There is a TON of literature documenting Christian Nationalism. I recommend the PRRI study released last year on it. It found that about 20% of people who support this ideology are willing to use violence to impose it (read: January 6th). It is a racist, bigoted movement that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. As a pastor I've been talking about it in my church for over a year. People must understand how truly dangerous this ideology is.
Frightening. Everyone should look hard at the Republican, Right-wing 2025 Agenda--it is White/Christian/Nationalism. It is Fascism. Melding Economic Nationalism with Racial and now Religious right-wing Ultra-Nationalism is frightening beyond the imaginations of anyone save Margaret Atwood and Octavia Butler. The worrisome thing is as Dan makes clear--most people are unaware of the potency and seriousness of this agenda. Americans will be shocked--and Timothy Snyder will have given us fair warning: "You submit to tyranny when you renounce the difference between what you want to hear and what is actually the case," (Snyder, ON TYRANNY, p. 57).
People I know also think political activism is Not Them. The right wingers have so stereotyped "feminazis" and "tree-huggers" etc that even my lefty friends won't volunteer... and don't even seem to be donating to dem campaigns.
Christian nationalism is anti-woman, full stop. I look at that bulleted list and see not just a limit on reproductive health, but things like the end of no-fault divorce directly endanger women and keep them in abusive and controlling marriages. The plain language missing from that list are that women can't own property because they are property. Oh, and all the racism and anti-gay/anti-trans stuff, which is also about body autonomy.
Excellent piece and yes, please keep more like this coming. Too many people do not understand what a second Trump term would mean not only for our individual lives but the entirety of our nation. It truly is frightening. But we need to channel that fear and anger into action, which is where things like Vote Save America come in. Join your local party or local groups and at the least donate to candidates and campaigns. Together we can do it.
You know we live in a crazy world when Alabama is a thought leader on any topic. First Mississippi originated Dobbs, now Alabama with “Blastocysts are people too!” The GOP is truly infested with MAGA if this is where they incubate ideas.
Well, of course. It’s now legal for 14 year-olds to have full time jobs. So they can support a family, right? So they can breed more workers quickly. Perhaps they can start a service—like Blue Apron—to distribute all the frozen blastocysts to the uneducated future Alabamians.
Also... having read Dan's list of what would likely happen in a Christian Nationalist Trump presidency, I am wondering if it could actually get even worse. I recently learned that women were not allowed to own their own credit cards until the 1970's. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this.) As a single older woman, I am concerned that women could end up being considered second class citizens... and if you're a woman of color it would probably be even worse. I really hope this is just anxiety and not something that could actually happen!
When I started in banking in 1971, a married woman could only sell real estate (even if in her name solely) with the consent of her husband. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. A married woman could take out a loan (that she qualified for) only with her husband’s written permission. Same with a credit card. A single, widowed or divorced woman’s status would have to be mentioned in the application to ensure there could be no legal challenge on those grounds.
I never imagined we could progress from that and regress all in 50 years.
Add to that the potential added civic burden of being a woman from a minority status or an LGBTQ person.
You are right. I think we have difficulty imagining a culture of "tyranny." It will come toward us quickly but quietly at first--but eventually--it will overwhelm us unless we fight back now. Trump's Fascism will ruin all of us, but women are truly in danger first.
I definitely think it could get worse. I imagine the way the culture war stuff makes us censor ourselves in public. I imagine a world where no one can actually "be themselves" but take it a step further to restrictions on libraries, free speech and academic freedom, voting rights? The evaporation of an open press and media landscape, such as it is, is a nightmare. Finally--a full out attack on all forms of environmental regulation and investment in scientific research. It could be like a return to the Middle Ages, with electricity. I can imagine politicized Courts and Police Forces. What happens when safe places and public goods begin to go away? An "authoritarian society" would be a lot about how we live. I do not want to increase anxiety or traffic in fear mongering---but I do think getting serious about informing our friends and neighbors is really important.
Not to mention using the military to round up immigrants and hold them in camps. Now I hear of his latest strategy to stoke fear and violence, “migrant crime.” I can envision extending the round ups to include homeless people.
In 1974, when I was 21 I tried to get a car loan from the bank I had used since I was 16. I was told I would need my husband’s signature. I was single. The car dealership told me I needed my father’s signature. He said no. Finally the dealership owner said he would guarantee me to his bank. Only way I got my car.
Good heavens... that is incredible! I never knew that because I was still a student (senior in college then grad school) around that time and wasn't at the point where I needed a credit card, a car, or a house. Guess I was lucky that by the time I was ready, the laws had changed. But as we've all found out over the past six or seven years, nothing we have can be taken for granted.
100% true. Young woman need to study the suffrage movement. This is why woman were forced to stay in unhealthy and volatile relationships. They had no access to credit without their husband’s consent signing a loan. But how do we reach people that shut out the news and don’t want to talk politics? I’m freaking out over this!
I'm glad I'm not alone in being worried... but it's really terrible that so many good people have to be this afraid for the future! I'm also glad I signed up for Dan's Message Box. So many thoughtful, intelligent people reading this blog! And great ideas to share with friends and family, assuming they'll take these concerns seriously....
Rob Reiner produced a recently released documentary titled God and Country about Christian Nationalism. In an interview he stated that there is nothing Christian about the movement. It is all about power.
This is the stated overview:
Director Dan Partland examines the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only the constitutional republic, but Christianity itself.
I’m sorry I do not know where to view the documentary. It was released on February 16, 2024.
If we can widely communicate just a few of the top ten crazy ideas or crazy comments Trump has made recently, Trump will be lucky to get 20% of the suburban vote. In ‘16 and ‘20 he was offensive but now he’s outlandish and a bit removed from reality. If this current version of Trump isn’t enough to motivate people like Mattis and Kelly to campaign against him, nothing will.
You can’t say Trump is failing to give us plenty of ammunition to hit him with. Lately it’s like he’s laying the groundwork for an insanity defense.
But as someone once said, never interfere while your enemy is busy making mistakes. Let’s just put it to good use.
1st - I ran into this Politico story on twitter yesterday, so as enshittified as X has become, it's still worth following a range of folks to pick up on news you might not pick up elsewhere.
2nd - When I read it, Dan's message about Trump's weakness in the context of dictators popped into my head. We know Trump is not a Bible thumping zealot. But he has been imminently useful to those who are. And Trump needs these people and admires these people - they rule their flocks with authoritarian, don't-believe-your-eyes cruelty and violent ideation too. He won't pursue a Christian Nationalist agenda because he believes in it. He'll do it because he's too weak to protect America from it.
So Europe and Japan are still mired in post-pandemic recession, while the U.S. economy is flying high partly because of pandemic aid like the child tax credit and partly because the steady stream of migrants to this country keeps the economy churning with cheap labor. How can it be true that this Republican Party, which under Bush/Cheney only cared about directing government resources to private companies through defense spending, now wants to blow it all to erect this fascist state? Who is going to work at McDonalds while they are rounding up all the migrants? What happens to the economy if you are forcing women to stay at home? I just don't think they have thought this through, and I wonder if they are simply running on this fear mongering platform with no intention of carrying though these plans.
Is TFG most dangerous for his NATO and isolationist views? His eagerness to strip rights from women, minorities, people with disabilities, the trans community? His planned deportation of massive numbers of immigrants? Crazy laws pushed by Christian nationalists? SCOTUS appointments? Limits on voting? Purging the government of all but T**** loyalists? Tossing out environmental regs that keep us all safe and our planet healthy? ... Gosh, just so hard to choose.
The term "Christian Nationalism" is an insult to Christians world-wide. Whenever I read the term in print, what I say in my head is, "UnChrist-like Nationalism."
The frozen embryos= children debacle might be the actual dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. It tops "You'd let a 1 year old get an abortion!" from a Missouri lawmaker a couple weeks ago.
Ruth Marcus's column in the WaPo describes what this looks like in Alabama. Multiple citations from the Bible as the basis for the decision declaring an embryo a person. Theocracy in action.
When Margaret Atwood wrote 'The Handmaid's Tale' she noted that everything she described in the book (not the TV show) had already happened somewhere.
Women, our daughters and granddaughters are counting on us, not to mention our trans children who are always in danger from these people who want to erase their existence
Inspired by Dan, I created a Dem 2024 Toolkit to help Dems sway persuadable voters in their private group threads. The toolkit includes graphics that help tell a political story and supporting documentation for any discussions that ensue.
There is a TON of literature documenting Christian Nationalism. I recommend the PRRI study released last year on it. It found that about 20% of people who support this ideology are willing to use violence to impose it (read: January 6th). It is a racist, bigoted movement that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. As a pastor I've been talking about it in my church for over a year. People must understand how truly dangerous this ideology is.
Frightening. Everyone should look hard at the Republican, Right-wing 2025 Agenda--it is White/Christian/Nationalism. It is Fascism. Melding Economic Nationalism with Racial and now Religious right-wing Ultra-Nationalism is frightening beyond the imaginations of anyone save Margaret Atwood and Octavia Butler. The worrisome thing is as Dan makes clear--most people are unaware of the potency and seriousness of this agenda. Americans will be shocked--and Timothy Snyder will have given us fair warning: "You submit to tyranny when you renounce the difference between what you want to hear and what is actually the case," (Snyder, ON TYRANNY, p. 57).
I also was going to invoke Octavia Butler. Scary times.
People I know also think political activism is Not Them. The right wingers have so stereotyped "feminazis" and "tree-huggers" etc that even my lefty friends won't volunteer... and don't even seem to be donating to dem campaigns.
"Demand Avoidance." Powerful stuff.
Christian nationalism is anti-woman, full stop. I look at that bulleted list and see not just a limit on reproductive health, but things like the end of no-fault divorce directly endanger women and keep them in abusive and controlling marriages. The plain language missing from that list are that women can't own property because they are property. Oh, and all the racism and anti-gay/anti-trans stuff, which is also about body autonomy.
Excellent piece and yes, please keep more like this coming. Too many people do not understand what a second Trump term would mean not only for our individual lives but the entirety of our nation. It truly is frightening. But we need to channel that fear and anger into action, which is where things like Vote Save America come in. Join your local party or local groups and at the least donate to candidates and campaigns. Together we can do it.
Absolutely right.
Thanks Dan. We can start by pointing to What’s happening in Alabama with IVF as a blueprint for what will happen nationally of Trump wins.
You know we live in a crazy world when Alabama is a thought leader on any topic. First Mississippi originated Dobbs, now Alabama with “Blastocysts are people too!” The GOP is truly infested with MAGA if this is where they incubate ideas.
They also tried to remove the age limit for marriage. ANY age limit.
Well, of course. It’s now legal for 14 year-olds to have full time jobs. So they can support a family, right? So they can breed more workers quickly. Perhaps they can start a service—like Blue Apron—to distribute all the frozen blastocysts to the uneducated future Alabamians.
Also... having read Dan's list of what would likely happen in a Christian Nationalist Trump presidency, I am wondering if it could actually get even worse. I recently learned that women were not allowed to own their own credit cards until the 1970's. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this.) As a single older woman, I am concerned that women could end up being considered second class citizens... and if you're a woman of color it would probably be even worse. I really hope this is just anxiety and not something that could actually happen!
When I started in banking in 1971, a married woman could only sell real estate (even if in her name solely) with the consent of her husband. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. A married woman could take out a loan (that she qualified for) only with her husband’s written permission. Same with a credit card. A single, widowed or divorced woman’s status would have to be mentioned in the application to ensure there could be no legal challenge on those grounds.
I never imagined we could progress from that and regress all in 50 years.
Add to that the potential added civic burden of being a woman from a minority status or an LGBTQ person.
You are right. I think we have difficulty imagining a culture of "tyranny." It will come toward us quickly but quietly at first--but eventually--it will overwhelm us unless we fight back now. Trump's Fascism will ruin all of us, but women are truly in danger first.
I definitely think it could get worse. I imagine the way the culture war stuff makes us censor ourselves in public. I imagine a world where no one can actually "be themselves" but take it a step further to restrictions on libraries, free speech and academic freedom, voting rights? The evaporation of an open press and media landscape, such as it is, is a nightmare. Finally--a full out attack on all forms of environmental regulation and investment in scientific research. It could be like a return to the Middle Ages, with electricity. I can imagine politicized Courts and Police Forces. What happens when safe places and public goods begin to go away? An "authoritarian society" would be a lot about how we live. I do not want to increase anxiety or traffic in fear mongering---but I do think getting serious about informing our friends and neighbors is really important.
Not to mention using the military to round up immigrants and hold them in camps. Now I hear of his latest strategy to stoke fear and violence, “migrant crime.” I can envision extending the round ups to include homeless people.
In 1974, when I was 21 I tried to get a car loan from the bank I had used since I was 16. I was told I would need my husband’s signature. I was single. The car dealership told me I needed my father’s signature. He said no. Finally the dealership owner said he would guarantee me to his bank. Only way I got my car.
Good heavens... that is incredible! I never knew that because I was still a student (senior in college then grad school) around that time and wasn't at the point where I needed a credit card, a car, or a house. Guess I was lucky that by the time I was ready, the laws had changed. But as we've all found out over the past six or seven years, nothing we have can be taken for granted.
What was even sadder to me was that the bank employee telling me no was a woman who accepted it all as okay.
100% true. Young woman need to study the suffrage movement. This is why woman were forced to stay in unhealthy and volatile relationships. They had no access to credit without their husband’s consent signing a loan. But how do we reach people that shut out the news and don’t want to talk politics? I’m freaking out over this!
I'm glad I'm not alone in being worried... but it's really terrible that so many good people have to be this afraid for the future! I'm also glad I signed up for Dan's Message Box. So many thoughtful, intelligent people reading this blog! And great ideas to share with friends and family, assuming they'll take these concerns seriously....
Rob Reiner produced a recently released documentary titled God and Country about Christian Nationalism. In an interview he stated that there is nothing Christian about the movement. It is all about power.
This is the stated overview:
Director Dan Partland examines the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only the constitutional republic, but Christianity itself.
I’m sorry I do not know where to view the documentary. It was released on February 16, 2024.
If we can widely communicate just a few of the top ten crazy ideas or crazy comments Trump has made recently, Trump will be lucky to get 20% of the suburban vote. In ‘16 and ‘20 he was offensive but now he’s outlandish and a bit removed from reality. If this current version of Trump isn’t enough to motivate people like Mattis and Kelly to campaign against him, nothing will.
You can’t say Trump is failing to give us plenty of ammunition to hit him with. Lately it’s like he’s laying the groundwork for an insanity defense.
But as someone once said, never interfere while your enemy is busy making mistakes. Let’s just put it to good use.
So true.
2 things...
1st - I ran into this Politico story on twitter yesterday, so as enshittified as X has become, it's still worth following a range of folks to pick up on news you might not pick up elsewhere.
2nd - When I read it, Dan's message about Trump's weakness in the context of dictators popped into my head. We know Trump is not a Bible thumping zealot. But he has been imminently useful to those who are. And Trump needs these people and admires these people - they rule their flocks with authoritarian, don't-believe-your-eyes cruelty and violent ideation too. He won't pursue a Christian Nationalist agenda because he believes in it. He'll do it because he's too weak to protect America from it.
So Europe and Japan are still mired in post-pandemic recession, while the U.S. economy is flying high partly because of pandemic aid like the child tax credit and partly because the steady stream of migrants to this country keeps the economy churning with cheap labor. How can it be true that this Republican Party, which under Bush/Cheney only cared about directing government resources to private companies through defense spending, now wants to blow it all to erect this fascist state? Who is going to work at McDonalds while they are rounding up all the migrants? What happens to the economy if you are forcing women to stay at home? I just don't think they have thought this through, and I wonder if they are simply running on this fear mongering platform with no intention of carrying though these plans.
Yes... I am so hoping that all the unintended consequences will cause whatever they try to do to fall apart!
Is TFG most dangerous for his NATO and isolationist views? His eagerness to strip rights from women, minorities, people with disabilities, the trans community? His planned deportation of massive numbers of immigrants? Crazy laws pushed by Christian nationalists? SCOTUS appointments? Limits on voting? Purging the government of all but T**** loyalists? Tossing out environmental regs that keep us all safe and our planet healthy? ... Gosh, just so hard to choose.
The term "Christian Nationalism" is an insult to Christians world-wide. Whenever I read the term in print, what I say in my head is, "UnChrist-like Nationalism."
The frozen embryos= children debacle might be the actual dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. It tops "You'd let a 1 year old get an abortion!" from a Missouri lawmaker a couple weeks ago.
Ruth Marcus's column in the WaPo describes what this looks like in Alabama. Multiple citations from the Bible as the basis for the decision declaring an embryo a person. Theocracy in action.
When Margaret Atwood wrote 'The Handmaid's Tale' she noted that everything she described in the book (not the TV show) had already happened somewhere.
Women, our daughters and granddaughters are counting on us, not to mention our trans children who are always in danger from these people who want to erase their existence
Inspired by Dan, I created a Dem 2024 Toolkit to help Dems sway persuadable voters in their private group threads. The toolkit includes graphics that help tell a political story and supporting documentation for any discussions that ensue.
Please use and share at will!
https://www.tumblr.com/demgraphics