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oraxx's avatar

The fools like Mike Johnson who contend the founders did not mean to separate church and state always ignore Article VI of the Constitution that bans religious tests for holding public office in the United States. Article VI is a very strange thing to include in the foundational document of their new country if they actually wanted religion involved in government. Article VI also predates the Bill of Rights and that says a lot about the founder's intents. The mere fact Johnson is a young earth creationist identifies him as willfully ignorant. Mixing religion and government is the same terrible idea it has always been, and yet the religious right continues to see their particular brand of religion as the answer to every question.

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Sko Hayes's avatar

These are the words you won't find in the Constitution:

God, Christianity, Christian, Jesus, Christ, Commandments, or bible.

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Dane B. McFadhen's avatar

Or money.

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RegularJoe's avatar

The word "money" is in the text of the Constitution of the United States of America *six* (6) times.

Also in the Constitution are the words/phrases: Appropriation of Money, purchased, Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin, coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, Revenue, Treasury of the United States, Compensation, Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts, Commerce, credit, borrow....lots of indirect references to money as well.

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/full-text

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Joe King's avatar

Exactly this. Article VI created the wall, the First Amendment strengthened and enhanced it.

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oraxx's avatar

A lot of people don't even know Article VI even exists.

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Matri's avatar

They treat the Constitution like they treat the Bible: as a bludgeon to beat other people with.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

Also like toilet paper.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

“legalizing same-sex marriage would soon lead to legalizing pedophilia and bestiality and culminate in the downfall of “the entire democratic system.”--Mike Johnson.”

Interesting? I thought pedophelia was already legal in the US; as practiced by evangelicals.

Didn’t Alabama almost elect Roy Moore as a senator and his champions claimed that “Mary had Jesus at 15, so it’s natural”?

Or how about the evangelicals supporting Josh Duggar after he raped his sister for years? Was Josh ever prosecuted for rape, which he and his family admitted to? No, he was prosecuted for child pornography, but the rape?

The hypocrisy is endless and knows no bounds when it comes to the religious right. After all, their anointed one is a thrice married man who cheated on all his wife’s. Yet, this is the false idol they gladly cling to for leadership.

Oh, and if anyone has any doubts where Thomas Jefferson and our founding father’s stood when it came to “a separation of church and state,” look no further than these quotes:

“Erecting the Wall of Separation Between Church and State is Absolutely Essential in a Free Society.”--Thomas Jefferson, 1808

“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.”---James Madison

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oraxx's avatar

When the fight for women's suffrage was on, conservatives knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that allowing women to vote would destroy the American family. They do not have a great track record with their predictions.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Agreed, but It depends on your definition of family? To the religious, women have only one place in life, and it’s not in the workplace...:)

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nmgirl's avatar

Again showing their ignorance of history. Only wealthy women did not work outside the home. And honestly, I believe supervising a household staff of dozens of people was also work.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

To acknowledge that part of history, they'd first have to acknowledge that poor people are, y'know, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.

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oraxx's avatar

Like that's going to happen. ;)

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Agreed, it was definitely hard work. Yet, in today’s families, men also share the burden of household chores, and women work and share the financial burden. Clearly, a threat to the patriarchy...:)

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oraxx's avatar

There were millions of women in the workforce, many of them doing factory work. Many of them who had been widowed or abandoned by deadbeat husbands.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Agreed. Even more women during WW11. The industrial age brought single women into the workforce, but they were relegated to the most mundane jobs, for lousy pay, and were eventually expected to find a husband, settle down and raise the children.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

WW11‽‽‽ WTF!!! How did I sleep through nine world wars?

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

I guess it’s my Two Corinthian moment..:)

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

They were very quiet.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Funny...:)

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

They happened but then the Enterprise came to fetch some dinosaurs and changed history.

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oraxx's avatar

Yup. Everyone must be hammered into the same mold whether they fit or not.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Oh, but it has. No-fault divorces. Teenage pregnancy. Single-parent families. Gay marriages. Married gays raising children.

Edit to add: Interracial marriages. Transgender people. Non-binary people. Et al.

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scenario's avatar

I think I've found a good use for AI. Under the Johnson administration you'll need to prove adultery to divorce. A few clicks of the mouse, your wife's an adulterer.

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Matri's avatar

They have been predicting (and being wrong about) the Rapture for so many decades that it’s become a running joke with them.

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oraxx's avatar

I hope it comes soon, because I would like to be rid of those people. Spending eternity with them isn't the selling point they would have us believe.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

It's always Republicans who oppose every effort to outlaw child marriage in those states where it's still (somehow, in two-thousand-and-twenty-𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳-𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳) legal.

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Dane B. McFadhen's avatar

Good research Robert. Next time I would recommend placing the links under the mentions and quotes. We have a lot of disbelievers out there.

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

Will do. Interesting how these people

Do their own research, but never find the truth. Must have something to do with their sources. I don’t know, could they be people like Joe Rogan, The My Pillow Guy, MTG and guys like Nick Fuentes?

That said, Thanks...:)

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Whitney's avatar

Well, okay, they 'do their own research' but are they information literate? I had no idea until recently that most people just don't understand how to process the information they receive, and the internet hasn't really helped with that. Information literacy is critical to being able to understand and operate in the modern world.

https://www.unesco.org/en/ifap/information-literacy

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Robert Jaffee's avatar

You see, that’s your first mistake; assuming these people live in the 21st century. They seem to stuck in the 1950’s; and that’s the best interpretation I could think of. It might be closer to the Dark Ages...:)

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Prosecuted for porn because that was easier to prove than rape.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

The TL;DR version of the above is both simple and obvious: Mike Johnson is DANGEROUS. He is dangerous to the office he holds, to the form of government we practice, and to the United States and its citizens as a whole. If he isn't a Dominionist, he walks, talks, and acts like one and should be treated as such.

I have no doubt but that the FFRF, American Atheists, and the American Humanist Association have had him in their sights since he was elevated to Speaker, and while they may never change his mind, they are in a position to remind him of the error of his ways and force correction. The true hell of it is, though, that Johnson may find himself shot down by his own party, for cooperating with Democrats on those continuing resolution bills to keep the government running. Keep in mind, that's what ruined Kevin McCarthy.

Thing is, if the Freedom Caucus decides to remove Johnson, who do they go to next?

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oraxx's avatar

That the Dominionist crowd could convince themselves their brand of religion could be imposed on a country as large and diverse as the United States with a happy ending, speaks directly to the depths of their delusions.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Want to create some REAL conditions for a civil war? Try forcing evangelical Christianity down EVERYONE's throats in the US.

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oraxx's avatar

The framers of the Constitution knew their European history, the Thirty Years War in particular. They wanted no part of Christian on Christian violence in their new country.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

I suspect they regard this as a feature, not a bug. The right has been salivating over having themselves another Civil War for decades- but in their fantasies, it's always the left that starts it, and they're the valiant Christian defenders of The American Way(tm). Well, as it turns out, the left just isn't interested in doing that. We, by and large, abhor bloodshed rather than having wet dreams about it.

So, if Republican leaders want their New Civil War... they're going to have to provoke it somehow. Preferably 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 the looniest yahoos in the Republican 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦 start it 𝘧𝘰𝘳 them, and put the lie to any notion of their playing the aggrieved victims when the streets run red with blood. They don't want to look like the bad guys, like the bunch of conservative fuckwits who started the 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 Civil War in this country.

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Joe King's avatar

They don't care. They want the power to control everyone. If everyone who isn't them is miserable, they will be even more smugly self-righteous.

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larry parker's avatar

He won't be Speaker for long if he keeps making deals with the devi....... democrats. ; )

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Imagine that. Hardliners attempting to oust a Christian Nationalist. His god won't save him.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

Demonrats.

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RegularJoe's avatar

Are you going to Caucus this evening?

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larry parker's avatar

I usually do that in the morning, but if I have a big meal.........

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Mike Johnson doesn't support or even understand church-state separation. Ironic, as it's people like him that demonstrate the need for it.

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Bill Wilson's avatar

I hope Mike Johnson is Mosses. Mike please lead all your followers into a desert, without cell reception, for forty years. We could all use of some rest from your bullcrap.

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Kay-El's avatar

Mike Johnson obviously had never taken a history or civics class that was taught by anyone who wasn’t a right wing loon? I learned about separation of church and state in elementary school. Oh, horror! It was a public school. Maybe that’s why.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

He graduated from Captain Shreve High School, which is a public school.

No wonder Louisiana is 46th in Education.

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Kay-El's avatar

I stand corrected, but still maintain that a RWNJ taught that class. I bet the civil war was taught as “states rights” too.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Knowing Louisiana? I have little doubt that they put their own "unique" spin on things.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

The same people who say there is no separation of church and state because those words aren't actually present in The First Amendment say that Trump can't be disqualified from state ballots based on Section 3 of The Fourteenth Amendment because he hasn't been convicted of anything (there is no mention of a "conviction" requirement in Section 3).

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

In the 1950's I learned about it in kkkatlik gulag. It was never explicitly mentioned, but a minimum of thought proved separation real.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

He claims homosexuality is unnatural (it is very natural, as the evidence has conclusively shown) and a "dangerous lifestyle" (religion, not homosexuality, is a lifestyle. A dangerous one, as recorded history shows).

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

A virgin getting pregnant is hardly natural if Christians want to go the "unnatural=wrong and criticism-worthy" route.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

To say nothing of a dude popping out of the grave three days after he croaked and then floating off into the sky.

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painedumonde's avatar

I said, what does God need with a Speaker anyway?

Jim!

C'mon Bones, a crypto-nazi hayseed can't really be the choice of God...could he?

As time goes by I've noticed that certain actions and speech have become more common and frequent within spheres where it barely existed except as garnish or flourish. Now it's slowly hardening into action and deed. Eventually we'll all live in a Footloose town. Do we really want our children sneaking off to farms to dance?

It's a silly metaphor but it will happen. As laws and ordinances are handed down to curb or modify behaviors that certain people find distasteful or even immoral generate an immediate response to create a hidden subculture, a black market of ideas/acts. C'est-à-dire, this jackass is in the process of criminalizing life. All in the name of a story he happens to believe.

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SPW's avatar

I’d just like to know where his bank account is. That might tell us a lot.

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Kay-El's avatar

Maybe one of these “Christian”banks?

https://www.adelfibanking.com

https://www.mycccu.com/

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Joan the Dork's avatar

How funny would it be if Mr. Christian Virtue himself got rolled by one of those scams?

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Kay-El's avatar

I’m not sure if ever stop laughing

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

"He said legalizing same-sex marriage would soon lead to legalizing pedophilia"

How is it then marrying a minor predates same-sex marriage ?

And about "no successful civilisation before the 21th century has ever provided legal preferences for same-sex relationships"

The sacred band of Thebes an army of 150 gays couples. If it's not a legalised same-sex relationship what is ?

And what about them ? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khnumhotep_and_Niankhkhnum#:~:text=The%20tomb%20of%20Khnumhotep%20and,displayed%20embracing%20and%20holding%20hands.

For those unfamiliar with Ancient Egypt iconography, two people depicted with their noses touching is the equivalent of a French kiss.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

The Sacred Band of Thebes, which hailed from a city known for its devotion to the arts... and which is chiefly famous for kicking the asses of the Spartans, whose entire culture was about war, and who are oft revered by right-wingers as paragons of militaristic masculinity, up between their eardrums.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I shouldn't be surprised if like in most armies through the world and history, Spartan men were à voile et à vapeur.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

I couldn't be surprised if, considering Greek attitudes towards sexuality in general, a goodly chunk of the Spartan army weren't lovers as well... the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 funny part is in a bunch of namby-pamby artsy-fartsy types mopping the floor with trained-from-birth soldiers who had no other passion or purpose but war. It's almost as though having an actual culture to take pride in and defend matters more to an army than a few more lessons on how to hit things. Fancy that!

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

"Sailing and steam?

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

Steamy sailors?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Like NOGODZ, I don't know the American equivalent.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

What does it mean?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

À voile et à vapeur = NOGODZ.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

If Marjorie Traitor-Greene has her way, he won’t be speaker for much longer. But then who would replace him?

Wisconsin is getting new maps, despite the state legislature’s whining and machinations. Hopefully, this will help in the House.

Any voter with half a brain should be voting against the GOP in the House and Senate, they haven’t done shit for the past year aside from infighting and hunting Hunter. Neither of which will ever go anywhere. Completely useless trash politicians, the worst the country has ever experienced. But we know the voters that show up leave their brains on top of their televisions playin Fox News all day.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

"Any voter with half a brain should be voting against the GOP"

That's why their base is those with less than half a brain. Which unfortunately seems to be more and more people these days.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

They have a great deal of media in the business of lobotomizing the country.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

Hey now- they do 𝘴𝘰 have half a brain!

They have a very well-organized rotational schedule for how to share it amongst themselves, too.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

NO! THE BRAIN IN MY HEAD!!

https://www.cardinalfang.net/episodes/season_three/images/gumby_brain_specialist.jpg

edit: took a while to find an image that would work

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XJC's avatar

"Any voter with half a brain." How dare you insult 64% of the electorate.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Marjorie Traitor Greene wants to see Moses Johnson banished to the wilderness. Were there any justice she'd be forced to accompany him on his 40-year exodus.

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Matri's avatar

I recommend sending them to Isla Sorna.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

He rejects evolution, A journey to Isla Sorna would set him straight fast.

He thinks he's Moses? He forgets Moses never got to enter the Promised Land, He was only allowed to view it from a distance.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

And Moses broke the laws. Maybe a background check would be useful.

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Holytape's avatar

Before anyone complains about the diversity in the first photo, and how there seems to be one kind of people pictured, I would like to say that there is incredible diversity there. You have morons, idiots, fools, dumb-fucks, shitheads, crazy assholes, the mentally incompetents, addlebrains, hairbrains, rattledbrains, scatteredbrains, the dumb-as-rocks, the glue sniffers, and the dropped on the head as babies. And that's just Lauren Boebert. There are more colors of stupidity represented in that single picture that there are colors in the rainbow. That and if you look closely in the background, there is a hand of a black man holding up a phone.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

(in Hedley Lamarr's voice)

Morons, idiots, fools, dumb-fucks, shitheads, crazy assholes, the mentally incompetents, addlebrains, harebrains, rattledbrains, scatterdbrains, the dumb-as-rocks, the glue sniffers, the dropped on the head as babies AND METHODISTS!

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Joan the Dork's avatar

And they're even letting their womenfolk stand in the front row! How progressive of them!

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Well – Boebert looks just a tad brownish. Are we sure she's Aryan?

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larry parker's avatar

50 Shades of White.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

And this image on MLK Day.

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Maltnothops's avatar

“ legalizing same-sex marriage would soon lead to legalizing pedophilia and bestiality and culminate in the downfall of “the entire democratic system.”--Mike Johnson.”

Soon? Like Jesus will soon return?

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Straw's avatar

Pedophilia is legal in a lot of US states. When will they ban it?

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

And yet not a single state in the Union has legalized either pedophilia or bestiality (rightfully so, of course).

I love when the Mike Johnsons of the world are proven wrong.

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Straw's avatar

You beat me there.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

Please see my comment to Bagen Onuts above.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

It's still legalised pedophilia.

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Child brides are legal in many states.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

Yes, but those laws were in place before gay marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court in 2015.

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Maltnothops's avatar

Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004. Here it is 20 years later (almost 2/3 of Jesus’ lifetime!) and “soon” is nowhere in sight.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

So if and when we become a theocracy, which religion rules? Which sect of that religion? I can see a Battle Royale between not only the varying religions in this country but also the varying sects of each religion.

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larry parker's avatar

Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Not if the Eastern Branch has anything to say about it.

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larry parker's avatar

You must be from Shelbyville.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Formerly known as Morganville. Where we drink Fudd, not Duff.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

It sounds elmer appetising.

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larry parker's avatar

Taste like rabbit.... or maybe duck, depending on the season.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

Does (actor) Paul Rudd drink Fudd?

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Or fellow actor Ashley Judd?

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Joan the Dork's avatar

Splitters!

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Bagen Onuts's avatar

Or the babbletists. Oh, and the kkkatliks will be burning at the stake those of the wrong faith.

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