Author Archives: Jacob Fortin

Christian Nationalist Think-Tank Ready to Pounce

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If you’re an American, hopefully you’ve come to the realization that your country is in serious trouble. The rise of Christian Nationalism went from a growing concern to an outright menace to free society.

If you think I’m being hyperbolic, than it means you haven’t read this: the manifesto for The Center for Renewing America, a think-tank (I use the word loosely here) lead by a man named Russell Vought. Vought had previously worked as Trump’s director of Office of Management and Budget when he was president, and he’s preparing himself and others for the return of the big orange turd by crafting a document outlining all the messed up crap he wants to implement on Trumps first day in office.

Vought sees his and his organization’s mission as “renew[ing] a consensus of America as a nation under God,” per a statement on CRA’s website, and reshaping the government’s contract with the governed. Freedom of religion would remain a protected right, but Vought and his ideological brethren would not shy from using their administration positions to promote Christian doctrine and imbue public policy with it, according to both people familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to avoid retaliation. He makes clear reference to human rights being defined by God, not man.

First, I highly doubt that freedom of religion would remain a protected right. Currently, there are Christian lawmakers that have been trying to get Satanism removed from the list of recognized religions, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. These psychos will do just about anything to make sure their religion is top dog, and it wouldn’t surprise me if other faiths were soon on the chopping block.

Second, what I find terrifying is the renewed confidence of these assholes in thinking that the rest of us will just sit back and let this happen. They live in such a bubble that they think the majority of Americans feel the way they do. It simply isn’t the case. Most Christians are not dominionists, and considering how many different denominations there are, to treat them as a one large group has never really worked. Although we may not like it, atheists have to ally themselves with those faith groups that are strongly opposed to this kind of sectarian agenda.

Lastly, atheists have to get off their asses and start making moves themselves. Christians have been infiltrating governments for decades, and this strategy is starting to bare fruit. If we sit back and let other people get involved, than we shouldn’t be surprised if we end up with targets on our backs. The stakes are high, and we can no longer bury our heads in the sand hoping that people will drop religion like a bad habit.

Minnesota Youth Pastor Arrested for Multiple Assaults

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You have to marvel at Christian hypocrisy. This is a faith that pertains to have “family values”, and yet every day, one of their leaders gets arrested on sexual abuse scandal. TGA’s been seriously considering making a Bingo style game to keep track of it all, since simply writing about it seems to be redundant at this point.

In Minnesota, a former youth pastor named Luverne Zacharias was arrested when it came to light that he had molested a number of students at a Christian High school in the mid 2000’s.

According to the criminal complaint obtained by the outlet, the alleged abuse took place between 2006 and 2009, when the victim was a student at El Shaddai Christian School in Owatonna. It was affiliated with and overseen by Christian Family Church, where Zacharias served as a youth pastor.

The woman told police that Zacharias would meet her in the basement of the school when she was sent to get milk for her classmates at lunchtime and during breaks. He allegedly touched her breasts and genitals over her clothing at first, doing it at least once every day, the woman said.

So this guy had a daily thirst for this kind of behavior. To call him an abuser would be an understatement. The guy was a straight up predator. Imagine the terror and humiliation visited upon them on a daily basis. Who knows if they will ever be able to enjoy intimacy with their partner thanks to this man’s traumatic behavior.

What do “family values” mean to Christians anyways? I keep waiting to see what the hell they are talking about whenever one claims this vaunted virtue. Does it mean disowning your child because they have a sexual preference you dislike? Does it mean beating, or abandoning your kids for questioning the teachings of a Bronze Age book? The lack of empathy and love displayed by the faithful can often be quite disturbing. Their claim to be the example to follow when it comes to family cohesion is a joke with no punchline.

I have personally witnessed a religious family being torn apart because of a disagreement about their own internal doctrines. If you’re looking for something to ensure family cohesion, Christianity certainly isn’t something an objective person would prescribe.

LifeWise Academy Needs to be Stopped

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It has to be strange to be the bad guy, and not know it. When you hold onto a belief that claims that you are righteous, there’s no limit to the depraved and corrupt things you’ll do to makes sure everyone around you thinks the same way.

Some of you may remember that we covered this creepy organization in the past. Lifewise academy is a Christian Nationalist organization that seeks to indoctrinate kids into their club. In states like Ohio, Arkansas and Georgia, these busy bees have been able to operate with impunity, as US courts are increasingly becoming friendly to the notion of letting religious organizations proselytize during school hours.

The way these guys get around the obvious issue with teaching religion in schools is that they will “bus” kids out somewhere else, and teach them off campus. This is a loophole that is increasingly being exploited.

Now, some groups have pushed back .For instance, Satanist groups are now also doing the same, partly to offer an alternative to Lifewise, but also to outrage parents with the notion that they might be getting brainwashed (Satanists groups don’t engage in any religious teachings. Rather, they usually just offer extra curricular activities).

In response, lawmakers are trying to ban Satanism, and get it’s tax exempt status revoked. Typical strategy by Christians who don’t think the rules apply to them. If you want to support their effort, I encourage you to make a donation.

The part that really gets to me are the bogus claims that these extra curricular religious programs somehow help the students do better in schools. There are no studies to back this up, not that I expect religious zealots to know how to conduct such a study. These guys have never heard of sourcing anything, so if you were hoping for proof, that’s one word religious people have never fully comprehended anyways.

Arizona Senator Comes to Defense of Satanism

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Here’s something I never thought I would say: A US senator has come to the defense of Satanists, mainly due to the fact that Christian Nationalists have decided that this “parody” religion is their new bugbear. Democratic Senator Juan Mendez addressed the fact that their colleagues are trying to “ban” the religion, and this has outraged overly sensitive Christians who still think the organization is evil.

“They are here today to confront the arbitrary, tyrannical authority of religious persecution that’s scheduled for government committee later on today,” he continued. “We are graced with the presence of ministers and members of the Satanic Temple of “The mission of the satanic temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people,” he added. “They embrace practical common sense and justice. They are guided by their conscience to undertake noble pursuits that fulfill their religious values… I welcome them to the floor today.”

Mendez is referring to the recent attempt by Republican lawmakers to try and outlaw Satanism, which has been taking up the fight for separation of church and state. He’s keenly aware of just how much these groups are enraging Republican lawmaker. It’s awesome to watch.

What’s hilarious is that the article I have linked to states that “The Democrat senator was slammed on social media after welcoming the devil worshippers to the capitol with open arms.” If you actually bother to read the comment section of the Republican Twitter account, you might see a few religious dummies attacking Mendez, however the vast majority of the replies point out that religious toleration means you have to accept faiths that you don’t like. Atheists are used to this, but for Christians, anything less than a complete domination of the religious sphere is unacceptable.

It’s nice to know that not ever government official is a religious nutbag. Gives you a little hope for the future.

 

David Koechner calls Catholicism a Cult

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The actor who played Champ in Anchorman opens up to comedian Neal Brennan about his experiences growing up in a strict Catholic family. Having had 2 uncles and aunts that joined as nuns and priests, he was in a household that lived by the Churches doctrine. In this part of the interview, he talks about how his family’s poverty was one of the main reasons for them joining up.

It’s crazy how many people out there have been abused and victimized by the Catholic Church. We tend to forget that about 40 to 50 years ago, the Church had way more power than it does today. It’s also sad to consider how many lives were ruined simply because of the desire to learn. It’s a reminder of how lucky we are today to have access to so much information and knowledge. While it’s definitely a blow against the Church in a variety of ways, it doesn’t mean they haven’t found new ways to try and entrap people to their vile blood cult.

“He Gets Us” SuperBowl Ad is Dumb

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Seems even a lot of Christians aren’t actually that enthusiastic about the “He Gets Us” religious ads that played during the Superbowl. A few of them hate it so much, they think it’s actually “demonic”.

Part of the reason has to do with White Evangelicals deciding that their main guy is a bit of a pussy. They like a God of revenge, or smiting and casting people into the fiery pits of hell. This foot washing hippie isn’t at all like the guy they picture in their minds.

Political Huckster Matt Walsh also didn’t approve of this ad. He claimed it did more “harm than Good” because it didn’t have the “correct” messaging that he would have liked. No mention of submission, of telling people they are going to hell, or attacking whatever minority they currently dislike. No, these commercials were just a bunch of AI images of people getting their feet washed to the sound of INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” (which is an odd bit of messaging for a religion that places faith over family). At the end, the ad declares that “Jesus didn’t preach hate” (even though he most certainly did, especially to people who rejected his teaching). You want some examples? No problem.

Matthew 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Luke 12:51
Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth?
No, I have come to divide people against each other!

I bet guys like Walsh would have preferred these quotes from the Bible than the patronizing tone of the commercial. Evangelicals especially seem to need a far more “muscular” Christianity, since Jesus’ messaging isn’t really resonating with today’s modern believer. Many consider him a “liberal” for some of his sermons such as “turn the other cheek”. This religious group prefers the “eye for an eye” stuff in the old testament, not this pussy love they neighbor shit.

“The ‘He Gets Us’ commercial might seem harmless to some, but it’s obviously part of a psyop to trick Christians into thinking Jesus is fine with sin & apostasy. It’s the opposite of what our world needs right now,” pastor Ryan Visconti wrote.

I think the lesson to be learned here is that there is no form of Christianity that has universal appeal. It’s why there are so many denominations. Do you hate gays? We’ve got a church for you. Love gays, he, there’s a church for that as well! Consistency? What the fuck is that?

By the Way, did anyone give a crap about the Scientology ad that also played? How an organization with fewer than 30,000 members can still be trying to recruit is just sad, isn’t it?

 

Yemeni Houthis to Stone 9 Gay Men in Public

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If you haven’t been following international news lately (and who could blame you), you might have missed out on the Houthis rebellion in Yemen, and the horrible consequences of having Muslim fundamentalists running around unchecked in your country. The Houthis rebels are funded by Iran, who uses these proxy fighters to cause chaos, and so far, their plan is working like a charm.

The religious group claims to care about the human rights issue in Palestine, but like most fundamentalist organizations, they simply use the chaos and sympathy as a recruitment tactic, and nothing more. As they gain more and more territory, they have begun to issue religious rulings to anyone they deem an enemy of Islam. This, unfortunately, includes people who have same sex attractions. They’ve been busy sentencing anyone they suspect of homosexuality to prison, with some “offenders” being sentenced to death by stoning. So far, over a dozen men have been condemned to die via the barbaric practice of stoning.

If you think that none of this effects you, consider that their constant attacks on US ships is moving us ever closer to a conflict that could engulf the whole world. Add to that the fact that the Houthis are threatening to destroy critical internet infrastructure, and there could be some pretty serious consequences as a result.

Just a nice daily reminder of just how much religion ruins everything. You’re welcome.

Shootout at the Olsteen Corral

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If you’re familiar with Prosperity Gospel, then you know who Joel Olsteen is. With a net worth of over 50 million, Olsteen has used religion like a piggy bank, enriching himself by promising that large donations to his church, or seeding as they like to call it, would financially bless those stupid enough to give him money.

Now, instead of being just a con artist, Olsteen has joined the ranks of churches that have experienced serious gun violence during their services. The details are still a little fuzzy, but we do know that at around 1:50pm, a middle aged woman with a 5 year old child began opening fire in the church just as the Spanish translation of their sales pitch was about to begin:

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, she was not immediately identified by authorities. Finner said that the woman had threatened she also “had a bomb,” but authorities searching her backpack and vehicle had been unable to locate any explosives.

The child was also hit with gunfire, though it’s not clear if it was the result of the shootout with police. He’s still in critical condition. Thankfully, there were only a few injured people. Had the woman showed up a little earlier, when there was a full house of over 45k worshippers, things could have been a lot worse.

All we can do at this point is speculate about what happened. Considering the predatory nature of the church, I’m willing to bet that perhaps this woman’s had a financial bone to pick with Olsteen and his church. We’ll need for the investigation to be completed. With the woman now dead, it may forever be a mystery.

Aspiring Priest Caught with Disturbing Child Porn

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When atheists say that the Catholic Church attracts pedophiles, we aren’t just making a crass joke. The way the Church has shielded it’s members from prosecution, the effort its put into lobbying governments to lower the statues of limitation on sexual crime, and the amount of money they have given away to keep mouths shut sends a clear message that if you are attracted to innocent children, you should join their ranks.

It seems as though Broderick Witt got the message. He was studying to become a priest, until he was eventually arrested after the police were tipped off that he possessed a bunch of really disturbing child pornography, including images with victims as young as 6 years old.

The Archdioses of Cincinnati released this rather amusing statement:

“The seminary and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have strict policies against, and take significant precautions to prevent, anyone from possessing or accessing material of this type, regardless of whether they are a student, faculty, or staff. Discovery of such material will result in immediate termination or dismissal and notification of law enforcement,” Rev. Anthony R. Brausch, Rector said in a letter to the seminary community.

They’re finally notifying law enforcement now? That’s a pretty big departure from their regular mode of operation. You may recall that former Pope Benedict XVI had issued a memo during his tenure as the head of the Inquisition (renamed “Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith” as it seems the centuries of bloodshed had somewhat tainted the name). It specified that Church leaders were to keep any information of abuse secret, and authorities were not to be contacted without approval from the higher ups (which they never would). I guess when you haven’t yet joined the club, they take a bit of a different approach to dealing with child predators. That means we just have to catch them before they can benefit from the protection of a trillion dollar organization. Good to know.

Kenyan Pastor Pleads Not Guilty for Death of 400 People

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Africa has become the wild west of religion. Every other day, there’s a tragedy happening on the Continent, all because of a toxic mixture of traditional beliefs and Abrahamic faiths.

When Pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 29 of his other accomplices were arrested in connection with the death of over 400 of his followers, 191 of them being children, they seemed unusually calm and cool, all things considered. His ministry, Good News International, had told their followers that the End Times were just around the corner, and that only through starvation could they meet the bearded hippie. When these followers inevitably died from a lack of food, they were buried in mass graves and simply forgotten about.

Mackenzie was a taxi driver before becoming a preacher. He quickly gained a following with his fiery sermons, and with his uncanny ability to predict events before they would happen (no doubt a result of simply reading the newspaper). His brainwashed followers were so convinced that he had special powers that when he told them to stop eating, they refused to do so even when they were dying at the hospital:

Several emaciated children escaped from the forest and locals alerted the authorities. Police found many followers close to death and took those still alive to nearby hospitals, where medical staff tried to feed the group. Many refused food, however, and as the situation grew more dire, the director of public prosecutions charged almost 65 people with attempted suicide for refusing to eat.

That’s the level of control that someone can have over others, thanks to the submissive nature of believers. Now the survivors of this cult have the difficult task of being deprogrammed. There’s bound to be more tragedy before this thing is all over.

No Justice for Young Woman Stabbed by Father

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If I were to tell you that a young woman was stabbed for dating someone outside of their religion, do I even need to specify what faith it was? We all know that Islam has a severe violence problem, and it’s only getting worse. In the UK, honor killings have increased by a staggering 81%, but even this figure is estimated to be a gross underestimation, as victims are either unlikely to come forward, or they simply “disappear”.

Australia is now reporting that it too is seeing the practice on its home soil. In November of last year, a young woman in Adelaide was attacked by her own family. She had begun dating a young Christian man, and this outraged her pea brained father. It wasn’t just him that was angry. Her entire family participated in the barbaric ritual:

During Thursday’s sentencing submissions, prosecutors told the court that family members worked together to track down the woman, 21, and help hold her down as her father stabbed her with a large kitchen knife at Sefton Plaza Shopping Centre in November 2021… The woman suffered a perforated kidney, lacerated liver and significant internal bleeding and was “bundled into the back” of a car after the attack occurred.

The whole thing played out like a scene from Scarface, leaving the young woman on the brink of death. Her family had originally been charged with attempted murder, but for whatever reason, the prosecutors decided to lower the charges to aggravated charge of causing serious harm, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Her mother, who held her down while she bled in the shower, was given the lesser charge of on-aggravated charge of causing harm with intent, which has a maximum sentence of 7 years. And while I know it’s always important for any criminal to get a good defense, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief at his lawyer’s defense strategy:

“His daughter was with a man … a man who he did not know and he also had concerns that the man might of not had his daughter’s best interests in mind,” Mr Weir said. “It was his intention to remove her from that situation and bring her home.”

In what, a body bag? The father was essentially given a slap on the wrist all things considered. What kind of message are we sending to other fundies who think that they are above the law? Honor killings are on the rise, and why wouldn’t they be when the perpetrators face such pathetic sentences. This girl will be physically and mentally traumatized for the rest of her life, all because these people put their faith above their families. It’s distasteful, disgusting, and a bunch of other D words I don’t want to repeat right now.

Belgian Church seems mass exodus over Abuse

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A television series in Belgium has recently exposed the Catholic Church and their history of abuse in the country, and this has left many Catholics upset, so much so that many have requested that they be “debaptised”.

The documentary series called “Forgotten by God” is what we’ve come to expect: it’s a exposé about the church’s coordinated attempts to cover up child sexual abuse. It centered around a man named Roger Vangheluwe, who had been abusing his nephews since 2010. The church was aware of what was going on, and because the statues of limitation has expired on the crimes, Vangheluwe was free, and had even retained his job as an ordained bishiop. The people were not pleased.

The Belgian Church, facing rising protests after a television film on sexual abuse and cover-ups in its ranks, has appealed against a government data protection agency ruling that the Diocese of Ghent must let a person be “debaptised”.
The Church considers baptism a permanent act that cannot be done away with, but the agency ruled in December that the plaintiff’s personal data record overrides the Church’s interest in preserving its records.

The reason that the church is appealing the decision is that they never like the idea of ever removing someone from their little registry. It’s how churches around the world operate: once you’re in their little cult, they never want you to leave. Plus, it help them to pretend that there are way more active Catholics than there really are.

Local Rabbi is Infecting Babies with Herpes

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The ritualistic mutilation of young boys is a practice that will forever baffle me. Originally it was an Egyptian tradition, reserved only for the royal family. Like all fads, it was eventually abandoned by most of its practitioners, save one: the Jews, who believe that the act of cutting off the foreskin of the penis is part of their covenant with God, who does not seem to be a fan of this particular piece of flesh.

In America, plenty of Gentiles are also circumcised. It’s estimate that about half of American males have been mutilated. It doesn’t hurt that this practice is a cash cow for doctors, who often cite poorly conducted studies on its supposed health benefits. Little is discussed of the physical trauma of cutting off one of the most sensitive areas of a young child without any anesthesia. After watching a few of these procedures, where the children often go into a kind of shock, you’d have a hard time keeping your lunch down.

The pain of this procedure is not the only dangers that these vulnerable children face. In Orthodox Judaism, the mohel who cuts the foreskin will also use his mouth to suck on the penis of the baby, supposedly in an effort to “disinfect” the wound. Instead, these disgusting individuals often carry sexually transmitted diseases, which are then passed on to the child. Naturally, this religious minority is extremely secretive, which means that this kind of abuse goes completely under the radar. Even when it comes to light, authorities will usually trip over themselves to avoid arresting or pressing charges against these mohels, for fear that they might anger the Orthodox community, which tends to have a great deal of voting power.

So, what is Rochester doing to prevent more babies from getting infected? Well, they certainly aren’t prosecuting the people involved. No, instead they are printing out brochures warning people not to allow their religious leaders to engage in their disturbing practices. “you can do it if you want, but know the facts” was one victim’s statement.

I guess giving diseases to babies is kosher, so long as there’s a religious ritual to justify it!

Oklahoma Senator wants to jail you for Sexy Selfies

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Are you feeling strangled by religious conservatives? Are you tired of zealots trying to control every aspect of your life? Well, too bad if you are, because these religious nutballs are just getting warmed up.

Oklahoma Senator and all around ballbag Dusty Deevers has introduced a bill that would outlaw sexting to anyone other than your spouse. This is all part of a larger effort to try and outlaw pornography altogether.

How he plans to accomplish this reminds me of bounty posters in the Wild West. You see, a person can file a lawsuit against someone they suspect of enjoying their freedom as an American, and they can receive up to 10k for snitching. The person you accused of witchcraft, I mean sexting, would face up to 25 years in jail, and a fine of up to 25k (presumably to help fund this sick game of tattle tale).

You might be wondering how broad this ridiculous and unconstitutional law is. It’s so broad that just about anyone who participates in any remotely sexual activity would instantly become a criminal:

This bill is broad enough to include any person’s, like butt selfie for example, it includes live performances in play. So that would seem to include strip clubs definitely and maybe also burlesque and drag performances and things like that,” Nolan Brown said.

The good news is that there’s no way in hell is this thing going to pass. Even in some Christian Nationalist nightmare world, I find it hard to fathom that any prosecutor would dare go after people for living their best life. Considering that Oklahoma is considered one of the worst states to live in, it sounds like there are more important priorities to focus on, like ranking 48th in healthcare, or almost dead last in educational standards.

Apart from crazy, unpredictable weather, the study said Oklahoma has one of the nation’s highest rates of drug abuse, and the second highest rate of people without health insurance. Homelessness is another big issue.

You know, there are way more serious problems in your state than people sending themselves sexy pictures, Dusty. If you want to help improve your state, maybe don’t create ridiculous laws that create dangerous witch-hunts.

Border Trucker Convoy Cancelled due to Paranoia

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Well, that didn’t last long did it? Just a day ago, TGA reported on a convoy of truckers calling itself “God’s Army” that was supposedly headed to Texas to “defend the border”. The event was cancelled, because many of the organizers started to think that the whole thing was an FBI operation, and that they were going to get coaxed into violence so that the feds could put cases on them.

According to Vice’s report, the less-than-stellar turnout was likely due to theories circulating in right-wing circles that the convoy could be a “psyop” or “honeypot” trap laid by the federal government to coax people into committing violence.

At least these guys were aware enough to know that when you put a bunch of these clowns together, people start getting hurt, or even killed. I also have a bit of news for these weirdos: people are not “coaxed” into acts of violence when they bring weapons to a protest. That shows that they are planning on getting their hands dirty.

We’re getting to an inflection point in Q-Anon it seems, where there’s a smattering of self awareness brewing at the service. Conspiratorial thinking is like a snake eating its tail. When you base all of your thinking in the idea that you can’t trust anything, eventually it all breaks down.

Here’s hoping that the Q-Anon people take the same approach to everything else in their lives. Maybe now instead of causing disturbances, they will all just stay home, since the outside world is just a giant conspiracy against them.