That's all we need now: a Christian Nationalist apologist. Blunt Fact: THE FIRST THING I think of when I think of Christian Nationalism is January 6th, 2021. I especially think of those flags that said something to the effect of: "Jesus is my Savior; Trump is my President." I also think of that prayer that was held on the floor of the House when the rioters (yeah, that's what they were!) took over that chamber and thanked Jesus for their ability to exercise their god-given rights.
Whether this schmuck Smith wants to admit it or not, THAT is the face of Christian Nationalism, that and every bible-thumping jackass who says that Trump is the chosen one, that James Talarico is gay, and that Democrats are the real threat. Smith wants to sanitize Christian Nationalism.
Trump incited that mob, and this country in its infinite wisdom thought it would be a good idea to send him back to the White House. Not to mention he was convicted of thirty-four felonies.
No shit, Sherlock. Even worse, Trump pardoned virtually ALL OF THEM. That, all by itself, should earn Donnie a permanent vacation behind bars, once he's left office (presuming he survives to 2029!).
Yes, he did pardoned all of them but many of them were sent back to prison for newer crimes. Only one refuses to accept the pardon when she saw how wrong it was to do the 1/6 clown show and repented of it.
And it seems like the ones who DID get re-arrested were usually busted for crimes against children. Christianity, Trump and child abusers go hand in hand.
My gal showed me a meme last night, something to the effect of the universal, worldwide celebratory reaction that would happen, upon the announcement of the demise of ONE PERSON.
I feel like Christian nationalist apologists are similar to the figure known as Jesus being an old testament Jehovah apologist. Not once were the actions of genocide incest pedophilia war etc in gods name condemned by anyone.
The so-called Christian Nationalists would be only too happy to turn the American Republic into a theocracy with their own narrow version of Christianity making the rules for everyone. Fortunately, for the people who want nothing to do with theocracy, rights are not matters of majority rule. It doesn't matter how many people want to force their religion into the public schools and on others, It's unconstitutional. Rights exist protect the individual from the tyranny of the majority, and groups like the Christian Nationalists.
But the tyranny of the majority is what they seek. Authoritarian/Majoritarians want to hammer everyone in society into their narrow little pigeonholes. They absolutely cannot stomach having anyone running around doing things in ways different from theirs or god forfend looking different.
I've read about people in the Dominionest movement who called for putting roughly half the people in the United States to death because it would be so pleasing to their loving Jesus. I don't know who they thought was going to do all that killing for them.
Ummm--the other half. The ones they recruited to ICE, to run the concentration camps, to fly the deportation flights. For most people who think they are on the right side, it's a no-brainer to do what everybody else does/what they're told is the right thing to do. Until ICE comes knocking for their brother-in-law, for the guy who's sanding their livingroom floor (and the company leaves the job half-done because all the sanders have been deported), until there's no produce at the store, til there are public executions by firing squad in front of the library. And perhaps not even then.
I'll say it again: there are Christians out there that are not about forcing their religion on everyone else. There are ALSO Christians out there who feel compelled to do JUST THAT, because they are so freaking insecure about their faith that they have to have EVERYONE agree with them, a condition that will happen about the same time the sun rises in the WEST. Their cognitive dissonance at any suggestion of alternative ideas regarding religion or beliefs or a more secular view of the world is anathema to them to the point of intolerance.
They cannot deal with difference, which is why then CANNOT be allowed to attain power.
"First of all, racists don't have to wear a hood to be racist."
We have a virulent racist squatting in the Oval Office who's probably never seen the inside of hood. He surrounds himself with racists. Good Christians all.
It's little incremental steps, like forcing prayer in schools, hanging a poster of the 10 Commandments, the true myth of a "Christian nation" or that our Constitution was based on "Judeo-Christian values" (I'm trying to remember who started including the "Judeo" part of the values where Christians pretend to care about Jews and their values).
Yet you never find the words "God", "Jesus", "Christian", "Lord", "10 Commandments", etc, in the Constitution.
This is depressing. After having to move from relatively secular Minnesota back to North Florida, I was quite shocked to realize just how much I had forgotten about how in-your-face religion is down here. Signs telling people to "Pray." Signs proclaiming God/Jesus/Lord is "the answer." People wearing religious-themed tee-shirts (not everyone, but I can count on seeing at least six or eight, sometimes a dozen whenever I go to town). Overheard phrases about God, the Lord, or praying for somebody. It's much worse in rural areas and small towns (like where I now live) than in places like Tallahassee.
For the entire five or six years I spent in Minnesota, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many conversations I had or overheard about religion, despite there being a Catholic church on practically every corner. If people were religious, they more or less kept it to themselves.
There weren't many Christians who put on a white hood and went out and terrorized Black people.
But there were many more that turned a blind eye, voted quietly for politicians and judges that allowed it to happen, and turned up for lynch mobs.
There weren't many German Christians who were members of the Nazi party at first. But plenty that went along with everything, turned a blind eye to what happened to their Jewish and homosexual neighbors, and eventually did join the party and fight for it.
There probably weren't many Christians in Serbia that wanted to murder their Muslim neighbors at first. But enough supported it or sat silently while it happened and supported the politicians and military that did it.
Heroic exceptions aside, it does not take many radicals to kickstart a mass campaign of radicalism, authoritarianism, oppression, and genocide.
And none of those groups had the power of mass communications like the internet and social media available to them to normalize radical opinions and capture disaffected young men to the degree that Christian revanchist thought does today.
"That leads to an interesting question: Why are the numbers so high when they involve examples of Christian Nationalism in action but relatively low for the generic concept itself? "
My theory is that Americans for the most part are, sadly, low information morons. How else could you explain that Epstein's BFF, the Couchfucker, and so many more completely reprehensible assholes actually got elected to important offices.
At a guess, I'd say it's because seeing such reprehensible people in high office normalizes being gigantic racist misogynist assholes, and gives them permission to unlock their own racist, misogynist monsters from the Id, and just generally be the flaming gigantic assholes they always wanted to be to those they hate.
YHVH only spent 6 days creating the universe. The 7th was spent resting. Imagine an all-powerful deity needing to rest. Another myth that needs busting.
That’s all? Yes, it’s very alarming. It’s not only coming from the right-wing fascists, but the centrist or left-wing Christian apologists who are busy arguing over who’s the real/better Christian instead of the downright frightening issue at hand. The notion that Christianity is generally a “force of good” is preventing further examination of a very serious problem.
I don’t CARE who is more Christ-like, I only care if the candidates running for office support and will uphold the separation of church and state (Jewish, Christian, Muslim etc) I don’t care!
Wait, if they're successful and do a coup of White House (despite the fact relatively small proportions outside of American Evangelists support WCN), and try to make church attendance mandatory, wouldn't they be making Christianity a performance?
I mean it already is for so many people but, I can't help but wonder if that essentially means the whole nation is forced to act Christian as per their forced theology, complete with domestic propaganda on how 'USA is a Christian nation' with forced 'assimilation of non-Christian minorities because we don't want any heathens' (especially since they may lie on data/statistics that non believers who come from Christian families are 'Christian' by heritage and thus must be counted as Christian, as presumably they will always come back to the faith, as compared to more recent immigrants who have living non-Christian religious traditions). In a way, paradoxically, if USA becomes the Christian nation they want, there would be more non-believers than ever.
I doubt any foreign gov'ts looking at this rhetoric would trust USA anymore, especially if stuff like the attempted shooting at Hindu temple at Aurora, Illinois becomes normalized, especially at red states....
I Invite others to join me in swapping the terms around so that we always start out initially calling them Nationalist Christians, which can thereafter be abbreviated "Nat-Cs".
We already have a more robust government pushing Christianity and it’s not doing a whole lot of good now, is it? Not unless one enjoys the price(s) being paid and I don’t just mean gas and groceries. Let’s make like Serbia and Brazil and vote these fuckers out.
“Many of our respondents tended to treat the idea of a “Christian nation” more as a loose narrative than a coherent ideology.”
This is a cover for the Christian Nationalists in power, who know exactly what Christian nationalism is and how to use it to stay in power, to use the rando folks answering these questions to keep them in their positions of power. This is the tactic. This is the radical element. This is the danger to the democracy, the nation, the globe. The article itself is a part of the Christian Nationalists plan. It’s trying to soften the image of Christian Nationalism so that Christian Nationalism can dig in deeper. There’s nothing more insidious than that. The rest of the article is just building on that idea.
And let’s not assume that the respondents of the AI generated survey aren’t AI themselves, either. So he using the tools borne from oppressors to aid the oppressors in their attempt to oppress. This article is quite dangerous in so many ways.
Anyone who takes a look around at the state of things in this country and decides we need more religion inserted into politics or that it’s somehow going to fix what’s wrong here, is absolutely insane! I don’t mind if someone says their personal faith guides them or their policies, but it shouldn’t be an end all discussion.
That's all we need now: a Christian Nationalist apologist. Blunt Fact: THE FIRST THING I think of when I think of Christian Nationalism is January 6th, 2021. I especially think of those flags that said something to the effect of: "Jesus is my Savior; Trump is my President." I also think of that prayer that was held on the floor of the House when the rioters (yeah, that's what they were!) took over that chamber and thanked Jesus for their ability to exercise their god-given rights.
Whether this schmuck Smith wants to admit it or not, THAT is the face of Christian Nationalism, that and every bible-thumping jackass who says that Trump is the chosen one, that James Talarico is gay, and that Democrats are the real threat. Smith wants to sanitize Christian Nationalism.
We can't let him do that.
Trump incited that mob, and this country in its infinite wisdom thought it would be a good idea to send him back to the White House. Not to mention he was convicted of thirty-four felonies.
No shit, Sherlock. Even worse, Trump pardoned virtually ALL OF THEM. That, all by itself, should earn Donnie a permanent vacation behind bars, once he's left office (presuming he survives to 2029!).
Yes, he did pardoned all of them but many of them were sent back to prison for newer crimes. Only one refuses to accept the pardon when she saw how wrong it was to do the 1/6 clown show and repented of it.
And it seems like the ones who DID get re-arrested were usually busted for crimes against children. Christianity, Trump and child abusers go hand in hand.
I would LOVE to see a certain event live-streamed, followed forthwith by the Big Beautiful Obituary.
My gal showed me a meme last night, something to the effect of the universal, worldwide celebratory reaction that would happen, upon the announcement of the demise of ONE PERSON.
Accurate meme!
I feel like Christian nationalist apologists are similar to the figure known as Jesus being an old testament Jehovah apologist. Not once were the actions of genocide incest pedophilia war etc in gods name condemned by anyone.
The so-called Christian Nationalists would be only too happy to turn the American Republic into a theocracy with their own narrow version of Christianity making the rules for everyone. Fortunately, for the people who want nothing to do with theocracy, rights are not matters of majority rule. It doesn't matter how many people want to force their religion into the public schools and on others, It's unconstitutional. Rights exist protect the individual from the tyranny of the majority, and groups like the Christian Nationalists.
But the tyranny of the majority is what they seek. Authoritarian/Majoritarians want to hammer everyone in society into their narrow little pigeonholes. They absolutely cannot stomach having anyone running around doing things in ways different from theirs or god forfend looking different.
I've read about people in the Dominionest movement who called for putting roughly half the people in the United States to death because it would be so pleasing to their loving Jesus. I don't know who they thought was going to do all that killing for them.
Ummm--the other half. The ones they recruited to ICE, to run the concentration camps, to fly the deportation flights. For most people who think they are on the right side, it's a no-brainer to do what everybody else does/what they're told is the right thing to do. Until ICE comes knocking for their brother-in-law, for the guy who's sanding their livingroom floor (and the company leaves the job half-done because all the sanders have been deported), until there's no produce at the store, til there are public executions by firing squad in front of the library. And perhaps not even then.
Mass murder to please the Prince of Peace. The mind reels.
Any religion that has to force itself on everyone is a bad religion and should be fought with all of our might.
I'll say it again: there are Christians out there that are not about forcing their religion on everyone else. There are ALSO Christians out there who feel compelled to do JUST THAT, because they are so freaking insecure about their faith that they have to have EVERYONE agree with them, a condition that will happen about the same time the sun rises in the WEST. Their cognitive dissonance at any suggestion of alternative ideas regarding religion or beliefs or a more secular view of the world is anathema to them to the point of intolerance.
They cannot deal with difference, which is why then CANNOT be allowed to attain power.
HELL YES!!!!
Christianity is a cult of liars.
Liars at the top; gullible suckers at the bottom; no respect for facts or reality among either.
So true, unfortunately.
"First of all, racists don't have to wear a hood to be racist."
We have a virulent racist squatting in the Oval Office who's probably never seen the inside of hood. He surrounds himself with racists. Good Christians all.
Except the Orange Racist. He doesn't believe in a higher power - he thinks he is the highest power.
It's little incremental steps, like forcing prayer in schools, hanging a poster of the 10 Commandments, the true myth of a "Christian nation" or that our Constitution was based on "Judeo-Christian values" (I'm trying to remember who started including the "Judeo" part of the values where Christians pretend to care about Jews and their values).
Yet you never find the words "God", "Jesus", "Christian", "Lord", "10 Commandments", etc, in the Constitution.
"... incremental steps..." Otherwise known as the "Wedge Strategy:"
https://infidels.org/library/modern/barbara-forrest-wedge/
I forgot indoctrinating our children.
This is depressing. After having to move from relatively secular Minnesota back to North Florida, I was quite shocked to realize just how much I had forgotten about how in-your-face religion is down here. Signs telling people to "Pray." Signs proclaiming God/Jesus/Lord is "the answer." People wearing religious-themed tee-shirts (not everyone, but I can count on seeing at least six or eight, sometimes a dozen whenever I go to town). Overheard phrases about God, the Lord, or praying for somebody. It's much worse in rural areas and small towns (like where I now live) than in places like Tallahassee.
For the entire five or six years I spent in Minnesota, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many conversations I had or overheard about religion, despite there being a Catholic church on practically every corner. If people were religious, they more or less kept it to themselves.
I miss Minnesota.
There weren't many Christians who put on a white hood and went out and terrorized Black people.
But there were many more that turned a blind eye, voted quietly for politicians and judges that allowed it to happen, and turned up for lynch mobs.
There weren't many German Christians who were members of the Nazi party at first. But plenty that went along with everything, turned a blind eye to what happened to their Jewish and homosexual neighbors, and eventually did join the party and fight for it.
There probably weren't many Christians in Serbia that wanted to murder their Muslim neighbors at first. But enough supported it or sat silently while it happened and supported the politicians and military that did it.
Heroic exceptions aside, it does not take many radicals to kickstart a mass campaign of radicalism, authoritarianism, oppression, and genocide.
And none of those groups had the power of mass communications like the internet and social media available to them to normalize radical opinions and capture disaffected young men to the degree that Christian revanchist thought does today.
Amen
"That leads to an interesting question: Why are the numbers so high when they involve examples of Christian Nationalism in action but relatively low for the generic concept itself? "
My theory is that Americans for the most part are, sadly, low information morons. How else could you explain that Epstein's BFF, the Couchfucker, and so many more completely reprehensible assholes actually got elected to important offices.
At a guess, I'd say it's because seeing such reprehensible people in high office normalizes being gigantic racist misogynist assholes, and gives them permission to unlock their own racist, misogynist monsters from the Id, and just generally be the flaming gigantic assholes they always wanted to be to those they hate.
I have 3 myths that I want cleared up.
1. The Universe was created in a week by some god.
2. The same god impregnated a virgin and had a son.
3. That son was killed and resurrected.
If you're going to bust myths, start with those 3.
YHVH only spent 6 days creating the universe. The 7th was spent resting. Imagine an all-powerful deity needing to rest. Another myth that needs busting.
Wave a little red meat in front of Adam Savage and I think he'd go after that in a heartbeat! 😁
“They just want their beliefs enacted into law”
That’s all? Yes, it’s very alarming. It’s not only coming from the right-wing fascists, but the centrist or left-wing Christian apologists who are busy arguing over who’s the real/better Christian instead of the downright frightening issue at hand. The notion that Christianity is generally a “force of good” is preventing further examination of a very serious problem.
I don’t CARE who is more Christ-like, I only care if the candidates running for office support and will uphold the separation of church and state (Jewish, Christian, Muslim etc) I don’t care!
Wait, if they're successful and do a coup of White House (despite the fact relatively small proportions outside of American Evangelists support WCN), and try to make church attendance mandatory, wouldn't they be making Christianity a performance?
I mean it already is for so many people but, I can't help but wonder if that essentially means the whole nation is forced to act Christian as per their forced theology, complete with domestic propaganda on how 'USA is a Christian nation' with forced 'assimilation of non-Christian minorities because we don't want any heathens' (especially since they may lie on data/statistics that non believers who come from Christian families are 'Christian' by heritage and thus must be counted as Christian, as presumably they will always come back to the faith, as compared to more recent immigrants who have living non-Christian religious traditions). In a way, paradoxically, if USA becomes the Christian nation they want, there would be more non-believers than ever.
I doubt any foreign gov'ts looking at this rhetoric would trust USA anymore, especially if stuff like the attempted shooting at Hindu temple at Aurora, Illinois becomes normalized, especially at red states....
I Invite others to join me in swapping the terms around so that we always start out initially calling them Nationalist Christians, which can thereafter be abbreviated "Nat-Cs".
I did that before they started advertising what evil enemies they are.
We already have a more robust government pushing Christianity and it’s not doing a whole lot of good now, is it? Not unless one enjoys the price(s) being paid and I don’t just mean gas and groceries. Let’s make like Serbia and Brazil and vote these fuckers out.
Amen
“Many of our respondents tended to treat the idea of a “Christian nation” more as a loose narrative than a coherent ideology.”
This is a cover for the Christian Nationalists in power, who know exactly what Christian nationalism is and how to use it to stay in power, to use the rando folks answering these questions to keep them in their positions of power. This is the tactic. This is the radical element. This is the danger to the democracy, the nation, the globe. The article itself is a part of the Christian Nationalists plan. It’s trying to soften the image of Christian Nationalism so that Christian Nationalism can dig in deeper. There’s nothing more insidious than that. The rest of the article is just building on that idea.
And let’s not assume that the respondents of the AI generated survey aren’t AI themselves, either. So he using the tools borne from oppressors to aid the oppressors in their attempt to oppress. This article is quite dangerous in so many ways.
Anyone who takes a look around at the state of things in this country and decides we need more religion inserted into politics or that it’s somehow going to fix what’s wrong here, is absolutely insane! I don’t mind if someone says their personal faith guides them or their policies, but it shouldn’t be an end all discussion.