Summary
Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde refused to apologize after delivering a sermon at the National Cathedral that criticized Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ and immigration policies, calling for compassion and mercy for marginalized groups.
Trump responded by attacking Budde on Truth Social, labeling her a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
Budde, known for prior criticism of Trump, said she stands by her message and has received both support and threats.
She emphasized the need for dignity and respect in public discourse to counter the “culture of contempt.”
You heard it here first folks. Jesus was of the radical left.
Right wingers have lost their goddamn minds.
Unironically, Jesus was radical left in many ways. Many Christians do not like to confront those aspects of the bible.
Let criminals into your home. Give them shelter and food. Give all of your money to charity. If someone harms you, turn the other cheek. Feed the poor before yourself. Brutally whip greedy wealthy people. Those are just some fun examples.
If someone harms you, turn the other cheek.
This is a bit of an aside, but the “turn the other cheek” passage from the bible is interpreted in multiple ways. My favorite is:
The scholar Walter Wink, in his book Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination, interprets the passage as ways to subvert the power structures of the time.[3] At the time of Jesus, says Wink, striking backhand a person deemed to be of lower socioeconomic class was a means of asserting authority and dominance. If the persecuted person “turned the other cheek,” the discipliner was faced with a dilemma: the left hand was used for unclean purposes, so a back-hand strike on the opposite cheek would not be performed. An alternative would be a slap with the open hand as a challenge or to punch the person, but this was seen as a statement of equality. Thus, by turning the other cheek, the persecuted was demanding equality.
I’m hardly a biblical scholar, but that interpretation doesn’t feel like it fits with the rest of the passage…
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
It says turn them the other cheek also, after ‘do not resist’. So it’s about offering even to the worst, rather than resisting.
“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47 ESV
Sounds pretty radically left to me.
I’ll be real with you, I have no idea, but I do know that that sentiment is expressed several times in several different parts of the bible. It’s not one of the more popular messages with the standard Christian crowd.
Except for brutally whipping greedy people, I don’t think any of that is radical at all.
Jesus told you that if you saw a guy who needs clothes and you have clothes you aren’t wearing you should give that guy some clothes. This was a strong inspiration for a major philosophy that for some reason many “Christians” hate called Marxism
Every church has the potential to become the a mutual aide community. It’s what Jesus would have wanted
Conservatives would probably be first in line to crucify him if they lived back then.
Unmeekness is not necessarily aggressive (Matthew 5:5 is about humility, not docility).
Attacking traders, saying that you should share your food because you’ll get it back several times over, rebelling against autocratic rulers, solidarity and meeting the poor and marginalised at eye level
Definitely extreme left.
And does anyone remember the time when his affinity group resisted Jesus’ imprisonment by the security authorities by cutting off one of the officers’ ears? I have my doubts that it happened that way because the guy was seen with both ears several times afterwards, but the police legionnaires would never invent details to make the leftists look worse.
This shows that the movement surrounding the carpenter “Jesus” is obviously ready for violence. Also, numerous talks by followers of this group about a “Kingdom of God” (we suspect this is dog whispering for “dictatorship of the proletariat” as some leftists say they are “their own god”). In addition, influential members of this movement openly spoke of overthrowing the existing order. Although these plans were thwarted by “Jesus”, his tolerance towards potential ideological perpetrators of violence suggests that he does not rule out a violent overthrow.
The group should be categorised as left-wing extremist and left-wing terrorist and should be smashed immediately.
I’m still laughing about ‘radical left bishop’, that’s such a paradox I can’t get over it. Utterly deranged rambling.
MAGA has consistently branded the left as “radical,” to the point that they never plainly say “left” anymore. Always radical. You know, the party whose platform aligns with compassion and humanity more often than not. Radical. They’ve gaslit their constituents into believing that anything from the opposing party is unreasonable.
The radical left wants people to have access to healthcare. The radical left wants people to not be discriminated against for race, gender, sexual preference, etc. The radical left wants people to be treated like people and not sideshow freaks. The radical left wants an educated populace. The radical left wants to prevent people who are obviously dangerous from owning firearms. The radical left doesn’t want to put razor wire in the rivers on the border. The radical left doesn’t want me to store state nuclear secrets in the bathroom at my Florida clubhouse where I frequently entertain high-profile guests from adversarial nations. The radical left wants to lock up those who participated in a violent breach of our capitol and threatened the lives of Congress and our vice president and killed a police officer. The radical left wants breathable air, drinkable water, and clean energy. The radical left wants unions to negotiate fair working conditions and compensation. The radical left wants consumer protections.
These are all radical, dangerous ideas. In contrast:
The radical right wants women to be baby factories. The radical right wants dangerous people to own firearms. The radical right wants to limit access to education. The radical right wants to silence the free press. The radical right wants the police to kill with impunity. The radical right wants corporations to be free to poison our skies and waterways. The radical right wants to destroy our foothold in the growing clean energy sector. The radical right wants mega corporations to be free to fuck consumers sideways. The radical right wants to dissolve unions (except the police unions, those can stay).
See the difference?
I don’t know for America, but here in Europe pastors from non-evangelical Protestant churches are generally more leftist than most citizens and parishioners.
Oh I know some of them have pretty progressive or even leftist views, my hometown pastor was a very liberal, gay man, politically active in social democratic and lgbtq groups and a long time family friend, although we’re atheists. And he wouldn’t brand himself a radical leftist by far.
I’m European myself and radical left still means something different here. I mean for a lot of Americans anything in the slightest social or liberal automatically is radical leftist communism.
Yeah, I’d say that’s true in the US as well. But I wouldn’t characterize most of them as radical, except maybe one or two branches of the Quakers. Those people I respect. They walk the walk. I’ve known many (the next town to where I grew up had a big Quaker population) and I’ve seen a lot of them at demonstrations, food banks and various direct actions.
In the USA many non-denominational churches have roots in the Southern Baptist convention which historically is extremely racist and problematic. Many of those parishioners carry the same views as their ancestors. Most of the really messed up stuff you see “Christians” pushing for in the USA are non-denominational Christians.
Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen
(This is the end of the sermon, the part that addresses Trump. I couldn’t find the full text.)
Yup definitely a radical left hard line trump hater. /s
If someone feels that is true, then turns around and threatens this woman or believes she needs to be reported, they need to seriously take a closer look at themselves.
they need to seriously take a closer look at themselves.
Americans not being able to look at themselves critically is how we got here.
Apparently we Americans need a much harsher, more personal and painful lesson before we learn to treat everyone with respect and change our priorities.
It’s looking like we’re going to go through a dark period before this happens, if it ever happens.
Lol.
There are so many fake Christians in this country.
Glad this woman stood up for what’s right and attempted to remind all the fake Christians what their religion is supposed to be about. And kudos to her for not backing down to a fascist.
She’s such a hero. I’m really inspired by her bravery and mindset. She said in a NYT interview:
“I had a feeling that there were people watching what was happening and wondering, Was anyone going to say anything?” she explained quietly in an interview on Tuesday night. “Was anyone going to say anything about the turn the country’s taking?”
That should be the question to anyone in power - were you not going to say something?
