The Evangelical Fight to Win Back California

[DonViejo]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by muriel_volestrangler (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The New York Times




As the primary approaches, Franklin Graham brings Jesus — and a conservative political message — to a state with a vast pool of evangelical voters.

By Elizabeth Dias
May 27, 2018

PASADENA, Calif. — Franklin Graham stood in a packed locker room at the Rose Bowl, surrounded by fellow evangelists, pastors, and his top Los Angeles donors. It was two weeks before the California primary, and Mr. Graham was urging them to take a stand against their state’s “blue wall.”

The blue wall of California, Mr. Graham told the gathering, represents secular values that have taken root on the country’s west coast.

“Progressive?” he went on, “That’s just another word for godless.” Now is the time for churches to “suck it up” and vote.

“We’re tired of being stepped on,” Felix Martin del Campo, a board member of Samaritan’s Purse, Mr. Graham’s international humanitarian organization, said in an interview as the meeting ended and worship music played. “Only as we change the heart of the people of California can California go red again.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/us/politics/franklin-graham-evangelicals-california.html

[Initech]

1. It would also be time for the churches to start paying taxes if they did that.

STFU, Franklin.

[Zorro]

2. I was wondering why that asshole was on the local news lately

Franklin Graham serves the Antichrist.

The founding fathers recognized the perniciousness of religion in politics. The government needs to go Henry the Eighth on the megachurches after Trump and the Republican quislings are removed from power.

[Docreed2003]

3. "Being stepped on"???

When has the church ever not enjoyed that ability themselves in this country??!

Such bullshit red meat in an weak attempt to stir the masses and suggest to them, "See you're just like those early persecuted martyrs". Ugh...this crap is infuriating.

[Initech]

28. It's the same kind of violent rhetoric that has convinced white conservatives...

That they are being persecuted against. It is infuriating. But the GOP and especially fundamentalist preachers, have been using this tactic for decades. It needs to go away.

[turbinetree]

4. Hey Graham...................eat me, I am a bleeding heart liberal progressive

and I really don't like someone hiding behind the shield of god, enabling a traitor and his right wing minions that have supported a LIAR of bull shit over 3110 times.....................did you not forget one of the ten commandments......................thou shall not lie...................and pay taxes on your property................I really hate supporting gold diggers

Fuck you............................


November 2018 cannot get here fast enough for the Blue Wave

[PaulX2]

5. Franklin Graham Obviously Serves Satan

Its about power. To hell with the poor.

Too many listen to this murderer.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. He says tRump has not sinned in office and gave him a mulligan for all his sins before.

Evangelical family values boil down to Power and Money.

[keithbvadu2]

37. Religion and politics use each other to gain power and wealth.

[paleotn]

6. Stepped on?

One can barely get elected dog catcher in this country without espousing some kind of Christo magical thinking. You're out of your fucking mind, Graham. Fuck you. Fuck you and your church. Fuck you and your religion. Fuck you and your tin horn god. You're a cancer on our democracy and a danger to freedom everywhere. And just so I'm clear.....fuck you, Franklin, fuck you! I wouldn't piss on you and your ilk if you were all on fire.

[aka-chmeee]

20. Been watching a lot of old movies this weekend,

and through the 40s, 50s and 60s, it's a pretty rare picture that doesn't have the gratuitous "God" moment in it somewhere. It doesn't seem to matter what the movie is about; they manage to get their pitch in. I suppose you had to appease the censors.

[dogknob]

33. The Hays Commission might have had something to do with it....

The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral guidelines that was applied to most United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Will H. Hays, who was the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) from 1922 to 1945. Under Hays' leadership, the MPPDA, later known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), adopted the Production Code in 1930 and began strictly enforcing it in 1934. The Production Code spelled out what was acceptable and what was unacceptable content for motion pictures produced for a public audience in the United States.

From 1934 to 1954, the code was closely identified with Joseph Breen, the administrator appointed by Hays to enforce the code in Hollywood. The film industry followed the guidelines set by the code well into the late 1950s, but during this time the code began to weaken due to the combined impact of television, influence from foreign films, controversial directors (such as Otto Preminger) pushing boundaries, and intervention from the courts, including the Supreme Court. In 1968, after several years of minimal enforcement, the Production Code was replaced by the MPAA film rating system.

(snip)

[standingtall]

7. Franklin Graham is an idiot

Don't have to worry about him winning hearts and minds over to the right wing in California. Only an idiot could be so disrespectful as to say "progressive? "That just another word for godless." and think they could win anyone over to their side after that.

[bronxiteforever]

8. Evangelical Christianity is just a GOP political action committee

And Graham is a full time GOP employee and part time Christian.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Graham endorses tRump harming children by separating them from parents as punishment for migrating.

[dalton99a]

15. +1. Greedy, sadistic, evil garbage

[Iliyah]

10. California is not lost.

Please Rev. Graham so called "Christian" who believes in hate and anger, stay away, we are just fine and I see you don't give a fuck about brown children.

[Initech]

30. They seem to be more interested in catching "satanic lucefarian pedophiles"...

Than they do about actually, you know, caring for kids. This kind of shit is insane. And you never heard about it before that asshole got elected.

[Solly Mack]

12. "We're tired of being stepped on," says the clown shoe wearing moose trampling all over everyone

and then demanding they say "Excuse me" and to get out of their way.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Right Wing Authoritarians play the victim card to evoke FEAR in their Followers. Blinding by emotion

[Solly Mack]

16. That they do. And it works...sadly.

[Liberalagogo]

13. "We're tired of being stepped on"

And decent people are tired of your ENDLESS whining.

[MFM008]

17. A "red" California?

[MBS]

41. there are plenty of deeply conservative pockets of California.

The whole point of the conservative initiative to divide California into several states is to increase the influence of those regions. This evangelical push (putsch?) should be taken seriously. (Oh, and lest you have any doubts about my POV, Franklin, Jr. is pure evil).

[bobbieinok]

18. Graham and Evangelicals MUST be taken very seriously. They organize thru churches, programs on CBN,

* TBN in 2014 ran constant reminders to register and vote so 'God can save America.' (Wasn't watching tv in2016.)

* Many Latinos/as are members of Evangelical churches. Not sure how many of their churches are part of Religious Right. Some of their preachers definitely are.

* NEVER FORGET. White Evangelicals elected Trump.

* No matter how much you dislike their beliefs, they organize and vote. Ever since T's election, televangegelists have been scaring their viewers that Satanic Democrats are out to destroy God's chosen leader - Trump.

[MBS]

42. Thanks, yes, I agree. n/t

[mountain grammy]

19. Tax the church

[KY_EnviroGuy]

26. Agreed Grammy, and it's crystal clear....

these people are electioneering and consistently doing so for a specific political party. That surely must violate some laws relating to tax exempt organizations.

Perhaps the ACLU and/or AU (Americans United) could take this to court. Time for me to give each of them a little more to help.

.......

[KY_EnviroGuy]

21. Here's a solution to this asshole...

Put relentless pressure on Graham and his ilk to answer how he would solve the problems that government normally takes care of in California and other states, such as these examples.....

* homelessness,
* extreme economic inequality,
* failing infrastructure across the nation,
and perhaps more specifically (LOL),
* the massive traffic problems in and around LA!

We're never going to be rid of these assholes by just parroting their bullshit and expressing rage. We have to expose their hypocrisy by forcing them to admit the inadequacy of their dogma to solve real life issues.

........ ..........

[pangaia]

22. "Only as we change the heart of the people of California can California go red again."

better dead than red..

[pangaia]

23. This man is even sicker than his father.. and that is by quite a bit...

[heaven05]

24. another

trump supporting racist POS getting their livelihood from people who take their word and interpretation of the bible, for everything. Never open the bible. Experienced this type of ameriKKKan myself, a disgustingly hateful group of people.

[Plucketeer]

29. Exactly!

Do not fall for this shit!

[Mc Mike]

25. Packed locker room.

Bronx Cheer.

[stopbush]

27. Once again demonstrating the power of

FUCKING MAKE BELIEVE to influence the minds of the hateful.

When are we going to admit the direct correlation between believing the make believe of religion and the predisposition of the believers in said make believe to also believe the make believe that has been spouted by the Rs as policy for decades?

[not fooled]

31. Well,

You can bet they have a long-term plan, which probably goes something like this:

1. Continue destroying public schools and the University of California system = dumb down California
2. Escalate political propaganda via carpetbombing teevee, talk radio etc. with GOPeePee messaging
3. Continue to try to monkeywrench elections with tricks such as the jungle primary system

We can only hope that CA remains a bastion of sanity and a bulwark against the insanity now engulfing many parts of the country.

But we know these evil bastards never stop, never rest in their quest to take over everything.

[YOHABLO]

32. They do not want to live in a Democracy. They want to establish Dominionism ..Christo- fascism

Funny how they think that being ''progressive'' means you're ''godless''. Whose god are they talking about?

[Firestorm49]

34. Oh, so interesting.

Perhaps the California Christian coalition is unaware that more and more people don’t attend weekly services. The numbers have been dwindling for years, so, more power to them. It will be a tough fight, and I hope that they stick with their ideological gibberish.

[dhill926]

35. yeah, good luck with this....asshole....

[BigmanPigman]

36. Freedom From Religion Foundation

gets my donation! Ron Reagan and I are not afraid of burning in Hell!

[rockfordfile]

38. Both him and his father are un-American racists.

[rockfordfile]

38. Both him and his father are un-American racists.

[keithbvadu2]

40. Political Christians rather than Christians of faith.

Political Christians rather than Christians of faith.

They support Trump who says he is so perfect that he does not need Christ or his forgiveness.

Like today's evangelical/religious right supporters, Trump is a Political Christian, not a Christian of faith.

Evangelicals/religious right are easily able to spin their beliefs for political expediency.

[muriel_volestrangler]

43. Locking - the hosts feel this is analysis, rather than a breaking news story

Please repost in GD or Editorials. Thanks.