I've also thought that the end times are why most Christian Nationalists treat their fellow human beings with such abhorrence and oft times live a moral life about as low as a snake. They know that since they're saved, any sinful earthly actions will be forgiven once they enter heaven.
If we look at history, humans have committed numerous atrocities in the name of religion, many with the belief that they were bringing about Jesus' glorious return. I think religious fanaticism gives broken people a pass to treat others horribly. They will not be forgiven, because humanity will not forgive them. History will not forgive them. Their divine being will not forgive them for desecrating the words of the Bible.
And they don't really "know" anything. They are "certain" their faith is the One True Faith, but certainty is NOT faith. Certainty is the opposite of faith. As we will see in coming installments, we can turn certain Bible verses around on them. It won't change many hearts in their camp, but it will sow seeds of doubt here and there.
Andra, I agree that religion has been used as an excuse for atrocities. While not a Marxist, I do think the concept of religion is the opiate of the masses applies here to all fanatics of any religion. Clearly these ideas are comforting to believers, even as it discomforts those oppressed by it.
Not only the Holocaust, but the subjugation of Native Americans, the 30-years-war, Jihad, the many theocracies right now waging war, and any atrocities in the names of any religion are the twisting of religion in a sick way. It appears that Trump has chosen his cast of characters to help him destroy our nation, as being both pro-Russian, thus anti-Ukraine, and Christian Nationalist. Can you please speak to the connection if there is one?
I will speak specifically to the pro-Russian, anti-Ukraine connection in a separate newsletter. We will delve into the various players outlined in End Times prophecy and discuss which nations Bible scholars believe they might be. (Though note, they have changed over time to match the globe at a particular moment, another very human failing when using faith documents to govern or force a particular religion on everyone.)
Your key takeaway here is that America/The United States is not mentioned in the Bible. My explanation is that the people who wrote the Bible didn't know a land mass existed on the other side of the world and therefore didn't reference it in their "prophecy," but that's not good enough for people who interpret the Bible literally. They believe our country isn't mentioned because it is too weak and/or destroyed to be a player in the End Times. I don't believe we should connect this at all with 45. (And I will continue to call him 45 forever.) He is a tool. On some level, they grant him god-like awe because he is the tool that enables them to destroy their own country for their Bibles to come true.
Andra, this morning I discovered this in my in box as Substacks I would like along with ones I am subscribed to. I think Olga Lauman lays out very well what we can expect structurally from our government under Trump.
She is not illuminating the Christian Nationalist piece of this, because that is not her expertise. I am grateful that you do this for us, because it is an important piece that is starting to be recognized by some, but I don't see the media really taking that on.
Thanks for sharing this newsletter, Linda. Her observations are sobering and detailed and, in my view, realistic. I keep hammering the role of Christian Nationalism in this because 1. So many people don’t understand that world and need to in order to navigate what’s ahead; and 2. Throughout history, religious extremism has played a role in the rise of autocrats, but historians almost never focus on that piece. Christian Nationalism is CENTRAL to the rise of 45. This has been an almost 50-year project to create a theocratic government. While the media may never report it, I hope historians will find this work and accurately include the role Christian Nationalism played.
I am starting to hear Christian Nationalists discussed a bit in some Substacks. I post links to your discussions a lot because they are so clear and straightforward. A style I appreciate a lot. That is what I liked about Olga too, and your posting of Andrea Pitzer who was also very straightforward. Today a man who is in our Project 2025 book club group, but has not been coming for a while posted this from Tim Miller at the Bulwark. He is saying this show he is critiquing should be part of the Dems repertoire of platforms they amplify and use because these guys know how to talk to men. They mention CN.
I am a little late to this post but not these ideas. I never had the CN literary chops to back them up, so, thank you!!
On October 7th as I waited for a vaccination at the pharmacy a polite older man offered me a seat. He noticed I was engrossed in news stories about the horrific events of the day and commented on that. I replied how truly terrible it all was and could only lead to more suffering. He replied with a small smile that we were moving in the right direction because the Bible doesn’t lie.
When Mike Huckabee was nominated I wondered how in the world I was going to write to my one common sense senator to object. Will he listen?
I shared your comment as a note, because it’s a visceral window into how fanatical and indoctrinated they are, how casually they work this into everyday conversations with complete strangers at the pharmacy.
IMHO, they're being played by the Trumpists and Russians who are catering to their religious delusions about the Apocalypse. Even if the Dominionists wake up (which I doubt), it will be too late.
Every word you’ve shared is true to my experience, as well, Andra. My second grade teacher (6 decades ago) scared me on a daily basis with her indoctrination pointed at preparing the students for how we would need to stand up to the anti-Christ. It was violent imagery that terrified me and we were also told not to tell our parents. At seven years old, I didn’t. By high school we’d moved on to The Late Great Planet Earth. I’m very aware of the damage done to me, as well as society.
It really is child abuse to put children through such things. I know because it happened to me, too. I'm sorry we have this in common.
I also don't think many Americans beyond Christian Nationalism realize that their goal is to turn all public education into this kind of indoctrination. Where their children will sit in first grade classrooms and be emotionally and mentally abused with these stories and this violent, hopeless imagery. Anyone with children and grandchildren must prepare to support and protect them from this kind of abuse.
It is child abuse. And the methods are so insidious that it took me years and years to really understand how I was impacted. I am also very alarmed at what is brewing in schools across the country. I’m repeating the word, but it’s the best word I have—insidious.
Repeating words is very effective. As we saw with the propaganda that led to the election outcome. Nothing wrong with repeating words to make them stick.
It was my grandparents who introduced me to these "End Times" narratives through their Jehovah's Witness religion. Every bad thing that happened on the news my grandmother would point out that was a sign to an "end of this system of things". I learned to read by sitting with my grandfather and reading JW literature, their books were filled with scary images of "Satan" and then the Watchtower magazine would have happy beautiful pictures of people living in peace with the lions and tigers in "Paradise Earth".
And you know what's funny or ironic? The church I grew up in taught that Jehovah's Witnesses were a cult and they were going to hell. Even though so much of the teaching is similar. I keep pointing this out because these fissures are a means to break Christian Nationalists apart.
Yes I know! People disliked them so much. It made me sad. My grandparents were good people, not very educated and my grandmother particularly wanted to get away from the Patriarchy of the Catholic Church which she saw as corrupt and controlling of women. JW didn't appear that way, at least overtly and women had more agency, particularly when it came to family planning. But the message is the same - The end of the World is coming and you need to be "in the truth".
Debralee, what you are describing is what I was reading today, Texas is mandating in their schools starting at a young age, which they are calling bible lessons. We know that Oklahoma and several other states are trying to go there, although Lower Level courts may block it because it discriminates against other religions because they are not being taught equally. I expect the Satanists to go after this, and hope Atheists do as well. Each claiming equal time. I also read that several school Superintendents said they will not go along with these mandates. It is terrifying.
A point I have been making about the incoming government under Trump, even though I only know about Christian Nationalism from Andra and some other people I have heard talk, I have been reading and discussing Project 2025, which is written by Christian Nationalists, so nothing that has been happening is a surprise, even as it is designed to shock, which it is very effective in doing.
I'm sure this will get tied up in protracted litigation, but it shows the path they intend to force us down if we can't stop them.
As shocking and upsetting as a lot of this is, I hope my writings are helping people prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially for what lies ahead. I won't be shocked by anything they do, because they have been very clear about what they will do.
Andra I agree with you that this is the obvious outcome of what Project 2025 was telling us would happen, as well as other things. As a former teacher, who belonged to a discussion group that would read books on education research and theories, I became strongly against Charter Schools even though I had at more than one point considered starting one. Overall, what has been done with them is a travesty we would not be seeing in other countries that were democracies.
Now, in addition to this, I see so many ways to reward Christian Nationalists as they defund the DOE and give the money to families. It will be a way to reward home schoolers, and support them financially as they get money for the numerous children they are encouraged to have. I assume non-CNs will have more difficulty to access the monies, just as they will to exercise their rights to vote. There are also an infinite ways in which Trump's friends can derive grift from this. Creating bogus curricula, forcing students to get private loans from any source that is out there at enormous interest rates, with no debt forgiveness possible. Will people end up in indentured servitude. Also, we may see the end of Public schools, and thus this becomes a pipeline to child labor.
I can imagine even more horrors, but will stop there. Even CNs will suffer greatly, as their children with Austism, Learning disabilities, and severe emotional disabilities will have nowhere to turn to to get support or relief.
A friend today told me she had heard a couple of Universities had told their international students MUST return before January 20, or there may be a ban on entering the USA. It seems self serving of those Universities, who seem to want to avoid losing the tuition. If the student belongs to a group that will be banned, they are better off staying put outside of the USA, than returning and being arrested and imprisoned or deported.
A ban on entering AND exiting. That's my prediction. Americans cannot elect people who promise to SEAL THE BORDER without actually seeing what that means - nothing comes in or goes out. I've said this for months. Not that the people who voted for this will care. Most of them never go anywhere. (And I'm not saying that to be condescending. If people are happy with their lives and don't want to travel, it's none of my business. But don't resent and envy those of us who want different life experiences.)
And OF COURSE it is self-serving of those universities who care about money over education and their students and literally everything else. This is another American value that needs to burn to the ground, and I will dance around the pyre. (Especially since my husband has taught for a major football university since before Y2K, and he has never received a cost of living adjustment for his teaching. All while the Southern Football Cult lectures me on why football is so vital to university programs.)
Wow! That's a lot to take in. It also explains a lot about why Christian Nationalism seems so alien to everything I learned about Jesus and Christianity as a child. I did not get hellfire and brimstone, but I did get the strong message that hate and violence were not acceptable. I'm grateful for that.
My goal with writing about Christian Nationalism is not to bash all Christians or Christian teaching. It is to expose the difference between the money-and-power-cult of Christian Nationalism and the regular Christian who practices Christianity because it speaks to them.
This is where I am at, Andra. You communicate it well. I am a regular Christian who practices Christianity because it speaks to me. I reject the tenets of CN.
Many regular Christians follow this work. I think many Christians don't completely grasp what Christian Nationalism is, so this space is educational, even for them.
As a devout atheist, I find this god-bothering nonsense childish and illogical. It is all well and good to pick it apart, Andra, so we can see just how deep the delusions lie, but we'll never, ever be able to stem the tide of religious bullshit which will wash over this nation, and eradicate it from the planet. Climate disaster denialism will not stop hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather-related occurrences, and in their minds, Christian Nationalists will see the hand of 'God' in everything, and thus beyond human agency.
Responding to these kinds of comments is hard for me, Derek. I agree that many of them are beyond human agency, and their actions will cause great global suffering.
But one of the reasons they're so angry is that for decades they believe the left has labeled them with words like "childish" and "Illogical." I'm not saying those words aren't fair or well-earned, but I hope we emerge from this infarction with better tools to live and let live. We must all think about how our own prejudices defeat our collective ability to live and let live. I've been asking myself about that a lot over the course of this project, but I've never written about it. Asking myself how I or people I consider allies could have contributed to where we are is painful work.
I'm also writing about this in detail because historians tend to gloss over how religion is used to give rise to authoritarianism. Christian Nationalism needs to be central to their reporting on this era of history. If we don't talk about it and dissect it and resist it, that won't happen.
On the rare occasion where I do discuss these ideas (mostly with my mother & brother) I don't use the terms 'childish' and 'illogical' with them. They are intelligent and mostly rational people who I love deeply, despite their opposite political views.
My atheism was determined during the Nigerian civil war crisis in Ethiopia (Biafra's starving children in particular) when the father of a Catholic friend told me it was in God's hands for these children to suffer. I was only eight years old. It made no sense to me that someone would think along these lines, and combined with everything else going on in 1968 (Chicago convention riots, summer of love, the Vietnam War) the die was cast.
Even though I'm an atheist, the teachings of a compassionate Christ are important to my inner being. The writings and actions of the Dalai Lama, and the precepts of Tibetan buddhism he follows are also important. I've sent this link to several friends over the past few years when they want to know more about what I'm trying to say:
The ultimate source of a happy life is warmheartedness. Even animals display some sense of compassion. When it comes to human beings, compassion can be combined with intelligence. Through the application of reason, compassion can be extended to all 7 billion human beings. Destructive emotions are related to ignorance, while compassion is a constructive emotion related to intelligence. Consequently, it can be taught and learned.
The source of a happy life is within us. Troublemakers in many parts of the world are often quite well-educated, so it is not just education that we need. What we need is to pay attention to inner values."
What you two have just demonstrated might be the corollary to Purposeful Disengagement....maybe Compassionate Engagement? Both are tactics to be deployed in the larger strategy to build a new society.
I always wondered how the events of end-time prophecy could possibly happen: that one person could deceive so many ("even the elect were that possible"), how they could believe the big lie, and be the people that bring the 'man of lawlessness' into power. I see those very things happening in real time. But what I never realized, as a Jew who has studied end-time prophecy for 53 of my 69 years, that it was going to be 'Christians' who used the prophecies as a blueprint to make certain that they happen.
So was it prophesied that these events would take place, or is prophecy an instruction manual on how to ignite Armageddon? It is so frightening that in the name of a twisted god, a god of fortresses, they will enslave us. What is so frightening is that they are now in power, and are about to implement all that Andra has written about.
Thank you Andra for this post, it has made so much so clear.
I look at all the Dominionists claiming to be "apostles." They constantly claim God speaks to them directly, and therefore their proclamations are literally God speaking. Which is the same thing as "many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many."
To me, this bit of the Bible is a circular allegory of sorts. Prophecies don't exist to be ignored; yet even as Jesus laid this one out, he also said some specific things that basically mean "ignore." Don't predict dates and times (which Christian Nationalists have done with the regathering of Israel in 1948. I grew up constantly hearing I lived in the End Times because of that event.) Don't listen to people claiming to speak for me. (They ALL claim their faith is the One True Faith and insist that God speaks through them.)
I can't speak for the state of another person's soul. But from my extensive Bible study, I can't believe Christian Nationalists aren't part of the group that would hear "Depart from me. I never knew you" if that part of the Bible proves true. I don't know how they can be so fixated on these parts and completely ignore the parts about loving our neighbors.
Journalist Dave Troy writes about how CN's believe that the dollar must be destroyed, and that Johnson will not present a 2025 budget for floor vote, in order to shut down our government. After reading your article, now I understand where this comes from.
Yes, they believe the dollar must be decimated because during the End Times, the Bible predicts a one-world currency. Therefore, Christian Nationalists believe the dollar must fail to usher in a crisis that causes all nations to agree to a one-world currency.
Reminds me of Psalm 18. My Evangelical family Bible study group and I reviewed it. To me after my NDE, the Bible stands for Basic Lessons Before Leaving Earth.
It’s an instruction manual on how we are to behave to live as children of the Almighty and what to do if we get confused. We are all immortal spirits living in pots of clay.
Psalm 18 to me read as “kill them all and let God sort them out”. The other Evangelicals agreed saying the language was blunt but that was what Saul had been instructed to do. Failing the Almighty’s instructions Saul’s anointing was removed.
Perhaps these false prophets are not meant to prosper but only to reveal themselves as the vipers in the nest.
I've also thought that the end times are why most Christian Nationalists treat their fellow human beings with such abhorrence and oft times live a moral life about as low as a snake. They know that since they're saved, any sinful earthly actions will be forgiven once they enter heaven.
If we look at history, humans have committed numerous atrocities in the name of religion, many with the belief that they were bringing about Jesus' glorious return. I think religious fanaticism gives broken people a pass to treat others horribly. They will not be forgiven, because humanity will not forgive them. History will not forgive them. Their divine being will not forgive them for desecrating the words of the Bible.
And they don't really "know" anything. They are "certain" their faith is the One True Faith, but certainty is NOT faith. Certainty is the opposite of faith. As we will see in coming installments, we can turn certain Bible verses around on them. It won't change many hearts in their camp, but it will sow seeds of doubt here and there.
Andra, I agree that religion has been used as an excuse for atrocities. While not a Marxist, I do think the concept of religion is the opiate of the masses applies here to all fanatics of any religion. Clearly these ideas are comforting to believers, even as it discomforts those oppressed by it.
Not only the Holocaust, but the subjugation of Native Americans, the 30-years-war, Jihad, the many theocracies right now waging war, and any atrocities in the names of any religion are the twisting of religion in a sick way. It appears that Trump has chosen his cast of characters to help him destroy our nation, as being both pro-Russian, thus anti-Ukraine, and Christian Nationalist. Can you please speak to the connection if there is one?
I will speak specifically to the pro-Russian, anti-Ukraine connection in a separate newsletter. We will delve into the various players outlined in End Times prophecy and discuss which nations Bible scholars believe they might be. (Though note, they have changed over time to match the globe at a particular moment, another very human failing when using faith documents to govern or force a particular religion on everyone.)
Your key takeaway here is that America/The United States is not mentioned in the Bible. My explanation is that the people who wrote the Bible didn't know a land mass existed on the other side of the world and therefore didn't reference it in their "prophecy," but that's not good enough for people who interpret the Bible literally. They believe our country isn't mentioned because it is too weak and/or destroyed to be a player in the End Times. I don't believe we should connect this at all with 45. (And I will continue to call him 45 forever.) He is a tool. On some level, they grant him god-like awe because he is the tool that enables them to destroy their own country for their Bibles to come true.
Andra, this morning I discovered this in my in box as Substacks I would like along with ones I am subscribed to. I think Olga Lauman lays out very well what we can expect structurally from our government under Trump.
https://open.substack.com/pub/olgalautman/p/now-that-america-elected-a-dictator?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
She is not illuminating the Christian Nationalist piece of this, because that is not her expertise. I am grateful that you do this for us, because it is an important piece that is starting to be recognized by some, but I don't see the media really taking that on.
Thanks for sharing this newsletter, Linda. Her observations are sobering and detailed and, in my view, realistic. I keep hammering the role of Christian Nationalism in this because 1. So many people don’t understand that world and need to in order to navigate what’s ahead; and 2. Throughout history, religious extremism has played a role in the rise of autocrats, but historians almost never focus on that piece. Christian Nationalism is CENTRAL to the rise of 45. This has been an almost 50-year project to create a theocratic government. While the media may never report it, I hope historians will find this work and accurately include the role Christian Nationalism played.
I am starting to hear Christian Nationalists discussed a bit in some Substacks. I post links to your discussions a lot because they are so clear and straightforward. A style I appreciate a lot. That is what I liked about Olga too, and your posting of Andrea Pitzer who was also very straightforward. Today a man who is in our Project 2025 book club group, but has not been coming for a while posted this from Tim Miller at the Bulwark. He is saying this show he is critiquing should be part of the Dems repertoire of platforms they amplify and use because these guys know how to talk to men. They mention CN.
https://youtu.be/kWyumOAB6n0?si=jXnrgt5Bn7mRbP-X
I am a little late to this post but not these ideas. I never had the CN literary chops to back them up, so, thank you!!
On October 7th as I waited for a vaccination at the pharmacy a polite older man offered me a seat. He noticed I was engrossed in news stories about the horrific events of the day and commented on that. I replied how truly terrible it all was and could only lead to more suffering. He replied with a small smile that we were moving in the right direction because the Bible doesn’t lie.
When Mike Huckabee was nominated I wondered how in the world I was going to write to my one common sense senator to object. Will he listen?
I shared your comment as a note, because it’s a visceral window into how fanatical and indoctrinated they are, how casually they work this into everyday conversations with complete strangers at the pharmacy.
IMHO, they're being played by the Trumpists and Russians who are catering to their religious delusions about the Apocalypse. Even if the Dominionists wake up (which I doubt), it will be too late.
I agree, Gregg.
Every word you’ve shared is true to my experience, as well, Andra. My second grade teacher (6 decades ago) scared me on a daily basis with her indoctrination pointed at preparing the students for how we would need to stand up to the anti-Christ. It was violent imagery that terrified me and we were also told not to tell our parents. At seven years old, I didn’t. By high school we’d moved on to The Late Great Planet Earth. I’m very aware of the damage done to me, as well as society.
It really is child abuse to put children through such things. I know because it happened to me, too. I'm sorry we have this in common.
I also don't think many Americans beyond Christian Nationalism realize that their goal is to turn all public education into this kind of indoctrination. Where their children will sit in first grade classrooms and be emotionally and mentally abused with these stories and this violent, hopeless imagery. Anyone with children and grandchildren must prepare to support and protect them from this kind of abuse.
It is child abuse. And the methods are so insidious that it took me years and years to really understand how I was impacted. I am also very alarmed at what is brewing in schools across the country. I’m repeating the word, but it’s the best word I have—insidious.
Repeating words is very effective. As we saw with the propaganda that led to the election outcome. Nothing wrong with repeating words to make them stick.
I have had a similar experience.
I'm sorry we share it. But it helps me to find people with similar backgrounds who can say, "This is real. It happened to me, too."
I'm 59 years old and this past year has been the first time I've had discussions with folks about this who understand what it was like.
It was my grandparents who introduced me to these "End Times" narratives through their Jehovah's Witness religion. Every bad thing that happened on the news my grandmother would point out that was a sign to an "end of this system of things". I learned to read by sitting with my grandfather and reading JW literature, their books were filled with scary images of "Satan" and then the Watchtower magazine would have happy beautiful pictures of people living in peace with the lions and tigers in "Paradise Earth".
And you know what's funny or ironic? The church I grew up in taught that Jehovah's Witnesses were a cult and they were going to hell. Even though so much of the teaching is similar. I keep pointing this out because these fissures are a means to break Christian Nationalists apart.
Yes I know! People disliked them so much. It made me sad. My grandparents were good people, not very educated and my grandmother particularly wanted to get away from the Patriarchy of the Catholic Church which she saw as corrupt and controlling of women. JW didn't appear that way, at least overtly and women had more agency, particularly when it came to family planning. But the message is the same - The end of the World is coming and you need to be "in the truth".
Debralee, what you are describing is what I was reading today, Texas is mandating in their schools starting at a young age, which they are calling bible lessons. We know that Oklahoma and several other states are trying to go there, although Lower Level courts may block it because it discriminates against other religions because they are not being taught equally. I expect the Satanists to go after this, and hope Atheists do as well. Each claiming equal time. I also read that several school Superintendents said they will not go along with these mandates. It is terrifying.
A point I have been making about the incoming government under Trump, even though I only know about Christian Nationalism from Andra and some other people I have heard talk, I have been reading and discussing Project 2025, which is written by Christian Nationalists, so nothing that has been happening is a surprise, even as it is designed to shock, which it is very effective in doing.
I'm sure this will get tied up in protracted litigation, but it shows the path they intend to force us down if we can't stop them.
As shocking and upsetting as a lot of this is, I hope my writings are helping people prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially for what lies ahead. I won't be shocked by anything they do, because they have been very clear about what they will do.
Andra I agree with you that this is the obvious outcome of what Project 2025 was telling us would happen, as well as other things. As a former teacher, who belonged to a discussion group that would read books on education research and theories, I became strongly against Charter Schools even though I had at more than one point considered starting one. Overall, what has been done with them is a travesty we would not be seeing in other countries that were democracies.
Now, in addition to this, I see so many ways to reward Christian Nationalists as they defund the DOE and give the money to families. It will be a way to reward home schoolers, and support them financially as they get money for the numerous children they are encouraged to have. I assume non-CNs will have more difficulty to access the monies, just as they will to exercise their rights to vote. There are also an infinite ways in which Trump's friends can derive grift from this. Creating bogus curricula, forcing students to get private loans from any source that is out there at enormous interest rates, with no debt forgiveness possible. Will people end up in indentured servitude. Also, we may see the end of Public schools, and thus this becomes a pipeline to child labor.
I can imagine even more horrors, but will stop there. Even CNs will suffer greatly, as their children with Austism, Learning disabilities, and severe emotional disabilities will have nowhere to turn to to get support or relief.
A friend today told me she had heard a couple of Universities had told their international students MUST return before January 20, or there may be a ban on entering the USA. It seems self serving of those Universities, who seem to want to avoid losing the tuition. If the student belongs to a group that will be banned, they are better off staying put outside of the USA, than returning and being arrested and imprisoned or deported.
A ban on entering AND exiting. That's my prediction. Americans cannot elect people who promise to SEAL THE BORDER without actually seeing what that means - nothing comes in or goes out. I've said this for months. Not that the people who voted for this will care. Most of them never go anywhere. (And I'm not saying that to be condescending. If people are happy with their lives and don't want to travel, it's none of my business. But don't resent and envy those of us who want different life experiences.)
And OF COURSE it is self-serving of those universities who care about money over education and their students and literally everything else. This is another American value that needs to burn to the ground, and I will dance around the pyre. (Especially since my husband has taught for a major football university since before Y2K, and he has never received a cost of living adjustment for his teaching. All while the Southern Football Cult lectures me on why football is so vital to university programs.)
I had not thought about the not exiting because I thought we were going with a Hungary model, but I do think of Russia when I think about the media.
Wow! That's a lot to take in. It also explains a lot about why Christian Nationalism seems so alien to everything I learned about Jesus and Christianity as a child. I did not get hellfire and brimstone, but I did get the strong message that hate and violence were not acceptable. I'm grateful for that.
My goal with writing about Christian Nationalism is not to bash all Christians or Christian teaching. It is to expose the difference between the money-and-power-cult of Christian Nationalism and the regular Christian who practices Christianity because it speaks to them.
This is where I am at, Andra. You communicate it well. I am a regular Christian who practices Christianity because it speaks to me. I reject the tenets of CN.
Many regular Christians follow this work. I think many Christians don't completely grasp what Christian Nationalism is, so this space is educational, even for them.
I know that I do not completely grasp what CN is. What you are sharing here has awakened my understanding. Thank you Andra.
As a devout atheist, I find this god-bothering nonsense childish and illogical. It is all well and good to pick it apart, Andra, so we can see just how deep the delusions lie, but we'll never, ever be able to stem the tide of religious bullshit which will wash over this nation, and eradicate it from the planet. Climate disaster denialism will not stop hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather-related occurrences, and in their minds, Christian Nationalists will see the hand of 'God' in everything, and thus beyond human agency.
Responding to these kinds of comments is hard for me, Derek. I agree that many of them are beyond human agency, and their actions will cause great global suffering.
But one of the reasons they're so angry is that for decades they believe the left has labeled them with words like "childish" and "Illogical." I'm not saying those words aren't fair or well-earned, but I hope we emerge from this infarction with better tools to live and let live. We must all think about how our own prejudices defeat our collective ability to live and let live. I've been asking myself about that a lot over the course of this project, but I've never written about it. Asking myself how I or people I consider allies could have contributed to where we are is painful work.
I'm also writing about this in detail because historians tend to gloss over how religion is used to give rise to authoritarianism. Christian Nationalism needs to be central to their reporting on this era of history. If we don't talk about it and dissect it and resist it, that won't happen.
Thanks for your well reasoned reply, Andra.
On the rare occasion where I do discuss these ideas (mostly with my mother & brother) I don't use the terms 'childish' and 'illogical' with them. They are intelligent and mostly rational people who I love deeply, despite their opposite political views.
My atheism was determined during the Nigerian civil war crisis in Ethiopia (Biafra's starving children in particular) when the father of a Catholic friend told me it was in God's hands for these children to suffer. I was only eight years old. It made no sense to me that someone would think along these lines, and combined with everything else going on in 1968 (Chicago convention riots, summer of love, the Vietnam War) the die was cast.
Even though I'm an atheist, the teachings of a compassionate Christ are important to my inner being. The writings and actions of the Dalai Lama, and the precepts of Tibetan buddhism he follows are also important. I've sent this link to several friends over the past few years when they want to know more about what I'm trying to say:
https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-dalai-lama-on-why-leaders-should-be-mindful-selfless-and-compassionate
From the link above:
"Be compassionate
The ultimate source of a happy life is warmheartedness. Even animals display some sense of compassion. When it comes to human beings, compassion can be combined with intelligence. Through the application of reason, compassion can be extended to all 7 billion human beings. Destructive emotions are related to ignorance, while compassion is a constructive emotion related to intelligence. Consequently, it can be taught and learned.
The source of a happy life is within us. Troublemakers in many parts of the world are often quite well-educated, so it is not just education that we need. What we need is to pay attention to inner values."
Peace & Love Andra
I love this response, Derek. Compassion is key. Thanks for sharing this here.
What you two have just demonstrated might be the corollary to Purposeful Disengagement....maybe Compassionate Engagement? Both are tactics to be deployed in the larger strategy to build a new society.
I agree.
I always wondered how the events of end-time prophecy could possibly happen: that one person could deceive so many ("even the elect were that possible"), how they could believe the big lie, and be the people that bring the 'man of lawlessness' into power. I see those very things happening in real time. But what I never realized, as a Jew who has studied end-time prophecy for 53 of my 69 years, that it was going to be 'Christians' who used the prophecies as a blueprint to make certain that they happen.
So was it prophesied that these events would take place, or is prophecy an instruction manual on how to ignite Armageddon? It is so frightening that in the name of a twisted god, a god of fortresses, they will enslave us. What is so frightening is that they are now in power, and are about to implement all that Andra has written about.
Thank you Andra for this post, it has made so much so clear.
I look at all the Dominionists claiming to be "apostles." They constantly claim God speaks to them directly, and therefore their proclamations are literally God speaking. Which is the same thing as "many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many."
To me, this bit of the Bible is a circular allegory of sorts. Prophecies don't exist to be ignored; yet even as Jesus laid this one out, he also said some specific things that basically mean "ignore." Don't predict dates and times (which Christian Nationalists have done with the regathering of Israel in 1948. I grew up constantly hearing I lived in the End Times because of that event.) Don't listen to people claiming to speak for me. (They ALL claim their faith is the One True Faith and insist that God speaks through them.)
I can't speak for the state of another person's soul. But from my extensive Bible study, I can't believe Christian Nationalists aren't part of the group that would hear "Depart from me. I never knew you" if that part of the Bible proves true. I don't know how they can be so fixated on these parts and completely ignore the parts about loving our neighbors.
I agree with you that these CN are the hypocrites Jesus spoke of.
Journalist Dave Troy writes about how CN's believe that the dollar must be destroyed, and that Johnson will not present a 2025 budget for floor vote, in order to shut down our government. After reading your article, now I understand where this comes from.
Yes, they believe the dollar must be decimated because during the End Times, the Bible predicts a one-world currency. Therefore, Christian Nationalists believe the dollar must fail to usher in a crisis that causes all nations to agree to a one-world currency.
This is disgusting and horrifying -
Reminds me of Psalm 18. My Evangelical family Bible study group and I reviewed it. To me after my NDE, the Bible stands for Basic Lessons Before Leaving Earth.
It’s an instruction manual on how we are to behave to live as children of the Almighty and what to do if we get confused. We are all immortal spirits living in pots of clay.
Psalm 18 to me read as “kill them all and let God sort them out”. The other Evangelicals agreed saying the language was blunt but that was what Saul had been instructed to do. Failing the Almighty’s instructions Saul’s anointing was removed.
Perhaps these false prophets are not meant to prosper but only to reveal themselves as the vipers in the nest.
They are vipers. From my reading of scripture, I can’t fathom their certainty. But I was once one of them. The tools they use are powerful.