Christian nationalism behind Trump

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A Republican Ohio state representative cited his religious beliefs to explain why he would not wear a mask, as recommended by Gov. Mike DeWine ® to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. “This is not the entire world,” state Rep. Nino Vitale wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Monday morning. “This is the greatest nation on earth founded on Judeo-Christian Principles.” “One of those principles is that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face. I will not wear a mask,” he continued.

GOP Ohio state lawmaker refuses to wear face mask because faces are the 'likeness of God' | TheHill

• Where do they find these people??
  

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In a compilation of extremist Christians’ responses to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at LGBTQ Nation, the late justice was called a “murdering hag” by one follower of Christ while another compared her to Adolf Hitler before stating he had redeeming qualities she lacked. As the report notes, far-right Christians were beside themselves with joy after Ginsburg passed away from pancreatic cancer, paving the way for Donald Trump to nominate her successor who will likely be a deciding vote to eliminate a woman’s right to control her own body.

Right-wing Christians ‘praise the Lord’ for death of ‘murdering hag’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg: ‘She was wicked and destructive’ – Alternet.org

• But voting for a guy who kills his own supporters by packing them like sardines and no masks, shouting and not wearing masks is OK?
  
• 200K deaths and counting..
  

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Every so often you come across a piece of writing so extraordinary that you cannot help but share it. One such piece is a sermon on global warming by American pastor John MacArthur. Full of beautifully constructed rhetorical flourishes, it is forcefully delivered by an experienced and impassioned preacher to a large and appreciative audience. For me, as a man of science, it is the most complete compilation of unsound arguments, factual errors and misleading analogies as I have seen in discussions of this subject. But it's important because climate change is a big election issue this November in the US, where there is a growing movement of evangelical Christians who deny its existence, while Joe Biden promises a “clean air revolution". The minister of the COVID-denying, law-defying Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California – which has encouraged worshippers to congregate as normal despite state COVID-19 restrictions – MacArthur is an impressive figure whose Study Bible has sold almost 2 million copies. He regards the infallibility of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as essential to his faith, and his sermon about global warming can only be understood in that context. MacArthur's rejection of the science is shared by other major US ministries and organisations such as Answers in Genesis, Creation Ministries International and the Discovery Institute.

‘God intended it as a disposable planet’: This pastor pushes a dangerous Biblical assault on science - Alternet.org

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Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the supreme court has prompted former members of her secretive faith group, the People of Praise, to come forward and share stories about emotional trauma and – in at least one case – sexual abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of members of the Christian group. 'It instilled such problems': ex-member of Amy Coney Barrett's faith group speaks out Read more In the wake of the allegations, the Guardian has learned that the charismatic Christian organization, which is based in Indiana, has hired the law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to conduct an “independent investigation” into sexual abuse claims on behalf of People of Praise.

Revealed: ex-members of Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse | US news | The Guardian

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Allen explains, "QAnon conspiracy theories have burrowed so deeply into American churches that pastors are expressing alarm…. Russell Moore, one of America's most respected evangelical Christian thinkers, told me he's 'talking literally every day to pastors, of virtually every denomination, who are exhausted by these theories blowing through their churches or communities.'" Allen reports that a poll taken by Ipsos in March for the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core found that 15% of Americans join QAnon in believing that "the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation." Kristin Du Mez, a historian at Calvin University and author of the book "Jesus and John Wayne," told Axios, "For those who hope that the events of January 6 are in our past, I think this data gives little in the way of assurance." That poll found that 26% of Hispanic Protestants and 25% of White evangelical Protestants were more likely to agree with QAnon than other groups.

Pastors are 'expressing alarm' at QAnon's growing influence among fundamentalist evangelicals: report - Alternet.org

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Doug Mastriano, a Republican state senator from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and parts of neighboring counties, was a little-known figure in state politics before the coronavirus pandemic. But, in the past year, he has led rallies against mask mandates and other public-health protocols, which he has characterized as “the governor’s autocratic control over our lives.” He has become a leader of the Stop the Steal campaign, and claims that he spoke to Donald Trump at least fifteen times between the 2020 election and the insurrection at the Capitol, on January 6th. He urged his followers to attend the rally at the Capitol that led to the riots, saying, “I’m really praying that God will pour His Spirit upon Washington, D.C., like we’ve never seen before.”

Throughout this time, he has cast the fight against both lockdowns and Trump’s electoral loss as a religious battle against the forces of evil. He has come to embody a set of beliefs characterized as Christian nationalism, which center on the idea that God intended America to be a Christian nation, and which, when mingled with conspiracy theory and white nationalism, helped to fuel the insurrection. “Violence has always been a part of Christian nationalism,” Andrew Whitehead, a sociologist and co-author of “Taking America Back for God,” told me. “It’s just that the nature of the enemy has changed.””

A Pennsylvania Lawmaker and the Resurgence of Christian Nationalism | The New Yorker

Griswold's story is important and compelling, drawing attention to a perennially undercovered phenomenon whose importance is only growing as much of the GOP's traditional issue package has fallen to the wayside — but certainly not its culture war component. Griswold touches base with a wide range of relevant experts, and brings much-needed attention to the under-appreciated power of Christian nationalism within today's GOP, even as Mastriano and others involved with it disingenuously reject that identification.

But right-wing religious politics is so poorly understood by outsiders that any story will inevitably leave a lot out. Beyond that, journalists must navigate layers of deception and denial — reflected in repeated televangelist scandals, for example — that have made the religious right such a perfect epistemic fit for Trump's gaslighting style. That fit, and what lies behind it, was highlighted by retired intelligence analyst James Scaminaci III in a 2017 essay, "Battle without Bullets: The Christian Right and Fourth Generation Warfare." (The confusion of Christian nationalism with Christianity on the one hand and American democracy on the other reflects the main thrust of what "fourth-generation warfare" is all about, as I'll describe below.)

To avoid such deception, the term "Christian nationalism" could be more sharply clarified, to dispense with its adherents' denials. The religious movement Griswold mentions — the New Apostolic Reformation — could be more clearly defined, and doing that can shed light on Christian nationalism's lesser-known, but more nefarious fellow-traveler, Dominionism — a creed that adds two more elements: a belief in "biblical law," as adherents define it, and the religious supremacy of their version of Christianity.

All of these are not just threats to American democracy but are also biblically questionable, to say the least, which should be a focus of primary concern to those they appeal to most strongly. At a more granular level, there's a need to illuminate the groundwork for the emergence of figures like Mastriano that's been laid over time — for example, through the state-level organization of Project Blitz, devoted to passing three tiers of increasingly theocratic laws. It's also important to examine Mastriano's Christian nationalist deceptions prior to entering politics, as well as the role of fourth-generation warfare. Let's consider each of these in turn..

This PA lawmaker is a Christian zealot, an academic fraud and an insurrectionist. He's the tip of the iceberg - Alternet.org

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According to a report from the Daily Beast's Kelly Weill, one of the Capitol rioters taken into custody by the FBI has chosen to represent herself on charges of multiple counts of violent entry, disruptive conduct, and obstruction of Congress -- and is citing the Bible as part of her defense. Prosecutors maintain that Pauline Bauer, owner of a Pennsylvania pizza parlor, took part in the Jan 6th insurrection and reportedly told Capitol police "bring Nancy Pelosi out here now… we want to hang that f*cking b*tch." Weill reports that Bauer is using a sovereign citizen defense -- saying she doesn't recognize the laws of the U.S. government -- and that she is operating under "divine guidance."

Capitol rioter who demanded  Pelosi be turned over to be lynched cites Bible in court defense - Alternet.org

Experts, journalists, and chroniclers of religious extremism are sounding alarm bells over a Washington Post exposé on "a growing Christian movement that is nondenominational, openly political and has become an engine of former president Donald Trump's Republican Party." As The Post explains, "It is a world in which demons are real, miracles are real, and the ultimate mission is not just transforming individual lives but also turning civilization itself into their version of God's Kingdom: one with two genders, no abortion, a free-market economy, Bible-based education, church-based social programs and laws such as the ones curtailing LGBTQ rights now moving through statehouses around the country." This is not just the world they want to create for themselves, as damaging and dangerous as that might be. This is a world they want to mandate for America. In short, one could say, an American theocracy. Or worse, something that looks a bit like a scene from Margaret Atwood's dystopian work, The Handmaid's Tale.

‘Trump’s Jesus fascists’ worry experts following report on Christian GOP churches - Alternet.org

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Oklahoma Republican Senator Rob Standridge has introduced a bill that would allow people to sue teachers if they offer an opposing view to the religious beliefs held by students. The proposed act, named the “Students’ Religious Belief Protection Act” mean parents can demand the removal of any book with perceived anti-religious content from school. Subjects like LGBTQ issues, evolution, the big bang theory and even birth control could be off the table. Teachers could be sued a minimum of $10,000 “per incident, per individual” and the fines would be paid “from personal resources” not from school funds or from individuals or groups. If the teacher is unable to pay, they will be fired, under the legislation...

Just over a month ago, Senator Standridge introduced a bill to ban books with references to identity, sex and gender from public school libraries. Banning books has become a trend among the far-right recently. Texas State Representative Matt Krause recently put more than 800 books on a watch list, some of them covered topics like race issues and LGBTQ issues.

Terrifying Oklahoma bill would fine teachers $10k for teaching anything that contradicts religion | The Independent

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The QAnon Republican said, “Russia is a Christian nationalist nation…. I actually support Putin’s right to protect his people and always put his people first, but also, protect our Christian values. I identify more with Putin's Christian values than I do with Joe Biden.” Witzke went on to say, “Christian nationalist countries also are a threat to the global regime — like, the Luciferian regime that wants to mash everything together. But Putin takes care of his people. He looks out for his people.”

Pro-Putin, anti-gay and QAnon: Meet Delaware’s most embarrassing Republican - Alternet.org

These days, Donald Trump, not the late Ronald Reagan, is the most influential figure in the Republican Party — and white evangelicals, journalist Anthea Butler explains in an op-ed published by MSNBC’s website on March 1, are among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most ardent admirers in the United States. “While the world looks on in horror as Russia's invasion of Ukraine unfolds,” Butler observes in her op-ed, “one group has been praising Russian President Vladimir Putin. It turns out Putin has a fan base in America’s right-leaning evangelical politicians and pundits.”

Why far-right White evangelicals are among Vladimir Putin’s strongest American supporters - Alternet.org

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In a bizarre interview, Christian commentator Morgan Ariel said Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce should be “hung”. Ms Ariel, who describes herself as a “Christian activist”, also told Rumble streaming host Stew Peters on Wednesday that Ms Swift and Mr Kelce should be “publicly prosecuted” and alleged the pair are using their relationship as a strategy to push vaccines. “I think people deserve to be publicly prosecuted and hung,” she told Mr Peters, an alt-right conspiracy theorist known for his extreme anti-vax positions.

Christian activist calls for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to be ‘hung’