Christmas is coming, with its tidings of comfort and joy to American Christians. MAGA is coming, with its promise of mass deportations to American “Christians”. So I have a question for both Christians and “Christians”:
Comments
Obviously not #3. Because Jesus is the son of God, not God himself.
Thanks to LJ for posting this. I meant it to be a comment, but the front page will do nicely.
It was never meant to be a survey of today's ObWi commentariat of course. It's more like a "push poll" I wish I could conduct on a large sample of MAGA and MAGA-adjacent Christians.
Continuing on the theme that we are witnessing the emergence of a new religion here in the US, I offer some revised lyrics for the English version of Adeste Fideles:
Oh come all ye MAGAts,
Billionaires, and fascists!
Oh come ye, oh come ye
To Wa-ashington!
Come work for Elon,
Vivek Ramaswamy,
RFK Junior,
And Ka-ash Patel!
Be a good MAGAt,
And praise Trump for choosing
Such Real Americans
To do-oo His job!
Praise Him forever,
Or else you'll be fired
For insufficient
Trump lo-oyalty.
Praise Him, oh praise Him
And obey His minions!
Bow down to Elon
In Wa-ashington.
Tony, no worries, much appreciated. anyone else with an post, even an idea for an open thread, send it to the kitty, I'm happy to put it up.
The version of O come is good, now if someone can knock out a Trump version of the Hallalujah chorus, the requirement to stand up when it begins seems appropriate. Might be able to use it at the GOP gatherings.
I'm reminded of an anecdote about either Assad pere or fils on winning an election with a 98% majority and one of his advisors said 'This is a great victory! Only 2% voted against you. What more could you want?' and he replied 'Their names.'
And we know which color Jesus Megyn's Jesus would deport, don't we GftNC? :)
Fun anecdote: my last surviving ancestor is my 86-year-old aunt. She was artistically inclined from girlhood in a small farming village on Crete, and became a reasonably accomplished amateur painter as an adult. In retirement she took up Byzantine iconography on a serious basis. It's a very conventional art form, with strict rules on how various biblical characters are portrayed -- so that the pious can easily tell whether they're looking at the Apostle Paul and not the Evangelist Mark, for example. Naturally, Jesus is one of the characters in the iconographic repertoire. If you are even vaguely familiar with Byzantine icons, you know the Jesus my aunt has painted many times, complete with gold-leaf halo, does NOT resemble Megyn's Jesus.
And yet, when my cousin showed his mother my little graphic (or "meme", maybe?) she reflexively pointed to that Scandinavian Jesus. Go figure.
BTW, my aunt is not remotely a MAGAt; she's an Orthodox Christian more by culture than by conviction; and she still has all her marbles. Like I say: "reflexively".
Fascinating anecdote, TonyP. I love Byzantine icons, I once spent a magical sunny afternoon rambling, quite alone, on a deserted Greek hillside sprinkled with numerous tiny little byzantine churches. It was 53 years ago, and I have never forgotten it.
Over here in Germany 'see the conquering hero cometh' is used as a Xmas song (Tochter Zion, freue dich = Daughter of Zion rejoice).
That could be used for retexting.
I like this one as well, from the Keur Moussa Abbey in Senegal. Apologies if the link doesn't work, it's a temporary share from my iCloud bucket o' bits.
Well, I was raised atheist so never gave Jesus much thought. I think he probably looked a lot like those half-starved Palestinian men you see on the news in Gaza holding injured children.
As an old woman living in apocalyptic times, I do have a need for faith, and I have decided to believe in geology. Geology is the widest sense, including other planets, stars, suns etc basically anything inanimate and made of a "coherent aggregate of minerals". Yes, I know the definition of geology is the study of the earth, but I'm talking religion here so don't be picky with me. There are great forces out there concerning other bodies of coherent aggregates of minerals and besides I don't want to worship astronomy because there's too much math involved. I do like looking at pictures of other places in this vast and unknowable universe.
I don't want to worship astronomy because there's too much math involved.
Years ago I was at a party standing near a group of people having a heated discussion but not paying attention to them. Out of nowhere, one of the people asked, "And what about you, Mike? Who are your people?" I don't know what they were expecting, but what fell out of my mouth was, "The applied mathematicians."
FWIW, this in today's Guardian by Richard Sennett (whose family was persecuted during McCarthyism) on the similarities and differences between that and Trumpism, and the ways (not dissimilar to those suggested by nous) that people might find to resist:
Obviously not #3. Because Jesus is the son of God, not God himself.
As a side note, both #1 and #3 are overdressed.
Posted by: wj | December 21, 2024 at 12:03 AM
https://ifunny.co/picture/thank-you-jesus-for-this-meal-de-nada-CJfkLcj69
Posted by: Snarki, child of Loki | December 21, 2024 at 12:06 AM
I can never keep those Eastern types straight. I'm always getting Xi Jinping and Modi confused...
Posted by: liberal japonicus | December 21, 2024 at 01:49 AM
Xi is Pooh, Modi is Santa after Xmas when he has trimmed his beard a bit for convenience.
Posted by: Hartmut | December 21, 2024 at 03:53 AM
I thought I posted a comment with a link that was apropos, but the site eated it. SAD.
-- rescued, wj
Posted by: Snarki, child of Loki | December 21, 2024 at 01:47 PM
Snarki: tee hee.
Posted by: GftNC | December 21, 2024 at 07:34 PM
I like Snarki's Jesus.
"He has filled the hungry with good things / and the rich he has sent away empty"
Posted by: russell | December 22, 2024 at 03:04 PM
The Night Before the Distance (Night Before Christmas/Cake mashup):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgRDgw5D6pY
Posted by: nous | December 22, 2024 at 03:43 PM
Thanks to LJ for posting this. I meant it to be a comment, but the front page will do nicely.
It was never meant to be a survey of today's ObWi commentariat of course. It's more like a "push poll" I wish I could conduct on a large sample of MAGA and MAGA-adjacent Christians.
Continuing on the theme that we are witnessing the emergence of a new religion here in the US, I offer some revised lyrics for the English version of Adeste Fideles:
Oh come all ye MAGAts,
Billionaires, and fascists!
Oh come ye, oh come ye
To Wa-ashington!
Come work for Elon,
Vivek Ramaswamy,
RFK Junior,
And Ka-ash Patel!
Be a good MAGAt,
And praise Trump for choosing
Such Real Americans
To do-oo His job!
Praise Him forever,
Or else you'll be fired
For insufficient
Trump lo-oyalty.
Praise Him, oh praise Him
And obey His minions!
Bow down to Elon
In Wa-ashington.
I'm no Tom Lehrer, alas.
Happy Solstice, Jolly Festivus, and Merry Christmas to all,
--TP
Posted by: Tony P. | December 22, 2024 at 06:24 PM
Tony, no worries, much appreciated. anyone else with an post, even an idea for an open thread, send it to the kitty, I'm happy to put it up.
The version of O come is good, now if someone can knock out a Trump version of the Hallalujah chorus, the requirement to stand up when it begins seems appropriate. Might be able to use it at the GOP gatherings.
I'm reminded of an anecdote about either Assad pere or fils on winning an election with a 98% majority and one of his advisors said 'This is a great victory! Only 2% voted against you. What more could you want?' and he replied 'Their names.'
Posted by: liberal japonicus | December 22, 2024 at 07:22 PM
I wish I could conduct on a large sample of MAGA and MAGA-adjacent Christians.
Oh come now, TonyP, I think we all know which one they would choose. Megyn Kelly showed the way some years ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2013/dec/13/santa-white-jesus-white-fox-news-megyn-kelly-video
Posted by: GftNC | December 22, 2024 at 07:42 PM
And we know which color Jesus Megyn's Jesus would deport, don't we GftNC? :)
Fun anecdote: my last surviving ancestor is my 86-year-old aunt. She was artistically inclined from girlhood in a small farming village on Crete, and became a reasonably accomplished amateur painter as an adult. In retirement she took up Byzantine iconography on a serious basis. It's a very conventional art form, with strict rules on how various biblical characters are portrayed -- so that the pious can easily tell whether they're looking at the Apostle Paul and not the Evangelist Mark, for example. Naturally, Jesus is one of the characters in the iconographic repertoire. If you are even vaguely familiar with Byzantine icons, you know the Jesus my aunt has painted many times, complete with gold-leaf halo, does NOT resemble Megyn's Jesus.
And yet, when my cousin showed his mother my little graphic (or "meme", maybe?) she reflexively pointed to that Scandinavian Jesus. Go figure.
BTW, my aunt is not remotely a MAGAt; she's an Orthodox Christian more by culture than by conviction; and she still has all her marbles. Like I say: "reflexively".
--TP
Posted by: Tony P. | December 22, 2024 at 09:05 PM
Yes we do!
Fascinating anecdote, TonyP. I love Byzantine icons, I once spent a magical sunny afternoon rambling, quite alone, on a deserted Greek hillside sprinkled with numerous tiny little byzantine churches. It was 53 years ago, and I have never forgotten it.
Posted by: GftNC | December 22, 2024 at 09:24 PM
Could this do for the moment?
Oh Cthulhu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUm9gdSb6DI
Death to the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptP0OR-e7rI
Over here in Germany 'see the conquering hero cometh' is used as a Xmas song (Tochter Zion, freue dich = Daughter of Zion rejoice).
That could be used for retexting.
Smell the bonkers weirdo cometh...
Posted by: Hartmut | December 23, 2024 at 09:03 AM
Smell the bonkers weirdos come
Gargoyle/Ghoulish trumpettes, MAGA scum
Snorts pepare or even crack
Half the country's out of whack
See/Hail the blob-like! JD Vance
and breathless rubes cheer Elon's dance
Virtue's dead, world's in decline
To heck, you leering randy swine!
Posted by: Hartmut | December 23, 2024 at 09:49 AM
Witness the second Gilded Age now dawn
Brought forth by Putin's vilest spawn
Brainworm junior (yes it's true)
Brings back measles, polio too
Sacred feces! Orange Doom
By decree of SCOTUS legally immune
Farce of farces, rich guys' will
But who will pay the fascists' bill?
Posted by: Hartmut | December 23, 2024 at 10:19 AM
I like this one as well, from the Keur Moussa Abbey in Senegal. Apologies if the link doesn't work, it's a temporary share from my iCloud bucket o' bits.
Nativity, by Dom Georges Saget.
Everyone wants to see themselves in the divine, and vice versa.
Posted by: russell | December 24, 2024 at 01:06 PM
Everyone wants to see themselves in the divine, and vice versa.
Another continent heard from:
https://images.app.goo.gl/WezvWbCGYfRMCw9K9
Posted by: wj | December 24, 2024 at 01:48 PM
Well, I was raised atheist so never gave Jesus much thought. I think he probably looked a lot like those half-starved Palestinian men you see on the news in Gaza holding injured children.
As an old woman living in apocalyptic times, I do have a need for faith, and I have decided to believe in geology. Geology is the widest sense, including other planets, stars, suns etc basically anything inanimate and made of a "coherent aggregate of minerals". Yes, I know the definition of geology is the study of the earth, but I'm talking religion here so don't be picky with me. There are great forces out there concerning other bodies of coherent aggregates of minerals and besides I don't want to worship astronomy because there's too much math involved. I do like looking at pictures of other places in this vast and unknowable universe.
Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah, you all.
Posted by: Wonkie | December 25, 2024 at 03:43 AM
Fully in sympathy with you on all that, wonkie, it seems more than reasonable to me.
Also I second your final sentence. We're going to need to buckle up (everywhere) soon, so let's gather we rosebuds while we may.
Posted by: GftNC | December 25, 2024 at 08:27 AM
I don't want to worship astronomy because there's too much math involved.
Years ago I was at a party standing near a group of people having a heated discussion but not paying attention to them. Out of nowhere, one of the people asked, "And what about you, Mike? Who are your people?" I don't know what they were expecting, but what fell out of my mouth was, "The applied mathematicians."
Posted by: Michael Cain | December 25, 2024 at 12:47 PM
Micheal, you are either an archdruid or you aren't! I don't know what this meant to the artist and I can't articulate what it means to be, but this is a holy shrine that I have been visiting since the 10970s: https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=54f8fbc5ec22f44d43d1741637a0f93dabd6d9cf1177fc6e6d841e359dd2b5e7JmltdHM9MTczNTA4NDgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=1dd78896-de76-6354-116c-9c9edf5b627b&u=a1L2ltYWdlcy9zZWFyY2g_cT10aGUlMjBwaWN0b2dyYXBocyUyMGhvcm5lZCUyMGdvZHMlMjBvZiUyMGNhbGYlMjBjcmVlayUyMGNhbnlvbiZGT1JNPUlRRlJCQSZpZD1BQkY3Nzg3QTJGMjNERkExNEI3RjgyQjRGRUQyNDk5RDkwNDgwRjY5&ntb=1
Posted by: Wonkie | December 25, 2024 at 01:30 PM
What happened to the page alignment? the format seems wonky. Is it a Chrome issue?
Posted by: PaulWartenberg | December 26, 2024 at 09:56 PM
FWIW, this in today's Guardian by Richard Sennett (whose family was persecuted during McCarthyism) on the similarities and differences between that and Trumpism, and the ways (not dissimilar to those suggested by nous) that people might find to resist:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/28/mccarthyism-family-donald-trump-enemy-within
Posted by: GftNC | December 28, 2024 at 11:29 AM