1st thought this a whole lotta mah nah mahnah bc it didn’t sound anything like even the worst Christianese I’ve read over the last 40 yrs.
Took a closer look & this seems to be foundational propaganda for political Christian martyrdom.
Here’s why &
#WhoFundsTheFederalist
/1
This opinion piece is full of proof-texting & confusing correlations - Christian sounding stuff interjected with victimhood, religiosity, and die, die, die.
All signs of false teaching, manipulation, or propaganda.
For example …
/2
I forgot to add dysfunctional behavior or thought, which leads us to the first para…
/3
Dying is a good thing?
Give me a break.
===
Anti-vaxxers or or those alternate Covid views are victims being shamed.
In some circles. Regardless, we start with victimhood right outta the gate.
Let’s look at what is referenced as shaming…
/4
Article titles listed in red are actually factual.
The author conflates facts w fear-porn. #gaslighting
Notice the use of “pagan” to set up a false dichotomy w negative insinuation - a precursor to a hate narrative?
/5
*Western* churches are to blame
*Western* churches prioritize obedience to man before God
Not the churches I’ve been to, heard of, listened to, zoomed.
Wiffs of kr@mlin thinking/advocacy w their Eastern Orthodox fusion
/6
Notice, too, the argument that Christianity opposes Covid narratives.
Any points that follow are faulty, but that sure has a catchy ring to it and is easy to repeat.
Throw in theology and this sure sounds official.
Add “die” “die” “death” & amygdala we go!
/7
One more thing on this para before I move off of it, shutting down in-person assembly of church goers does *in no way* contradict scripture.
The author just wants you to think it does.
Weak argument, really.
/8
Wow, another reference to the *Western* church.
Some might think this sounds like these arguments were handed to the author by, say, an Eastern Orthodox source 🤔
/9
Before going into the context of the verses to show proof texting, the author uses *entirely* which doesn’t take into account free will or the Calvinism v Arminianism theological juxtaposition.
Calvinism ~ predestination spectrum
Arminianism ~ we can cause change
/10
Reality is somewhere between the two, in my study & experience. God is in neither camp. These definitions/theologies are our mortal attempts to understand God & His relationship to us.
/11
Ps 139:16 is referenced. Read the whole Psalm.
I did just now & am struck by it’s lovely, detailed depiction of God’s intimacy with us.
Read it and this author’s weird argument fades away.
More after an extended break.
/12
The highlighted sentence would fall under hyper-Calvinism.
Not even these Calvinists would say to refuse medical treatment.
This is an extreme view - great for propaganda purposes.
/13
The 2nd verse has nothing to do with how long our lives are.
Romans 14 is about not judging others - that we all belong to the Lord regardless.
Sounds Jesus-ey tho so the point of the author’s paragraph must be right, right?
Not at all.
/14
“death is good” - PURE GASLIGHTING
Up is down
Black is white
Death is the result of a fallen world, not God’s initial, perfect design.
The whole point of redemption is taking something that is bad and producing good from it.
By definition, death is bad.
/15
Wouldn’t it be handy to start moving the Overton window of susceptible Christian minds so they start believing that dying for a cause, when wrapped in Bible-speak, is worth it?
/16
More “death is good” gaslighting because ‘Funerals are so fun!’
2 Cor 5:8 is in the context of 2 Cor 4:7-9
“…we have this treasure in jars of clay …. We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
/18
Further context is in 2Cor 5:1-2a
“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. For in this tent we groan….”
Doing God’s will is hard. We please God while on earth.
/19
To me this harkens to dualism or Gnosticism which the Bible counters all the time. It’s a pull between the physical & the spiritual. Ascetics we’re all about “physical is bad, only spiritual is good.”
Paul, OTOH, has the physical in balance, here in 2 Cor & elsewhere.
/20
Move the Overton window more & they’ll have to come up with something other than 70 virgins for Evangelicals.
/21
Last point on this para: just because someone says “repeated over and over again in scripture” does not make it true.
This is full on proof-texting with a bad agenda.
/22
And…here we get to the martyr part.
Practically heresy re: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
Conflating confessing Christ & sacrificing health as reasons to be martyred?
Doubt Polycarp would agree.
/23
More reference to the Western church.
This time we’re full of cowards.
Tell that to western missionaries all over the world.
This was soooo written by the K-team propaganda machine.
/24
“Hay everybody, now that you are all freaked out by the outrage machine we hooked you on in the media, you can now go out and be Just Like the Apostle Paul when you go die for a righteous cause - our latest righteous cause of the day!”
/25
Sounds kinda Jesus-ey.
But it’s proof texting that’s not even very good.
“Destruction” here and in similar verses refers to hell, or eternity spent not in the presence of God.
/26
“All good Christians are commanded to die in standing up against oppressive government laws, just like the ones we tell you about every day.”
/27
“Be a good little suicide bomber.”
/28
“Hay Evangelical, forsake vaccine medicine for freedom & for Christ.
“Go to church even though you could get covid & die.
“Jesus has you covered with the “medicine of immortality” even if you leave little children behind.”
/29
“Hay, Catholics, forget John 4:20-24 & Mark 2:27
“Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” (NLT)
“Get sick & die instead!”
/30
Now Luther gets invoked
to root out all heresy & false teaching
The irony smh
/31
Surely this was better in the original Russian.
/32x
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