Trump Posts AI Image of Himself as Pope on Truth Social

[durangodawood]

So you are telling me I should be upset by a poor joke? No, I see no reason to be upset about it after researching it from about every angle possible. Should he have done it? No. But is it mocking? No I don’t believe it is. There has been plenty of mean spirited mocking towards the Church from the papacy on down that was never acknowledged before. This does not even leave a mark as far as I’m concerned compared to that. It’s all about who did it. It’s obvious. Wrong is wrong across the board as far as actually disrespecting and mocking the Church. You can’t just pick one incident and suddenly be a defender of the Church because you don’t like the guy who did it. It’s hypocritical.

You should be upset that this garbage comes from the official White House account. Who cares if this was some random celebrity. But its the forward facing image of our government that the rest of the world sees and forms impressions from.

 

[Ophiolite]

In honesty, I'll tell you the answer to your question. I hate political correctness, and I hate seriousness to the point of perfectionism. Sure, I try and do my best in life, but when people take it to a level of discourse that causes conflict, it goes against my conscience. I feel like the Democratic Party has shifted toward a harsh movement that uses the law to push it's strict agenda, when all I want is freedom and peace.

I dont like troublemakers, and Trump represents the force that attacks the very things I hate - so I support what he does.

In this case, making fun of the Church is good for the Church. Other religious people, particularly the Muslims, should follow our lead on how to handle things like this, and stop acting up like entitled brats.

Thank you for your honest response. I shall refrain (or certainly attempt to refrain) from further participation in the thread. Although it puzzles me that since you dislike it "when people take it to a level of discourse that causes conflict, it goes against my conscience", that you would make a post you must have known would be provocative. You might want to think on that for a time.

 

[Michie]

You should be upset that this garbage comes from the official White House account. Who cares if this was some random celebrity. But its the forward facing image of our government that the rest of the world sees and forms impressions from.

I expect nothing less while he is in office.

 

[durangodawood]

I expect nothing less while he is in office.

Same here. And thats a sorry state.

But the point is this isnt about sudden pope veneration from everybody. Its about how our country is represented to the world.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

You should be upset that this garbage comes from the official White House account. Who cares if this was some random celebrity. But its the forward facing image of our government that the rest of the world sees and forms impressions from.

YES! That is what disturbs me. Celebrities' do all sort of ridiculous things.
But he is the leading figure of the United States. He is the Commander in Chief, The Chief Executive.

Other presidents may have had faulted as well and deserved criticism...and got it.
But this was just plain stupid.

And at this point I DO expect even less. But I wont give it tacit approval.

 

[Michie]

Same here. And thats a sorry state.

But the point is this isnt about sudden pope veneration from everybody. Its about how our country is represented to the world.

Don’t you think that a lot of people (like me) know this is an anomaly and do not take anything as silly as this latest stunt less than seriously? I give people around the world a bit more credit than that. This is not a permanent situation and there is enough in the media from those that point out the mistakes and gaffes this president makes. I worry about dangerous situations not stunts. I’m sure the rest of the world is concerned about the same. Not a stupid meme.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I hate political correctness,

So you are ok with mocking, slander, disparaging slurs and what not?

 

[durangodawood]

YES! That is what disturbs me. Celebrities' do all sort of ridiculous things.
But he is the leading figure of the United States. He is the Commander in Chief, The Chief Executive.

Other presidents may have had faulted as well and deserved criticism...and got it.
But this was just plain stupid.

And at this point I DO expect even less.

Yeah you mentioned Clinton earlier. And I was disgusted by that. Not so much the actual affair (except for the potentially abusive power imbalance of it). I mean, lots of people have these kind of failings and hopefully learn and grow when it blows up. The big betrayal was how he jeopardized everything he represented politically, that so many of us voted for, by doing this in the White House.

But at least he had some shame about it. Real or fake? How could I know. But expressing shame was the right thing.

 

[Postvieww]

I thought he was joking at the time, but now I'm not so sure.

It was a joke, let’s get real here.

 

[Michie]

Yeah you mentioned Clinton earlier. And I was disgusted by that. Not so much the actual affair (except for the potentially abusive power imbalance of it). I mean, lots of people have these kind of failings and hopefully learn and grow when it blows up. The big betrayal was how he jeopardized everything he represented politically, that so many of us voted for, by doing this in the White House.

But at least he had some shame about it. Real or fake? How could I know. But expressing shame was the right thing.

He lied right to the American people’s faces. I did not pick up on shame so much as regret he was caught.

 

[Michie]

It was a joke, let’s get real here.

A poor one but yes.

 

[durangodawood]

He lied right to the American people’s faces. I did not pick up on shame so much as regret he was caught.

Yes absolutely he wanted to cover it up. The point is he and everyone else knew this was a bad look.

Now we seem to revel in bad looks. That's the difference.

 

[Michie]

Yes absolutely he wanted to cover it up. The point is he and everyone else knew this was a bad look.

Now we seem to revel in bad looks. That's the difference.

You know of a way to control Trump? I don’t. I don’t think anyone is reveling in bad looks he puts out. I choose not to get in a lather about the meme. There is more to life than Trump.

 

[durangodawood]

You know of a way to control Trump?

Yes. By not voting for him in the R primary. Now that we missed that opportunity, at least we should learn our lesson.

I don’t. I don’t think anyone is reveling in bad looks he puts out. I choose not to get in a lather about the meme. There is more to life than Trump.

Yes and Im heading out for the rest of the day to live it. See you later!

 

[mindlight]

Where is this growth taking place?

About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated

Self-identified Christians make up 63% of the U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade ago.

www.pewresearch.org

View attachment 364506


It would appear that within a US context, it's on the decline. (same is true in Canada and Europe)

So is this "overall growth" you're referring to in the form of perhaps missionary work and converting people in other countries? (in which case, it's not of much noteworthy political advantage here -- having an increased number of Protestants and Catholics in places like Asia, Africa, and South America don't translate into votes for either political candidate here in the US)

Maybe it is not obvious to you, because you live in MAGA-land and think the USA is the center of the Universe you only read the top part of the PEW survey you got that graph from.

On a global level, non-religious is in massive decline as with a trend that started with the collapse in numbers that occurred when the USSR fell apart in the 90s and the atheists declared for Orthodox Christianity - Christianity is dominant and holding its own with above population growth rates. Islam is the real threat right now.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Waoah, wait, you have 15??!! I only have 8!! (And that includes three relatives and four socks puppets).

8? How do you keep track? I assume most people posting in a thread are reading significant parts of it.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Maybe it is not obvious to you, because you live in MAGA-land and think the USA is the center of the Universe you only read the top part of the PEW survey you got that graph from.

The Universe doesn't have a center.

On a global level, non-religious is in massive decline as with a trend that started with the collapse in numbers that occurred when the USSR fell apart in the 90s and the atheists declared for Orthodox Christianity - Christianity is dominant and holding its own with above population growth rates. Islam is the real threat right now.

That's not a survey. That is a fantasy model of projected populations. (And despite the fantasy elements your "global Christianity manages to grow from 31.4% to a whopping 31.4% in it.)

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Yes. By not voting for him in the R primary. Now that we missed that opportunity, at least we should learn our lesson.

Yes and Im heading out for the rest of the day to live it. See you later!

Except that he is the most influential man in the world at this point, especially for those in the United states. We cannot and should not ignore him, condone his insensitivity, and excuse him. There is an old saying, "What you permit is what you promote." The republican party has permitted and promoted toxicity. Not that the Dems are much better. But we should not let that stop us from expressing our disapproval.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

You mean followers? I have 3, practically off the radar.

Apparently I have around 17 but only four have posted since 2016 so they may have left the site.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Apparently I have around 17 but only four have posted since 2016 so they may have left the site.

Then you are practically a celebrity.