If churches are exempt from paying taxes, then they should refrain from preaching on politics. I read something written in another comment section that I liked, “two people you should never trust. A preacher who tells you how to vote, and a politician who tells you how to pray.”

I was once taught by a wise woman that 'the church is full of sinners, not of saints'.

“That’s not a hate crime.” “Well I hated it!”

“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.” - Christopher Hitchens

Politicians should never campaign in churches. I find it despicable.

For reference : First Amendment The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices.

I'm reminded of these wise words. "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the Despot abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." Thomas Jefferson to Horatio G. Spafford, 17 March 1814.

The separation of church and state is why we aren't a war torn nation similar to ones in the Middle East and Pakistan/Afghanistan etc. Church and state needs to stay separate, i don't care what people say.

I'm tired of "religious freedom " overruling every other freedom. And I'm tired of the Christian entitlement that gets forced on the rest of us.

the Establishment clause exists for a reason, freedom of religion requires freedom from religion. The whole point of the clause is to prevent the government from establishing a state religion and prohibit it from favoring one faith over another, end of story.

“When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, ’tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.” -- Benjamin Franklin

Dangerous to promote anybody or anyone that uses the Bible as any kind of authority

it is absolutely a violation of the constitution to not keep government and religion SEPARATE.... PEOPLE MIGRATE HERE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

"Pastor says women can't wear pants". *Immediately pans to church women wearing pants. LOL

Notice how he said slavery was not a "positive good" implying that it was a negative good. These are the kinds of distinctions that lead religious people of all faiths to do horrendous and savage things to other human beings and have no conscious about it. This highlights one of the differences between the spiritual and the religious.

As a non Christian living in the US, I am absolutely frightened by the rise of Christian nationalism. One of the reasons I came to the US is because of the First Amendment. That's a landmark rule a lot of nations can learn something of.

I STRONGLY object to tax dollars going to churches unless they pay TAXES TOO

I will go out on a limb and say this: " Separation of church and state or else we will have the dark ages."

They're using Christianity as an ideology and not as the way to receiving a NEW nature; one ruled by true wisdom, temperance, compassion and LOVE.

So you have a progressive Christian getting one idea from the Bible and a right wing fascist Christian getting the opposite idea… seems as though it’s an ambiguous book that can be interpreted in any way to support any position 🤔

A guy grifting using religion? Never heard of such a thing.

it is not about God or Christianism... it is all about MONEY..... MONEY.... and MONEY

"The Church is supposed to direct the government," Boebert said. My only question for her is-which church? There are thousands of Christian denominations. Will the Catholics lead? How about the Presbyterians? What about the Methodists? How about we keep religion and politics separate? It seems abhorrent to me-this idea that religion and politics should ever be combined!

Isn’t Douglas Wilson the pastor who entered into a number of debates with the late Christopher Hitchens? These debates were later featured in a documentary called “Collision?” Collision would have appeared around 2009.

The day many Christians stopped asking WWJD & started asking WWDTD, was the day the flock was lost.

I’m saying this as an atheist. They’re talking about church and state and its separation but they don’t even understand the history behind it. The separation of church and state was distinctly in reaction to the situation in Europe which was governments being dominated by a church body i.e. the Catholic Church or the church of England. So specifically that there was a governing church organization that controlled and dictated the movement of government. In America church is not the same meaning as it was back then now church is very decentralized you have many many many different kinds of small organize churches and may be because they dominate a large number of the population bacon holds way over a group of people are on the local government sector but there is not a single church that is even big enough to dictate the movement of the federal government. Or governments cross state borders. The way they’re talking about the separation as if somehow people need to drop their philosophies at the voting floor but that’s impossible people will always have their philosophies dictate their decisions and that you just can’t do that. term scientist basically has authority

Just another form of fascism.

Freedom OF religion. Freedom FROM religion.

THE CHURCH NEEDS TO START PAYING TAXES !!!!!

“They don’t represent Christianity” says the Unitarian Universalist 😂

Read "The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom" which was a proposed bill by Thomas Jefferson. This puts into context what Jefferson meant when he penned the now infamous separation of church and state in his letter to the committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. If your going to use the letter that Jefferson wrote as an explanation of the religious clause in the First Amendment of the constitution, you need to equally look at his other writings/proposed bills to understand its context.

The founding fathers were not even Christian - they were deist.

I'm still with the original founding fathers, build up the wall between church and state with titanium.

As an Idahoan, I was not expecting this video to cover so close to home.

But you can’t have a logical argument with people who’s entire basis of their argument is something that can not be proven.

the issue is when a christian is faced with an opposing social issue, the answer is always "God". no arguments. Just because some human-invented supernatural entity said so...

Good point, Christ did not attack non-believers or impose his teachings on others. This didn't start until formal religions wanted power.

Here is a book that I highly recommend, 'American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America' by Chris Hedges, 2007

Whenever men have tried to merge God with the state in Christianity, they've ended up losing both God, and the crown. It's sad that people don't read history. The very clause they're seeking to repeal has been its shield against setting up a papal state as in the dark ages.

This is one of the reasons why I dislike religion. It is a breeding ground for fanaticism, and that NEVER ends well.

“They said women can’t wear pants” Proceeds to show clip of women singing psalms wearing pants Delusional

You cannot have freedom of religion without freedom FROM religion. And that includes different Christian sects. And speaking of Founders, let us reference the Tripoli treaty of 1796, Article 11 in part... "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion;" In the US, religion has always been how you live your life, not how you force other people to live theirs.

The Bible is meant to be used by the individual as a guide for life.not to be used as a political prop.

Y'all need to learn what Jefferson said about Church and State

They are hypocrites saying don't force us as they force us to go along with their ways.

I went to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban…I will fight the Christian Taliban here. I see no difference between them.

from Jamestown to Jonestown

Remember when churches use to preach peace and unity

What I don’t get is all this talk about ending the separation of church and state.. as long as it’s “their church.” It’s baffling.

"just like Roe used to be" !!! Wow.

Could there be a connection with this and the other thing that brought Moscow to our attention in Nov.'22?

Never in my life would I have thought that so many Americans would want to embrace a theocratic government like Iran, Saudi Arabia & Afghanistan.

Saw this coming 15 years ago.

"In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." ~Founding Father *Thomas Jefferson,* in a letter to Horatio Spofford, 1814

This isn't christian nationalism, call it what it actually is. Christofascism.

I'm actually impressed at how well NBC did of presenting the different views

If they try to make this a Christian nation and don’t want to keep church and state separate, there will be a LOT of angry people protesting. We have freedom of religion in the constitution.

The Republicans sure like the Constitution when it comes to the 2nd Amendment but not the 1st Amendment.

Oh jeez. That’s horrible. Vote out these people that embrace this

The one thing that came home to me is how alike, how very much alike, this interview, listening to this pastor, was so similar to the church in Ohio I stopped attending. Same mind set, same language, same unableness to see the different side. For these people's there is no different side only the one side, their side. It is very dangerous!

If there is no separation of church and state, then make the churches pay taxes. No more tax exempt status.

I've been seeing this since I moved to Florida 16 years ago...mind boggling

It seems to me that any church would NOT have a lot of moral authority to preach to people about what to do and NOT what to do.

The church has cost me and innumerable others years of trauma. It’s crazy how the church is up to the same antics everywhere.

The U.S. is about two heartbeats away from Germany and Italy in the late 1930's.

By appeasing and enabling these people Trump has done more damage to Christianity than Satan ever could.

These people need to be reminded that the US Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers, not the Pilgrim Fathers.

It isn't about religion anymore. It's about Christian nationalists gaining as much power as they possibly can

A person going to a bigoted church calls out people for being bigots. WOW.

Religion is a personal belief, don't force your myths on others. You know that "don't tread on me flag?" Yeah, it means don't tread your religious beliefs on others. The key word is freedom.

No hate like Christian love. Secularism will win the day by law or by young people refusing to follow previous generations in obsessing over religious practices.

This is more common than one would think.

This is we’re the rubber meets the road, no one really wants to follow the Bible only the most fuzzy and warmest parts that really tickle their ears.

2 kinds of people you should never trust, a preacher who tells you how to vote and a politician who tells you how to pray.

"the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." George Washington Treaty of Tripoli 1796 signed and ratified by John Adams 1797

The arrogance of the people who want this is breathtaking.

My contempt for religion, Christian fundamentalism in particular, has steadily grown over the years. Engagement was followed by withdrawal. That was succeeded by a bare tolerance (the live and let live variety), which was followed by a alarm, which gave way to contempt. The successor to all that is anger. These people have invented God in their own image, they have demonstrated bigotry, intolerance, greed, infidelity, sexual abuse, racism and misogyny. They are not just anti science but anti knowledge. And now they seek to put us all in moral straitjackets of their entirely hypocritical design. These people are not our friends, our pastoral carers. They are our enemies.

These fanatics won't be happy until everyone conforms to their belief system. What they want is Christian fascism.

Taxing church profits would clear-out many of the charlatans.

What I hear in this Report is that Religion is Personal. In Government there is no room for Personal Belief’s and that is why they should never be mixed. In fact we should remove in God we Trust as it was added in the 1956 not 1787.

Rod Serling called it a long time ago.

Wow! A national news crew visiting the Pullman-Moscow community! I am surprised that NBC even knows about the Palouse! I used to live in the Pullman and Moscow area several years ago! Both small college towns make a quiet friendly community!

As a person who is currently very bored, I am trying to think of how to write a summary of this video for school, even though it's the summer (we have to do a summer project 😡)

cults never admit they are cults

Freedom of religion requires freedom from religion!

We should have taken more inspiration from French secularism than we have from our own. The rise of Christian nationalism is completely because we have been too loose with the separation of church and state. Yet somehow we are surprised that those people that are against abortions and lgbt people would and have politically coordinated along religious lines for years and are succeeding?

I believe in Jesus, however, I firmly believe the church has NO business trying to direct civil government! The church is here for matters of spirit or religion--NOT corporeal government.

Barry Goldwater (republican) said in the 60's, " the biggest threat to our form of government is religion in politics". He is being proven right by these holy rollers who obviously have never read anything about what Jesus said.

Jesus loved Judas. Judas loved Jesus, but he had devised a plan to force Jesus to take the throne of David and thus fulfill prophecy. However, God had another plan that Judas could not believe as he lacked faith. When Judas saw that his plan did not work, he cast the 30 pieces of silver at the feet of the high priest and exclaimed, "I have betrayed innocent blood". He saw no possibility for Christ to succeed, so he went out to a tree and hung himself. This is what the far right Christian Nationalists are doing. They love Jesus without having a full faith in His Word. They are on a suicide mission. Their plan to force God on the throne of this nation can only fail. However, God will triumph despite their misguided attempt. Christ will not force His way in. He only invites those who are willing by faith to enter into His kingdom, which is not of this world.

Any mention of People of Other Religions..Jewish..Muslim..& Native Americans..!!...We are a Diverse Nation ..Freedom of Religion .!!

The Problem With religion is that they pick and choose their own beliefs about scripture ...making up whatever doctrines that benefit their own beliefs.

You can’t just cherry-pick the Bill of Rights… You might as well throw it into the fire and start over. Pro tip: No don’t do that.

I don't think churches should become real estate investors. How long before they own the entire town of Troy?

Mediation in my custody (state building) interrogated me on my faith recently its how I found this video. I'm kinda like wtf? Church and state are supposed to be separate it's not anymore apparently. Need to fit in to get in. What is the top Church to be in? So I'm in the club and don't get another bad Mediation report?

Trump couldn't quote any, not one, of his most beloved verses from the Bible, for the media. Could he now? I've met a lot of people who got religion while in jail. They were the biggest hypocrites. So for The Orange Yam, maybe he'll be able to pull one out for the microphones after a few years in the pen. As for all the printed bullcrap from this pastor and his minions--I grieve for all the trees that had to die for nothing.

Lmao @Lauren Boebert being anyone's go-to person for anything religious

The story highlighting the divide with Christian Nationalists and average Americans is being done in Moscow Idaho a month before those students were murdered. I just find it rather creepy. Though the town, despite the radical Nationalist preacher trying to take over, seems like a pretty and nice place. Charming. As for the rise of Christian Nationalism, I've been an teen and adult since the rise of the Moral Majority and the assorted Christian radical right groups up to this one. All have had dreams of taking over the country and forcing their extremist and paternalistic beliefs on all of the country. Have their version of Sharia Law american style. After 40 years of this stuff I am really sick and tired of the radical right and their dreams of conquer and total power and control.

You people desperately need to study your history. Every draft of the constitution it was " the people " that was changed to " the state " because the people are the state. That's the way it was stated. Therefore, to separate the church and state is to separate the church from the people. The way it's written in the Bill of Rights only means the government can't choose your religion or lack of religion for that matter.

Dear MSNBC, Please do a show on the American Redoubt. That's also a terrifying group in the US.

"....and women should not wear pants" As the camera pans to a bunch of women wearing pants.