• elpaso [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    In the South, I grew up with that being the church. As I got older, I saw how mean and vicious the politics were and those politics were what ultimately convinced me not to be a priest. I understand people aren't perfect, but the church frequently exalted its worst members. The rise of Ted Cruz in his father's church makes a lot of sense to me, because I saw how nasty those politics were first hand. It also shows how easily someone like Trump can rise. Yeah he's a piece of shit, but isn't everyone else in the church leadership?

    I honestly don't think a lot of people believe the beliefs they hear at church, at a mosque, at a synagogue, at a temple, at a monastery. It's a community that adheres to a culture they are familiar with and are emotionally comfortable with.

    The only lesson I really think we can learn from the right is that forgiveness is OK. That isn't to say that people cannot be held accountable, but the scolding culture I saw from libs in this election immediately told me that Trump was going to win. There has to be a balance here. We are only human.

    • ihaveibs [he/him]
      ·
      1 day ago

      Totally agree with all that. Life is really fucking hard in the states, just for reasons other than poverty (although also poverty :l) so people are able to accept a lot of bullshit to be a part of community-oriented things like churches. I don't think people really "believe" either, they believe it as a set of social customs moreso than anything else.

      • elpaso [he/him]
        ·
        20 hours ago

        Exactly. It explains the rise of MAGA so well.