioned believer in "equal opportunity," "personal responsibility" for taking advantage of it, and the policies that have been in place in the U.S. over the past 60 years or so for achieving "equality," I ask the followers of this discussion who are generally conservative on religion and moderate on other issues, to judge me and others as individuals according to our beliefs and actions. And -- perhaps related to my having grown up in the American Heartland like Adam Kinzinger and Ronald Reagan -- my beliefs and actions have always been very consistent with those of American Christians.
Carlton, I wonder what you consider to be “stereotypical mischaracterizations” where I saw only well-researched facts. “Personal responsibility,” on the other hand, is very often loaded in the same way religionists use it, to argue that society has no duty to those it has systematically and by LAW repressed and delegitimized, or even to those who--since the conservative backlash to FDR’s New Deal, Eisenhower’s wealth taxation in the 1960s, and the gross bank bailout without consequences in 2008 that stripped money from the pockets of our citizenry--now struggle to survive because most of the nation’s wealth and power has accrued to a very few.
How, for example, can “personal responsibility” address in any respect the untraceable dark monies flowing into politics after the Supreme Court in 2010 declared corporate money--even money not yet in existence but simply “expected”--to have the sacrosanct right of free speech? (Citizens United)
What you call “equal opportunity” is grossly factored in your own favor as a white male; what is “equal opportunity” to a married mother who must work,even as her husband does, to support their family--but can’t find any kind of maternal medical care whatsoever in states like Alabama and Montana, where doctors voted with their feet?? Have you never noticed that the untaxed inherited wealth of billionaires creates in their children enormous, unearned opportunity and privilege, even (or perhaps especially) to those with no talent or skill? Inequality is overwhelmingly more severe here than in any other modern nation except England, which (not coincidentally) shares much of the same history and law. You were born into privilege as an accident of birth.
How do you propose “personal responsibility” to overcome such privilege--or to defeat the oligarchic rule this nation has embraced (and SCOTUS has confirmed) instead of inclusion and democracy? How can “personal responsibility” hold when the highest court in the land guts voting rights, and then holds itself to no ethical stands?
I’m sure you’re aware of “economies of scale”--without a robust federal government, infrastructure, education, the ability to fight aggressively contagious diseases or climate catastrophes, even our ability to defend ourselves--all fail. In the same way, only a federal government can guarantee that equal opportunity is not merely a casually tossed phrase bearing no reality in fact.
In response to this response that I trust other admirers of a centrist such as Adam Kissinger will recognize as a leftist troll, I will simply cite a number of the government programs over the past 60 years that I have essentially supported (including with my tax dollars). I'll list them in approximate order of my support for them -- although I have never been hesitant to express my opinion as to ways of making them more fair and cost-effective:
1. A federal tax system that -- despite its economically wasteful complexity -- transfers enormous spending power from rich and middle income people (like me) to lower income people. Note that this and other such policies are "color blind," but benefit Americans of all disadvantaged groups to the extent that their members have been disadvantaged as INDIVIDUALS. (and not all have, by any measure).
2. Free public education -- extending beyond high school to one or two years of training in skills that are in demand in a particular part of the U.S.
3. The Earned Income Tax Credit (a provision of the U.S. tax code) which is essentially a negative income tax that subsidizes work as opposed to welfare dependency.
4. Medicaid, which targets medical care to the people least able to afford it,
5. Affirmative action policies, which AT BEST encourage disadvantaged people to expend the effort required to improve their own skills that enables them to compete in a market place that actually tends to favor them over us "ordinary old white people" like me.
I will leave it to other followers of Adam's Substack to comment on your comments, which to me seem to be totally out of place here (although I have put my life on the line supporting your right to express such leftist ideology).
Thanks for essentially reinforcing what I said in my initial post to the effect that atheists tend to be leftist extremists.
We live up in the Colorado Rockies and we have guy that has done odd jobs for us for over 15 years. Good hard working and homeless guy in his early 60's now. He has some mental issues that prevent him from understanding long term planning. He lives in a RV that he found in the woods further up the mountains and many times in his truck. My husband has set him up with solar system to generate and store electricity but it has not been maintained and is not in use right now. He knows he needs to do something, but he is stuck and paralyzed.
He came in last summer and told my husband (retired from public health service in Navy) that he felt like Popeye as his legs has gotten swollen. My husband knew this to be signs of congestive heart failure. He instructed him to go to the county office and get signed up for Medicaid and get to a hospital. It was congestive heart failure and he was in hospital for over a week. When he complained, my husband told him to think of it as a vacation, he was clean, sleeping in a bed with clean sheets and being fed.
We have a clinic up here for the indigent. He sees the doc there and is on medications to help him continue to heal and improve. My husband has spoken with him, as he is assigned as our worker's medical proxy, and shared that he believes that he suffers from depression and that is a big part of how he is "stuck". The doc started pursuing that and I do think he is now on an anti depressant as well.
This is a man who has worked his entire life and now finds himself lost. Without Medicaid and Snap (we got him on that as well), he would be dead and the world would have lost an honest, hard working and caring human.
He just turned 62 and I got him signed up on line for Social Security so we could see what kind of payments he earned. To his surprise, he can start getting $1,300 a month! So now I have printed out the checklist and the instructions on getting a card (like a debit card) for his payments to be installed on (He of course, does not have a bank account). He has an appointment with the county to get signed up.
This is what THIS atheist does, helping where I can and yes the programs in place are there as a safety net when people fall through the cracks.
one last example
and oh yeah, a mama feral cat had babies and he was feeding them ( I bought the food) and I got him to trap them ( I have a huge humane trap that I lend out all the time) the babies and mom and I arranged for a friend to take them and get them socialized and taken care of medically along with spaying and neutering them all. It took almost a year, but they all including mama cat, became loving socialized cats and were all adopted out.
It doesn't take a lot to help and look out for one another. I don't believe in the philosophy of "every man for himself"
Carlton, how do you claim our tax system “transfers enormous spending power” to the lower classes? What does that even mean?? The average worker pays 13% in taxes; the billionaires pay 8.2%. The federal wage is only $7.25/hr, while the actual living wage needed is $25.02/hr. That means two working parents with two kids must both work 96 hour weeks! A single mother earning the fed minimum wage must work 252 hours a week--the equivalent of 6 full time jobs--to make a living wage. https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/103-new-data-posted-2023-living-wage-calculator
This is not political ideology of any sort; these are facts proven by the evidence of numbers.
Affirmative action, in case you missed it, was recently abolished by this conservative Supreme Court.
Do you see public education as an undeserved freebie? Trade schools pass muster, but not college? The value of a trade is limited to specific locales, where some may not want to live. Why should college be so expensive, when those without a degree earn less than half as much?
I, too, was raised on the principle that, “I may disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” For me, that includes not calling people ugly names who disagree with me, to make the people themselves--along with their ideas and proposals--seem less than worthless. Civility seems truly extinct.
Dee, thanks for speaking up and doing so in an intelligent and informed way. I, too, was taken aback by Carlton's use of troll to describe you. In fact, I see you as the anti-troll. You responded to generalizations with facts. I applaud you.
and no, Carlton, I am not an extremist leftist Marxist, as you generalized. I am just an American who believes in democracy and doesn't think religion of ANY kind has a place in our government.
And all of the government policies/programs that I cited aren't "legitimate concerns" supporting the position that America is not a horrible society dominated by "super rich" white "racists"? It's a whole lot more complicated than that, as most of Adam Kinzinger's supporters understand.
Additionally, while pandemic funding lifted 2.2 million children out of poverty and, now eliminated by the GOP, even more have been plunged right back into poverty. Further, between April of last year and May this year, 1 in 3 Americans reported not knowing where there next meal was coming from. https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/blog/2023/09/12/hunger-report-2023/
I left organized religion many years ago. I AM a person of faith and have been really shocked by some of the rhetoric coming from the faith leaders and the churches. I think Congress needs to take a look at the tax exempt status of some of these groups.
Amen! For those who disregard the teachings, commands, and personal example of Jesus on this Earth-they might read His admonitions in Matt 7: 21-23. I am appalled at those who equivocate Trump with Jesus :( Thank you for posting this important message Adam.
As a non religious American myself, I would like to point out that the principle that enables Christians (and other religious people) to freely practice their religions, and enables others to not practice or support them, is that of governmental neutrality on religion mandated by the U.S. Constitution. I affirmed an oath to support that document in becoming commissioned as an Army officer, and (unlike Trump, for example) have considered that oath to be permanently binding.
Article VI of the original Constitution provides that "“no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." I regard that as an even stronger statement of religious neutrality than the more widely recognized provision of the First Amendment that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Politically, I am quite comfortable supporting religious believers like Adam Kinzinger who recognize the continuing contribution that the principle of religious neutrality makes to the welfare of all Americans. And I also share his sentiments about the moral obligation of people who are particularly "advantaged" to extend their advantages to others, both here and abroad.
Thank you, Adam, for bringing faith & religion into the discussion. I've felt it's presence, unspoken, throughout these political campaigns. It's been like the elephant in the room. Republicans use it to great effect, Democrats not at all. We are, after all, a nation "under God". I don't think we need to flaunt it like the fundamentalists, but we should recognize what Republicans are doing with it and not be afraid to say, as you did, "my faith tells me...". It will connect with some people. I appreciate your courage in being vulnerable to us.
Thank you Adam, for such a thoughtful, clear, and concise summary of what evangelicals should be focused on. I am a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ and am puzzled how anyone claiming to know the same Jesus as me can think Trump is any kind of answer to the chaos in our world today. As my pastor said a couple of Sundays ago, “no man will save you, only Jesus Christ has the power to save”. How do trump followers reconcile the nasty, vile rhetoric coming from him, whether it’s about women or immigrants or disabled veterans and the words of Christ telling us to minister to the poor and those disenfranchised around us? Or the very real criminal charges against him? It’s a cult thing that’s been around for a long time ( i.e. Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Korean). But Jesus loves them just as much as He loves me. We have to respond with the same mind-set and words as Jesus would. We are His hands and feet and representatives of His gospel.
Great read and totally on target. Best thing since your podcast with Russell Moore last year on this very serious subject. Still have that podcast and listen occasionally when I need a spiritual uplift.
Unfortunately, most of the predominant churches in my area have a majority of members that put this deceiver on the same pedestal as the Christ in their lives. Moreover, they see him as a gift which is beyond comprehension. It saddens me to have extended family members that feel that way too. Any attempt to discuss it becomes an attack on them...
Thanks again, needed this. Nice to know not alone in dealing with it...
Excellent article, Adam. I’m a Catholic priest and I couldn’t have written it any better. Perfectly stated. Let us all keep Jesus’ gospel message of peace and love, at least in our hearts, and then, in imitation of him, share it with all others. Yes, lets keep religion out of government and bring in morality, integrity and decency.
Amen 🙏🏼
You must be a Jesuit, whom I admire greatly. Religion without critical thought is just a cult. I believe that thoughtful reflection upon ones beliefs only makes that faith stronger.
Exactly right as usual. I wonder what faith leaders who follow Trump and ask their followers to do the same think about what they are doing—I always believed that faith leaders were a contemplative lot. Perhaps that is a thing of the past. I cannot understand how anyone who reads the New Testament and professes to spread the word of God can honestly say that Trump is essentially Jesus incarnate. It sickens me.
The Lord predicted that there would be false prophets claiming to be “the messiah” Matthew 24:24.
I don't know if trump is the antichrist, but this is the first time I've thought I might be looking at him.
My upbringing as a Methodist aligns with yours and is fundamental to why I left the party and am now registered as a GA Dem.
My deepest respect for your decision.
Amen! As the Bible predicts many Christian’s will be deceived by the Antichrist. Trump is the front. The Golden Calf being worshipped. While ignoring, “love one another as I have loved you!”
It's wild that they don't get that exact point.
Then there was a golden statue of you-know-who presented as a gift at CPAC...the irony explodes here. Not a single evangel batted an eye as they posed for photographs beside the garish image of their equally garish leader.
This will be a controversial post I am sure.
First, let me say that I believe that everyone is free to chose what to believe or how to live. I do not have a right to say otherwise.
As an antheist, I find those that that hide behind their religion; insincere at best. Finding a bible verse to justify actions for this or that. Or some that only need confess and they are whole again, free from the burden of the crimes/sins they committed. It is all too convenient.
For me, it is more realistic to take responsibility for my actions and to have empathy for others. I don't need a religion to tell me to be kind and to help where I can. I certainly don't need a religion to then tell me it is OK to be mean and bully others; to shame the disadvantaged, to tell others what to do, how to live - in the name of their god. What is that? And the "mega churches", where the preachers are traveling on private jets from home to home.
My theory is that the racists in this country see they can use "religion" to get their holy grail of a white 'Merica. "the south shall rise again" mentality. I bet if you looked into all of the yelling, hating people in the maga movement who are citing god and Jesús as their guiding light; you would find their hearts filled with hate and bigotry. Definitely not what some believe are the principles of religion, of love and tolerance. After all, it is all up to interpretation, isn't it?
I have no inclination to tell anyone how to live their life or what to believe. That is not my responsibility or my right. I can lift others up when I see they need a hand with no ulterior motive other than helping where I can. That is how I choose to live my life; to be kind. That does not mean I am unable to defend myself when attacked. I will stand up to bigotry and hate and abuse. Always.
If you have never seen A Face in the Crowd (1957), please go watch it and think of today's political environment, especially Trump. Your jaw will drop.
peace out,
Angela
Hi, Angela,
I'm a Christian who very much needed Christ in my life and am currently living in a potentially dangerous situation (family mental illness) where I know that He is protecting me. Nevertheless, I agree with my fellow Christian, Adam, 100 percent on the subject at hand and constantly grieve over former fellow church members (I left) and family members who have now committed what I can only call years-long idolatry where Donald Trump is concerned. (BTW, Jesus more than likely did not have blonde hair since He was Jewish and brown skinned.)
But the main thing I wanted to say to you in the current context is that I too highly recommend "A Face in the Crowd", Andy Griffith's first movie and definitely not "Mayberry light fare". I wish every single Trump supporter would watch it. Trump cares nothing for them but to use them for his own selfish ends, and great shame is being brought on the Church and the gospel of Christ because of their willful delusion.
Angela, thank you for sharing your views. While you do not claim to be living a Christian life, you certainly embrace the best of behaviors for yourself and your fellow man. I applaud you for your honesty, and your care for self AND others.
You are moral, have integrity, and the courage to speak, harming no one in the process. A good and decent person has no need to apologize for atheism, (I understand you are not apologizing). I wish you a long, happy, rewarding life in the company of others who share your beliefs. 😘
It’s true, we need more atheists. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/03/kate-cohen-atheism/
thanks for sharing this, Dee. I subscribe and missed this article. I identified with quite a bit, especially the parts of taking responsibility and action. I don't sit back and say "well, it's all in god's hands now". I do what I need to do to help, not wait. It has given me a lot more to think about. cheers
Having indicated in another comment that I am a "non religious" American who strongly supports the U.S. Constitution, I will add that I am reluctant to be identified as an "atheist" for many of the stereotypical mischaracterizations cited by Kate Cohen in her linked article in the Washington Post.
One stereotype that I have (unfortunately) found to be correct, however, is that atheists tend to adhere more than "average" Americans to extreme leftist ideologies. Chief among these is the principle expounded by Karl Marx (an atheist) of "To each, according to his need, from each, according to his ability."
The current "woke" movement extends that to advocating that not only government, but private entities dependent upon government for grants and favorable legislation, should aggressively act to guarantee "equity" -- which, in practice, would mean equal outcomes (however measured) for everyone in virtually every facet of American life.
But as an old fashioned believer in "equal opportunity," "personal responsibility" for taking advantage of it, and the policies that have been in place in the U.S. over the past 60 years or so for achieving "equality," I ask the followers of this discussion who are generally conservative on religion and moderate on other issues, to judge me and others as individuals according to our beliefs and actions. And -- perhaps related to my having grown up in the American Heartland like Adam Kinzinger and Ronald Reagan -- my beliefs and actions have always been very consistent with those of American Christians.
Carlton, I wonder what you consider to be “stereotypical mischaracterizations” where I saw only well-researched facts. “Personal responsibility,” on the other hand, is very often loaded in the same way religionists use it, to argue that society has no duty to those it has systematically and by LAW repressed and delegitimized, or even to those who--since the conservative backlash to FDR’s New Deal, Eisenhower’s wealth taxation in the 1960s, and the gross bank bailout without consequences in 2008 that stripped money from the pockets of our citizenry--now struggle to survive because most of the nation’s wealth and power has accrued to a very few.
How, for example, can “personal responsibility” address in any respect the untraceable dark monies flowing into politics after the Supreme Court in 2010 declared corporate money--even money not yet in existence but simply “expected”--to have the sacrosanct right of free speech? (Citizens United)
What you call “equal opportunity” is grossly factored in your own favor as a white male; what is “equal opportunity” to a married mother who must work,even as her husband does, to support their family--but can’t find any kind of maternal medical care whatsoever in states like Alabama and Montana, where doctors voted with their feet?? Have you never noticed that the untaxed inherited wealth of billionaires creates in their children enormous, unearned opportunity and privilege, even (or perhaps especially) to those with no talent or skill? Inequality is overwhelmingly more severe here than in any other modern nation except England, which (not coincidentally) shares much of the same history and law. You were born into privilege as an accident of birth.
How do you propose “personal responsibility” to overcome such privilege--or to defeat the oligarchic rule this nation has embraced (and SCOTUS has confirmed) instead of inclusion and democracy? How can “personal responsibility” hold when the highest court in the land guts voting rights, and then holds itself to no ethical stands?
I’m sure you’re aware of “economies of scale”--without a robust federal government, infrastructure, education, the ability to fight aggressively contagious diseases or climate catastrophes, even our ability to defend ourselves--all fail. In the same way, only a federal government can guarantee that equal opportunity is not merely a casually tossed phrase bearing no reality in fact.
In response to this response that I trust other admirers of a centrist such as Adam Kissinger will recognize as a leftist troll, I will simply cite a number of the government programs over the past 60 years that I have essentially supported (including with my tax dollars). I'll list them in approximate order of my support for them -- although I have never been hesitant to express my opinion as to ways of making them more fair and cost-effective:
1. A federal tax system that -- despite its economically wasteful complexity -- transfers enormous spending power from rich and middle income people (like me) to lower income people. Note that this and other such policies are "color blind," but benefit Americans of all disadvantaged groups to the extent that their members have been disadvantaged as INDIVIDUALS. (and not all have, by any measure).
2. Free public education -- extending beyond high school to one or two years of training in skills that are in demand in a particular part of the U.S.
3. The Earned Income Tax Credit (a provision of the U.S. tax code) which is essentially a negative income tax that subsidizes work as opposed to welfare dependency.
4. Medicaid, which targets medical care to the people least able to afford it,
5. Affirmative action policies, which AT BEST encourage disadvantaged people to expend the effort required to improve their own skills that enables them to compete in a market place that actually tends to favor them over us "ordinary old white people" like me.
I will leave it to other followers of Adam's Substack to comment on your comments, which to me seem to be totally out of place here (although I have put my life on the line supporting your right to express such leftist ideology).
Thanks for essentially reinforcing what I said in my initial post to the effect that atheists tend to be leftist extremists.
We live up in the Colorado Rockies and we have guy that has done odd jobs for us for over 15 years. Good hard working and homeless guy in his early 60's now. He has some mental issues that prevent him from understanding long term planning. He lives in a RV that he found in the woods further up the mountains and many times in his truck. My husband has set him up with solar system to generate and store electricity but it has not been maintained and is not in use right now. He knows he needs to do something, but he is stuck and paralyzed.
He came in last summer and told my husband (retired from public health service in Navy) that he felt like Popeye as his legs has gotten swollen. My husband knew this to be signs of congestive heart failure. He instructed him to go to the county office and get signed up for Medicaid and get to a hospital. It was congestive heart failure and he was in hospital for over a week. When he complained, my husband told him to think of it as a vacation, he was clean, sleeping in a bed with clean sheets and being fed.
We have a clinic up here for the indigent. He sees the doc there and is on medications to help him continue to heal and improve. My husband has spoken with him, as he is assigned as our worker's medical proxy, and shared that he believes that he suffers from depression and that is a big part of how he is "stuck". The doc started pursuing that and I do think he is now on an anti depressant as well.
This is a man who has worked his entire life and now finds himself lost. Without Medicaid and Snap (we got him on that as well), he would be dead and the world would have lost an honest, hard working and caring human.
He just turned 62 and I got him signed up on line for Social Security so we could see what kind of payments he earned. To his surprise, he can start getting $1,300 a month! So now I have printed out the checklist and the instructions on getting a card (like a debit card) for his payments to be installed on (He of course, does not have a bank account). He has an appointment with the county to get signed up.
This is what THIS atheist does, helping where I can and yes the programs in place are there as a safety net when people fall through the cracks.
one last example
and oh yeah, a mama feral cat had babies and he was feeding them ( I bought the food) and I got him to trap them ( I have a huge humane trap that I lend out all the time) the babies and mom and I arranged for a friend to take them and get them socialized and taken care of medically along with spaying and neutering them all. It took almost a year, but they all including mama cat, became loving socialized cats and were all adopted out.
It doesn't take a lot to help and look out for one another. I don't believe in the philosophy of "every man for himself"
Carlton, how do you claim our tax system “transfers enormous spending power” to the lower classes? What does that even mean?? The average worker pays 13% in taxes; the billionaires pay 8.2%. The federal wage is only $7.25/hr, while the actual living wage needed is $25.02/hr. That means two working parents with two kids must both work 96 hour weeks! A single mother earning the fed minimum wage must work 252 hours a week--the equivalent of 6 full time jobs--to make a living wage. https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/103-new-data-posted-2023-living-wage-calculator
This is not political ideology of any sort; these are facts proven by the evidence of numbers.
As for Medicaid: 10 GOP-led states refuse federal funding for Medicaid, with the result that the 10 worst states to live in include most of them. Compare: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3914916-these-10-states-have-not-expanded-medicaid/amp/
With: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/07/14/these-are-americas-10-worst-states-to-live-and-work-in.html
Affirmative action, in case you missed it, was recently abolished by this conservative Supreme Court.
Do you see public education as an undeserved freebie? Trade schools pass muster, but not college? The value of a trade is limited to specific locales, where some may not want to live. Why should college be so expensive, when those without a degree earn less than half as much?
I, too, was raised on the principle that, “I may disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” For me, that includes not calling people ugly names who disagree with me, to make the people themselves--along with their ideas and proposals--seem less than worthless. Civility seems truly extinct.
Dee, thanks for speaking up and doing so in an intelligent and informed way. I, too, was taken aback by Carlton's use of troll to describe you. In fact, I see you as the anti-troll. You responded to generalizations with facts. I applaud you.
and no, Carlton, I am not an extremist leftist Marxist, as you generalized. I am just an American who believes in democracy and doesn't think religion of ANY kind has a place in our government.
And all of the government policies/programs that I cited aren't "legitimate concerns" supporting the position that America is not a horrible society dominated by "super rich" white "racists"? It's a whole lot more complicated than that, as most of Adam Kinzinger's supporters understand.
Carlton, in the 2nd quarter of this year, 69% of the nation’s wealth is held by just 10% of its people, while the lowest 50% of the population owns only 2.5%. https://www.statista.com/statistics/203961/wealth-distribution-for-the-us/#:~:text=In%20the%20second%20quarter%20of,percent%20of%20the%20total%20wealth. That same 10% owns 89% of ALL US stocks. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/10/18/the-wealthiest-10percent-of-americans-own-a-record-89percent-of-all-us-stocks.html
But while Blacks are 13% of the population, they own just 4%, largely due to biased laws such as redlining, as himebuying is THE most significant way to increase wealth. https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2022/how-the-racial-wealth-gap-has-evolved-and-why-it-persists#:~:text=It%20matters%20a%20great%20deal,13%20percent%20of%20the%20population.
And while women head over half of US households, they hold only 28% of household wealth, largely due to the fact that women make only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men--despite the fact that women are better educated than men. https://www.stlouisfed.org/open-vault/2021/september/gender-wealth-gaps-us-benefits-of-closing-them#:~:text=Half%20of%20households%20in%202019,the%20broad%20economy%20as%20well.
Additionally, while pandemic funding lifted 2.2 million children out of poverty and, now eliminated by the GOP, even more have been plunged right back into poverty. Further, between April of last year and May this year, 1 in 3 Americans reported not knowing where there next meal was coming from. https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/blog/2023/09/12/hunger-report-2023/
I left organized religion many years ago. I AM a person of faith and have been really shocked by some of the rhetoric coming from the faith leaders and the churches. I think Congress needs to take a look at the tax exempt status of some of these groups.
Thanks again Adam for giving a clear perspective.
I wholeheartedly agree. churches should pay taxes just like any other business.
I think Jesus would be throwing over the tables and chasing him out of the marketplace
Amen! For those who disregard the teachings, commands, and personal example of Jesus on this Earth-they might read His admonitions in Matt 7: 21-23. I am appalled at those who equivocate Trump with Jesus :( Thank you for posting this important message Adam.
love the super and short summary of the problem of Christian nationalism.
As a non religious American myself, I would like to point out that the principle that enables Christians (and other religious people) to freely practice their religions, and enables others to not practice or support them, is that of governmental neutrality on religion mandated by the U.S. Constitution. I affirmed an oath to support that document in becoming commissioned as an Army officer, and (unlike Trump, for example) have considered that oath to be permanently binding.
Article VI of the original Constitution provides that "“no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." I regard that as an even stronger statement of religious neutrality than the more widely recognized provision of the First Amendment that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Politically, I am quite comfortable supporting religious believers like Adam Kinzinger who recognize the continuing contribution that the principle of religious neutrality makes to the welfare of all Americans. And I also share his sentiments about the moral obligation of people who are particularly "advantaged" to extend their advantages to others, both here and abroad.
Agreed! I have lost all respect for evangelicals or any other religion that has Trump as their unofficial leader …
Thank you, Adam, for bringing faith & religion into the discussion. I've felt it's presence, unspoken, throughout these political campaigns. It's been like the elephant in the room. Republicans use it to great effect, Democrats not at all. We are, after all, a nation "under God". I don't think we need to flaunt it like the fundamentalists, but we should recognize what Republicans are doing with it and not be afraid to say, as you did, "my faith tells me...". It will connect with some people. I appreciate your courage in being vulnerable to us.
Amen!
Thank you Adam, for such a thoughtful, clear, and concise summary of what evangelicals should be focused on. I am a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ and am puzzled how anyone claiming to know the same Jesus as me can think Trump is any kind of answer to the chaos in our world today. As my pastor said a couple of Sundays ago, “no man will save you, only Jesus Christ has the power to save”. How do trump followers reconcile the nasty, vile rhetoric coming from him, whether it’s about women or immigrants or disabled veterans and the words of Christ telling us to minister to the poor and those disenfranchised around us? Or the very real criminal charges against him? It’s a cult thing that’s been around for a long time ( i.e. Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Korean). But Jesus loves them just as much as He loves me. We have to respond with the same mind-set and words as Jesus would. We are His hands and feet and representatives of His gospel.
Thank you, Adam!
Thanks Adam!!
Great read and totally on target. Best thing since your podcast with Russell Moore last year on this very serious subject. Still have that podcast and listen occasionally when I need a spiritual uplift.
Unfortunately, most of the predominant churches in my area have a majority of members that put this deceiver on the same pedestal as the Christ in their lives. Moreover, they see him as a gift which is beyond comprehension. It saddens me to have extended family members that feel that way too. Any attempt to discuss it becomes an attack on them...
Thanks again, needed this. Nice to know not alone in dealing with it...
Thank you Adam! Succinct and to the point.