A shadowy force
Christian Nationalism is flexing its theocratic muscles.
Long a shadowy force in American politics, Christian Nationalism is having a coming out party. The movement seeks a fusion of fundamentalist theology with American civic life. “They believe that this country was founded for Christians like them, generally natural-born citizens and white,” says Andrew Whitehead, author of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. Whitehead emphasizes that the danger of Christian Nationalism to democracy is that the movement “sees no room for compromise — their vision must be the one that comes to pass.”
Because their vision is god’s vision and obviously there’s no compromising with god’s vision – god is absolute so god’s vision is also absolute, end of story.
Ah, you ask, even if that’s true, how do they know what god’s vision is?
Tss. Stupid question. God told them.
[T]he Christian Nationalist movement now commands a burgeoning political powerhouse, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers. A first-of-its-kind organization in U.S. history, NACL advances “biblical” legislation in America’s statehouses. These bills are not mere stunts or messaging. They’re dark, freedom-limiting bills that, in some cases, have become law.
Not surprising; there’s a lot of freedom-limiting stuff in the bible. A lot.
NACL’s impact has already been felt nationally. The group played a significant role in the legal fight that culminated in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. NACL member Bryan Hughes, who serves in the Texas legislature, led passage of S.B. 8, the bounty-hunter bill that all-but outlawed abortion in Texas by allowing private citizens to sue women who terminate pregnancies after six weeks, and their doctors, in civil court.
The bible doesn’t allow women to have much freedom at all.
Admittedly I’m neither a Christian nor a nationalist, but it always struck me that nationalism and Christianity don’t mix. I mean, Christianity is supposed to be universal, right? And nationalism is by definition exclusive. It’s almost like being a vegan carnivore, or a misogynistic feminist.
And yet….
WaM, it’s not very handy for war to think that God is on everyone’s side. I mean, how could the Spanish fight the English and send thousands of sailors to drown in the Channel without exhorting them to defeat those Wrong Christians who defied the Pope?
There are thousands of Christianities, and each one can’t be right, can they?
They’ll sort that out once they’ve taken America back from the heathens, atheists and Muslims.
Too bad I’d be killed as an atheist because it would be fun to see that particular Battle Royale.
(This is morbid humor. I do not actually think it woul d be fun to see.)
NACL? Sounds a bit salty.
Colin Day, that was my thought too. I’m going to refer to them as Lot’s Wife.
Mike, you’re most assuredly a better man than me…