'The allure of understanding the nature of reality in a way that others don’t can be particularly seductive to people who aren’t deriving meaning from community and healthy relationships, or for anyone who is vulnerable due to recent major loss or trauma'

.Chrissy Stroop: 'Trump endorsing the 'God Bless the USA' Bible sends a strong message that the 'real America' is Christian. But when you think about it, that’s no less true of a liberal journalist on a news bulletin spouting the 'true' meaning of Easter.' opendemocracy.net/en/5050/chriss…

I also recently made one of my best essays, this previously paywalled essay about how Jesus was a jerk, available for free, so readers can get a taste of the incisive, insightful, and at times iconoclastic analysis you'll get with a paid subscription:

bugbeardispatch.com/p/easter-repos…

Doing one of my very occasional pop-ins to let you all know that from now through the end of April I've slashed paid subscription prices on my newsletter, The Bugbear Dispatch, by over 25%!

You'll get lots of great content, like the new essay linked here

bugbeardispatch.com/p/why-you-cant…

'The allure of understanding the nature of reality in a way that others don’t can be particularly seductive to people who aren’t deriving meaning from community and healthy relationships, or for anyone who is vulnerable due to recent major loss or trauma'

'Authoritarian Christianity places a great deal of emphasis on crushing one’s desires in order to become like Jesus. The level of self-erasure prescribed is so extreme that I think it’s comparable to the requirements of the assassins’ cult the Faceless Men in Game of Thrones'

Note: S*b*sta*k just added DMs and is is the best place to DM me now

Folks you need to read this by Chrissy Stroop

Great account to follow! Recommended.

Madonline L’Engle Robin Jester Wootton Just Me Emily Joy Allison Chrissy Stroop Jazz Anna Caudill Preston Shipp is Not a Pastor David Brooks Brad Sargent/futuristguy *nods* And then there are mostly unpublicized overlaps. I hardly ever decline a doughnut, but this was a day I felt I had to. religiondispatches.org/less-for-moore…

Rick Perlstein Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ vitriol is working – don’t take our rights for granted opendemocracy.net/en/5050/republ… by Chrissy Stroop

Chrissy Stroop Absolutely. Your clarity and humanity are deeply missed.

Chrissy Stroop is the best.

.Chrissy Stroop: 'No matter how far #Biden leans into their phoney fears and draconian prescriptions, Republicans will continue to paint him as “weak” and “soft” on the issue. There is no winning for a Democrat here – except by refusing to play the game.' opendemocracy.net/en/5050/us-ele… #USA