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Politics and Religion

2022-12-09T11:09:12-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Plea for Peace to Do My Work; Thank You

Last updated on: December 9, 2022 at 11:09 am By Julie Nichols

No doubt, a series of events and God moving me to different places over the last six years were absolutely required to open my eyes to full reality, especially coming from my conservative religious background and service in religious education. God had to first pull my family away from ultra-conservative religious circles by church splitting and COVID force. Serving children with developmental, learning, and cognitive disabilities as an Academic Language Therapist, first in religious education but then into secular society... Read more

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2022-12-06T20:57:24-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fascism is Here; It Didn’t Happen Overnight

Last updated on: December 6, 2022 at 8:57 pm By Julie Nichols

This didn’t happen overnight. We didn’t wake up one morning with a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin which lists Targeted People and Targeted Places. Sadly, the Targeted People include the LGBTQIA+ community, racial minorities, religious minorities, certain types of media, certain government personnel, and perceived ideological opponents. The Targeted Places are public gatherings, schools, faith-based institutions, government facilities, and US critical infrastructures. A long-threaded series of events over a period of six years sadly needed to happen for me to... Read more

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2022-12-04T12:33:00-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Christians, Wake Up, Fascism is Growing Again

Last updated on: December 4, 2022 at 12:33 pm By Julie Nichols

Today I made a Facebook post about Trump as a commentary to the article below this picture. I made a few quotes and then stated a few of my own points. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/10/opinions/trump-tore-my-family-apart-eldredge/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2UvPw2Ldet38y_BZVruWYEKCEy-mjc2oRK1sKo2gmWtfmLnyobL4caip0 “Was your blind loyalty to President Donald Trump, a person you’ve never met, worth burning our family to the ground?” This has happened to millions of families. One of my readers replied. “Now, who made you chose? Because it wasn’t me. Don’t give a flip about your politics.”... Read more

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2022-12-02T12:36:45-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Pre-Constantine Catholic and the Current Deconstruction Age

Last updated on: December 2, 2022 at 12:36 pm By Julie Nichols

In my last piece, I wrote about the consequences of marrying the empire to the Church. Being the Church history nerd that I am, I reviewed some of my early studies of the Church Fathers and how the earliest Christians conducted themselves. In short, I reviewed the time period closest to Christ and his Apostles which was the freest of government corruption, the pre-Constantine Catholic Church from 33 AD-312 AD. Prior to 313 AD, this was a time of REAL... Read more

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2022-12-01T11:06:37-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Religious Right Didn’t Listen

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 11:06 am By Julie Nichols

I admit it; I’ve been in a state of lament and depression. Trying to sort through the why’s and how’s, I’ve finally narrowed-down the primary reasons for my current state of depression. In short, the Church didn’t listen. The Church didn’t listen to the multiple warnings from the late Billy Graham. The Catholic Right hasn’t listened to Pope Francis. And the Religious Right didn’t listen to long-respected faith leaders like Rev. Jim Wallis. The Church married the empire once again... Read more

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2022-11-29T09:57:28-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fundamentalism vs. Life, Human Dignity, and Jesus’ Teachings

Last updated on: November 29, 2022 at 9:57 am By Julie Nichols

In my prior ultra-conservative rad-trad days, I admit that I held more rigid views, and I look back in retrospect at times with great regret and remorse for some of my thoughts, views, and actions. When I started serving professionally in my therapy practice for the broader secular community in March of 2018, and I witnessed right-winged ideology overtly dominate parts of the Church to the point of harming and killing others in society at-large and in the Church at-large,... Read more

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2022-11-21T18:42:13-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

MAGA Demonized Catholic AOC; Then she said, “There is Nothing Holy About……..”

Last updated on: November 21, 2022 at 6:42 pm By Julie Nichols

Since the day Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) arose to public life in 2016, I heard nothing but venom and demonization about her from MAGA Republicans, not conservatives only, but die-hard Trump supporters who falsely equate The Republican party with godliness as equating the Democratic party with godliness would also be. Some of key choice words for AOC I heard were/are: “Demoncrat,” bucking witch (substitute “f” for “b” “b,” for “s,”), she seeks to destroy America, etc. The list goes on until... Read more

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2022-11-17T21:43:26-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Power, Control, and Abuse in the Church

Last updated on: November 17, 2022 at 9:43 pm By Julie Nichols

This morning I stumbled across a meme which colorfully displays a wheel of abuse. It includes spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and other forms of abuse. After spending 25 years in ultraconservative religious communities, I am truly beginning to discover just how abusive much of (not all) the Religious Right/Catholic Right has been for decades all in the name of “getting the people into heaven.” Folks, if the tactics involve bucking medicine/science, gaslighting, abusing people, coercing votes, oppressing others,... Read more

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2022-11-16T14:10:05-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“The New MAGA” Review and Update

Last updated on: November 16, 2022 at 2:10 pm By Julie Nichols

Since the Texas gubernatorial election last week, I thought I would review, update, and restate some of my previous material from “The New MAGA.” Until Trump’s ascent to power in 2016, I was a life-long moderate Republican, mainly over the abortion issue. Our family was also in predominantly ultra-conservative faith communities until COVID hit. I never dreamed that I would watch the growth of fascism in my own state, within the US Catholic Church, and within our last faith community.... Read more

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2022-11-15T10:42:42-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Recommitting My Platform for Life, Family, and Health

Last updated on: November 15, 2022 at 10:42 am By Julie Nichols

This weekend I was so blessed to spend the weekend with an Evangelical leader and her husband. Until I understood the life-threatening implications of rejecting LGBTQ people and their families from the Church, spent some time serving in religious trauma recovery, and learned of the legislative attacks on transgender and LGBTQ youth in Texas especially, I assumed that this area was about promoting a new and harmful sexual ethic in society and imposing it on young people. I was... Read more

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