‘A Bible-sized blind spot’: congressman sounds alarm on rising Christian nationalism

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/26/jared-huffman-rising-christian-nationalism-no-prophets-book

51 points · 10 comments · view on lemmy.world

10 Comments

nixfreak@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 16d (1 reply)

Take away all religious exempt status. Tax all their assets , properties, accounts everything. Put laws in place to ban all religious activity in public office.

eldavi@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 16d

i agree and i'm thankful for this sentiment because i wouldn't exist without it. lol

almost a 100 years ago, my grandfather's political faction managed to convince the federal gov't to do exactly what your comment advocates for doing and it resulted in the churches giving guns and rifles to its congregants and sending out posses to kill people -- like my grandfather's first wife and youngest children -- and intimidate the rest to pressure them into leaving -- like my grandfather did with his only surviving son.

the fact that the same thing had been tried before several times in history -- and it had always ended up in the same way each time -- somehow never seemed to part of the chain of events that ended up creating the cristero rebellion and calls to arms like this one seem intent on repeating this cycle for humanity. (or atleast that's the only conclusion i can draw).

the culture wars prove how easily these christian nationalists can be triggered and our ruling epstein class would be more than happy to give them whatever material support their christian nationalists hearts could ever desire should they ever feel like they need to defend GOD-AND-COUNTRY^TM^ like my grandfather's neighbors did to him and his first family.

UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 17d

This article is just a recap of one Congressman's life. It has virtually nothing to do with the headline.

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 17d (6 replies)

No one is better qualified to make this case than Huffman, the only current member of Congress to admit he does not believe in God.

I don’t know… that means he’s likely to be against anything religious or faith based showing up anywhere near politics, making any argument about Christian Nationalism significantly weaker.

What I’d like to see is American Christians and churches speaking up about this, identifying that there’s a difference between Christian faith and Christian nationalism. The relative silence THERE speaks louder to me than Huffman.

arctanthrope@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 17d (1 reply)

he’s likely to be against anything religious or faith based showing up anywhere near politics

yes, that's how it's supposed to work. that's what the phrase "separation of church and state" means

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 17d

It’s actually not; it’s about separating the powers of the state from the powers of the church; to the state, each person is supposed to be equal, no matter whether they’re an atheist or the Pope. To the church, each person is supposed to be equal, whether they’re an anarchist or the POTUS.

SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 17d (2 replies)

What I’d like to see is American Christians and churches speaking up about this, identifying that there’s a difference between Christian faith and Christian nationalism.

There isn't, though. Read the bible. Domination was always the plan.

adespoton@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 17d (1 reply)

Which Bible are you reading?

While the Judaism of the Old Testament is definitely nationalist, Christianity didn’t become connected to nation and politics until Constantine. Jesus was quoted as saying “my kingdom is not of this world” — the entire reason Pilate was said to send him back to the Jews for punishment was that he didn’t see a political angle to what Jesus had been saying and doing — there was no threat to Rome.

SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 17d

Jesus said many conflicting things, including that he is the god of the old testament. Also:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

"Love the god who commands slave rape and genocide, and who promised certain land to his chosen people."

What does Romans have to say?

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

"Submit completely to authority, always. All authority is christian authority."

You can cherry-pick around the nationalism, but you cannot deny that it is present throughout the bible.

SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 17d

Every grown adult needs to acknowledge that the abrahamic faiths are baseless death cults.

We cannot tolerate our own slaughter.