MOHAMMED KHAKU
Fedrick Douglass had hope his Christian master Thomas Auld would one day emancipate his slaves and will be kinder and more humane instead, Douglass writes,
“If it had any effect on his character, it made him more cruel and hateful in all his ways.” Auld was ostentatious about his piety—praying “morning, noon, and night…but he used his faith as license to inflict pain and suffering upon his slaves…I have seen him tie up a lame young woman, and whip her with a heavy cow skin belt upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip; and, in justification of the bloody deed, he would quote this passage of Scripture— ‘He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes,’
Yet, one hundred thirty-seven after Douglass’s death, the American churches is still struggling to eradicate the legacy of the slavery and racism.
Just three years ago in the 2019 nationwide survey, eighty-six per cent of white evangelical Protestants said that the “Confederate flag is more a symbol of Southern pride than of racism”.
Nearly two-thirds (66%) of white Christians overall said that killings of African American men by the police are isolated incidents rather than part of a broader pattern of mistreatment.
While more than six in ten white Christians disagreed with the statement that “generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower class.”
The Church leaders and GOP politicians in the South are still struggling to accept the defeat in the Civil War, and hence are now coming up with all kinds of voter restriction, Critical Race theory, and replacement theory. They are creating laws of the Jim Crow era.
The Christian Right is a lost cause, a mythology that ennobled the Confederacy and idealized the antebellum South as a bastion of Christian piety and morals.
The Christian Right Advocates Protestant White Supremacy, White Nationalism, anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, Anti-immigration, and anti-Muslim. This anti ideology has seeped into the State houses and churches across the nation
Today the slave-holding Christian Right advocates “Critical Race Theory”, and “Replacement theory” which preached on Fox News, conservative talk radio, and the Christian right-wing media ecosystem.
The Department of Homeland Security has declared that white supremacists (Christina Right) “remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland.”
President Joe Biden used the words “white supremacy” in his inaugural address calling “poison…running through our body politic.”
Surely, white supremacy and its ideology are poison so, too is the Christian Right that has nourished due to Donald Trump, Mega Church preachers and GOP.
The Christian Right has exploited Bible and Christianity to radicalize and mobilize its violent members to terrorize lawmakers and immigrants.
The history white supremacy groups, such as the KKK and the creativity movement (known as the Church of Creator) is not glamorous as Taliban or ISIS.
These groups have incorporated Christian religious texts, and symbolism into their group ideology and activities to justify violence and violating the law.
Christian Right followers refer to themselves as “Holy Warriors” or “Phineas Priests,” are inspired by scriptural interpretations to justify violence in the name of religion.
“Phineas (Priesthood) believe they have been called to be “God’s Holy Warriors?”
The term Phineas Priest is derived from the biblical story of Phineas, and follow the ideology “Vigilantes of Christendom” book by Richard Kelly Hoskins which many adherents interpret as justifying the killing of interracial couples, homosexuals, and abortion provider.
These apocalyptic teachings have also been linked with the radicalization of militia extremist members such as Hutaree militia in Lenawee County, Michigan, who were arrested in March 2010 for conspiring to attack police officers.
Hutaree website references the story of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25: 1-12). The verses declare, “The wise ones took enough oil to last the whole night ….and to meet the bridegroom, and virgins.”
In 1973 the Florida Ben Klassen neo-Nazi Creativity Movement Christian right formed the white race only group to combat the Jewish domination, and immigration.
Ben Klassen authored two primary religious texts of antisemitism and racist Nordic mythology. One wonder which religious school or church Ron DeSantis attended.
The Kloran, (Portmanteau of Klan) is a universal KKK handbook, featuring detailed descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of KKK members and procedures.
“The Army of God” uses symbols and logos such as “Blood Drop Cross” symbolizing martyrdom, crucifixion, resurrection and the atonement of Jesus Christ.
However, some group have logos as the soldier’s helmet hanging off the cross with a bomb featuring a lit fuse inside a box and the words “The Army of God” (AOG) are inscribed over and below the cross and bomb to radicalize the youths.
Army of God (AOG) perpetuates the belief the killing of abortion provider is justified as doing God’s work where the God is the commander of chief.
The Christian Right erroneously believe their doctrine is inspired and sanctioned by God. They adamantly claim that the founding fathers used the Bible to write the U.S. Constitution and the U.S is a Christian country.
The Christian Right advocated antigovernment conspiracy theories together with apocalyptic, biblical prophecies of the second coming of Jesus for recruitment, and radicalization.
The antiabortion violence by Christian Right is based on Christian religious beliefs and uses of Biblical scripture. They refer abortion as “silent holocaust” and the providers as “serial killers”.
The Christian Right have literally hijacked religious doctrine to justify the violent attack on the Capital on Jan 6th insurrection or regime change as God commanded.
Over the years Christian Right has played an essential role in armed confrontations with the government like the Arm of the Lord standoff in 1985, the siege at Ruby Ridge in 1992, and Waco in 1993.
Jan 6th regime change has threatened our safety and democracy. However, if the same kind of violent actions were being committed by Muslims there would all be at Guantanamo Bay.
Jan 6th was a greatest domestic threat, but also a troubling religious double standard. If it were Muslims a term “radical Islamic terrorism,” would be all over the air wave 24/7.
Jan 6th was a Christian nationalism by Christian right groups. We must attach and use the words like white Christian nationalism and domestic terrorism in the same sentence. You need to call Spade a Spade.