As to atheism and agnosticism, I've said before and will say again: people who see value in religion have a LOT to learn from atheists and agnostics. It's the militancy — on both sides — that's the problem here, the anti-intellectual fundamentalism and the rank sense of superiority that some folks seem to imagine gives them the right to be hateful to and dismissive of others.
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/7
I, too, experience the behavior she's describing from militant atheists who attack me on social media for monitoring the role religion plays in political life and who want to conclude I'm some kind of right-wing religious operative — which could not be farther from the truth.
I don't want fundamentalism of ANY KIND. Start that with me and I'll turn a deaf ear to you faster than you can say Jehovah bless.
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/6
As someone else who grew up Southern Baptist and long since left that stifling world of Christian fundamentalism behind, who wouldn't dream of attending church after being shoved to the margins of the Catholic church I chose after leaving my family's church, I say a big amen. As I write over and over here, the disgraceful performance of much of white US Christianity in the Trump era is a stark counterwitness to the gospels.
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/5
"How can people not just leave people alone? Do your thing. Support others in doing their thing. Don't storm the capitol. Don't piss on people's social media posts about Ash Wednesday. Like, just go live your life and let other people live their life.... Just go do your thing."
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/4
How they were behaving and what they had to say — their viciousness and absolute certainty that they and they alone own the truth — reminded her, she says, every bit of the very fundamentalism she grew up with and has worked hard to leave behind. Mirror images, militant atheism and Christian fundamentalism.
She tells her attackers,
"You are what you hate, by the way, and you're as insufferable as the people I grew up with, so congratulations."
In this video, she talks about what just happened to her when she posted on social media about attending her first Ash Wednesday service now that she has shifted to a mainline Protestant church.
When she made her posting about attending an Ash Wednesday service, militant atheists came out of the woodwork and began viciously attacking her.
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/2
Holly Berkley Fletcher grew up the daughter of Southern Baptist missionaries in Africa. Her book The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism will come out this August.
Holly has long since broken with the stifling anti-intellectual repressive world of Christian fundamentalism with which she grew up.
#AshWednesday #religion #atheism #evangelicals #fundamentalism
/1
Conversation with an elderly friend this morning:
Her: Ash Wednesday today has Nordic roots. You probably know, but I just looked it up.
Me: Where did you find that? I’m not seeing it anywhere.
Her: Look up ash wednesday ancient history norse mythology on Google. Also ash wednesday odin.
Me: Oh LOL. You can look up anything, and it will tell you something about it, whether it’s true or not. The key is to make sure it’s on a reasonably trustworthy website. Google is the opposite of trustworthy; it makes up all kinds of things using AI. I usually go to Wikipedia.
Anybody heard of legit ancient Norse origins of Ash Wednesday?
Everybody looking after their AI-vulnerable loved ones?
Zum #Aschermittwoch gibt’s bei mir immer Suppe. Heute eine Kürbissuppe mit Blumenschmuck (das Auge isst ja schliesslich mit 
).
Today marks the beginning of Lent. I hope @JoeBiden decides to take the opportunity to give up being President. #AshWednesday
Superball 
