Religious Authoritarianism

A True Leader

A dangerous element in our society, which has been operating for many years, has the potential to destroy our democracy and plunge our society into a dark, oppressive state. The danger is similar to that in Iran when the Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979. In our country there is a well-organized conservative movement that could possibly seek a similar outcome; Religious Authoritarianism. We will discuss a conservative religious leader who bravely took a contrary stand and was swiftly denounced. We also discuss the movement, present day consequences, and briefly mention a scary possibility.

Joel Hunter

Joel Hunter is a pro-life pastor who formerly led an Orlando megachurch; before the recent election he announced his support for Joe Biden.^[1] He remains conservative and pro-life but is concerned that concentrating on only one issue is too narrow. The group he founded, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden, states “Poverty, lack of accessible health care services, smoking, racism and climate change are all pro-life issues.”^[2] Whenever anybody views any issue with a confined mindset, there is no way a balanced understanding could be reached; that is like living our life with one eye closed, gaining a proper perspective would be impossible. Such an approach lacks biblical balance, “a biblically shaped commitment to the sanctity of human life compels us to a consistent ethic of life that affirms the sanctity of human life from beginning to end.”^[3]

Promoting the sanctity of human life is a noble goal, but when considering only the abortion issue, all other aspects of human life are ignored. Poverty certainly affects human life; those trapped in the downward spiral of poverty have no hope for a meaningful existence until they are liberated from such a demeaning place. Many of our citizens cannot afford necessary medical procedures and medication, which leads to either more poverty or serious health problems. Smoking is certainly a health issue and a quality of life issue. Racism devalues our sisters and brothers who are disenfranchised and degraded because of some arbitrary superficial characteristic. Climate change has a profound impact on every mortal on our planet; for example this year was a record breaker for hurricanes.^[4] Each one of these issues has a profound impact on our quality and quantity of life; how can they be ignored?

This list ignores lives impacted by and lost to Covid-19; the severity of which has been ignored by our government. We discuss this below.

Religious Authoritarianism

Those who follow religious authoritarianism identify “with Christian nationalism: the idea that the United States is and ought to be a Christian nation governed under a reactionary understanding of Christian values.”^[5] This is quite similar to Muslims who overthrew the Shah of Iran; they followed an equally narrow and conservative type of Islam.

“The 2020 election is proof that religious authoritarianism is here to stay, and the early signs now indicate that the movement seems determined to reinterpret defeat at the top of the ticket as evidence of persecution and of its own righteousness. With or without Mr. Trump, they will remain committed to the illiberal politics that the president has so ably embodied.”^[6]

Those involved in this movement are well organized and fiercely committed to their cause. The focus of their existence is reaching their goals; gaining full control of government. Their command structure “is profoundly hostile to democracy and pluralism, and a certain political style that seeks to provoke moral panic, rewards the paranoid and views every partisan conflict as a conflagration, the end of the world. Partisan politics is the lifeblood of their movement.”^[7]

Three underlying realities in our society contribute to their power. The first is economic inequality, which the movement seeks to enhance rather than diminish. Those who financially support them are mainly ultra-rich conservatives seeking tax breaks and minimal regulation. The second is that those in this movement get their information from an isolated segment of news. “The fact that Mr. Trump was able to hold on to a high percentage of the vote in the face of such overwhelming evidence of malfeasance is proof enough that the religious-nationalist end of the right-wing information bubble has gotten more, not less, resistant over time.”^[8] The third and final aspect is that our political system gives more power to a well-organized and active minority.

Covid-19

Most people reading this blog are well aware of the dangers resulting from this virus; exceptions will be noted presently. I was particularly struck by a headline in the Mississippi Free Press: “After Big Thanksgiving Dinners, Plan Small Christmas Funerals, Health Experts Warn.”^[9] That not so subtle title is scary.

This paragraph is based on a blog posting by Dave Pell on NEXTDRAFT.^[10] Jodi Doering is an ER nurse in South Dakota.^[11] She had a night off and was spending it on the couch with her dog Cliff and Oreo ice cream. She could not get out of her mind experiences at the hospital. She is dedicated to her work and loves South Dakota; however her memories are filled with patients who are sick with the virus while denying it is real. “They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that ‘stuff’ because they don’t have COViD because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens. And I can’t stop thinking about it. These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them.”^[12] Dave Pell’s comment is (we call him Cool Guy): “It’s really impossible to overstate how dangerous this level of misinformation is, especially during a pandemic; when the actions of a deluded few can lead to the deaths of an enlightened many.”^[13]

Denying facts inconsistent with one’s core beliefs is a certain path toward destruction. Only when we consider facts with relation to our beliefs and adjust accordingly can we achieve true progress. This brings us to the connection between the experience of health workers like Jodi Doering and religious authoritarianism. Those following conservative ideology, especially our current president, ignore science, rationality, and anything not conforming to their expectations; to them anything outside their fundamental ideological beliefs cannot exist. The consequence is countless sick individuals who have bought into a science-denying mind set and are therefore left alone in sterile hospital rooms.

Actually they are also denying God because He has created the facts of science, the beauty of natural surroundings, and the wisdom of profound thought. God, the creator of all things and beings, cannot be confined in a single issue, cannot be restricted to any one viewpoint, and cannot be distracted by difficulty.

Anti-Christ?

The success of our current president should be a wakeup call to everyone. Imagine if someone with charisma, intelligence, political savvy, administrative skills, and speech making ability took control of one of our political movements while holding Religious Authoritarianism views. The result would be like having the Ayatollah Khomeini as our President.

1. Mark I. Pinsky “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden signers face a Fiery Blowback,” https://religionnews.com/2020/10/23/pro-life-evangelicals-for-biden-face-a-fiery-blowback/ Retrieved 11/1/2020 ↑

2. Ibid ↑

3. Ibid ↑

4. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season/ Retrieved 11/18/20. ↑

5. Katherine Stewart, “Trump or No Trump, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/opinion/trump-religion-authoritarianism.html?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=website, Retrieved 11/16/2020 ↑

6. Ibid ↑

7. Ibid ↑

8. Ibid ↑

9. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/7014/after-big-thanksgiving-dinners-plan-small-christmas-funerals-health-experts-warn/ ↑

10. https://nextdraft.com/current/ ↑

11. https://nextdraft.com/archives/n20201116/ ↑

12. Ibid ↑

13. Ibid ↑