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While reading this I was thinking that Barr must be really dumb.... dangerously stupid.

But then I realised that it was religion.

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Sorry. It's not "religion." President Biden is religious, as have most of our former presidents been. It is ideology hiding in a disguise of a belief system. The religion demonstrated by the Republican party and T. Rump is hardly a religion. It's a signal, like virtue signaling- means nothing except to distinguish "us" and "them." All about divisiveness. Not about belief.

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"It is ideology hiding in a disguise of a belief system." YES, EXACTLY THAT!

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Organized religion is the framework with which they work. If one is used to having the man at the front of the church tell you what is the truth, who the enemies are, and tells you that this is the "one true way" then an individual is predisposed to this idea of "unitary executive power".

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I think you're onto an important point.

Sadly many people have grown up in that kind of chuch. Even more Sadly, many people think that is the only form Christianity takes.

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And they certainly donтАЩt embody religious values. Trump doesnтАЩt even go to church. They do not follow the 10 Commandments. They donтАЩt follow the teachings of Jesus. ItтАЩs a form of corrupt ideological religion.

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Would Jesus vote for Trump? That thought seemed preposterous at first but then I realized the MAGAts would try to claim he would.

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Remember, this is not about having religious ideas, itтАЩs about taking control of the government!

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But some pretend with a vengeance

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You said it, Lauri.

"belief system"

Barr is opperating within a "belief system" - that is how he can think the way he does and not be... completely stupid... a system of irrational beliefs. And in his case nefarious beliefs, but beliefs all the same.

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Sure he has a belief system, AKA bs, and said TFFG's election claims were all bs, from peaceful tourists, to antifa, to Shay Moss and Ruby Freeman, to just find me 1100 votes, to the riot being an FBI set up. Barr and his former boss are up to their hairlines in belief systems.

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тАЬFaithтАЭ and тАЬreligionтАЭ are different things.

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Indeed they are.

Faith and religion are different, but closely linked.

Religion is a system of control based on delusional and irrational faith. All you have to do is believe.......

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I don't see it that way precisely. I have faith but I've lost my religion due to the behavior of the bishops, mainly but not exclusively.

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Please do not conflate the former guy with a secondary sex characteristic that is celebrated in art and sculpture, and that originally evolved in both men and women, along with body hairlessness, the nuchal ligament (holds the head steady while running), and the Achilles tendon so that our ancestors could chase prey animals for many miles. And yes, women were hunters, too.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-women-were-hunters-not-just-gatherers-study-suggests-180982459/

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I believe Laurie we are defining whose on the Good Ship Principle ЁЯЩМ

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YouтАЩre implying that thereтАЩs a тАЬrightтАЭ religion. No religion can be allowed anywhere near a government. The Founders knew it; weтАЩre yet to learn from that mistake. American fascists gleefully use religion as a cudgel to beat the people into mindless acceptance of their nonexistent authority.

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тАЬReligionтАЭ is just the tool that allows a power hungry sociopath to run wild with absolute control.

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It's been used as an excuse and justification for despicable behavior for centuries. I am not painting all people of faith with this brush - but there are plenty of them to paint.

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I see many of them gullible when it comes to religion and believe their preachers.

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Gullible travels. A "Christian nation"..? Howsabout: A gullible nation.

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No, it doesn't

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In TrumpтАЩs case, itтАЩs a form of political religious nationalism that encourages his followers, despite the fact Trump makes fun of the Christian Nationalists behind their backs. Like Barr, IтАЩm a Catholic Christian, and in my case, I find Trump and Barr thoroughly repellent. I think it is a good thing to have a secular country, but the Republicans have rejected it, and their hand picked majority on the Supreme Court has violated the tradition of religious neutrality.

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If white supremacists took power, they'd send him to the ovens based on his DNA as one of the mud people. Barr's father was Jewish but converted to Catholicism.

This came out during the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as Barr's father hired Epstein at his prep school.

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Separation of church and state is more than just a tradition - it's clearly stated in the First Amendment.

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Republicans donтАЩt support our Constitution or they wouldnтАЩt be voting for trump.

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...except for the "right to bear arms", which they need for their insurrection.

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OMMPHHHH..., and right up front!

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Support your opposition or be gone!

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Spot on.

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тАж until they get caught - although Sara Lynn, a few squeak through unscathed.

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Is what Jesus said and did not principle? Or is it the remaining fillers of that story lends some tale talesтАжbeing used for convenience..the outline is NOT the outliarsтАж

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Ummm... the crusades? The struggle between Catholics and Protestants since Henry VIII? The pogroms? History has a ton of lessons to teach about "religion" mixed into government. Are we too stoopid or too stubborn to learn them?

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Bill Barr is an extremely conservative culture warrior Catholic. That he would override the very First Amendment to our Constitution, which guarantees us all freedom of religion AND freedom from religion, should terrify us.

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Having heard the debate over whether a Catholic should even have access to the White House when JFK ran, it seems clear to me that Catholicism covers a wide range of beliefs and practices. President Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Justice Sotomayor are all Catholic but they never would impose their religion on anyone.

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Progwoman, the range is perhaps less wide when guided by principles of social justice that are core to the teachings Jesus. Teachings not unique to Christianity, either.

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I have to wonder what homilies he has heard that give him this elitist distortion of Catholicism. He's a throwback to the Inquisition. And as terrible and terrifying.

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Bill Barr, like Trump, had a father and brothers who were bullies. I am beginning to understand how men who are badly bullied as children and grow up in highly competitive families and religious upbringing learn to stay loyal to the biggest bully, and take their frustration out on the easiest victims. ThereтАЩs a hierarchy and the biggest bully is on top

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Toxic masculinity. An enduring sociological problem across cultures.

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Lardo, is just another koch-sucker who has been provided a pulpit by Big Media. Being from a wealthy background helped immensely.

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And arenтАЩt most of the MAGA justices also extremely conservative Catholics?!

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It is very Christian to execute those one does not like, said JesusтАФ never. Co-opting religions as righteous validation for war, discrimination and self-serving power is an ancient and egregious mask for exploitation of entire populations. The Donald is the current golden calf.

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Since Constantine (approx 300AD)

Christianity has been demonizing humanity to justify wealthy warlords and kings selfish desires. Pathetic behavior.

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I think you are over-generalizing and somewhat harshly. (I subscribe to no religion, personally, though I come from generations of church goers). Those following their religion's essential spiritual beliefs can create so much good. However, using religion like an ugly team sport, whether needing to coerce and indoctrinate others, or define "non-believers" as enemies or somehow "less than", is evil exploit.

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Thank you for helping clarify my observation. I see there are groups of people with a тАЬgolden ruleтАЭ ethic that makes sense and that do a lot of good. To those, I celebrate, tied to religion or not. But Christianity/Catholicism hasnтАЩt fully owned the damage done, and being done in its name. Examples in history are the тАЬIndian schoolsтАЭ, the Magdalene laundries, the Crusades and the mass appropriation of land and wealth. To me, a church teaches one to submit and relinquish oneтАЩs own ability to create a civil morality. Sure, I tend to respond in general tone because I am not writing a paper here, just asking questions, sharing opinions and observations.

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All that horrific and hateful behavior is not something Jesus would condone (or so I interpret). It's when religion and alleged loyalty to goodness has perverted to a cult of "evil" that all the worst of humanity unfolds.

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It was a corruption of religion. Oh wait, maybe that is the definition. But to be fair, Jesus likely would chase these cretins away, like he did the money changers. They arenтАЩt even pretendingтАж

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These guys better hope that theyтАЩre wrong about there being a god, because if theyтАЩre right, theyтАЩre going to burn in hell for all eternity.

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..thatтАЩs an interesting snap Christopher тАжprinciple vs convenience ..getting lost in the story

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I was referring to the gullibility of belief, Patricia.

Barr can't imagine that a man who idolises and venerates a murderous dictator who regularly assassinates his rivals.... could actually follow through with stating clearly that that is what he wants to do.

He trapped in an illogical belief system and doesn't have the capacity to imagine evil in his associates. Dangerously gullible, of course he is a believer.

Ie. the principles override rationality.

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..gullibilityтАжweaved amongst callous twists ..it fascinates me how many can/do get lost..in the forest. Principle included.

The Art of the Deal?

ThereтАЩs profound innocence in most 6 year olds.

Not Trump, Not Barr.

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And excessive weight. Plus his letter to Trump to hire him.

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And excessive weight!

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