On Saturday, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) doubled down on remarks she made at Friday’s town hall meeting in Parkersburg when questioned about cuts to Medicaid in the House-passed reconciliation bill. In response to an attendee interrupting her defense of the legislation, shouting “People will die,” Ernst told the audience, “We are all going to die.”  The following day, an Instagram post, which the Des Moines Register described as a “sarcastic apology,” included the following.

Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall.  I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth.  So I apologize. And I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.

But Ernst went one step further, closing her tone-deaf declaration of contrition by adding:

But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Which is why an article by New York Times reporter Lauren Jackson seemed to be a counterpoint to Ernst’s diatribe.  What may be the best lede in the history of religious journalism, Jackson wrote:

Some Mormon women are obsessed with something illicit. They’re phoning friends, calling in favors and paying for international shipping to get it: a sacred tank top.

If you were not drawn to this story by the headline, “The Secret Garment That Has Mormon Women Buzzing,” Jackson’s opening had to solidify your curiosity.  To accommodate members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) who happen to live in warmer climates, the Church approved modifications to the Temple Garments, sometimes referred to as “magic underwear” which followers wear to remind themselves of their obligation to follow the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

As a self-described devout agnostic, I believe that everyone has the right to worship however they desire, even when the foundations and practices of their faith seem less than rational.  So you can imagine one of my favorite Broadway musicals is “The Book of Mormon.”  However, the above news reports made me reevaluate my perspective.

Let’s start with Senator Ernst.  She is only the latest example of the flaming hypocrisy exhibited by the MAGA-dominated evangelical Christian movement.  Despite her oath to “defend and protect” the U.S. Constitution and her membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), she violates the essential tenets of both.  Despite claiming “religious freedom is a pillar of our nation, a value worth fighting for, and a right our constitution guarantees (March 28, 2023 press release),” she has no problem using her bully-pulpit as a U.S. Senator to promote Christianity as the only path to salvation.  Not to mention, her support of the Trump agenda is a direct infringement of ELCA’s stated “commitment to social justice issues, such as advocating for human rights, promoting peace, and caring for the poor and marginalized (my emphasis).”

Ernst is not alone when it comes to MAGA hypocrites wearing their religion on their sleeves or in the case of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, around her neck.  Somehow, Leavitt failed to appreciate the irony of violating the commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” when she told the American people the non-existent medical studies cited in the Make America Healthy Again report were “formatting errors.”  Of course, as she always does, Leavitt’s accessorizing included a gold cross necklace to remind us what a devout Christian she pretends to be.

But my favorite symbol of recent MAGA hypocrisy was final passage of Senate Bill 10 by the Texas Senate on May 24, 2025.  This legislation amends the state education code, requiring that “…a public elementary or secondary school shall display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.”  Clearly, the 21 Republican senators who carried the day did not bother to read the text of the commandments, especially the fifth commandment as quoted in Senate Bill 10, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”  Otherwise, they might have chosen another day to come to work and vote on the legislation since May 24, 2025 was a SUNDAY!

Which brings me back to the LDS Church and the Times story about the availability of sleeveless tank tops for women.  Jackson used the occasion to educate her readers about the spiritual importance of Temple garments.

The garments are an integral part of the faith. They are worn by most faithful adult members as a reminder of covenants they make with God in the church’s temples. Many members also believe they provide spiritual protection.

But it was the first sentence in the next paragraph that really caught my attention.  “The garments aren’t supposed to be seen in public.”  In other words, their sole purpose is to remind the wearer of his/her fealty to the teachings and traditions of the church.  There is no public message.  No “See what a devout Mormon I am.”  No “don’t you realize you will end up in ‘spirit prison’ (the Mormon alternative to hell for the disobedient) if you do not jump on the LDS bandwagon.”

How refreshing.  Instead of wearing one’s faith on their sleeves, Mormons have decided they do not even need a sleeve.  Of course, Mormon’s have other methods of populating their ranks.  Pairs of young missionaries on bicycles and the truly surreal practice of “proxy baptism,” a ritual by which a member of the church is baptized on behalf of a deceased non-Mormon.  This explains why the Mormon Church maintains the largest collection of family records in the world.

The level of bizarreness associated with proxy baptism increases with the caveat, according to Wikipedia, “The Church teaches that those who have died may choose to accept or reject the baptisms done on their behalf.”  Exactly how does that happen?  Is there an “OPT OUT” button at the gates of heaven?

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP