From rapturous adoration of one God to rabid disbelief in all of them, humans offer a magnificent spectrum of religious attitudes. For centuries religions held vast power in governments, too often to the detriment of the other-believers and non-believers they ruled. It wasn’t always the sole cause, but religious has been a contributing cause of bloodshed and repression around the world and continues in too many countries today. One of the pivotal achievements of the US Constitution was establishment of a secular government; one that allowed all religions but didn’t depend on any set of religious tenets for its power. And today, that central protection for all of us is threatened by the creeping cancer of Theocracy.
THIS IS NOT A SCREED AGAINST RELIGION. Nothing is more important to an individual than their answers to the Big Questions of why we’re here, and what we should do while we are. There are currently 7.9 billion people on the planet and 7.9 billion different answers to those questions. Whether your personal answer is God, gods, or no god at all, few things could be as oppressive as a government telling you to behave against your answer. As Mao said, “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”, and Theocracy puts the gun in God’s hands. Maybe (maybe!) that’s OK as long as the government interprets God’s will as you do but unfortunately, when government speaks for any god, it’s a god very few people would acknowledge.
Nor is this a screed against religious people in government. Governments are made of people, and people’s religious ideas deeply affect their beliefs about what kind of society to work for, what justice for their fellow citizens looks like, and more. In American politics the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and evangelical Baptist Jimmy Carter are just two sterling examples of people shaped by religion, but who turned those principles into broader secular values for government. The Constitution specifies “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”, but no religious test should ever forbid a person from office, either.
No, this is a screed against the Fascism coming to America “wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross”. It’s a screed against people who would pimp God, whether their own god or others’, for political power. It’s a screed against people who can’t justify proposals rationally and so turn to divine bludgeons instead. It’s a screed against people or groups who would replace government “of, by, and for the people” with anything else. And we hope it’s a warning that this is going on, both loudly and quietly, right now.
(Editor’s note- The material in this article deals exclusively with America and Christianity because that’s the variety of Theocracy threatening us here. By focusing on American problems we don’t mean to bash Christianity, or imply that this problem is specific to Christianity, or belittle the threat from Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, or any other –ism that could seize (or already has seized) political power. It’s solely cultural relevance.)
Was the US founded as a theocracy?
“America is a Christian Nation!” is a common phrase, but is it true? There may be reason to think so. America was certainly founded by Christians (or Deists, or Theists, but all with a Christian bent). We’ve had Christian cultural influences since the Founding, and around 65-70% of Americans are Christian today. But still, does that make us a Christian nation? The Founders themselves didn’t think so. In the Treaty of Tripoli, ratified unanimously by the Senate and signed in 1796 by President John Adams, they explicitly said “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion”. If the Founders, widely hailed as geniuses, intended government to be centered on God then it’s conspicuous they only mentioned him twice in the Declaration and not at all in the Constitution. Nevertheless, the debate continues and depending on your definition of “Christian Nation” the answer could be yes or no. We assume the answer is ‘no’ for the purposes of this article, but here are links to both sides of the fight…
America is a Christian Nation- Quotes
America is not a Christian Nation- Quotes
What politicians mean when they say the United States was founded as a Christian nation, Sam Haselby in Washington Post, Jul 2017
Is America A Christian Nation?, Americans United For Separation of Church and State
Is America a Christian nation? Pastors at odds about fusion of faith and politics, Taylor Mooney on CBSNews, Mar 2021
Why God Is In The Declaration But Not The Constitution, Anthony Minna in Journal of the American Revolution, Feb 2016
The Theocrats are coming!
American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century, Kevin Phillips, Mar 2007
Since religious people are in government, since religion is culturally important, and since secular and religious considerations often overlap, the precise point when a government tips over into a Theocracy can be subjective. The many definitions revolve around a government controlled by people claiming a divine authority, but that divine authority could influence government in many ways. For example, Christian Nationalists are a particularly virulent subset of Theocrats… all Christian Nationalists are Theocrats, but not all Theocrats are Christian Nationalists. But both represent threats. And here they come…
Vanilla Theocrats
This is the religious right’s radical new plan: The very real efforts to create an American theocracy in plain sight, Paul Rosenberg on Salon, Jan 2016
Opinion: Should religion and politics mix?, Jennifer Rubin in Washington Post, Dec 2019
God Is Now Trump’s Co-Conspirator- Bigotry, both racial and religious, is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Paul Krugman in NY Times, Oct 2019
Trump weighs conditioning foreign aid on religious freedom, Nahal Toosi and Gabby Orr on Politico.com, Nov 2019
Trump tells evangelical rally he will put prayer in schools, Jeff Mason and Heather Timmons on Reuters, Jan 2020
This Is How Theocracy Shrivels, David Brooks in New York Times, Aug 2021
Mess in Texas: A Theocracy That Enshrines White, Male Power, John Casey on Yahoo News, Sep 2021
American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century, Kevin Phillips, Mar 2007
A Political Warning Shot: ‘American Theocracy’, Terry Gross interview with Kevin Phillips, NPR’s Fresh Air, Mar 2006
Hobby Lobby advocates for a Christian-run government in Independence Day ads placed in many national newspapers, Sarah Al-Arshani in Business Insider, Jul 2021
The Christianization of U.S. Foreign Policy, Kathryn Joyce in The New Republic, Mar 2019
Trump administration moves to protect prayer in public schools and federal funds for religious organizations, Moriah Balingit and Ariana Eunjung Cha in Washington Post, Jan 2020
Mike Pence’s Office Rerouted Foreign Aid Money To Favored Christian Groups, ProPublica on Crooks and Liars, Nov 2019
Half of Americans say Bible should influence U.S. laws, including 28% who favor it over the will of the people, Michael Lipka at Pew Research Center, Apr 2020
Arkansas Republicans Who Pushed Anti-Trans Bill Pass a Bill to Teach Creationism, Jon Skolnik in Salon, Apr 2021
Taxpayers fund schools that deny evolution, endorse slavery and indigenous genocide, Cory Doctorow in Church and State, Jun 2018
Florida Bill Prevents kis from studying subjects their parents don’t agree with, Val Wilde on The Friendly Atheist, Feb 2020
Does the bill just passed by the Ohio House allow students to be wrong in science class without penalty if they cite religious reasons?, Valerie Strauss in Washington Post, Nov 2019
New Ohio law would let students invoke their religion to give wrong answers, Lisa Needham in American Independent, Nov 2019
A conservative Christian group is pushing Bible classes in public schools nationwide — and it’s working, Julie Zauzmer Weil in Washington Post, May 2019
Christian Nation: A Novel Frederic Rich, 2013
Christian Nationalists
Who’s Afraid Of Secularism? The U.S. Constitution Mandates That Our Government Be Officially Non-Religious. To Christian Nationalists, That’s A Problem, Rob Boston on Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Dec 2019
‘Christian Nationalist’ Bible Promotes False Story Of The Origins Of U.S. Law, Rob Boston in Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Jun 2021
What is Christian nationalism? In a Christian Chronicle Q&A, scholars discuss the trend and its impact on Churches of Christ. Bobby Ross in Christian Chronicle, Oct 2020
Christian Nationalism Explained: An Interview with Rutgers Professor Joseph Williams, John Chadwick at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences,
How ‘In God We Trust’ bills are helping advance a Christian nationalist agenda, Kristina Lee in The Conversation, Jul 2021
Militant Christian Nationalists Remain A Potent Force, Even After The Capitol Riot, Tom Gjelten on NPR, Jan 2021
The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American, Andrew L. Seidel, May 2019
An American Kingdom- A new and rapidly growing Christian movement is openly political, wants a nation under God’s authority, and is central to Donald Trump’s GOP, Stephanie McCrummen in Washington Post, Jul 2021
Insurrection and Christian Nationalism (video with constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel), The Thinking Atheist, Feb 2021
An American theocracy: the advance of Christian nationalism, Mike Scrafton, Jan 2021
White Christian Nationalists: Who Are They? What Do They Want? Why Should You Care?, Rob Boston in Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Apr 2021
Christian Nationalism isn’t what Jesus would do, Buzz Thomas on The Daily Times, Feb 2021
How Christian Nationalism Moved From The Fringe To The White House, Karl Richter in Texas Observer, Mar 2020
Christian Nationalists Are Drafting Legislation for State Republicans: Report, Matt Stieb in NYMag’s Intelligencer, Jan 2020
Roughly Half the Electorate Views Christian Nationalism as a Threat, Joanna Piacenza on Morning Consult, Apr 2019
In their own words
Governmental officials are routinely expected to explain or justify their positions. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a religious motivation for a proposal, but much less acceptable if that’s the only rationale behind it. Here are several examples of people, politicians and others, crossing over the line.
Christian TV Host Rick Wiles: “We Are Going to Impose Christian Rule in this Country”, Church and State, May 2020
Franklin Graham attacks Anthony Fauci because “Science isn’t truth. God is.”, Bil Browning on LGBTQNation, Jun 2020
Pat Robertson Calls For Establishing Biblical Law As The Law Of The Land, Stephen Foster Jr. in Church and State, Dec 2014
Neil Gorsuch says no-one can sue to stop government establishing religion, Rmuse on Church and State, Mar 2019
Lauren Boebert Says Government Should Be Run by ‘Righteous Men and Women of God’, Kyle Mantyla on Right Wing Watch, Sep 2021
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Racism Won’t End Until The Left Learns To ‘Accept Jesus’, Michael Stone on Patheos.com, Jun 2020
Mike Pompeo: I use my role as Secretary of State to ‘profess’ Christianity to world leaders, Megan Hamilton on DeadState.org, Apr 2020
Mike Pence wants Creationism Taught in Public Schools, Michael Stone on Patheos.com, Aug 2016
Attorney General Barr Rages Against Secularist “Assault” on Religion, Pema Levy on Mother Jones, Oct 2019
AG Bill Barr: Non-religious people are responsible for ‘senseless violence and drug overdoses’, Sky Palma on DeadState, Oct 2019
Ben Shapiro, Theocrat, Amazing Atheist, May 2020
Republican Lawmaker: It’s ‘Impossible’ To Separate Church From State, Jake Thomas in The Intellectualist, Feb 2020
Jeff Sessions’ ludicrous “religious liberty” task force is the real threat to liberty, Amanda Marcotte in Salon, Aug 2018
The unbearable wrongness of William Barr: Secularism doesn’t destroy society or moral order, Phil Zuckerman in Salon, Nov 2019
Opinion: William Barr’s America vs. reality in 2020, Max Boot in Washington Post, Feb 2020
Sarah Palin’s ‘Christian Nation’ Remarks Spark Debate, Teddy Davis and Matt Loffman in ABCNews, Apr 2010
Groups in the Shadows
Individuals may hope for Theocracy, but it’s organized groups that make it happen.
Who is Trying to Turn America Into a Theocracy? Bruce Gourley on BruceGourley.com, GOOD SOURCE FOR THEOCRATIC ORGANIZATIONS
Which Religious Group Wants To Base U.S. Law On Its Faith? The Answer May Not Surprise You., Rob Boston on Americans United For Separationof Church and State, May 2019
QAnon has merged with white Christian evangelicals, experts say — and the results could be lethal, Andrew Feinberg in The Independent, Mar 2021
The Shadow Network, Bill Moyers interview with Anne Nelson, Oct 2020
The Federalist Society- A zombie army of judges is on the way. Here’s where they come from. Charles Letherwood in “Your Car Matters”, Feb 2019
The Patriarchal Allure of The Family, Sophie Gilbert in The Atlantic, Aug 2019
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, Jeff Sharlet, May 2008
The Secret Political Reach Of ‘The Family’, NPR’s Fresh Air, Nov 2009
Prayer, Politics and Power: ‘The Family’ Reveals Our Insidious American Theocracy, EJ Dickson in Rolling Stone, Aug 2019
What is the ultimate goal of ‘Project Blitz’, the Christian nationalist movement? Derek Beres on Big Think, Feb 2020
Pushing Back
As we said at the beginning, this is NOT a screed against religion or religious people. If Theocracy works at all, it only works for the religion in power and even then it’s corrosive to that religion. Many, many Christians understand this and are leading the charge against Theocracy. If you’re a Heathen who wants to fight back against Theocracy then join one of the groups below, but don’t be surprised if the people fighting next to you have to be in Church on Sunday!
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Christians Against Christian Nationalism
Freedom of Thought is Under Attack: Here’s How to Save Your Mind, Simon McCarthy-Jones in CounterPunch, Oct 2019
How Citizens of Heaven Think Through the Chaos at the Capitol, Jason Meyer on the Center for Pastor Theologians, Jan 2021
Evangelical Leaders Condemn ‘Radicalized Christian Nationalism’, Sarah McCammon on NPR, Feb 2021
Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Christian Nationalism, Sarah McCammon on NPR’s All Things Considered, Jul 2021
What Is Christian Nationalism? Paul Miller in Christianity Today, Feb 2021
The Christian nationalist assault on democracy goes stealth — but the pushback is working, Paul Rosenberg in Salon, Jul 2021
Making Christianity Our National Religion Would Be Terrible for Christianity, Elizabeth Bruenig in The New Republic, Feb 2015
Americans Have Positive Views About Religion’s Role in Society, but Want It Out of Politics, Pew Research Center, Nov 2019
