Opinion: Unpacking faith-based nationalism
Published: 01-29-2023 6:30 AM |
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Rocker in his Concord home: Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.
Faith-based nationalism is a separatist movement by a splinter group from a primary religious faith. It is founded on the belief that God has bestowed upon their nation a unique privilege and responsibility to represent their particular belief dogma.
It is the duty of this splinter group to promote and defend at all costs the implementation of their faith doctrine in every public arena. They are fearful and believe they are being victimized and persecuted. Therefore, they turn to religious nationalism to build their nation into a safe enclave of like-minded believers, demanding all others comply.
Faith-based nationalism is a scourge that challenges governance, democracy, and civic diversity in a country. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has said all Republicans should be Christian nationalists. There are others who believe that all Americans should be Christian nationalists, believing that America is defined by “Christianity,” and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. America is and must remain a “Christian nation,” grounded in American history and aspiring to continue to be so into the future.
Christian nationalism is an overwhelmingly white American ideology, and tends to exacerbate racial and ethnic divides. Christian nationalists believe that they have the God-given right to usurp any governmental power, even to the point of violence, if that power does not align with their understanding of biblical Christian principles.
On the surface, it appears religious faiths, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are the initiators and bear the responsibility for the rise of faith-based nationalism that conveys oppression and threatens freedom. However, a more careful analysis reveals that religious nationalism is incompatible with the belief systems of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
These faiths are not bound by nor defined by national boundaries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is drawing criticism from many Jews for saying that Israel is “the national state, not of all its citizens, but only of the Jewish people.”
According to mainstream scholars from both Shi’a and Sunni sects, nationalism is totally incompatible with Islam. The notion of the inherent superiority of one tribe over another is denounced as “arrogance of the times of ignorance.”
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And, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice has written, “Christian nationalism rejects Christ’s teachings and manipulates our faith to deny the inherent dignity of every person.” It is apparent that the corrupt ideology of faith-based nationalism is initiated by disillusioned sub-groups distorting their major faith affiliations.
Christian nationalism is a serious threat to the United States that is committed to, “all men sic. are created equal.” This threat has been asserted by Amanda Tyler, the co-organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. She said in her testimony before a December hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to study white nationalism, “Christian nationalism seeks to manipulate religious devotion into giving unquestioning moral support for its political goals… Understanding the political ideology and cultural framework of Christian nationalism is imperative to both dismantling white supremacy and preserving religious freedom for all. ... Our belonging in American society must never depend on how we worship, what we believe or how we identify religiously.”
The political ideology and cultural framework of Christian nationalism are fraught with fallacies. The cry for religious freedom for all people is distorted to “freedom for a chosen people.” Using violence to achieve Christian nation status for the country is counter to the teachings of Christianity and the principles of America’s democratic process.
In fact, Christian nationalism is anti-democratic. Its aspiration is to establish a kingdom – the “kingdom of God.” It is linked with exclusive superiority of white nationalism as witnessed in the riot at the U.S. Capital on January 6. The insurrection included the display of crosses and other Christian symbols next to “Make America Great Again” and QAnon banners.
Also, there is the fallacy of believing the United States is and always has been, a God-ordained Christian nation. The real ideology that inspired the colonial protest movement of the 1760s drew on classical and early modern rather than Christian sources.
“The doctrines of mixed and balanced government, the separation of powers, and all the other principles of prudential politics associated with the Federal Constitution were drawn from the writings of European philosophers rather than biblical prophets.” (“Deism and the Founding of the United States,” Darren Staloff, Divining America).
Christian nationalism is a distortion of Christianity and a danger to democracy. A survey by Politico reported that 38% of the respondents were in favor of declaring the U.S. a Christian nation.
Driven by fear and hegemony, it is a major source of the division plaguing our country. It denies freedom and dignity for all people who are not included in its ideology. It joins with the movement of faith-based nationalism that threatens nations throughout the world.
However, these movements do not represent the essence of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. In opposition to nationalism, they have given the world commitment to a vision of the possibilities inherent in human beings to be good neighbors to all people and to be caretakers of the earth. That is a vision to take seriously.
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