“Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” These are the words of President Barack Obama, speaking in 2006 on the intersection of church and state, and how the proverbial “wall of separation” protects both.
[Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images]
Unfortunately, Obama’s address of the theocratic movements in the United States hasn’t stopped Christian Nationalists from hijacking a political party to push a divisive and exclusive agenda that promotes the idea that only one religious group should have true freedom in the U.S., and that this group should also dominate and control politics.
Two recent clips emphasize the current wave of MAGA-centric Christian Nationalism.
See, first, a recent declaration from Michael Flynn, who served as an advisor to Donald Trump and did prison time for lying to Congress to protect him, before Trump returned the favor with a commutation of sentence and a full pardon. Here, he’s at a religious conference and assures the audience that America cannot be “one nation under God” unless the nation is united in a single religion.
Michael Flynn tonight: “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God.” pic.twitter.com/ShGVrsQ9hW
Notably, “under God” wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954. The phrase was added, as explained here at U.S. History, in response to the communist threat.
The Pledge of Allegiance is also not a governing document. The U.S. Constitution, which in fact is a governing document, declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” — meaning that the government isn’t allowed to establish or show preference for any religious group or belief system over others.
However, this hasn’t stopped Christian Nationalists from taking positions in government and continuing to try to push for Christian supremacy.
Here’s Lauren Boebert, claiming that Democrats reject Christianity, and suggesting that this is a reason for the U.S. in turn to reject Democrats.
“There is a higher, more majestic being that is above government and that’s something that the Democrat[ic] Party fails to recognize,” she asserts.
(Notably, Republicans keep attacking President Joe Biden’s Christianity in particular.)
Ultimately, there’s a significant effort in the MAGA wing of the GOP to push Christian supremacy and Christian Nationalism — and it’s threatening the country.
Steph Bazzle reports on social issues and religion for Hill Reporter. She focuses on stories that speak to everyone's right to practice what they believe in and receive the support of their communities and government officials. You can reach her at Steph@HillReporter.com
