When a religious leader aligns himself too closely with political extremism, the consequences can be swift. Father Calvin Robinson, a right wing priest with ties to the UK's far right movement, was removed from his church after imitating the controversial salute Elon must performed at Trump's inauguration rally. Robinson insists it was a joke haha, meant to mock a liberal outrage,
but his dismissal raises larger questions. Where do we draw the line between political expression and extremists signally, and when religious figures embrace radical rhetoric, what does that say about the intersection of faith in politics today. This story is from The Daily Beast by Emil Darrah Adolphus on January thirtieth, twenty twenty five. So I am coming to you first, R Kelly, to me the question question with the question for you to say, what's on your mind?
Okay, I'm sure, you know, I'm sure that he was just taking the love from his heart and throwing it up to God. You know. Now, I don't know if he said that or if his followers ever said that, But after some of the bullshit excuses that I seem given for Musk doing it. It seems real close to something that I would expect to hear from him. You know, grab love, Throw at the God, Grab love, throw at the God, Throw at the Hile memes starring must Too.
That started out with, so, if you don't think this is a Nazi salute, why don't you try it at work, or try it in public, or try it at church. And this guy, I can't believe it. This guy actually took time out from chewing on crayons to go do it official presidential inauguration event. I mean that that takes a special kind of thinking. And I don't mean special in a good way. Cynthia, do you mean short bus special? Yeah? I kind of think short bus special shout outs.
You know, That's what I was saying, shout out to people in the short buses. We really actually expol you, more so than Elon Musk or any of his minions. But speaking of minions, Eli, what does he does a minion. I'm expecting everybody's joy after this segment is over. But Pili, I have a question for you. What does Father Calvin Robinson's dismissal reveal about the boundaries religious institutions set for political engagement.
Honestly, I was surprised pleasantly to see the Anglican Catholic Church like respond that way because it was a group that I didn't expect standing up to hate in a way that I didn't expect. So I actually like props to them for that. But I think it's sort of
that's I think that's setting the example. I think that's the way that all, like religious organizations should look at political messages of any sort, regardless of the fact that, like, how ridiculous this one is, and I have so much to say about that, but that's how, you know, religious organizations should be handling religious messages or excuse me, political messages, because that's not their realm. That's not what they're supposed to be involved in, and those things they're supposed to
be separate. So yeah, I'm glad that he had a consequence for doing something so stupid.
Eli.
I have a.
Follow up question for you, Are you, familigear with the inaur ural address that happened with Minister Buddy from the from the I believe the the Anglican Church that's in Washington, d C.
No, I'm not okay, So.
Minister Buddy is the head minister at the at the cathedral in Washington, d C. She gave an address imploring uh Jadie Vance and also President Trump to be more conciliatory to the sojournal which would be the immigrant to
those who happen to be Yeah. Yeah, So if we take Father Robinson's piles and we compare it to Minister Bud's message, what is the difference that we can take from both of those messages and how we should be addressing certain you know, things that come certain rhetorics that does come up in a political sphere to our leaders.
I think firstly, it shows a consistency because I think, did you say that it's the same organization, Right, they're both.
Church.
They're not the same church, but they are the same organization.
Yeah, yeah, because I don't think.
They are that way. In fact, I was going to make a comment about that, because this minister is from the Anglican Catholic Church, right, and the Anglican Church split off of the Catholic Church. This guy is from a smaller group church. That's uh, that became that came after that split up. That's not it's not the Anglican Church. And it's not the Catholic Church. It's a third church that that of it.
Well okay, okay, well I guess so we can. But I'm using and confusing it is especially since like Anglicans do still consider themselves a little sea Catholic. It's in the creed, you know, they believe in one Catholic, Holy Apostolic Church. You know, don't give me to say the creed because I can on demand and I will not. But you know, but they're still but they're still in no problem.
But there.
But but okay, but even if even if like father Robinson is from the Anglican Catholic Church and a minister Bud is from the Anglican Church, they still hold similar positions in their respective organizations and do have responsibilities, I would say, when it comes to addressing their congregations and especially those who would be leaders and also who happen to serve in the White House, in the Federal Branch,
et cetera. Right, So if we can compare and compare, if we could, if we could do a comparing and a contrasting of both of their messages, you know, would which one would you say is the message that we should be giving and which one is is not and is and and should we be more on the portion of beating down minister bud because minister but Buddy because she would be considered more a more liberal in her messaging to Trump versus Father Robinson.
So I mean, I think if you're gonna compare both of those messages to what the like regardless of you know, what we think about the divine claims of Jesus in the Bible, there is a message that Jesus is said to have preached. If you're going to compare both of those messages from minister Buddy, who were being told now is from the Episcopal Church and through Reverend Calvin Robinson I think was his name, we're going to compare those
two messages to that of the alleged message of Jesus. Obviously, minister Buddy is much much closer like to to you know, be loving and welcoming and inclusive and and and and have community. And two for Robinson, for him to display the gesture the which symbolizes it's it's so much more than just like, oh like it's a Hitler joke, Lol, It's so much more than that. And and it represents something much more sinister and much darker and much more hateful.
And that just doesn't align whether you believe that that Jesus was real, whether you believe he was the son of God, whatever the case is, you can't make the case convincingly that that aligns with his message. So I think as far as answering your question, like minister Buddy, is you know the one that I would hope more people are going to pay more attention to.
Yeah, I would hope so too. I think that her message is more in ligned with what Jesus would have preached, especially when we're looking at the Sermon on the Mouth and we're looking at the latitudes, right.
Spirit, Helen help me from property, my goodness, Helen, go ahead, and I well, you know, Helen, I.
Always preface like your your your you know, musings with thoughts, so please offer them on this. Well okay, so, yes, you have thoughts on this, many thoughts on as you do.
The church. And it's a long history with fascism. The Catholic Church had a very long history with fascism. This is so am I surprised that some preachers might be, you know, letting their white supremacy show. I don't. I'm
not surprised at all. What I think it's really funny is that Robinson tried to throw it back onto liberals by saying that he got He alleged that he received hundreds of nasty calls, text voice emails from very bitter, angry, vile leftists, and then he started to throw that, well, we're the fascists because they are often the very thing that you think the accuse you of. Robinson, I am not a Nazi, but I forgive you for your ignorance. Well good for you, sir. I just this isn't even
the pot calling the kettle black. This is they're like, these are two separate, completely separate things, because we're over here for two.
You just let me get this straight. For a second, he was complaining that liberals were making fun of him for him making fun of them. Yep, okay, and he.
Because hundreds he got hundreds of nasty calls and texts and voicemails. Hundreds everybody. I don't know that's true, don't really. I hope it is. I really hope there were hundreds of people like up his butt, going like, you can't make these symbols, you can't even do it jokingly because nobody finds it funny. Like whenever we see that, we're like, oh no, you're not supposed to do that, because we for a very long time we were like, okay, you can go be a terrible person over there, and we
don't want to know that you're a terrible person. And now it just seems like the terrible people are like, I'm just going to tell you how terrible I am. And it just really bothers me when they're the ones, you know, promoting these disgusting ideas and then they try to throw it onto us like no, really, we're the baddies, and I find that hilarious and don't that protest too much? So that's just that's just my opinion.
It's your opinion. And also, for those who did not get a chance to get your hundreds of calls in to father Calvin Robinson, his number is seven seven, seven ninety three eleven. Baby, I'll spend the night with you if that's all right, Okay.
So a question is that part of the number.
It is now.
For a good time.
For a good time, guys, is close to Valentine's Day. I know that all of us are in a Randy Mood.
So check this out. Guys.
Let's let me ask this question to the panel concerning the role of social media. So you know, remember it was you know, father Calvin Robinson who was making these claims that he was getting all these calls and that people were being mean to him on the X platforms and the Chiky talkies. So we wanted to, you know, see what actual role the social media play in amplifying or distorting the political and really just messaging that he was trying to convey. If any Kelly, I'll start with you.
Oh you always start with me. Damn you said.
That's because you have a cool tie, or.
I will give you that. Oh I think you know. I mean, this whole thing really started with social media, right with Elon Musk doing it, and then the social media reaction to that, and then Robinson doing this in particular incident to make fun of the social media reaction. So, I mean, it does play a very important role in politics today, in our society today, because we take things, these small things like this and amplify them into big,
huge things. Now, is it warranted in this case, Yes, it's always warranted to blow up what Nazis are doing and to make them the bad guy. That is always warranted, right in my book anyway, But I don't know that, like some of the stuff gets blown up out in the something big is actually warranted. The hawk twa girl recently is a good example. I mean, what the hell was that about?
Right?
I mean, our society would have been much better off without her. I honestly believe that we got no enrichment out of that. So social media does play a really really important part in our world today, for better and for worse.
I know you said something about a social media thing that I don't know what you're talking about, and apparently it's a good thing. I don't know about it.
So.
Yeah, Helen, you live in ignorance.
It's a good place for you. I personally wish that I've never learned. And it's actually the hawk Tua girl.
You're better off without it, Helen.
Less, Yes, yes, yes, yes, Well.
What's your thoughts?
Thunder Cat Undercat?
I agree that I think that the reaction to to Elon Musk's doing it initially is what is what led to Robinson realizing that it would be like, oh if I do this, not only is it going to be like this huge deal. But it's like it's it's not just him doing it now, it's in.
Solidarity with like the people who are in power in the United States, so he's currying favor. So it's it was because of that reaction that it sort of became it's a meme essentially, like it's it's it's uh the that that party has become a meme alongside with like that that gesture and uh for him to I guess declare his loyalty or to his solidarity. He decided like, yep, that's what I'm going to do, and he felt like he could get away with it, which I think is insane.
Uh, But as I said before, luckily he did pet cat.
Yes. So I like anything with social media, it's like a double edged sword, you know, Like as Kelly was saying, like, you know, there's like this definitely should have been a social social media story because we want people to be aware that if his values do not align with yours, and especially if you're a member of that church and you weren't at church that Sunday, maybe you should be like oh no, oh no, and go find another church and find somebody that aligns with your values. And get
I mean, I hope he got hundreds of calls. Like I said before, I hope he did. That is the proper reaction to somebody being a fascist. Butthead that is the proper reaction. As far as other things that get attention, I don't think that they need to have as much attention. For example, Trump wanting to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Now I find it funny and it's not going to happen, and it's stupid. Okay, I
feel like it. Give me a little blip. But it's been kind of carrying on for a couple of weeks now, and I'm just at this point where I'm kind of like, dude, It's like, well, there's bigger fish to fry than worrying about like this particular thing. Like I'm more concerned about what's going on in like government offices. I'm more concerted with, like go out all the executive orders that he's signing
and so on and so forth. Like those are the real concerns Elon having cablanche to do whatever he wants, you know, as far as you know how we run our government. Those are the things I'm worried about so though, like the example of like, you know, Trump and is weird Golf of Mexico thing, like whatever, it's funny and weird, but I don't think it should be as ample flight as much as it should when we're facing some real, fucking, really scary problems right now.
Indeed, indeed, well, if I were just to pontificate, just attack bit with my.
Final thoughts, guys.
Father Calvin Robinson again for a good Time called seven seven seven ninety three eleven Dismissals highlights the growing tension between religious leadership and political extremism. His claim that the salute was merely a joke underscores a broader trend where controversial figures deflect accountability by blaming public rhetoric and reaction
rather than their own actions. Meanwhile, the Anglican Catholic Church, Little Sea Catholic, wherever you want to say it swift response suggests an effort to distance itself from inflammatory rhetoric. As faith and politics continue to intertwine, which they should not. This incident raises critical questions about the responsibilities of religious leaders, the power of symbolism, and the fine line between political expression and ideological signaling,