Mary Beth Mathews
@marybethmathews.bsky.social
Professor of religious studies, especially the history of religion in the U.S. Knitter of all the things.
Look for me wherever there are cats
Look for me wherever there are cats
They’re great company while you make pie crusts
This week, @kellyjbaker.bsky.social and @johnbrooks.bsky.social catch up on a wild week in the news with Marjorie Taylor Greene's attempted redemption arc, Peter Thiel's Antichrist lectures, and papal raves!
Get it here or wherever you get podcasts!
Get it here or wherever you get podcasts!
#059 – The Passion of the Marjorie Taylor Greene by Pod Only Knows
Kelly and John talk Marjorie Taylor Greene, Peter Thiel, and the Pope's newfound love of raves
cms.megaphone.fm
November 27, 2025 at 12:40 AM
They’re great company while you make pie crusts
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
UVA president Jim Ryan resigned after sleazy, opaque machinations from only three right-wing board members. There was no board meeting or conversation about DoJ threats or Jim resigning. The whole saga is outlined in a memo Jim just released.
drive.google.com/file/d/1rgFz...
drive.google.com/file/d/1rgFz...
11.14.25_JER Resignation Facuty.pdf
drive.google.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
UVA president Jim Ryan resigned after sleazy, opaque machinations from only three right-wing board members. There was no board meeting or conversation about DoJ threats or Jim resigning. The whole saga is outlined in a memo Jim just released.
drive.google.com/file/d/1rgFz...
drive.google.com/file/d/1rgFz...
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
This is your regular reminder that if you’re interested in all the religious left stuff that’s been happening of late, much of it is built on networks, groups, and campaigns that have emerged in the past 20-30 years.
And there’s a whole book on it! (I wrote it) www.amazon.com/American-Pro...
And there’s a whole book on it! (I wrote it) www.amazon.com/American-Pro...
November 15, 2025 at 3:06 PM
This is your regular reminder that if you’re interested in all the religious left stuff that’s been happening of late, much of it is built on networks, groups, and campaigns that have emerged in the past 20-30 years.
And there’s a whole book on it! (I wrote it) www.amazon.com/American-Pro...
And there’s a whole book on it! (I wrote it) www.amazon.com/American-Pro...
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Nothing like holding a gilded Gatsby party while killing the food lifeline for 40 million people.
Per Danny Kemp via press pool
Trump is at the Halloween party at MAL
“Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody’, we’re told.”
Trump is at the Halloween party at MAL
“Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody’, we’re told.”
November 1, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Nothing like holding a gilded Gatsby party while killing the food lifeline for 40 million people.
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Cheating with an LLM is the easiest thing in the world for a student to do, but it creates a massive, laborious headache for a prof, if you intend to take it seriously. There’s meetings, emails, discussions, moral dilemmas. It’s just incredibly burdensome, on top of everything else right now.
I had 9 meetings about students using Chat GPT/LLMs on their papers today.
If you want to know why professors burn out, ask anyone trying to teach critical thinking and writing skills to Freshmen....
If you want to know why professors burn out, ask anyone trying to teach critical thinking and writing skills to Freshmen....
October 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Cheating with an LLM is the easiest thing in the world for a student to do, but it creates a massive, laborious headache for a prof, if you intend to take it seriously. There’s meetings, emails, discussions, moral dilemmas. It’s just incredibly burdensome, on top of everything else right now.
Well that explains the terrifying noise over my neighborhood while I work from home.
maybe japan visit related? www.popville.com/2025/10/head...
Heads Up: Military Aircraft Flyover coming over the National Mall - PoPville
photo by Victoria Pickering From AlertDC: "The U.S. military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the National Capital Region (NCR) over the National Mall on Monday, October 28, at approximately 11:15A...
www.popville.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Well that explains the terrifying noise over my neighborhood while I work from home.
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
What goddamn knucklehead approved a low-flying training mission for fighter jets over D.C. in the middle of the work day?
October 28, 2025 at 3:45 PM
What goddamn knucklehead approved a low-flying training mission for fighter jets over D.C. in the middle of the work day?
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
When did making kids go hungry become a Christian value?
October 27, 2025 at 11:17 PM
When did making kids go hungry become a Christian value?
The dog was trying to kill me btw
October 26, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The dog was trying to kill me btw
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
I really think that we need to talk more about the fact that Republicans have basically quietly abolished the House of Representatives
October 25, 2025 at 10:30 PM
I really think that we need to talk more about the fact that Republicans have basically quietly abolished the House of Representatives
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
ALSO: A statement from the Rev. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, General Minister of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Bautista’s denomination.
Calls it “another reflection of the cruelty directed at people and lack of regard this current administration has for the Constitution and the law.”
Calls it “another reflection of the cruelty directed at people and lack of regard this current administration has for the Constitution and the law.”
October 24, 2025 at 10:09 PM
ALSO: A statement from the Rev. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, General Minister of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Bautista’s denomination.
Calls it “another reflection of the cruelty directed at people and lack of regard this current administration has for the Constitution and the law.”
Calls it “another reflection of the cruelty directed at people and lack of regard this current administration has for the Constitution and the law.”
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
But Trump gets a ballroom and Argentina gets a $40 billion bailout
BREAKING—40 million set to lose food aid next week after Trump USDA says it refuses use emergency funds for food stamps. www.axios.com/2025/10/24/g...
Exclusive: USDA says it won't use emergency funds for food stamps
States also won't be reimbursed if they cover SNAP expenses on their own, the memo says.
www.axios.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:41 AM
But Trump gets a ballroom and Argentina gets a $40 billion bailout
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
It's not lost on me that the part of the White House we are destroying is the part that has to do with women's history in the White House.
NEW: NBC News confirms that the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, on the east side of the White House, has been destroyed as part of the demolition of the East Wing.
(📸 Getty Images)
(📸 Getty Images)
October 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
It's not lost on me that the part of the White House we are destroying is the part that has to do with women's history in the White House.
And the Republicans in Congress watch and do nothing (except for avoiding in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona).
ABC news published satellite photos of the east wing rubble abcnews.go.com/Politics/new...
White House East Wing demolished, new images appear to show
Trump first said the project wouldn't interfere with the existing White House, but on Thursday satellite images appeared to show the entire East Wing reduced to rubble.
abcnews.go.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:19 PM
And the Republicans in Congress watch and do nothing (except for avoiding in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona).
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Trump has
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Trump Is Using ‘Classical Architecture’ as ‘A Dog Whistle for White Nationalists’
One of President Donald Trump’s final actions in his first administration was...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Trump has
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
taking an actual wrecking ball to the White House is a little on the nose as far as metaphors go
Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU
White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom
The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.
wapo.st
October 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
taking an actual wrecking ball to the White House is a little on the nose as far as metaphors go
Just another Saturday
October 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Just another Saturday
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
This.
They are outlawing opposition of any kind.
In the process, they're outlawing democracy.
They are outlawing opposition of any kind.
In the process, they're outlawing democracy.
this white house actively treats a large swath of americans as disloyal and outside the political community and it doesn’t merit so much as a peep from the political press
Leavitt: "The Democrat Party's main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals."
October 17, 2025 at 1:07 AM
This.
They are outlawing opposition of any kind.
In the process, they're outlawing democracy.
They are outlawing opposition of any kind.
In the process, they're outlawing democracy.
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
federal agents stealing children and sending them south. where have i heard about that before?
ICE kidnapped a 7th-grader with a pending asylum claim and spirited him out of state without notifying his parents, seemingly with the cooperation of the local police in Everett, MA.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...
October 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
federal agents stealing children and sending them south. where have i heard about that before?
WTAF?!?
Trump and Hegseth give Qatar an airbase in Idaho and Qatari pilots will be flying jets over American airspace. Their lavish gifts and personal business deals with Trump worth billions really paid off for them.
October 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
WTAF?!?
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
WUT?!
Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."
October 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
WUT?!
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.
For the crime of … complaining about government policy.
Core 1A speech.
With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.
For the crime of … complaining about government policy.
Core 1A speech.
With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.
October 8, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.
For the crime of … complaining about government policy.
Core 1A speech.
With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.
For the crime of … complaining about government policy.
Core 1A speech.
With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.
Reposted by Mary Beth Mathews
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
October 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.