The Friday Link for 1/10/25

Howdy, all.

This week we go to church.  I'm a Christian. I'm not here to convert anyone.  My mantra on my show is a simple one:  "You do, or don't do, whatever it is you do or don't want to do. I have a personal relationship with my faith and I'm very comfortable with my interpretation of it.

That being said, one of the worst things that has happened to the Christian faith in America is the amount of far-right zealots who have taken a religion CLEARLY centered on peace, love, welcoming, compassion, inclusion, tolerance, and empathy, and molded it into a weapon to persecute all of their political villains.  By making Christianity only about hating the LGBTQIA+ community, railing against abortion, and worshiping Trump as an equal to Jesus, the far right is destroying my faith.  It makes me sad.

They never talk about feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, taking care of the sick, or welcoming in the stranger.  Nope, for them, it's all HATE HATE HATE!!!

After hearing the great John Fugelsang talk about religion 10 years ago, I became inspired.  If I don't try to save my religion, who will?  This began a lot of religious talk on my radio show and on this blog.  I try to take my time to counterpoint the misinformed and evil opportunists who seem content driving Christianity into the ground.

Where do I get a lot of my defense?  Many different places, but Dan McClellan has become a rich source of facts to defend my points.  I really enjoy his videos. 

Three from him tonight, starting with addressing the Paul issue. Paul's teachings are often placed above the teachings of Jesus himself because they imply a harshness, a harshness opportunists have used to create obedience. But who was Paul, and how much of what is attributed to him actually came from him?

Next up is a brilliant video from Dan where he goes after a content creator who attacks a woman who is a Lesbian and a Christian.  The hate is nothing more than right-wing identity politics, and the people who expound on them ignore they're doing the exact thing they're accusing others of doing.

Last one from Dan is him talking on Mel Gibson for implying the Shroud of Turin is something more than it is, which is a fake. 

By the way, Mel Gibson came back to California after his appearance on the Joe Rogan show and immediately started blaming Democrats for the wildfires.  Not very Christian Mel. 

Finally tonight is a reminder from Bob Odenkirk and David Cross why they are one of the greatest comedy teams of all time. The Good Cop Bad Cop routine gets put on its ear here. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Make sure you get your flu shot and stay up to date on your COVID vaccinations!