Christian Nationalism Is Neither

Every time I read or hear something about Christian nationalism, I shudder. This movement has nothing to do with Jesus, Christianity, or the US Constitution, which demands the separation of church and state. Christian nationalism is an attempt to establish a militaristic theocracy.

For most of my life, the word Christian has been positive despite its sometimes shady past. I used to call myself a Christian until 2016, when almost all Christian fundamentalists (they call themselves “evangelical”) supported Donald Trump, who epitomizes everything Christianity opposes. It becomes more preposterous when they state Trump was sent by God to right all the wrongs in our nation (ending Roe v. Wade, stopping any gun laws, or not paying for students to attend private schools for starters).

Whenever I hear the name Trump, I picture Adolf Hitler and Vladmir Putin. Both men have used Christianity to support their atrocities, and I know that a wannabe dictator who has done the same would continue to do so.

Once again, the fundamentalists have kidnapped a word, this time Christian, and turned it into a negative. There is no way that I would ever want to be labeled a Christian if Trump, a narcissist with no scruples, and his unbending followers (a third of our country) also claim it.

Even more disappointing is that I hardly even hear a whimper from those Christians who believe Jesus is the Christ in confronting Trump and his henchmen. Their silence is deafening as Trump continues his path of destruction.

I have no interest in a so-called Christian nation. But I would love to see a nation with religious diversity and the total separation of church and state.

The word nationalism, for me, is not a positive one. It insinuates exclusiveness and isolationism. Today’s world demands interdependence and cooperation. As a veteran and a proud former Marine, I was willing to put my life on the line to make certain that we worked together as one world to resolve issues by bringing about peace, eliminating poverty, demanding freedom, and fighting for justice and equality for all.

My image of nationalism conjures the Oath Keepers kneeling in prayer before going off to stomp on innocent people’s heads on January 6, similar to the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church blessing the troops as they went off to massacre innocent Ukrainians.

However, I am proud of our congresspeople who are investigating the January 6 insurrection and protecting our fragile democracy.

On the other hand, I am thoroughly disgusted with those members of Congress who gloss over this sad day as “a tour of the Capitol” and seem to have no regard for our future as a democracy.

Equally distasteful are all the institutional religions in our country that have not had the gumption to stand up and denounce over and over the traitorous Trump and his henchmen.

My good friend the Rev. Dr. George Johnson said it all in his book Silence Is Not the Answer.

What are your thoughts?

Peace Love Joy Hope

 

Photo by Brad Dodson on Unsplash

3 thoughts on “Christian Nationalism Is Neither”

  1. Get ’em Bil and Viv. Now if only an equal # of people would stand up, speak up, and Fight…Non-Violently. Or be prepared to quote Niemöller’s famous poem.

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