May 30
Conservative evangelicals have tended to prioritize interpretations that justify exercising power over others—men’s power over women, and Christians’ power over society. Many theologians argue that Jesus rejected this approach to power. He emptied himself and refused to claim earthly power, which was very much within his reach. He said the first must be last, and that to follow him meant to take up one’s cross, to sacrifice oneself for others. ~ Kristin Kobes Du Mez
[The above quote was in John Fugelsang’s book.]
The primary driver of most global conflict, oppression of women, suppression of science, persecution of gay people, and abuse of power is not religion. It’s the extreme fundamentalist wings of all the world’s religions that provide all these dramas for the rest of humanity. ~ John Fugelsang
May 13
And our meanest Christians tend to piously and publicly worship Jesus as their King, because that’s considerably easier than following his inconvenient teachings. ~ John Fugelsang
[Our best friends from our 30 years “out east” came for a visit. Over the years we have visited them, they have visited us in Alexandria, we have visited foreign parts of the planet together, but this is the first time they have visited us at our current abode where we’ve lived for eight years. So it’s likely we haven’t visited each other for a decade. Anne & Bill are the successful result of my one and only attempt at matchmaking. They have previously toured Minnesota places like Stillwater and the North Shore, so all didn’t feel the need for anything more exotic than the occasional day trip – beginning here . . . ]
Only in America can you be pro-death penalty, pro-war, pro-unmanned drone bombs, pro-nuclear weapons, pro-guns, pro-torture, pro-land mines, and still call yourself ‘pro-life.’ ~ John Fugelsang
[According to Karen Tolkkinen, columnist for the Minnesota StarTribune and previously for Alexandria’s Echo Press, the hottest outstate real estate markets in Minnesota are currently Alexandria (population 14,335) and Detroit Lakes (population 9,869) . . . ]
It’s called “selective interpretation,” which sounds quite more academic than “smorgasbord Gentiles.” ~ John Fugelsang
Obama is not a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free healthcare. You’re thinking of Jesus. ~ John Fugelsang
[Let the Troll search begin . . . ]
[r]emember—if your church isn’t telling you to love your enemies but keeps telling you who your enemies are, you’re not really in a church. ~ John Fugelsang
[High rise condos . . . ]
Jesus asserts that his true followers are the people and societies who care for the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the immigrants, and the incarcerated. And he tells you who his fake followers are—the ones who are openly religious but indifferent to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the immigrants, and the incarcerated, the lowest of the low. How we treat them is how we treat him. ~ John Fugelsang
[Our first troll . . . ]
Jesus was: A peaceful, radically nonviolent revolutionary Who wasn’t American and never spoke English Who hung around lepers, hookers, and crooks Never sought tax cuts for rich Nazarenes Was anti-wealth and anti–death penalty Anti–public prayer, too (Matthew 6:5) Never asked lepers for a co-pay Never called poor people “lazy” Never even slightly antigay Never mentioned abortion Supported paying taxes. ~ John Fugelsang
And that’s the point. We’re called to follow Christ, not the Bible. In fact, please understand this: the Bible does not tell us to follow the Bible. The Bible tells us to follow Christ. But Biblical Christians follow the Bible. They do not, in fact, attempt to follow Christ. ~ John Fugelsang
And if there’s one thing the Bible shows us, it’s that authoritarian government, aligned with some extreme conservative religious fundamentalists, literally killed Jesus. ~ John Fugelsang
[Anne continuing local research . . . ]
It’s not the miracles driving people away from religion, it’s the Christians who don’t live by Jesus’s words about how we’re supposed to treat each other. ~ John Fugelsang
I generally trust people who are seeking the truth; I tend to be wary of those who claim they’ve found it. ~ John Fugelsang
Christianity is under attack—but by divisive right-wing fundamentalists who publicly worship Jesus while fighting against, voting against, and legislating against his actual commandments. ~ John Fugelsang
All four Gospel writers specifically cite Jesus rejecting the accepted cultural norms and treating women with respect. Not only did he break rabbinic laws of his day by teaching and talking to women, but he allowed women to touch him—including those considered “unclean” by the culture at large. ~ John Fugelsang
If you want to trigger and enrage Christian nationalists, Jesus will show the way. Stand up for the oppressed, welcome the stranger, love your enemy, fight poverty and injustice, resist violence, and choose compassion. Or just ask them which Jesus teachings justify their politics. ~ John Fugelsang
[Yes, it was a perfectly lovely day . . . ]
And I was taught—relentlessly—that Christianity was about the things Jesus prioritized: Service to others. Forgiveness. Caring for the poor, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner. Fighting injustice with nonviolence, like Dr. King and Gandhi. Standing up for the less fortunate, like Dorothy Day and Catholic Charities. Love. Empathy. Compassion. ~ John Fugelsang
Trump defenders may be intrigued to know that while Jesus never once condemned abortions, immigrants, or gay people, he was seriously not a fan of adultery, and spoke out against the divorce laws of Moses because he thought it should be harder for men to dump their wives. ~ John Fugelsang
Not only are Christians supposed to prioritize following Jesus’s words above the other parts of the Bible, that’s also quite literally why this religion got its name. ~ John Fugelsang
Under Rome, Christianity transitioned from a persecuted little faith into a force powerful enough to persecute others. Once the empire got their hands on Jesus’s movement, they enacted huge changes in its theology, narrative, organization, and relationship with political power. Gone was the simple, direct message of love from the homeless Jewish faith healer. In its place sprung up new hierarchies, ecclesiastical institutions, and endless dogma and doctrines. More importantly, the merger of Christianity with imperial power led to it becoming a tool for political control, with countless spiritual teachings twisted for authoritarian purposes. Emperor Theodosius issued a series of decrees that enforced Christian rule—and suppressed pagan practices. As religion merged with empire, pagan temples were destroyed, pagans were executed for heresy, and marginalized pagans faced persecution for not conforming to the new normal. Jesus’s movement was now officially being used to justify violence, oppression, and authoritarian control. ~ John Fugelsang
The New Covenant established by Jesus marks a massive shift from the religious law and customs Jesus was raised with, to a different kind of faith-based user experience. It’s Jesus’s software update, from Law 1.0 to Love 1.0. Calling oneself “Christian” is to accept the new terms and conditions. ~ John Fugelsang
Care for the sick? No. Turn the other cheek? No. Render one’s taxes? No, sucker. Be kind to the incarcerated? Hell no. Welcome the stranger? Bitch, please. Modern right-wing Christians have been suckered into an anti-Christian trap of aligning with power, instead of challenging it. But conservative power was what Jesus stood up to—not for—time and time again. ~ John Fugelsang
Jesus taught love for all humanity, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. But Christian nationalists are here to fight for Jesus—not listen to him. ~ John Fugelsang
[This was the farthest I’d walked in maybe a year (maybe two blocks?) . . . ]
Imagine the hecklers: “Meh, I didn’t trudge all the way up Mount of Beatitudes just to hear some virtue signaling from Woke Jesus.” ~ John Fugelsang
Jesus’s admonition to not look on women lustfully is not anti-sex—it’s anti–sexual harassment. ~ John Fugelsang
[While others strode off ISO trolls, I repaired to the car and the radio’s Sirius/XM Beatles channel . . . ]
It’s a gospel of control over caring, power over humility, and judgment over mercy. They won’t fight for the words of Jesus, but they’re profoundly committed to stuff they believe he said. ~ John Fugelsang
[We lunched here – the main intersection in Frazee (population 1,335). We had planned to dine at the renowned Spanky’s Stone Hearth, but as so often happens in small town America it was only open evenings . . . ]
But Christian nationalists are here to fight for Jesus—not listen to him. ~ John Fugelsang
[The world’s largest turkey, Big Tom, 22-feet tall, in Frazee burned down in 1998. This is the replica, located across the street from The Monarch . . . ]
May 15
In 1989, Ken Nyberg seemed like just an average guy. He worked in construction, and in his spare time he would make little sculptures out of scrap metal, such as an arboreal “family tree,” or a dog. Then he decided to build an 11-foot-tall human foot. “I wanted to make something bigger and better,” Ken explained. “And I thought, ‘A Big Foot. There couldn’t be many of them around. I’d hate to make something that there’s a lot of already.” Despite Ken’s misgivings, his wife was understanding and his neighbors loved Big Foot so much that they placed it in a permanent spot of honor next to the main road through town. “Now I can get by with anything,” said Ken. Decades have passed since Ken made Big Foot, and his tiny hometown of Vining (pop. 78) has gradually become an outdoor gallery for his metal art (As have neighboring towns such as Henning and Ottertail). Ken’s busy hands have created anything-goes pieces such as a dancing knife and spoon with arms and legs, a huge doorknob floating in mid-air, and a giant pair of pliers topped with an equally large cockroach. One of the sculptures in Nyberg Park is of Ken’s daughter Karen, a NASA astronaut who’s flown two missions to the International Space Station. Was she pleased with her father’s tribute? “I can’t really say,” said Ken. “I never discussed it.” (https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11669)
[Anne perusing Nyberg Sculpture Park . . . ]
Nobody hates like a Christian who’s just been told their hate isn’t Christian. ~ John Fugelsang
If anyone’s trying to use the Bible to justify any meanness to LGBTQ people, they’ve always got to go around Jesus. Being gay is natural; hating gay is a lifestyle choice. And unlike being gay, homophobia is highly curable. ~ John Fugelsang
[So, here we are, welcoming the alien . . . ]
Human hate has been around a lot longer than religion. It’s natural and at times we all fall prey to it. ~ John Fugelsang
Many Christians passionately cling to the antigay parts of Leviticus, but they don’t exactly live by the rest of Leviticus, which also forbids tattoos, wearing mixed fabrics, working on Saturdays, and eating shellfish. ~ John Fugelsang
The Bible has a lot of truth. ~ John Fugelsang
I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. ~ Susan B. Anthony
[The above quote was in Fugelsang’s book.)
Jesus taught humility, self-denial, and service to others, often warning against the dangers of wealth and materialism. ~ John Fugelsang
Religion, like all institutions of man, is inherently flawed, but irony will never let you down. ~ John Fugelsang
You can’t groom a kid to be transgender—but you can groom a douchebag to think he’s Christian. And Christian transphobia is yet another stark rejection of the words of Jesus. ~ John Fugelsang
Science has never made me doubt the existence of a loving God. ~ John Fugelsang
[Apparently taken by accident as it was so bright out I couldn’t see the screen . . . ]
The “Levitical laws” were essential regulations for a deeply religious and desperately nomadic tribe hoping to survive without a home in the desert. It’s a guide to staying devout while also keeping your tribe’s numbers up in a Bronze Age wilderness with no refrigerators, antibiotics, or Wi-Fi access. ~ John Fugelsang
I think mediocre men hate sexually independent women because they can’t handle the truth, and the truth is that SLUT is secretly an acronym for Sexually Liberated, Unapologetic, and Truthful. ~ John Fugelsang
It’s a convenient substitute for tangible help or systemic solutions. Prayer is supposed to be a way to seek guidance, not an excuse for inaction. ~ John Fugelsang
Scapegoating is how prejudice and discrimination become normalized within societies. It’s very easy to get caught up in what your culture considers to be normal, and most of us raised subjectively within a cultural prejudice generally don’t realize it. ~ John Fugelsang
Congressmembers assailed the ACA as socialism. ~ John Fugelsang
I would argue there’s a large and growing religious group we don’t acknowledge—people who were raised religious but now consider themselves “spiritual” because they’re turned off by the cruelties and hypocrisies of organized authoritarian religion. Spiritual people use religion to become better people. Fundamentalists use religion to pretend they’re better than other people. ~ John Fugelsang
It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help. ~ John Fugelsang
[Ruthie signs the Nyberg Park guest book . . . ]
Any Christian individual or group who advocates, engages in, or justifies violence directly rejects Jesus’s unglamorous, deeply unsexy teachings of non-retaliation and love. Jesus blessed the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and taught reconciliation (Matthew 5:23–24). His true followers are instructed to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). ~ John Fugelsang
[a]part from a “Year of our Lord,” the Constitution doesn’t mention God, Jesus, or the Bible in any way. The First Amendment explicitly prohibits any national religion. The Establishment Clause stops the government from ever favoring one faith over another, and the Free Exercise Clause protects individuals’ rights to practice their religion without undue government meddling. ~ John Fugelsang
[The aforementioned Karen Nyberg . . . ]
Jesus modeled servant leadership, washing his disciples’ feet and teaching that the greatest among his followers should be the servant of all. ~ John Fugelsang
[Coffee for the road . . . ]
[a] movement that manages to gloss over the well-documented wishes of both the founding fathers and Jesus in equal measure. ~ John Fugelsang
These were the fundamentalists, the power-hungry grifters who took advantage of the fact that most people don’t know the Bible all that well. They were charlatans, frauds, hypocrites, and villains. And they made for great TV. ~ John Fugelsang
[“Indian on Horse,” apt name for this sculpture . . . ]
But if you do decide to engage with a biblical literalist in a public setting, especially featuring loved ones, try to ask questions. Do our creationist friends believe the passage of Genesis 6:1–4 that describes fallen angels mating with human females and creating a race of Nephilim, or giants? That’s really there. In Genesis 4:14–15, Cain is scared that “others” will kill him after he is exiled for murdering Abel. Who are these “others” if Adam, Eve, and Cain were the only humans at the time? Where exactly did Cain’s wife come from, please? Where’d all the water go after the flood?” ~ John Fugelsang
[Big Foot, how it all began . . . ]
How a devastating 1795 battle created Minnesota’s most misunderstood roadside attraction. Drive through Battle Lake, Minnesota, and you can’t miss the 23-foot fiberglass warrior with his arm raised in greeting. Most visitors snap photos and move on, never realizing they’re looking at one of Minnesota’s most complex historical figures. The real story of Chief Wenonga isn’t what the heroic statue suggests. (https://www.enclavemarine.com/blog-posts/chief-wenonga-biography-ojibwe-warrior-battle-lake-history)
[We have now ventured from Vining to Battle Lake (population 857), which is overseen by Chief Wenonga . . . ]
Wenonga’s name means “Vulture” in the Ojibwe language, according to historian William Whipple Warren’s 1852 account in “History of the Ojibway People.” This wasn’t a man born to leadership despite the statue’s portrayal. Wenonga was a young Ojibwe warrior from the Leech Lake region, part of the Pillager Band during the late 1700s. The era was marked by intense conflict as the Ojibwe migrated westward into territory long held by the Dakota nation. These weren’t simple territorial disputes but fights over hunting grounds, wild rice beds and sacred sites that sustained entire communities. (https://www.enclavemarine.com/blog-posts/chief-wenonga-biography-ojibwe-warrior-battle-lake-history)
In fall 1795, Chief Uk-ke-waus organized a 50-warrior raiding party targeting a Dakota settlement near what French traders called “Lac du Battaile.” After a four-day journey south from Leech Lake, the Ojibwe spotted a small Dakota hunting party and gave chase through thick woods. Three of the fastest runners, including Wenonga, burst onto open prairie to discover a massive Dakota village of approximately 300 lodges. The surprise attack had become a death trap—50 Ojibwe warriors faced potentially 2,000 Dakota defenders deep in enemy territory.The Dakota response was swift. The outnumbered Ojibwe retreated to marshland near what is now West Battle Lake, fighting desperately from reed beds and shallow water. Chief Uk-ke-waus made a fateful decision: he ordered younger warriors, including the wounded Wenonga, to escape while he and his three sons held off attackers. All four family members died that day. According to Warren’s historical account, fewer than one-third of the war party survived. The Ojibwe named the lake Ish-quon-e-de-win-ing: “Where But Few Survived.” (https://www.enclavemarine.com/blog-posts/chief-wenonga-biography-ojibwe-warrior-battle-lake-history)
[For more on Wenonga, read Jess Lourey’s murder-by-month book series . . . ]
Our official religion is All and/or None. ~ John Fugelsang
[West Battle Lake, at 5,615 acres, is a giant among Minnesota lakes . . . ]
[And just for fun, here’s Minnesota Gopher basketball star Amaya Battle, with whom we share a two degrees of Kevin Bacon connection. (Photo courtesy of the ‘connector.’) . . . ]
Shakespeare tells us that even “the devil can recite Scripture for his purpose.” ~ John Fugelsang
[On Battle Lake’s main street ISO of our favorite restaurant, Stella’s, only to discover that it had closed and moved to the metropolis of Fergus Falls (population 14,258) . . . ]
May 16
The reality is that you’re statistically far more likely to be groomed and/or sexually assaulted by a priest than a trans person. ~ John Fugelsang
[At Carlos Creek Winery (4 miles north of Alexandria) ISO of outdoor music – only to discover that 40 mph winds required we move inside for pizza . . . ]
Decent Christians—including moderates and sane conservatives—along with righteous atheists, agnostics, and many people of other religions, have always had to band together to beat back the batshit-crazy Christians. ~ John Fugelsang
Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them. ~ Barry Goldwater, 1994 (this quote from Fugelsang’s book}
[Later that day, at the high school’s Performing Arts Center . . . ]
The number-one killer of children in America is gun violence. What is the pro-life plan to save the born children? ~ John Fugelsang
Science and biblical literalism don’t mix. ~ John Fugelsang
[Anne & Bill, season ticket holders at Washington, D.C.’s, Arena Stage for 50 years, found this performance quite entertaining . . . ]
High certainty, low empathy, science resistant. Fundamentalists are deeply into hierarchy, raised on patriarchy, and they always prop up oligarchy. ~ John Fugelsang
[We also attended Conductor Brad Lambrecht’s pre-concert maestro’s notes . . . ]
May 17
Jesus disdained wealth and earthly power, and challenged traditional laws of his own faith. He rejected earthly materialism, renounced the idea of revenge, and commanded us to welcome the stranger.
I know, right? Just like Donald Trump. ~ John Fugelsang
[And after a wonderful six days, it was time to say goodbye . . . ]
The modern conservative is… engaged… in one of man’s oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole, least successful exercises in moral philosophy. That is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. ~ John Kenneth Galbraith, 1967
[Quote from Fugelsang’s book . . . ]
Go Figure?
Anti-Tax fetishist Grover Norquist owns a bust of Ronald Reagan, who raised taxes 11 times. ~ John Fugelsang
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