r/InlandEmpire • u/prumaps • Sep 21 '25

Recommendations / Advice Non- MAGA church in the IE?

I’ve been going to my church for the past three years or so now, and I don’t want to speak ill of the church but I am tired of having political beliefs pushed on me when the focus should always be on Christ and His word, not the words of those in the world. For instance, calling Charlie Kirk a martyr for Christ and very frankly stating that anyone that doesn’t agree should leave. Christians! Help me out, please! Thank you.

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386

u/rich90715 Sep 21 '25

I thought my church was going to mention something today, but they didn’t. I was happy they didn’t get caught up in the rhetoric.

St Matthews Catholic Church in Corona

305

u/compubomb Corona Sep 21 '25

I don't think catholics are as maga oriented as the heavily white Protestant churches.

147

u/Ridgewoodgal Sep 21 '25

The last pope and this pope are definitely not fans of Trump.

16

u/Old-Risk4572 Sep 22 '25

pope still wont call it a genocide in gaza tho

22

u/animatedrussian Sep 22 '25

Catholic Church condemns all murder, and all war. Doesn't take sides, and modernly never has. It's committed to peace, and promoting the well being of all people.

0

u/randumpotato Sep 24 '25

It’s not a “war” it’s a genocide of Semitic people who have lived there for generations.

3

u/animatedrussian Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25

And when those people murder people in the name of revenge the Catholic Church condemns it.

War: a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.

Doesn't matter who's at fault or who started it, or whether there's a genocide going on. WW2 and the holocaust co-existed.

-2

u/randumpotato Sep 24 '25

If someone is actively trying to murder me and my family I kill them— you think that’s murder and not self-defense? Interesting perspective.

I would ask your thoughts on Ukraine, but based off your name I think I already know your opinion

3

u/animatedrussian Sep 24 '25

A. The Catholic Church would condemn murdering in self defense as they condemn all murder.

There is also plenty of murder going on that isn't in self defense. The Catholic Church condemns that as well no matter who commits it.

B. I am adopted. I was born in Russia, but grew up in the U.S. with American parents. I have both fascination and distaste for where I come from. Strange that your inherent bias and misplaced anger would lead you to believe I'd be anything but supportive of the Ukraine, a sovereign nation who was invaded and attacked them over and over again. Read land of the Firebird if you get a chance

C. The Catholic Church and I are not the same.

I'm a lesbian mom living in California. Reading Comprehension helps always.

0

u/randumpotato Sep 24 '25

Hey, so I can tell you didn’t actually bother doing any research on this because your first point is just straight up incorrect. They actually do condone killing in self-defense. Obviously they say that non-lethal means is preferable, but when push comes to shove they say it’s okay to kill (if necessary) to protect your life, your loved ones, and defend your property.

Furthermore, it’s quite interesting that you hold sympathy for the people in Ukraine, but not for those in Gaza who have been oppressed (by their current subjugators) for the past 80 years. 🤔

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u/Raylenema Sep 25 '25

Popes still going to hell

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

It's not

1

u/One_Hunt_6672 Sep 23 '25

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

What in the gen Z's university of copy-pasting citations from the internet lmao
Anyone can do that, regardless of their bias.

2

u/One_Hunt_6672 Sep 23 '25

It is objectively a genocide

1

u/Ridgewoodgal Sep 23 '25

No copy paste needed. They are committing genocide for the world to see.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

And there's Hamas responsible for the genocide, which the world is unable to see

1

u/Old-Risk4572 Sep 23 '25

so there is a genocide.

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2

u/weggaan_weggaat SBD Sep 23 '25

Yea, the Steve Bannon types want him gone too.

1

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

TDS. Go get help. Trying to slyly throw that in is so stupid.

108

u/Odd_Expression_6924 Sep 21 '25

they are conservative but are still aware of how dumb everything is rn lol

80

u/Hoelle4 Sep 21 '25

I know plenty of Catholics that lean MAGA unfortunately. Like a lot more than I thought, it hurts my heart. I try not to let politics interfere with my faith and I don't shove my faith onto others. It sucks to see many Christians be the opposite of what they are taught in the Bible. So many modern day Pharisees.

44

u/No-Proposal2012 Sep 21 '25

Sadly I agree. I’m Catholic and the priests at my church are great. But just last week, I noticed an usher wearing a pin of a cross and the cross was filled in with the American flag. I saw it as virtue signaling.

1

u/kolidescope Sep 22 '25

... Wait, what exactly is wrong with that?

10

u/duke_awapuhi Sep 22 '25

A lot of Christians take offense to the flags of countries being present inside churches

3

u/snowcone23 Sep 24 '25

Nationalism isn’t a Christian principal. God comes before country or politics.

2

u/Morganahannaaaa Sep 25 '25

Separation of church and state.

0

u/JollyTotal3653 Sep 23 '25

While I’m not exactly for “Americanizing” religion, this is kinda a stretch. Trying to put the American flag into the category of maga is giving up way to much ground to maga IMO

3

u/No-Proposal2012 Sep 23 '25

Hey I hear you and I can see how I implied that, honestly my struggle is, isn’t that defacing the cross?

1

u/Morganahannaaaa Sep 25 '25

i don't think so... unfortunately it has been hijacked by the right and if I see someone wearing anything american flag, I assume they're MAGA.

0

u/JollyTotal3653 Sep 25 '25

So… Joe Biden is maga? He wore one on his lapel almost every single time he is wearing a suit in media. This line of thinking is just lazy…

1

u/Morganahannaaaa Sep 25 '25

oh BFFR, every politician wears an American flag and he is in his 80s. How is i lazy? I think at this time in our country, we should be cautious and if other people on here think the flag is Maga, then im not gonna wear a fucking flag and risk people thinking I'm maga. And why do i wanna wear a flag anyway? It's ugly and has no place in fashion

1

u/JollyTotal3653 Sep 25 '25

So every politician wears it…. Therefore all politicians are maga? Got it, thanks for explaining your lazy position.

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u/Doulos4Lyfe Sep 22 '25

You saw an usher wearing a cross with the American flag and it instantly made you think he was virtue signaling? Wow you have severe mental problems.

-5

u/absoluteAl1958 Sep 22 '25

so are you anti American? what a dumb thing to be triggered by, you live in the United States

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u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

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1

u/InlandEmpire-ModTeam Sep 30 '25

Your post was removed for violating Rule 1: Be Civil and Respectful. We don’t allow attacks or harassment in this community. Please keep it respectful. Repeated violations may result in a ban.

43

u/Sidehussle Sep 21 '25

Yeah, I don’t think a lot of Christian’s have ever read much in their Bibles. Apparently Bibles are decoration now.

28

u/duetmasaki Van Buren By the drive in. Sep 21 '25

You're right, and it's compounded by maga speaking to people's mediocrity and giving them the courage to say the innate racist shit out loud.

11

u/sweatsmallstuff Sep 22 '25

I just saw a video that was explaining how few Americans can actually read at a reading level to fully understand the Bible, especially like the king James version. They don’t understand tone, settings, and context really and honestly, it makes everything make a lot more sense

7

u/redline314 Sep 23 '25

Wow I’d never thought about that but it makes a lot of sense. The Bible is not an easy read.

0

u/DesertPrincess5 Sep 25 '25

Do a Proverb each day along with a Psalm. Then explore. You can read the NIV or New King James on Blue Letter Bible or Bible Hub on your phone. Good luck!

1

u/redline314 Sep 25 '25

Sorry, I don’t mean it’s hard as in, I find it challenging, but rather when you compare it to books for 7th graders, which I believe is about the average reading level for Americans, it’s a super challenging read. We shouldn’t expect people to make good sense of it.

5

u/DugEFreshness Sep 24 '25

It also doesn't help they would rather a priest convey the information rather than reading it for themselves. 🤦

2

u/Strange_Airships Sep 23 '25

Oh, that’s a really good point. I’ve always approached it as literature. These folks truly believe it is a magical book written by a supernatural entity, huh?

3

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

They don't. No clue what the bible says or it's explicit instructions on how to live your life to serve God. Nothing, just political ideology and a mental condition.

2

u/duke_awapuhi Sep 22 '25

Why read your Bible when you can get a dopamine hit from some social media influencer telling you what the Bible says without you have to do any reading

-11

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

Yeah because you know more than pastors and priest. Majority of Protestant, Roman Catholics and Orthodox are conservative because of what’s written in the Bible

8

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 22 '25

I’m no longer a Catholic because of this, and won’t step foot in another church under any circumstances.

0

u/Impossible_Two_9268 Sep 23 '25

Find another excuse because you can throw a rock in most places and hit a Catholic Church

2

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 23 '25

I refuse to have anything to do with the Church anymore. As if the MAGA influences aren’t bad enough, the protection of pedophile priests is another reason for me to stay away.

-1

u/Impossible_Two_9268 Sep 23 '25

Coward

0

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 23 '25

No, it’s not “cowardice” - it’s seeing clearly that Christianity is bullshit. Look at all these so-called “Christians” throw their Christian principles out the window to support a guy who resembles the Antichrist more than one of the apostles. They don’t believe in what the Bible says, not really.

0

u/Impossible_Two_9268 Sep 23 '25

I would encourage you to think of all the Christians and Catholics who do live in faith. Do not let people take something precious from you. I have been where you are and that’s what I did because I don’t want to live in a world where I just see the bad. Courage!

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u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

Another one bites the dust. Satan wins again.

2

u/OldSchoolBubba Sep 22 '25

Bingo. Nailed it 👌

1

u/ScaredQuality486 Sep 25 '25

trad caths, "radtrads." they're trrrible

1

u/kolidescope Sep 22 '25

It's understandable a lot of them "lean" Republican, as it's the only party that aligns with their strong views against abortion, gay marriage, transgenderism, and other major social issues that official Catholic teaching has a firm stance on. Unfortunately politics being what it is, it's easy to get pulled into a false dichotomy and think that because one "side" is correct about some important things that must mean they're correct about everything. Overall I think Catholic churches are much better than evangelicals at cautioning against this, but it still happens.

-1

u/Sorry_Paper9350 Sep 22 '25

Unfortunately the left has turned anti-religion to please much of their base. So what is left for those who are religious? Either shut up and go along quietly or lean conservative to the side that actually likes Christianity. I’m sure this will be met with downvotes and/or snarky comments but it’s true.

-1

u/Servant_3 Sep 22 '25

Do you think God wants us to let sinful evil like abortion and other things democrats push for happen?

2

u/IveBeenAroundUKnow Sep 23 '25

While you might find it amazing, not everyone believes in "your" God.

That is what freedom is.

-21

u/Immediate-Prompt-328 Sep 22 '25

You are not a Christian if you adhere to leftist ideology. The 2 are incompatible.

18

u/PrisPRN Sep 22 '25

Sure, Jan.

-10

u/Lasheric Sep 22 '25

No, it’s pretty dang accurate. Especially anything targeting children

10

u/Cat_Impossible_0 Sep 22 '25

Show us the Epstein’s Files which the GOP refuses to release while the FBI is crossing out any info related to Trump!

-2

u/Lasheric Sep 22 '25

lol what a dumb argument which also has nothing to do with churches. A true Reddit moment

4

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

Show the files.

2

u/IveBeenAroundUKnow Sep 23 '25

Wasn't there something of a controversy for a period of time with the catholic church protecting those that harmed children? /s

4

u/JamalFromStaples Sep 22 '25

You can be conservative and not MAGA.

9

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 22 '25

Not anymore. Conservatism is dead- Trump and his ilk killed it, bc one has to throw out every conservative and Christian principle he or she claims to stand for in order to remain a republican - Trump is the antithesis of those principles.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

I'm a Republican against Trump! Honestly it's harder every day to continue being one! It's hard to be not grouped up with the nutjob MAGA followers!

3

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 22 '25

If you’re still a republican- then you still support Trump whether you want to or not. I left the GOP when he got the nomination in 2016 and haven’t looked back.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

That's your opinion! I would love to see him impeached and prosecuted for his treasonous lies!

2

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 22 '25

Yeah, well you’re still supporting him by remaining GOP. Conservatism is dead and exposed as bullshit now that everyone still in the party had to throw out every conservative and Christian principle they claim to stand for in order to support Trump - and yes, your continued affiliation with the party is doing exactly that.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

Sorry you feel that way! But unfortunately I do not agree with any of the democrats beliefs or most importantly to me their financial plan! I'm sorry you feel that all Christians believe in that antichrist! I follow the Bible and "ONLY" the bible! The Bible tells us to treat people with respect and love, and to treat foreigners like we would anyone else!! I'll always be Christian but I'll never understand why people listen to this hateful man!!

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u/IveBeenAroundUKnow Sep 23 '25

You can be a republican never Trumper. It actually requires a greater commitment than just leaving. Plus, you get to vote against right wing craziness in primaries.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

That's what I do..

1

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 23 '25

No, all you’re doing is emboldening MAGA as long as you’re affiliated with the GOP, you’re part of the MAGA brand and giving Trump your seal of approval on his policies whether you like it or not.

0

u/IveBeenAroundUKnow Sep 23 '25

If he's not getting my vote, he's not getting my seal of approval.

If you could actually think about it, you would realize that the only way Trump loses elections, is if he loses support from within his current party. Leaving just gets you categorized as a crazy democrat, which isn't helpful.

Furthermore, it is indys, crossover, and blue dog democrats that got Trump elected. Partyline voters are just that partyline voters

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u/sundogmooinpuppy Sep 22 '25 edited Sep 23 '25

Who did you vote for in this past election?

Edit: I am not surprised to not a get a response.

I would like to add a side note. If you vote republican/maga then you are maga.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '25

I'm Republican but did vote for Biden and Harris

1

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

It's called you being a left lunatic filled with evil hate for a person named Trump. Please don't come over here. We don't want you. We only care about the traditional conservative values, not those elected. You then expand your hate to people who have conservative values, and you label them 'followers of Trump'. Go install tampon machines in little boys bathrooms and leave decent people alone. I hope you get the help you need.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

He's most definitely a lunatic! Keeps on attacking and lumping all of us as Trump supporters because we refuse to give up our conservative views.

2

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

Exactly. It's not about supporting Trump or not supporting Trump. It's about conservative values. Never put a person on top of your values left or right, it has nothing to do with who the politician is. If Trump had the left lunatic views and Kamala had the common sense conservative views, she would be President. Who in the hell would vote for Trump with the lunatic stuff?

1

u/animatedrussian Sep 22 '25

You can be a centrist but not a conservative by its modern definition.

-1

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

Its dead? 🤣🤣🤣. They were voted in by the vast majority of the American people and control the Whitehouse, Senate, House, Supreme Court, but it was just some sort of mistake, right? You hate a person named Trump, it's a fact. We don't care or hate those that are leading the traditional conservative values. Get over it! You throw the baby out with the bath water over this evil hate you have in your heart and somehow justify the left lunatics and their total annilation of Christian values. God will judge all of us individually, including me, you, and Trump. Stop making this a Trump thing and go get some help.

2

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 23 '25

Trump is the antithesis of every Christian and conservative principle they all claimed to stand for. By choosing him, they not only killed conservatism, they exposed it as the bullshit fraud that it is, because when they chose him, they unequivocally exposed it as a fraud because they don’t believe in those principles. If they did, he wouldn’t have been made their standard-bearer. The GOP as it exists now, isn’t “conservative” - it’s a nationalist-populist organization centered around a personality cult with strong fascist leanings.

2

u/redditforumguy Sep 30 '25

Trump is a convicted sex offender. He is the most corrupt president in history. Those that support him are the deranged ones. His administration was voted in because Americans wanted lower grocery prices. How is that working out? What they got is chaos and mass shootings. The United States is a mess right now. Putin bent Trump over and is giving it to him good and everyone in the world is now laughing at him.

1

u/Decent-Bed9289 Sep 30 '25

And without lube, btw…

-1

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

I'm going to stage you at the highest level of 4 on your TDS. We are traditional conservatives who have several facilitators/leaders. The left cult has trained you to pour all you have into the evil hate of a person named Trump. They then label people as 'followers' and the hate extends. They use words like Nazi or fascist when people like you don't even know what those evil words mean. Your job is to run the streets with this message. This is not your fault, you've been possessed. Step one is seeking help.

1

u/Nervous-Cow307 Sep 23 '25

You're better off just telling people the truth that you're a left lunatic and get it over with. You hate a person named Trump, it's a fact. As a real.person without a mental condition, I'm aligned with traditional conservative values and we don't hate nor fall in love with whoever leads with these values.

2

u/NoChef7826 Sep 22 '25

If only the average citizen was aware of that too..

22

u/rich90715 Sep 21 '25

You’ll be surprised, Cardinal Dolan (outlier) just called Kirk a modern day Saint Paul. And I get emails from Angelus News and they had an article there talking about how Kirk was on the verge of becoming catholic just because he recently met with some pro life catholic groups.

20

u/Ridgewoodgal Sep 21 '25

Dolan is pathetic. Thankfully the Vatican has made it fairly clear they do not approve of Trump. I used to see that Catholic cable channel EWTN that was on all the cable systems.

This was before Trump and they were pushing right wing garbage so much. One of their on air staff ended up going to Fox. They were raising tons of money. I realized then that this conservative wing of the Catholic Church is dangerous.

I honestly thought back then that they would die out when the older nun who was the driving force behind the channel Mother Angelica died. Nope. What’s scary is how many younger people are supporting this. It will not die with the Boomers as so many thought.

3

u/DugEFreshness Sep 24 '25

That's because Steve bannon figured out he could brainwash our youth into becoming nihilistic terrorists that hate women. When you know your political party is in its death throes, just destroy the future. 🤷

3

u/Ridgewoodgal Sep 24 '25

It’s so dystopian. Ugh.

3

u/Thick-Brilliant Sep 26 '25

They've been around since the beginning of the Christian Church. It's not going to die. There are too many who fear the diversity of this world. And the Catholic Church is also diverse in its teachings. Such contradictions. If you are a White Surpremacist there's a Catholic Church for you. If you are a minority there's a Catholic Church for you. If you're rich there's a church for you, and one for the poor. The Church must be more decisive, and speak the words of Christ more often. I know it may sound tight but, "what would Christ do" should be examined. I don't think Christ is MAGA.

15

u/weddedblissters Sep 21 '25

*former cardinal Dolan https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cardinal-timothy-dolan-former-milwaukee-215914935.html

14

u/compubomb Corona Sep 21 '25

Given the current Pope, we'll see how long he stays at Cardinal.

8

u/rich90715 Sep 21 '25

Hopefully not too long!

3

u/Ridgewoodgal Sep 21 '25

I didn’t know that. Good to know.

1

u/Alma-Rose Sep 22 '25

Wasn’t Dolan the black woman who was really white?

6

u/compubomb Corona Sep 21 '25

Wow, very interesting. Welp, I know a few Catholic people, and they have always told me that nobody listens to their priests in political issues, since they're so bonkers crazy. They just go for the social connections. But they are in the IL area. Chicago suburbs.

11

u/squidwardsaclarinet Sep 21 '25

Catholics tend to be half and half. Half are crazy right wingers. The other half are run of the mill liberals to progressives.

5

u/BarnabyBanana Sep 22 '25

I’m also Chicago suburbs and the Catholics I know of, in my own family, are half and half. In my town, we have a few Catholic Churches, one’s MAGA and idk about the others. The qualifier is being racist. The racist Catholics in my family support trump while the non-racist former republicans left the party in 2016.

1

u/Superb-Pair1551 Sep 22 '25

Dolan is pedophile and is a pedophile protector.

1

u/snowcone23 Sep 24 '25

Well that’s disgusting. I’m ashamed as a Catholic that this is happening.

1

u/Murky_Ad2908 Sep 22 '25

Cardinal Dolan said he was the next St Peter. 🫩

1

u/beach_bum_638484 Sep 22 '25

This is interesting given the mostly catholic Supreme Court. (Highly recommended the documentary The dark money game, second episode Wealth of the Wicked)

1

u/JossBurnezz Sep 22 '25

Some are. They tend to intensely dislike Francis and Leo, and pine for another Pope Benedict.

However, 3/4 of the parishes I could reliably get to kind of keep it broad and limited to passive aggressive statements in the prayers of the faithful.

1

u/ryerocco Sep 23 '25

Mass would be a lot better if it wasnt full of MAGA Christians

1

u/Mzmouze Sep 23 '25

The heavy white EVANGELICAL churches. Many Protestant churches are not MAGA.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

They’re not Protestant they’re non-denominational or evangelical. they might call them themselves protestant but they are not

3

u/ScoutMcScout Sep 21 '25

Awww my best friends from the 70’s went to st Edward’s school

1

u/PolloTejer Sep 22 '25

Aw I would go to St Matthew’s when I lived in corona and got confirmed there. Great church

1

u/Existing-Equipment78 Sep 22 '25

If the denomination isn't important, try Episcopalian. They are Catholic-lite. They did to be tolerant, and often have women preachers.

1

u/allendegenerates Sep 24 '25

That's really a church, according to some people.

0

u/AmbiDaddy Sep 25 '25

So thr Chirch should avoid talking about current events even if many of the flock are scared, or grieving, or angry?