By Lafe Tolliver, Esq
Guest Column
According to the lightweight Georgia House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, America is both a Christian nation and a Christian nationalistic nation. An oxymoron to be sure if you examine the Ying and Yang of what is proffered by Rep Greene who is known to frequent rallies at which white supremacist speakers rant and rave; and she offers no rebuttal to their vitriol.
A political gadfly, Rep. Greene is now seeking the political head of Mitch McConnell, the titular head of the US Senate Republicans on the grounds that Mitch is not supporting the Arizona election denier candidate with sufficient stridency.
Rep. Greene wants both a House and a Senate that is populated by political Neanderthals who will do the bidding of Herr Trump, who also is now seen as throwing sweet kisses to the QAnon crowd at his recent rally in Pennsylvania.
For those who have short attention spans, calling America a Christian nation is like saying both cats and dogs are alike since they both have four legs, a tail, ears and sharp teeth.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
The “America” that the original settlers founded was based upon a desire for religious freedom, but they were not fettered by any sense that all men were created equal in the eyes of God and all were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Native Americans and people of color in those colonial times need not apply for those benefits. White males only were qualified or qualifiable for acceptance in that formative culture and society.
And as far as Christian nationalism goes, it, without pretense or delusion, simply states that America’s principles are founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. Again another sleight of hands when you survey the national scene since 1619 to know that somewhere along that historical time frame, Jesus was kindly shown the door when political power fought for dominance (and has seemingly won) over Christian principles.
The fear that White Americans feel is that they are numerically becoming a minority group in American politics; and for them to see “others” clamoring for an equal seat at the table is troubling to them.
The colorization of America includes the fear of White men that their daughters are marrying minority males at higher rates, and which means, butterscotch-colored babies at their Thanksgiving tables and explaining at family reunions why their Heather or their Abigail has a husband with a first name of Ahmed or Leon.
Donald Trump senses this racial/cultural phobia with “his” people and he employs tactics to show his fearful base that with a Trump presidency, he would put the brakes on all of these mixed marriages shenanigans.
With recent polling indicating that approximately 85 percent of Americans consider themselves to be “Christian,” it is easy to understand why they would be amenable to a national statement that America is a Christian nation.
In spite of unambiguous evidence of not practicing Christian principles, White Americans enjoy the image that they are still headed for the heavenly kingdom due to mouthing Biblical principles but not obeying them.
They are able to separate the two via cognizance dissonance which allows such tortured logic to both engage in brutal American Apartheid and yet sing the hymns of Zion during their Sunday morning church assemblies! Go figure.
Now, as far as a pledge goes. If the Marjorie Taylor Greenes’ were to have their sway in Congress, it would be fitting that the public and members of Congress would agree to state via a legal fiat that America is a Christian Nation. If so, they take the following pledge:
I (insert your name) a white person of sound mind and memory and under no legal or mental restraints and knowing the glorious history of our Republic and desirous to maintain its concepts of righteousness and justice for all, do solemnly affirm that I am a member of a Christian Nation under God and I will do all needed and necessary acts to enshrine such values in the public square and in my personal dealings and that I will use my resources to counter any system of beliefs that are contrary to the principles of a Christian Nation.
_________________________________________
Signature
There you have it! Very neat and tidy and intended as a political rallying cry for those White Americans who feel that Herr Trump is their only voice for their grievances against a company that has left them scrambling for a national identity against the “hordes” of invaders who last names are not derivative from Anglo-Saxon names or a European heritage.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at tolliver@juno.com