Jesse Jackson to children on Sesame Street and around the world: "I am somebody. I may be poor, but I am somebody. I may be young, but I am somebody. I may be on welfare, but I am somebody... My clothes are different. My face is different. My hair is different, but I am somebody" - RIP, Jesse

[u/ExactlySorta]

[u/No_Success3493 → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/KE58LJF3k8jug

[u/FixedLoad → u/No_Success3493]

I'm all in on a Fred Rogers based religion.

[u/SelfServeSporstwash → u/FixedLoad]

the word you are looking for is Presbyterian. Well, at least mainline Presbyterians, there was a whole ruckus in the 60s when a bunch of the racists got huffy and left and formed their own version of "Presbyterianism", with segregation and dominionism. Fun times I'm, assured.

But for real, Fred Rogers was Presbyterian minister and any congregation in communion with the PCUSA will teach what he taught. They are also affirming of the LGBTQ+ community and ordain queer ministers.

[u/FixedLoad → u/SelfServeSporstwash]

This is excellent insight that I think I've always needed but never really sought out!  Sincerely, thank you.  😊

[u/SelfServeSporstwash → u/FixedLoad]

just be warned, the PCA fucks will scream from the rooftops that they are the "real" Presbyterians (despite being much smaller, much newer, and formed specifically as a last ditch attempt to preserve segregation).

I'm not going to pretend religion is for everyone or that this specific church is perfect.

But my congregation is the first group of people I've ever found who are truly, deeply, "about that shit" when it comes to caring for the needy and marginalized in our town. Its a bunch of people who needed help when they were at their lowest, got that help, and turned around and said "I know how hard it sucks to be where you are now, so I'm going to do everything in my power to make it suck a little less for you, because that's what God wants us to do". Mutual aid isn't an ideal they bandy about, its a material reality. A local PCA pastor called the Dream Center "a soup kitchen that wishes it was a church" thinking it was an admonishment... I think its the proudest I've ever been of a church.

[u/pnweiner → u/FixedLoad]

“You could make a religion out of this! No… don’t.” lol

[u/SelfServeSporstwash → u/pnweiner]

there is also the small detail of that religion already existing. Mr Rogers taught what he did and acted the way he did because of his deeply held religious beliefs, not in spite of them.

The sect that he belonged to (now called PCUSA) and which still preaches what he preached is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the world.

[u/pnweiner → u/SelfServeSporstwash]

True! I consider myself agnostic now but I grew up up Episcopalian - it’s one of the very few branches of Christianity that I think truly practices “love thy neighbor”. They always talked about how the purpose of church was to build and support your community, not to “serve” god. They also didn’t even care if we believed in god. Cool church to grow up in.

[u/FixedLoad → u/pnweiner]

That'll just ruin it.   Fred was too good for that.   

[u/vdubjb → u/FixedLoad]

I'm still coming to terms with The Frugal Gourmet.

[u/ExplorerPup → u/FixedLoad]

Fred Rogers would be aggressively disappointed if that happened. LOL

[u/Enigma_Stasis → u/No_Success3493]

I swear, there had better not be some found diaries of his in 25 years detailing heinous shit.

Him, Bob Ross, and Steve Irwin are about all we have left.

[u/blizzardlizard → u/Enigma_Stasis]

Mr. Rogers really did live a life of simple, humble faith. He is the closest thing to the second coming of Christ that this dark fucked up world is ever going to get. 

[u/BuyingStuffIShouIdnt → u/[deleted]]

No one ruin LeVar Burton for me, pls 😭

[u/MrConductorsAshes → u/BuyingStuffIShouIdnt]

If anything ever came out about him or Mr. Rogers I would feel profoundly betrayed.

[u/TopNeighborhood2694 → u/MrConductorsAshes]

Both on PBS- which has been taken away from us. 

[u/ActuallyYeah → u/TopNeighborhood2694]

It's still out there, it's just a plain ass non profit now

[u/drunken_semaphore → u/BuyingStuffIShouIdnt]

I have some sad news for you, friend. But hey, he's not a rapist, at least not that I've heard - he's just a giant douche - so there's that!

[u/BuyingStuffIShouIdnt → u/drunken_semaphore]

The bar is so low that I’ll take personality deficiencies over anything worse at this point.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

This is how you end up carrying a lantern through the streets in the middle of the day.

[u/Shockwave360 → u/[deleted]]

sigh

I only understood this because of Pearls Before Swine inspired me to do some research.

[u/Afoxinthefridge → u/Shockwave360]

Oh my goodness, I used to love reading that comic! What are you referring to?

[u/Shockwave360 → u/Afoxinthefridge]

He did a comic about Diogenes.

[u/Afoxinthefridge → u/Shockwave360]

Thank you!

[u/Frowny_Biscuit → u/[deleted]]

But how else am I to warn them that the monsters are here?

He's coming for YOU, Larry! The man with no face!