Latest news with #NationalPrayerDay
Forbes
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Pope Donald The First? White House Shared AI-Generated Image Of Trump As Pope
The AI-generated image of Trump in papal attire Just hours after Vatican workers installed the chimney onto the roof of the Sistine Chapel to prepare for the Papal Conclave, which will begin on May 7 to select a new pope, the White House shared an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump in papal regalia on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. It comes just days after Trump joked that he would like to be considered to head the Catholic Church. "I'd like to be pope. That would be my number one choice," Trump told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday. Last Saturday, Trump was in Rome for the funeral of the late Pope Francis, his first foreign trip during his second term in office. The AI-generated image of Trump in papal attire, which included a large crucifix hanging around his neck, was first shared by the president on his Truth Social platform before the White House posted the image on X late Friday evening. As of Saturday morning, it had been viewed 17.5 million times. Though it is unclear what motivated the president to post the image, it has been met with a mixed response. While many have found humor in it, others have been critical, calling it disrespectful. During a Rose Garden event celebrating National Prayer Day on Thursday, the president also signed an executive order that established a presidential commission on religious liberty. "They said separation of church and state, they told me. I said let's forget about that for one time. We said, really? Separation? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure," Trump said. It would be highly unlikely that Donald Trump would even be considered by the College of Cardinals, who are set to gather in Vatican City for the conclave to choose the next pope. Set to begin on May 7, it will be the first in 20 years. According to the apostolic constitution, the conclave must begin 15 to 20 days after the pope's chair becomes "lawfully vacant." A new pope is chosen by a two-thirds majority of the ballots. As Donald Trump isn't a cardinal, the deck is already stacked against him. In the history of the papacy, only six non-cardinals have been elected pope, the most recent being Pope Urban VI in 1378. The bigger issue is Trump's religion. While any baptized Catholic male could in theory be elected to head the church, Trump was raised in his Scottish-born mother's Presbyterian faith, and publicly identified with it for most of his adult life. Were Donald Trump actually selected pope, he would be the first from the United States, despite the country's large Catholic population. However, it is unlikely that this conclave will select a U.S. citizen, though Trump did offer another name besides his own. Even as Trump "joked" last week that he could be pope, he added, "I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who's very good, so we'll see what happens," he said, likely referring to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. Cardinal Dolan is not believed to be on any shortlist of possible contenders to succeed Pope Francis. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was the first cardinal from South America and the first Jesuit to be elected pope, becoming the late Pope Francis.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Theodore family shocked after lightning strike leads to surprise discovery
THEODORE, Ala. (WKRG) — A Theodore family is still in shock after what they believe was lightning that struck their home Thursday morning. Mobile County school bus crash under investigation 'The power of Mother Nature,' Homeowner Jeff Estes said. Around 9 a.m. Thursday, Estes was cooking breakfast when suddenly he heard an explosion and a shock of electricity through his body. 'From head to toe, I went down to my knees actually,' Estes said. Meanwhile, across the house his daughter nearly lost her life. 'She went screaming down the hall, saying, 'Are you okay, daddy?'' Estes said. 'I said 'Are you okay, Haley?'' Where his daughter's room is, lightning struck outside of the house, shocking through the brick and exploding inside right next to her bed. Lightning also struck a tree outside, splitting it in half. The tree fell on the house and Estes' truck. As he was checking out the damage, they found three baby squirrels soaking wet after they fell from the tree. The mother squirrel was nowhere to be found. The Estes family decided to take them in and care for them. 'Their eyes aren't even open yet, we're feeding them with a little thimble thing,' Estes said. Estes said that he is thankful his family is okay and has three new additions to the family. US Marshals offering $5K reward for information on Mobile criminal 'God was looking out for us and yesterday was National Prayer Day and I always pray for my family every morning,' Estes said. 'I did that day, yesterday and it paid off.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
People Are Not Happy After Trump Said "Let's Forget" About The Separation Of Church And State
On Thursday — which was National Prayer Day — Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a presidential commission on religious liberty. During the White House event, he openly questioned the principle of separation between church and state. Trump has made his appeal to Christian supporters clear in his second term. He's also established a White House Faith Office — appointing American televangelist Paula White to lead it — and created a "Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias" in the government. In a clip circulating on social media from the event, Trump said of his faith advisors, "They work right out of the White House. That's never been done before. No other president allowed that. They say 'separation between church and state,' they told me. I said, alright, let's forget about that for one time." RSBN / @atrupar / Via Twitter: @atrupar He continued, "We said, separation, really, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure, but whether there's separation or not, you guys are in the White House, where you should be, and you're representing our country. And we're bringing religion back to our country. And it's a big deal." Trump's newly formed commission on religious liberty will be chaired by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, an evangelical Christian who has described the United States as "a Christian nation" and argued that the Constitution contains "no separation of church and state." The commission, which is predominantly composed of Christian members (there's one Rabbi), includes Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair, television host Dr. Phil, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Kelly Shackelford, CEO of First Liberty, a conservative legal group based in Plano, Texas. Related: People Are Obsessed With Pope Francis's Final, Resounding Message To JD Vance After His Visit To The Vatican The First Amendment of the Constitution prohibits Congress from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This clause, called the Establishment Clause, has long been interpreted as establishing the principle of separation between church and state. The US Supreme Court has upheld this interpretation in key cases, such as Everson v. Board of Education (1947), which applied the Establishment Clause to state governments, and Engel v. Vitale (1962), which struck down state-sponsored prayer in public schools. These rulings reflect a long effort to maintain government neutrality in religious affairs. Now, people are saying Trump's remarks and actions appear to be directly challenging that tradition. "Let's forget about everything in the Constitution," one person wrote in reaction to Trump's comments. Related: Donald Trump Supporters Are Waking Up To The Reality Of Their Ballot Choices, And The Stories Are A Loooooot "Why don't you just rip the constitution to shreds while you're at it," another said. "He treats the First Amendment like a parking ticket: annoying, optional, and easy to ignore," someone else said. Even lawmakers started speaking out. US Rep. Jared Huffman said, "The separation of church and state was created to protect Americans from exactly this kind of religious favoritism. No one religion should reign supreme — and all must stay separate from government." Another user echoed a similar concern: "As a Christian, I never wanted the government having any say over my faith, and that stands for this crew, too." Well, as Trump fills faith councils and commissions with overwhelmingly Christian figures and casts doubt on foundational constitutional principles, one thing becomes increasingly clear: his vision of "religious liberty" seems closely aligned with one idea — furthering Christian nationalism. But let me know your thoughts down in the comments. What do you think about Trump saying, "let's forget" about the separation between church and state "for one time"? Also in In the News: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week Also in In the News: Everyone Is Absolutely Losing It Over This Canadian Newspaper Mocking Donald Trump
Buzz Feed
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
People Are Not Happy After Trump Said "Let's Forget" About The Separation Of Church And State
On Thursday — which was National Prayer Day — Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a presidential commission on religious liberty. During the White House event, he openly questioned the principle of separation between church and state. Trump has made his appeal to Christian supporters clear in his second term. He's also established a White House Faith Office — appointing American televangelist Paula White to lead it — and created a "Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias" in the government. In a clip circulating on social media from the event, Trump said of his faith advisors, "They work right out of the White House. That's never been done before. No other president allowed that. They say 'separation between church and state,' they told me. I said, alright, let's forget about that for one time." Trump on his faith advisers: "They work right out of the White House. That's never been done before. No other president allowed that. They say 'separation between church and state.' I said, alright, let's forget about that for one time." — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 1, 2025 RSBN / @atrupar / Via Twitter: @atrupar He continued, "We said, separation, really, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure, but whether there's separation or not, you guys are in the White House, where you should be, and you're representing our country. And we're bringing religion back to our country. And it's a big deal." Trump's newly formed commission on religious liberty will be chaired by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, an evangelical Christian who has described the United States as "a Christian nation" and argued that the Constitution contains "no separation of church and state." The commission, which is predominantly composed of Christian members (there's one Rabbi), includes Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair, television host Dr. Phil, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Kelly Shackelford, CEO of First Liberty, a conservative legal group based in Plano, Texas. The First Amendment of the Constitution prohibits Congress from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This clause, called the Establishment Clause, has long been interpreted as establishing the principle of separation between church and state. The US Supreme Court has upheld this interpretation in key cases, such as Everson v. Board of Education (1947), which applied the Establishment Clause to state governments, and Engel v. Vitale (1962), which struck down state-sponsored prayer in public schools. These rulings reflect a long effort to maintain government neutrality in religious affairs. Now, people are saying Trump's remarks and actions appear to be directly challenging that tradition. "Let's forget about everything in the Constitution," one person wrote in reaction to Trump's comments. "Why don't you just rip the constitution to shreds while you're at it," another said. "He treats the First Amendment like a parking ticket: annoying, optional, and easy to ignore," someone else said. Even lawmakers started speaking out. US Rep. Jared Huffman said, "The separation of church and state was created to protect Americans from exactly this kind of religious favoritism. No one religion should reign supreme — and all must stay separate from government." Another user echoed a similar concern: "As a Christian, I never wanted the government having any say over my faith, and that stands for this crew, too." Well, as Trump fills faith councils and commissions with overwhelmingly Christian figures and casts doubt on foundational constitutional principles, one thing becomes increasingly clear: his vision of "religious liberty" seems closely aligned with one idea — furthering Christian nationalism.
India Today
02-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Trump, divine dreams and his miraculous 38 virgins
US President Donald Trump was surrounded by faith leaders calling for him to be given "divine dreams" during an extraordinary event at the White House on May 1, marking National Prayer Day. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other religious leaders gathered to sing "Amazing Grace". After thanking Muslim voters for their support, Trump spoke about his interactions with Muslim clerics and made a bizarre reference to "38 virgins".The concept of "72 virgins" in Islam is a tradition found in certain hadiths (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad). It is believed that Muslim martyrs will be rewarded with 72 virgin companions in to how the President came with the number 38, we do not maths works in mysterious recently reached the conclusion that "India and Pakistan have been fighting over Kashmir for 1,000 years" and "sharing a tense border for 1,500 years".The event took place as Trump signed an executive order establishing a so-called Religious Liberty Commission, with various religious leaders in one point, a member of the audience rose from his seat and fell to one knee in a gesture of prayer before Trump. Others raised their hands and joined in ADDRESSES CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMSSince surviving an assassination attempt during the 2024 election campaign, Trump's religious rhetoric has intensified. He claimed that he had been saved by God."We're bringing back religion to our country, and we're bringing it back quickly and strongly," Trump added that God had answered Americans' prayers by installing an administration that would "make you proud again.""Surround him with divine supernatural protection," said televangelist Paula White, Trump's official spiritual adviser and head of his newly created Faith Office at the White a prayer for Trump, White called for a 'spiritual reset' in America, with the 47th president at the helm."Grant him wisdom beyond human understanding.... and give him divine dreams, visions," she also emphasised his efforts to restore religion to the White thanked Muslim voters who supported him in the 2024 campaign, citing their response to his promise to end the bloodshed in the Middle spoke about meeting imams in Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population."I said, 'You want to die?' They said, 'We don't want to die.' I said, 'What about 38 virgins?' They said, 'That's nonsense.'"While Trump discussed how Muslims do not want to die, he also came up with a number of his own which is not mentioned in the Islamic took to social media to discuss the same."It's 72 virgins, not 38. Trump's now trying to rip off people on the number of virgins they'll get. I bet his billionaire friends will get the full 72 virgins," wrote a person on X."Trump recounts a bizarre conversation with imams," wrote another quipped about how this is going to make some people have a meltdown."When you're listening to Trump's speech and he says something that you know the left is about to meltdown about. 'The Imams don't want to die 38 virgins," one person shared on Watch advertisement
