North Dakota Republicans are pushing a resolution to honor the "Kingship of Jesus Christ"

Who needs a secular democracy, anyway?

This newsletter is free, but it’s only able to sustain itself due to the support I receive from a small percentage of regular readers. Would you please consider becoming one of those supporters? You can use the button below to subscribe to Substack or use my usual Patreon page!

---

Usually, when Republicans want to push Christian Nationalist legislation, it’s through bills promoting the Ten Commandments in schools under the guise of “history and tradition” or attacking LGBTQ people using the rationale that they violate God’s preferences as expressed in the Bible.

But sometimes they just take the hoods off and dispense with even trying to come up with a secular-sounding justification for their religious agenda.

That’s what just happened in North Dakota, where conservatives have filed House Concurrent Resolution 3020, a batshit crazy motion that says the state must “acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ over all the world.”

The only citation, naturally, is the Bible.

A concurrent resolution urging North Dakota to acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ.

WHEREAS, Christ said all power is given to me in heaven and in earth (Matthew, 28:18), not only spiritual, but civil, including over this great state; and

WHEREAS, Christ is said to have received power, and glory, and a kingdom so that all people, tribes and tongues shall serve Him (Daniel 7:14), including this great state; and

WHEREAS, the Father is said to give to Christ all nations and the utmost parts of the earth for His inheritance and possession, and, in response, people and their leaders are called to learn and receive instruction from Him (Psalms 2:8, 10), including those in this great state; and

WHEREAS, Christ is named the ruler of Kings on earth and the King of Kings and presented with crown and royal robe (Revelation 1:5, 17:14, 19:12-13, 16); and

WHEREAS, the founding fathers of this great state begin the constitution with the words, "We", the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God, and, as expressed by Reverend R.C. Wiley during the First Constitutional Convention of North Dakota, we desire there shall be a recognition of Almighty God as the source of authority; of the Lord Jesus Christ as the rightful ruler of nations;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

That North Dakota acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ over all the world so that this great state may at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace, and harmony…

Ah, yes, the old “the Bible is true because the Bible says the Bible is true” argument…

One portion of that resolution cites Psalms 2: 8,10 and says God gave to Jesus “all nations and the utmost parts of the earth for His inheritance and possession.” Here’s the actual passage in question, including the verse he skipped:

8: “… Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9: You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10: Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

Not exactly uplifting.

I don’t know if I should be more upset as an atheist or someone who wants to live in a democracy. The “Kingship” part is just as troubling as the “Jesus Christ” bit. Both of them together, though, is profoundly disturbing.

Is HCR 3020 unconstitutional? Of course it is. But Republicans have made it very clear they don’t give a shit about the Constitution if it gets in the way of their religious agenda. The fact that this resolution carries no legal weight and wouldn’t change anything is irrelevant. The symbolism is the point. This is a way for white conservative Christians in North Dakota to remind everyone across the state that only their religion counts, that religious pluralism is a joke to them, and that non-Christians should be considered second-class citizens. Hell, even Christians who don’t fully agree with them are considered enemies.

Officials in the state were elected in order to defend liberty, promote peace, and help the people of North Dakota. These goons are throwing their hands up in surrender and admitting they’re powerless to do any of those things, choosing instead to put everything in the hands of a fictional character.

That last line is also comical, in a way, because it suggests this ultra-Christian state currently lacks “real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace, and harmony.” (Other, more religiously diverse states that are not run by Republicans seem to be doing much better on those fronts.)

HCR 3020 was introduced by 12 GOP lawmakers, five of whom have already made headlines for sponsoring a different resolution to condemn marriage equality and urge the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell.

The key figure for both is State Rep. Nico Rios, a nutjob who recently responded to Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s threat of retaliatory tariffs by asking, “Wonder if the CIA would help Trump overthrow and kick this Jew out of power in Mexico?”

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Rios’ bigoted Christianity is interwoven with his antisemitic and conspiratorial mindset. (Or maybe it’s just his DUI talking.)

Rep. Nico Rios, saying something idiotic during a House session (screenshot via NDLegis)

When Rob Port, a columnist for the Forum News Service, contacted Rios about that post, Rios took offense to being called “racist and homophobic” before trying to turn the tables on the reporter:

"You're an atheist," [Rios] added (this is something I've acknowledged over the years in my work). "Do you think it's OK if people call you an atheist?"

Rios didn't give me a chance to answer that during our conversation, saying he was at the gym and had to go. For the record, I don't think it's a bad thing if people refer to me as an atheist, because that's what I am. I do think that if someone used it is an out-of-context appellation, apropos of nothing, they would be using it pejoratively.

The state’s Democratic chair was far more blunt in criticizing Rios:

We know Nico Rios is a law-breaker and a bigot. We learned that when we called on him to resign last year when he insulted a police officer in a drunken tirade. Now we will find out who the people of Williston are. As a Fargoan, I could not be more proud of the Dem-NPL legislators who represent me; are the people of Williston proud of theirs? Is the Republican Party proud? Is this who they are? If not, what will they do about it?”

Yes, this is exactly who they are. Republicans across the country support this shit. If they disagree, they are free to publicly condemn it, but they won’t do that. In fact, perhaps the only thing more disturbing than Rios’ pro-Christianity resolution is how the Republican Party didn’t dismiss it immediately. Rather than admitting it had no place in secular government, several Republicans co-sponsored the resolution.

This is the same party that elected a Christian Nationalist as the state’s next education leader and is currently pushing a bill that would force kids to say the Pledge of Allegiance against their will.

A committee hearing for the “Kingship of Jesus Christ” resolution is scheduled for Thursday.

---