I respect it. We need more of this.
I respect it. We need more of this.
all of them
Truth Social should be next
*diaspora had something like this, but only in the sense you could easily migrate your identity with a few clicks. Not the same as a SSO, which would be great, imo.
That’s an interesting and informative response. I’ll be sure to preface “cult” with “abusive cult” next time. Thanks!
I apologize for misunderstanding. Can you provide a source or reasoning why you think the BITE classification itself was intended to make “cult” a bad word?
Yes, because controlling a group’s behavior, information access, thoughts, and emotions is completely acceptable. Autonomy be damned.
This place would 100% meet the BITE standard of cult classification.
They were wearing tshirts with the ministry’s logo, because Jan 6 was for American Jesus.
If some of the pastors there had their way, that’s exactly what power would control this country.
To them, it means if you’re depressed, schizophrenic, or otherwise incapable of controlling your emotions or perceptions, you’re being either possessed or “oppressed” by demon spirits.
I worked as a pastor and professor for a global, evangelical television ministry/college. They knowingly conceal scholarship on the Bible and punish their pastors for asking any questions that undermine their most closely held traditions (including anti-evolution, mental illness is supernatural, etc.). They tell their US viewers that they can’t call themselves Christians if they don’t vote Republican, while still enjoying tax-exempt status. They use pseudohistorians to inspire Christian Nationalism over their network, and are one of the largest propaganda networks for the Religious Right. A U.S. Capitol police commander told me his men were fighting people who were wearing the network’s brand.
My old person trait is thinking a family should be able to live in a house if one member has a stable job (maybe two people if both are at minimum wage).
I was saying the hypothetical quote would be fine. I wasn’t applying that to myself.
By “I’m a scholar,” I mean I have an MA and 12 years of experience studying the historical contexts and literary history of the textual witnesses, and the history of conversation on cosmology and it’s influence on the history of interpretation. I know just enough to know I know very little, which is why you’ll never, ever hear me say something as ridiculous as “The Bible Teaches <insert dogmatic statement>.” Overconfidence in one’s own interpretation without all context (which none of us have) is a red flag in ANY field, let alone one so close to our limbic needs.
I’m a Bible scholar. “What the Bible teaches” eludes most Christians. “What I think the Bible teaches based on my own historical-traditional interpretation” is fine. “How I approach the Bible, taking all known context into consideration” is even better. Whenever someone says, “the Bible teaches,” it’s a major red flag to me.
Religion is as much a protected class as sexual orientation. So long as they abide by the community rules, which includes the social contract of tolerance, then they’ll be just as tolerated.
And for trying to pull the group along, as futile as it may be.