| It wasn’t in the mainstream media’s headlines, but it should have been. There was President Donald Trump surrounded by twenty far-right evangelicals in the Oval Office. Shortly after the Iran War started, they laid hands on him to pray for the war effort, and in a more troubling vein, they prayed for the country to “come back to one nation under God,” a sentiment expressed by Tom Mullins of Christ Fellowship at the meeting. A state lawmaker further posted on X that they were “mobiliz[ing] the Church to bring Revival & Reformation to America!” By “Church” he clearly doesn’t mean the Catholic Church or any liberal church. He’s talking about his right-wing Christianity. He went on to credit Trump for doing more “for religious liberty than any other President in U.S. history.” What he meant is that our President had done more for them, and that should be no surprise since the architectural framework to introduce Christian Nationalism is in Trump’s governing playbook in Project 2025. | | When the United States government backs one religious perspective, though, it is handing power and privilege to that religion, at the expense of all other citizens, whether they have a different faith or no faith at all. That is a constriction of religious liberty for the majority of Americans and an establishment of religion in violation of the plain language of the First Amendment. The image of twenty evangelicals praying over Trump while he sits behind the resolute desk is yet another example of this Administration’s muscular support for Christian Nationalism and opposition of the separation of church and state. They want to make this the evangelical “Christian country” it never was. As I lay out here, the United States was never a unified “Christian country,” where one faith was shared by a majority of the people, let alone all of them. To the contrary, it has always been a country of religious diversity, with Deists, Rationalists, Jews, and Muslims joining the multiplicity of Christian sects early in our history. Many Founders and Framers were Deists, some of them anti-Christian, in fact. The United States was an ever-changing, diverse Christian-Deist-Rationalist-Jewish-Muslim country until the late 19th century, when it became even more diverse with the arrival of Buddhists and Hindus, among many others. While new religions appeared on our shores, the faiths already here have often changed through disagreement, followed by schism into separate sects. The separation of church and state that kept any one religious group from commandeering the federal and state governments has kept this extraordinary religious marketplace operating as peacefully as possible. The “Christian country” crowd, though, is rarely stymied by historical fact. They are mesmerized by the political power within their grasp. | | Trump made his preference for a certain set of beliefs clear at the annual prayer breakfast held in February in Washington, where he bragged about how he had protected “religion”, which he said was “back now and hotter than ever before.” Of course, what he means by “religion” is the politico-evangelical playbook: anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion, anti-women’s rights, and anti-children’s rights – all in exchange for votes. That’s why he asserted that he didn’t know how a “person of faith can vote for a Democrat,” which is such a dumb statement given so many Democrats are, in fact, faith-filled, just not with his favorite flavor. He further announced that on May 17, “We’re going to rededicate America as one nation under God,” otherwise called (by me) a day for the Trump administration to prove how anti-American it really is. While confabbing with his “one nation under their God” crowd on that day, he will be alienating the millions who don’t share that faith or any faith at all. | | Christian Nationalism Has Permeated the Military | | For those who might wish away the menace of Trump’s pandering to Christian Nationalists from a prayer breakfast and a few Oval Office meetings, it is worth noting that this perspective has permeated the U.S. military and has been on full display as part of the Iran War. In yet another important religion story missed by the mainstream media, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation reported that it received 110 complaints about superior officers casting the war in evangelical terms: one non-commissioned officer said their commander “urged us to tell our troops that this was 'all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.” Jonathan Larsen reported this on Substack, and it is well worth a read. The MRFF was established in 2005 to protect the religious liberty of all members of the military in response to overeager evangelicals proselytizing their subordinates. The Trump administration has kept them busy. | | War Secretary Hegseth has permeated the Pentagon with his religious right beliefs, from prayer meetings to constant reminders here and abroad. He lectured foreign leaders, saying “We face an essential test . . . whether our nations will be and remain Western nations with distinct characteristics, Christian nations under God, proud of our shared heritage with strong borders and prosperous people.” That is not to mention his Christian right tattoos! | | For those interested in what the Bible is telling evangelicals about the Iran war, you can start with Ezekiel 38:18-19 and the war of Gog and Magog. Suffice it to say that Israel and Persia (Iran) play a role, and Persia is one of the bad guys. For believers like myself, whose faith demands the separation of church and state, I’d much rather see our President being advised to wage war and imperil soldiers’ lives on secular terms, e.g., the safety and security of all Americans. Neither I nor the vast majority of Americans have a vested interest in moving forward with a minority of Americans’ Armageddon timeline. | | The Christian Nationalists’ Perception of Political Superiority Grants a License to Attack Other Believers | | While the religious right uses Trump for their religious ends and the unconstitutional Iran war is being waged in part on religious terms, the Christian Nationalists in Congress have taken this attack on Iran as an excuse to publicly castigate Muslims. The animus is ugly and has generated criticism from all corners. They are not apologizing. At the center of the storm is Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican who says Muslims have no place in the United States. | | “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” he wrote last week on the social platform X. “Pluralism is a lie.” This is a classic religious right viewpoint; the only legitimate religion is their own, and diversity or “pluralism” threatens society. They are opposed to the separation of church and state, because it doesn’t privilege their faith. | | It’s not just opposition to pluralism, though, but also self-righteous hate. For example, Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) recently said, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” Fine wrote on X. Later, he added, “We need more Islamophobia, not less.” That an elected member of Congress would say this to the millions of law-abiding Muslims in the United States is shameful and an attack on the First Amendment’s absolute right to believe whatever one chooses. Of course, Christian Nationalism is in direct opposition to that absolute right. | | House Speaker Mike Johnson failed to pull back the rhetoric, saying, “There’s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem. That’s what animates this.” He didn’t just fail, but he made a fool of himself. No one is demanding sharia law replace democracy in the United States. That’s Iran, buddy. | | It wasn’t just members of the House of Representatives who insulted all Muslims. Last week, Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor in New York history, hosted a traditional Ramadan ceremony with Muslim city workers. In response, Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) highlighted a social media post juxtaposing the religious ritual with the 9/11 attacks — an unsubtle message that the senator believes all Muslims are intent on committing violence against America. This was ridiculous to the extreme. Lots of Christian representatives and mayors have attended Ramadan ceremonies, Jewish ceremonies, and Hindu ceremonies, among many others. That is what a leader who respects our brilliant diversity does. | | The Trump administration’s pandering to the Christian Nationalists created a permission structure for these attacks on Muslims, so it shouldn’t be surprising, but it is anti-American. Peaceful religious diversity is one of the great strengths of this country. Over the centuries, the surest path to religious war is through the union of power between government and a faith that demonizes its faith enemies. Let’s not go there. |
|
Have friends who like law? Forward this email. 
Like Verdict for legal discussions on Facebook. 
Follow @verdictjustia for news and updates on Twitter. 
