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'I am not going to apologize': Bishop who confronted Trump speaks out

time.com 'I Am Not Going to Apologize': Bishop Who Confronted Trump Speaks Out

In an interview with TIME, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde discussed her sermon, which has drawn death threats and prompted Trump to demand an apology

Summary

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde refused to apologize after delivering a sermon at the National Cathedral that criticized Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ and immigration policies, calling for compassion and mercy for marginalized groups.

Trump responded by attacking Budde on Truth Social, labeling her a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater."

Budde, known for prior criticism of Trump, said she stands by her message and has received both support and threats.

She emphasized the need for dignity and respect in public discourse to counter the "culture of contempt."

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Tremendous respect for this lady. Speaking truth to power--particularly those with authoritarian aims--is vital to the future of our democracy.

Episcopal's are keeping it real. If I was going to be a christian it would be them.

You heard it here first folks. Jesus was of the radical left.
Right wingers have lost their goddamn minds.
- Unironically, Jesus was radical left in many ways. Many Christians do not like to confront those aspects of the bible.
  Let criminals into your home. Give them shelter and food. Give all of your money to charity. If someone harms you, turn the other cheek. Feed the poor before yourself. Brutally whip greedy wealthy people. Those are just some fun examples.
  
  If someone harms you, turn the other cheek.
  This is a bit of an aside, but the "turn the other cheek" passage from the bible is interpreted in multiple ways. My favorite is:
  The scholar Walter Wink, in his book Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination, interprets the passage as ways to subvert the power structures of the time.[3] At the time of Jesus, says Wink, striking backhand a person deemed to be of lower socioeconomic class was a means of asserting authority and dominance. If the persecuted person "turned the other cheek," the discipliner was faced with a dilemma: the left hand was used for unclean purposes, so a back-hand strike on the opposite cheek would not be performed. An alternative would be a slap with the open hand as a challenge or to punch the person, but this was seen as a statement of equality. Thus, by turning the other cheek, the persecuted was demanding equality.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek
  
  It’s what MLK did so well, and honestly, this is the first step to breaking the GOPs monopoly on religion and the Southern Strategy.
  
  “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭44‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV‬‬
  Sounds pretty radically left to me.
  
  where does Jesus say to feed the poor before yourself?
  
  Except for brutally whipping greedy people, I don’t think any of that is radical at all.
- Jesus told you that if you saw a guy who needs clothes and you have clothes you aren’t wearing you should give that guy some clothes. This was a strong inspiration for a major philosophy that for some reason many “Christians” hate called Marxism
  
  Every church has the potential to become the a mutual aide community. It’s what Jesus would have wanted
- Conservatives would probably be first in line to crucify him if they lived back then.
  
  Or if he returned, as their legend portends.
- TBH he really was, but most self-professed Christians don't understand that.
- "Blessed are the aggressive, for they shall inherit the Earth."
- Attacking traders, saying that you should share your food because you'll get it back several times over, rebelling against autocratic rulers, solidarity and meeting the poor and marginalised at eye level
  Definitely extreme left.
  And does anyone remember the time when his affinity group resisted Jesus' imprisonment by the security authorities by cutting off one of the officers' ears? I have my doubts that it happened that way because the guy was seen with both ears several times afterwards, but the ~~police~~ legionnaires would never invent details to make the leftists look worse.
  This shows that the movement surrounding the carpenter "Jesus" is obviously ready for violence. Also, numerous talks by followers of this group about a "Kingdom of God" (we suspect this is dog whispering for "dictatorship of the proletariat" as some leftists say they are "their own god"). In addition, influential members of this movement openly spoke of overthrowing the existing order. Although these plans were thwarted by "Jesus", his tolerance towards potential ideological perpetrators of violence suggests that he does not rule out a violent overthrow.
  The group should be categorised as left-wing extremist and left-wing terrorist and should be smashed immediately.

I'm still laughing about 'radical left bishop', that's such a paradox I can't get over it. Utterly deranged rambling.
- MAGA has consistently branded the left as "radical," to the point that they never plainly say "left" anymore. Always radical. You know, the party whose platform aligns with compassion and humanity more often than not. Radical. They've gaslit their constituents into believing that anything from the opposing party is unreasonable.
  The radical left wants people to have access to healthcare. The radical left wants people to not be discriminated against for race, gender, sexual preference, etc. The radical left wants people to be treated like people and not sideshow freaks. The radical left wants an educated populace. The radical left wants to prevent people who are obviously dangerous from owning firearms. The radical left doesn't want to put razor wire in the rivers on the border. The radical left doesn't want me to store state nuclear secrets in the bathroom at my Florida clubhouse where I frequently entertain high-profile guests from adversarial nations. The radical left wants to lock up those who participated in a violent breach of our capitol and threatened the lives of Congress and our vice president and killed a police officer. The radical left wants breathable air, drinkable water, and clean energy. The radical left wants unions to negotiate fair working conditions and compensation. The radical left wants consumer protections.
  These are all radical, dangerous ideas. In contrast:
  The radical right wants women to be baby factories. The radical right wants dangerous people to own firearms. The radical right wants to limit access to education. The radical right wants to silence the free press. The radical right wants the police to kill with impunity. The radical right wants corporations to be free to poison our skies and waterways. The radical right wants to destroy our foothold in the growing clean energy sector. The radical right wants mega corporations to be free to fuck consumers sideways. The radical right wants to dissolve unions (except the police unions, those can stay).
  See the difference?
  
  bernie had it soooo right. watch any of his "radical" speaches and you see how deftly he disarms that bullshit.
- Fascists don't worry about making sense. Violence is always available to them, and that's all they want you to know.
- It isn’t if you have a clearer understanding of the faith at large and this specific denomination. The Episcopal church is one of the most progressive denominations. It wouldn’t be impossible though I know Marianne IRL and she’s not a radical.
- Radical left Episcopalian bishop, no less. Some of them are progressive, but they're mostly a middle-of-the-road bunch.
- I don't know for America, but here in Europe pastors from non-evangelical Protestant churches are generally more leftist than most citizens and parishioners.
  
  Oh I know some of them have pretty progressive or even leftist views, my hometown pastor was a very liberal, gay man, politically active in social democratic and lgbtq groups and a long time family friend, although we're atheists. And he wouldn't brand himself a radical leftist by far.
  I'm European myself and radical left still means something different here. I mean for a lot of Americans anything in the slightest social or liberal automatically is radical leftist communism.
  
  In the USA many non-denominational churches have roots in the Southern Baptist convention which historically is extremely racist and problematic. Many of those parishioners carry the same views as their ancestors. Most of the really messed up stuff you see “Christians” pushing for in the USA are non-denominational Christians.
  
  Yeah, I'd say that's true in the US as well. But I wouldn't characterize most of them as radical, except maybe one or two branches of the Quakers. Those people I respect. They walk the walk. I've known many (the next town to where I grew up had a big Quaker population) and I've seen a lot of them at demonstrations, food banks and various direct actions.

Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen
(This is the end of the sermon, the part that addresses Trump. I couldn't find the full text.)
- The world is truly turning to hell when even the message ” please have mercy for all people” is too radical.
- Yup definitely a radical left hard line trump hater. /s
  If someone feels that is true, then turns around and threatens this woman or believes she needs to be reported, they need to seriously take a closer look at themselves.
  
  I firmly believe introspection is not a defining quality of your average trump supporter. typically, the only concerns seem to be: "how afraid do I feel", "how much money can I get" and "how much can state power hurt the 'other'..."
  
  they need to seriously take a closer look at themselves.
  Americans not being able to look at themselves critically is how we got here.
  Apparently we Americans need a much harsher, more personal and painful lesson before we learn to treat everyone with respect and change our priorities.
  It's looking like we're going to go through a dark period before this happens, if it ever happens.

Lol.
There are so many fake Christians in this country.
Glad this woman stood up for what's right and attempted to remind all the fake Christians what their religion is supposed to be about. And kudos to her for not backing down to a fascist.
- Amen. I am often critical of organized religion but every now and then I'm reminded that it's not all rotten.

She's such a hero. I'm really inspired by her bravery and mindset. She said in a NYT interview:
“I had a feeling that there were people watching what was happening and wondering, Was anyone going to say anything?” she explained quietly in an interview on Tuesday night. “Was anyone going to say anything about the turn the country’s taking?”
That should be the question to anyone in power - were you not going to say something?
- Oh, how I wish for Americans of this stature. What a woman!

There is nothing to apologize for. She spoke truth, and nothing else.
Edit: corrected gender - just had "the priest" in my mind, which is in german "Der Priester", which is the male form -.-
- She.
- Did you even watch her speech? Sounds like not, which is a shame. Watch it. Its great.

Budde, known for prior criticism of Trump, said she stands by her message and has received both support and threats.
I wonder why there's always threats when someone asks people to have mercy and empathy. Are some people really that soft that they can't hear opposing viewpoints?
- The best part is that it's basically what Jesus did. "Be kind to each other, have mercy". The romans nailed him to a cross.
  Are some people really that soft that they can’t hear opposing viewpoints?
  Yet if you deplatform these nazis, they say exactly that.

Who threatens a bishop because they have a sermon one man didn’t like?
- Sociopathic assholes.
- The “moral” Christian reichwing

Good. She has nothing to apologize for.

Thank you, Bishop Budde.
- We should build a statue of her and call it "Budde Bishop"
  
  Great idea, I shared your comment to c/blender
  
  Go for it!

“Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
That's his go to for anyone who disagrees with him. It's almost comical how leftists on Lemmy do the same thing with calling everybody and everything a Nazi or fascist if you don't agree with them. The words just lose meaning after a while.
I can already predict the onslaught of "BUT THEY ARE NAZIS" responses completely and utterly missing the point.
- So WTF do you call someone who acts like a Nazi, talks like a Nazi, even does the damn salute on live TV, but doesn't call themselves a Nazi?
  There is actually a word for that. "crypto-fascist". The nonsense you just spouted is exactly what they want. The benefit of the doubt. They'll chip away at decent society little by little, slowly boiling the frog, until they go all the way to bringing back death camps and we'll still have people like you thinking "well, they don't admit to being Nazis, soo..."
  I knew a couple elderly Germans who could have told you all about how their society slowly slid into hell.
  
  Perfect example of missing the point - complete with a straw-man - thanks!
- I can see how some people can be a tad dramatic at times with rhetoric, but the writing is on the wall in regard to the Nazi salute Elon Musk did at his speech. You have to call a pig, a pig, no matter how much lipstick it might have on to distract you from the fact otherwise.
  But I digress a bit. What exactly is the point you were referring to, that I and others seem to be missing? That Trump’s words are just words and because other people who don’t have anywhere near the power/authority/wealth say things in a similar manner back at him/his “friends” his actions and speech should be dismissed, justified even??
  
  What exactly is the point you were referring to, that I and others seem to be missing?
  Blessed be - somebody actually asking for clarification before chiding me.
  The number of times I've been called a "genocide supporter" or "Nazi" on Lemmy for simply saying that Kamala would have been a better choice than Trump is f'ing ridiculous. Or that "yes Nazis have freedom of speech" also gets me called a Nazi. If I hear the ridiculous "Nazi Bar" story one more time I'll lose it.
  Anyone disagreeing with leftist ideals EVEN WHILE AGREEING IN SPIRIT is called a Nazi on here all the time. The word is losing all meaning.

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