KatSaunders

[Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com on Bsky @ErinInTheMorn]

The fight for trans rights was always going to be a generational one.

We stand in a similar place gay people did in 2004.

I remember those days through the pain and hope of a young, closeted trans teenage girl's eyes.

Read my latest. Keep hope.

https://t.co/lUxpXKZVZY

[Chuck Tingle @ChuckTingle]

get ready because that counter culture wave is coming and YOU are a part of it. if you want to shout HECK OFF DEVILS then shout it LOUD, if you want to cry then cry HARD, if you want to love then love with your WHOLE HEART. thats the start of the movement that we dont know yet

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@kbrewFL Missouri's cities are only in Missouri. All of them. Kansas City, KS is in KS, and is not the same as Kansas City, MO and St. Louis and East St. Louis are also different cities.

[Tory Cross 🌸 @queer_spice]

There’s a lot of “election is coming calories don’t count” content happening and I would like to invite you all to join me in this place called: never thinking about calories ever

It’s fucking glorious. Free yourself from this fucking little numbers, eat whatever, vibe

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

As a pastor who feels called to speak to our faith in our current culture, but also be careful to not be partisan in my words, because of my ethics, seeing this is so frustrating. This is idolatry and should have no place in worship.

[Brian Kaylor @BrianKaylor]

Mark Driscoll turned his church service in AZ into a #ChristianNationalist political rally 2 days before election. While talking about the election & candidates, he quipped, "We're going to make church great again." Forget all the saints & go for politics to make church great?

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@AmandaMBeck @BishopBarron I watched it and literally talked to my therapist about it because of how much wonderful considering it does of church and leadership and doubt and faith. I'd recommend any Christian leader, plus anyone else who wants a thoughtful look at faith and institution to see it.

[Meg | The Feminist Budget Mom @_nomadic_soul]

If you’re undecided, you should read this. People ask me how I can vote “for the party of abortion” as a Christian.

I’ll tell you why. Because I want to save lives.

Abortions bans are resulting in more abortions, higher infant mortality, and dead mothers. Receipts below.

[Mike (not a) Rothschild @rothschildmd]

Get ready for a whole lot of posts like this, where a MAGA influencer with no access to "leaked internal polling" spreads rumors that Trump is cruising to a landslide victory. Then when he doesn't, it's election fraud.

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@KamphuisDavid Or the AC bills down here in the south.

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@kbrewFL Your tax dollars at work.

[Hank Green @hankgreen]

I think everyone is learning the wrong lesson from this video. The right is saying “vote fraud!!” the left is saying “boomers can’t use touch screens!!” But very obviously neither of these things happened…

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@EliSeitz10 Your cats are precious and so much more patient than mine would be!

[Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea]

“Post hoc ergo propter hoc” is one of the most powerful fallacies of human logic.

It also features prominently in both alternative medicine and anti-vaccine beliefs.

[Mike (not a) Rothschild @rothschildmd]

Trans people are a sliver of the population, and the trans population in prison is even smaller. Even so, trans panic and the fear of kids "being transed" power everything Trump has done to appeal to terrified conservatives. It is the molten core of planet MAGA.

[Rick Steves @RickSteves]

A Letter from a Bishop to You Via Me:

I get emails all the time from a bishop. (My girlfriend, Shelley, is a Lutheran bishop.) As bishop, Shelley oversees a synod of about 100 churches in the northwest corner of Washington state. (A bishop’s responsibilities are similar to those of a superintendent who oversees all the schools in a particular school district). While there are several families of Lutheran churches, Shelley’s a leader in what’s by far the biggest and most progressive branch, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (@ELCA).

In these times of angry politics, hard divisions, and hyper-political churches, I fear that when unchurched Americans think of a Christian, many think of the extremely conservative ones who play such a high-profile role in the right wing of our political landscape. While the term “evangelical” can apply to a broad range of Christians, the most politicalized have come to be known as “Evangelicals” in the US. These groups are generally fundamentalists (who take every word in the Bible literally) and Christian Nationalists (who believe Americans are exceptional in God’s eyes, are sure to fly the Stars and Stripes in their churches…and might even think God would recommend a certain Bible that comes with the US Constitution stitched into it).

On the other hand, the quieter wing of Christianity in our country (“Mainline Protestant” denominations like Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and many others) tends to be more liberal. In these churches, women and gay pastors are commonplace, sanctity of life includes much more than a fetus, our Jewish and Muslim neighbors are welcome, and we understand that all people are children of God and, therefore, equally beloved. Sadly, while noisy and angry fundamentalists and Christian Nationalists grab the headlines and stoke the cultural wars that divide our country, the rest of us — who take “love thy neighbor” seriously — have been bullied out of the public eye.

Shelley sends a monthly “Letter from the Bishop” to the congregations in her synod — and during this election season, I wish all Americans could receive her November dispatch. It offers what I consider to be a truly Christ-like approach to the issues facing our country. As a Christian, Shelley’s message (which is more “love thy neighbor” than “what’s in it for me”) inspires me, and it will guide me as I vote in this election. And — as an American citizen who cares deeply for his country — I hope that, whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, Shelley’s message will also bring a new dimension to your thinking as you prepare to vote.

From the Bishop:

Dear Beloveds,
As the election season is here, I have been doing some reflecting on what it means to vote as a Lutheran Christian. Please know that I am not telling you who to vote for in this election. It is not for me to tell you who to vote for. I mean, after all, God is neither Republican or Democrat, or even American.

But in saying that, I am not abdicating the responsibility that we have as Lutheran Christians who live in a country where voting matters. As children of God, we are called to vote beyond our own self-interest or individuality. As people who follow Jesus, we are called towards God’s vision of a just and mercy-filled world. As people who have received grace upon grace, we are called to stand against injustice, and to remind everyone that, in God’s eyes, every single person is loved and beloved.

So, here are a few thoughts and questions:

1. Jesus is all about loving one’s neighbor. Even when it’s hard. When he’s asked, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus expands his answer. In Jesus’ stories and actions he constantly goes to those who are on the outside, those marginalized, those without status, and shows how they are loved by God – how they are, in fact, his neighbor.

As you vote: Who is your neighbor?

2. Throughout scripture, hospitality to the stranger is embraced. In the Old Testament, the command to welcome strangers is repeated 37 times. In Matthew, Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

As you vote: Who is the stranger?

3. God’s will and God’s calling is towards equity and justice for those who have been silenced, oppressed, or harmed. As we hear in Isaiah, “Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

As you vote: Who are the silenced, the oppressed, the harmed?

4. The eighth commandment declares that we are called to not bear false witness against our neighbor. This, of course, means not lying about another but seeking the truth. This means no name-calling or false accusations. But it goes beyond this. As Martin Luther tells us in his Small Catechism, we are to defend our neighbor, speak well of our neighbor, and explain everything in the kindest way.

As you vote: Who is speaking truth?

5. God created this beautiful earth and declared that we are both part of the creation and are also called to be stewards of it. As we read in the ELCA social statement called “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice,” we affirm that it is God’s intention for us to join in the healing and wholeness of creation.

As you vote: Who is caring for creation?

Dear Beloveds of God, there is so much more that could be written about the state of our country and what voting means. We could make this all complicated and intricate and difficult. But truly, it comes down to this: God’s love is unconditional and unending. Jesus came to this earth to show, to embody, to be God’s love for us and for all people. And so, knowing this, trusting this, believing this, we are called. We are called, as children of God, to show this love to the world. We are called to vote against hate. We are called to vote for God’s love. As we hear in 1 John, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear … We love because God first loved us.”

+Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee

[Concerned Parent in North Texas @ZachRunsThings]

Concerned Parent in North Texas CHEERS comedian Toby Heathcliff’s Puerto Rico joke (FREE SPEECH 💪🏻) and CONFRONTS woke lib with OFFENSIVE signs (WRONG AND BAD 😡)!

[Caroline Kitchener @CAKitchener]

My mom just told me she cancelled her subscription to The Washington Post. She reads every one of my stories. It was a heartbreaking call.

I understand why she did it, but I asked her to reconsider. To anyone who has cancelled or is thinking about cancelling, here’s what I said:

[KatSaunders @KatSaunders]

@Salmence100 Looking forward to the video!