Have Americans Traded Religious Belief For Political Belief? | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Writer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Shadi Hamid, joins Morning Joe to discuss his latest piece for The Atlantic 'America Without God.' Aired on 03/12/2021.
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Have Americans Traded Religious Belief For Political Belief? | Morning Joe | MSNBC

95 comments

    1. @Democratshate America; Yes, I believe Sir Elton John made reference to that very article, unfortunately I also believe the vast majority of self-righteous ‘christians’ missed that memo, or it apparently went right over their gd heads. Fools, oblivious to the very LIFE they were given at birth, but always looking, always wanting, always searching endlessly for more, and where has it taken them, but to building ‘golden’ idols to their sick and psychotic demigod.

    2. 😀 I love your comment. I immediately turned it into “The greedy (want *US* to), believe in anything that gets *them* what they want. Since they seem to “want” $$$$$ why not force the 1% to learn how much *more* they could be making off the backs of the Average American Citizen if they paid better wages and paid their fair share of taxes? A high tide lifts all boats – NOT just the luxury yachts. The 1% ultra-rich are *so* short sighted when it comes to investment. You’d think they’re concerned with nothing except themselves – and you’d be correct. 😀 Stay well.

    1. @David Goldman So, you don’t realize AOC did more for Texas than Cancun Cruz? That Pete did more than the former governor that said Texans should gladly die?

    2. @David Goldman I think your childish “no it’s you” answer is much more stupid.🙄 why don’t you ask yourself why this woman is posting this. Really no idea?
      I can tell you from outside that it seems very strange to the rest of us that USA Trumpist evangelicals are so fond of a man who is indeed the true champion of the 7 deadly sins. At least one thing Trump is a winner….🙄 The golden Trump statue on CPaC is indeed a gorgeous sign of the wrong path, it’s somehow ironic and also horryfiing . Seems your brothers and sisters value money and being rich (somehow as a sign of Gods mercy….what a shockingly twisted message 😳) much more then what JC said. For example Luke 18, 25. Just look at his life and you will see I’m right. No my dear friend….
      There’s something incredebly on the wrong track in US Christianity.
      Also there is nothing of gospel and taking care of the poor, the weak, and the foreign in the message and example of US evangelicals anymore. From a very objective point of view: It’s all selfishness, greed and hate what pures out of your chappels nowadays. I’m sorry but there is no light on a hill anymore.Sadly. What I see scares me instead.
      You have fallen apart as a whole. It’s a bit like in the story of the 12 virgins, Jesus once told.

    3. @Laura Walker that is the No True Scotsman Fallacy. They would say that you are not a true Christian because you are not on their side.

  1. What do narcissists “believe” in?
    nothing and everything! They believe in everything
    which they think serves their limitless egos
    and they believe in nothing outside of it!

    1. Just as with anyone else. ..all Christians are not bad people, please don’t lump us all together. There are real believers and then their fake believers. Who take the words of God and twist them, and pervert them…they are what they say they are and are not of God.

    2. @R. Darlene Durfey who said all Christians are bad people? Are you feeling quilty? I’m confused! If you donate to these con men, if you follow these con men, yes you are part of the problem! Find a small congregation, fireside that doesn’t require you to hand over 1/2 your income each month.

    3. Christianity will continue to fade because the new generations aren’t as cowardice or subservient to authority as their forefathers are/were.

  2. Everyone has the right to their religion, what this county was founded and built on. But I believe that it should not be a part of government. Our laws say separation between church and state.

    1. @Mary Ann M UNITED STATES without republican gerrymandering, REPS, stand on lies, thief, cheat, they are a washing machine but never gets comes clean unless caught, then laws are twisted, most court system is not fair an equal or justice. no due process. If Repubs were reputable like after the 1970/80/90 after Johnson/Nixion/Bushs. The Parties would believe when Justice Is Blind Again. Democrates judge fair✓&mate.”Equal For All”

    2. @Deborah Freedman Good point. America needs to take the property back. Churches can’t own property portfolios. It’s completely anathema to their teachings.

    3. @Rod No. That’s the opposite of fact and it’s crystal clear you’ve never read anything they wrote. It’s also obvious you just saw a video by the 700 Club saying those exact words…

    4. @James Ricker Then that’s a political party corrupting the church, not the state. One particular political party…

    5. “Separation between church and state.”

      Where exactly in the Constitution do we se these 5 words?

    1. @Kate Christian conservatives brought to themselves to be the laughing stock of the world and at the same time made of Christianity a mockery of a religion and it has lost all credibility as well as themselves.

  3. Separation of church and state. Mega churches should not be exempt from taxes. Religious donations to politicians should be banned.

    1. @Kate
      “… much less religious views. That’s on the parents to raise them properly and well grounded.”

      Thus Jewish parents raise their kids to be Jews, Muslims raise their kids to be Muslims, Hindus raise their kids to be Hindus, Christians raise their kids to be Christians (let us not forget the multitude of different denominations!!), Sikhs raise their kids to be Sikhs, and so on, etc. pp … not to mention that all of those religions claim for themselves to be the exclusive one true religion!
      Already we have the dilemma that the majority of parents simply cannot raise their kids properly because it is impossible for all the religions to be simultaneously right thus setting parents up for failure! However, all of them COULD very well BE simultaneously wrong 🤔😲 – oh, my, now we really are in trouble!!
      Yet all of them tell their kids to “have faith and believe”, which basically translates into accept and take as truth what we are telling you even though we are not able to provide you with any evidence but old stories that were passed on again and again …
      Hmmm …, don’t we all know what happens to a story that keeps getting retold by different people??

      Doesn’t it make much more sense to teach a child critical thinking skills? Shouldn’t we invite a child to ask questions and question our answers? And shouldn’t parents be allowed to tell their kids that they don’t always have all the answers and that sometimes they are wrong? Why do we have to use religion to explain what we don’t know or don’t understand? Why do we have to scorn children who don’t go conform with their parents’ believes? Shouldn’t parents encourage them to challenge the status quo to prepare them for changes? How in the world are they supposed to handle the future if we try to tie them up in the past; how are they supposed to become leaders when we mold them into followers???

    2. I agree with the separation of church and state. The biggest mistake was when the churches took the handout of tax exemption. They became slaves to the state. What did they expect? If the state command them to shut down, they have to shut down…
      I watched Trump hold a “round table” in a prosperity gospel mega church in Texas. It was really a rally but the preacher man lied and called it a round table but God cannot be mocked. Judgment is coming.

    3. a church is a gathering of like minded believers why is the size of the church relevant donations should be banned from unions, special interest groups etc ??

    1. @The Deaf Orc not really that is not . Separate paying to God what is his and paying to Caesar or Gov’t what belongs to it.

  4. Interesting question. Looking back over the past years of Trump, it was Evangelicals who supported, legitimatize and empowered him into a superhuman demigod status.

    1. They hated Trump until he was the GOP nominee. Dominion is the goal, and Trump was the surprise ticket they weren’t expecting. Recognizing them as his strongest demographic (basically his base +some crumbs from the right wing), he played the Evangelicals like a fiddle for his own benefit. In turn, Trump was played like a fiddle by hard-core evangelicals and christian nationalists like Stephen Miller, Mike Pompeo, Steve Bannon and Paula White, to name only a few. When their prophecies of a Trump victory did not come to pass, they began lashing out like cornered animals. They saw Christian Dominion as theirs to finally grasp, but it was snatched from them. They will keep trying, as they have been doing since the Moral Majority movement and even long before that.

    2. @Deborah Downs A Fox-News-parroting racist grandpa is not a surprise ticket in the GOP, it’s their wet dream.

    3. I think they should look into who was influencing the Evangelical leaders. Take a look at where their money *really* comes from.

    1. @Rod Rod, the media isn’t responsible for millions of murders over the years. Religion is however.

  5. The so-called Christians who have never read the Bible are a lot like the politicians who have never read the constitution.

    1. @Pol Pot 2024 you guys believe in Trans males competing with women, calling people by their preferred gender pronouns and late term abortions and you have the audacity to call conservatives ignorant. Ignorance isn’t a poltical ideology, pot bot.

  6. You mean when evangelicals call Trump “the chosen one” and took pictures with a gold statue of Trump? Makes you wonder if they ever read the bible before…

    1. @liberal applesauce I didn’t say anything about Trump. Observing remarks I suspect there will be a mental health diagnosis in the future who can’t get Trump outta your heads. good luck. I will keep my fingers crossed that help arrives soon for you!

    2. “You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.” – Deuteronomy 19:14

      “‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” Deuteronomy 27:17

      “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.” Proverbs 22:28

  7. When you allow magical fantasy to occupy rent free space in your brain the real world and your brain rots.

  8. Christian Facists wield inordinate
    amount of power. Determined as ever to drag us back into the Dark Ages. Not news.

    1. @David Goldman That’s true.
      But, there many people in power who will tell you straight-faced that America is a Christian country. It can ONLY be a Christian nation. Otherwise, it would not be what it is.

      This is quite the antithesis of our
      founding fathers. It is quite disturbing for an atheist, like me.

    2. @Steve Flor never met a person that said that and I am 65 yrs old! was founded on western beliefs and christian beliefs but founders expressly wrote of acceptance of all religions or non belief! not sure why you would be disturbed

    3. @David Goldman Hi David,
      I watched an interview of Supreme
      Court Justice Clarence Thomas….
      He said exactly that: The USA is/can only be a Christian nation. And, he was utterly dismissive of whomever
      disagreed with him.

      I would wager the other 5 consevative Justices think the same as Thomas.

    4. @Steve Flor would have to watch it to comment, usa was founded on christian principals but constitution is clear they wanted no state sponsored religion- two people can interrupt others words quite differently

  9. “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
    ― Issac Asimov

    1. @Jey Frye No, he asked about ‘scientists’. Jordan is a psychiatrist. That’s not science nor does it claim to be. Francis Collins, let’s hear what he says about intelligent design. Kathryn Hayhoe does believe in climate change.

      Not good examples.

    2. ​@David Goldman Asimov was a Trekker? 🤣 Cute when illiterate hillbillies (Goldman! 🙄) think they have a say. Give your mom her phone back quickly, otherwise you’ll have to go to bed without a jesus cookie.

  10. Blame lies with the Evangelicals. They’ll blame their hypocrisy on the devil when they’ve destroyed their own ministries along with the lives of their followers.

    1. @Democratshate America focus. this isn’t about the Vietnam War.
      you lied about pelosi’s quote. this is your chance to explain what you’re objecting to.

      p.s. y’all really need a better hand-off scheme. your response to my post sounds psychotic.

  11. Many have zealously and religiously traded their morals, principles , integrity , honor , trust, patriotism, reason, sound judgment, and reality … In biblical proportions … for all the opposite

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