Why are some Christians also QAnon believers and joining others storming the Capitol?
Below are some links and quotations addressing this issue:
Book Review by Clif: The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart.
Blog by Ted Grimsrud: Does Christianity prepare people to be misled by those in power?
".. I wonder if the willingness to ground Christianity on non-evidential, non-rational, even at times magical thinking and mystification, has also led Christians to accept claims from political leaders that are non-evidential, non-rational, and even magical thinking." (Note: Ted Grimsrud is a retired Seminary Professor at Eastern Mennonite University.)
NPR, Militant Christian Nationalists Remain a Potent Force:
Blog by Ted Grimsrud: Does Christianity prepare people to be misled by those in power?
".. I wonder if the willingness to ground Christianity on non-evidential, non-rational, even at times magical thinking and mystification, has also led Christians to accept claims from political leaders that are non-evidential, non-rational, and even magical thinking." (Note: Ted Grimsrud is a retired Seminary Professor at Eastern Mennonite University.)
NPR, Militant Christian Nationalists Remain a Potent Force:
Among the flags at the rally was a big yellow banner that said "JESUS SAVES." The same banner was seen again in the crowd that assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, among other examples of Christian imagery. One of the leaders of the invasion of the Senate chamber, Jacob Chansley, actually asked the rioters to pause in their rampage and join him for a moment of prayer to God. "Thank you for allowing the United States to be reborn," Chansley said, standing on the dais occupied a few hours earlier by Vice President Pence. "We love you and we thank you. In Christ's holy name, we pray," Chansley said, as recorded in a video by Luke Mogelson, a writer at The New Yorker. The rioters, many of whom had quietly removed their hats, erupted in a cry of "Amen!" … Inherent in the idea of Christian nationalism is the idea that America is representative of God's truth, and for that reason it needs to be defended. It needs to be protected," says Kristin du Mez, a historian at Calvin University and author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith and Fractured A Nation. "Because the dangers are so great and the stakes are so high, that often will require violence. It's violence for the sake of righteousness, violence to achieve order, violence to bring peace and security," du Mez says. "There's a willingness to do what needs to be done.
Excerpt from Introduction, pg. 4, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart
This is not a book about "evangelicals." The movement I am describing includes many people who identify as evangelical, but it excludes many evangelicals, too, and it includes conservative representatives of other varieties of Protestant and non-Protestant religion. This movement is a form of nationalism because it purports to derive its legitimacy from its claim to represent a specific identity unique to and representative of the American nation."
NPR, How QAnon Conspiracy Is Spreading In Christian Communities Across The U.S.:
The false conspiracy theory known as QAnon is moving from fringe Internet chatrooms into mainstream politics.
Religion News Service by Katelyn Beaty, QAnon: The Alternative Religion That's Coming To Your Church:
Teaching susceptible Christians media literacy won’t counteract their sudden, widespread adherence to conspiracy theories because these Christians thrive on a narrative of media cover-up.
Politico, It’s Time to Talk About Violent Christian Extremism:
There’s a “strong authoritarian streak” that runs through parts of American evangelicalism, warns Elizabeth Neumann. What should be done about it?
Now, after the dangerous QAnon conspiracy theory helped to motivate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, with many participants touting their Christian faith — and as evangelical pastors throughout the country ache over the spread of the conspiracy theory among their flocks, and its very real human toll — it’s worth asking whether the time has come for a new wave of outreach to religious communities, this time aimed at evangelical Christians.
There’s a “strong authoritarian streak” that runs through parts of American evangelicalism, warns Elizabeth Neumann. What should be done about it?
Now, after the dangerous QAnon conspiracy theory helped to motivate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, with many participants touting their Christian faith — and as evangelical pastors throughout the country ache over the spread of the conspiracy theory among their flocks, and its very real human toll — it’s worth asking whether the time has come for a new wave of outreach to religious communities, this time aimed at evangelical Christians.
Washington Post, Christian nationalists and QAnon followers tend to be anti-Semitic:
Religion in Public blog, The Anti-Semitism of Christian Nationalists Thanks to QAnon:
The convergence of QAnon, Christian, and anti-Semitic symbols lead us to ask whether these are discrete elements of Trump supporters opposed to the election results or whether these symbols are related. Are these just random symbols tattooed on the torso of the “QAnon Shaman,” Jake Chansley? Or are Christian nationalists also anti-Semitic, QAnon supporters? Turns out, they are strongly related.
That was seen in the Capitol attack. Our research finds that identification with QAnon, Christian nationalism, Donald Trump and anti-Semitism are tightly linked.
Religion in Public blog, The Anti-Semitism of Christian Nationalists Thanks to QAnon:
The convergence of QAnon, Christian, and anti-Semitic symbols lead us to ask whether these are discrete elements of Trump supporters opposed to the election results or whether these symbols are related. Are these just random symbols tattooed on the torso of the “QAnon Shaman,” Jake Chansley? Or are Christian nationalists also anti-Semitic, QAnon supporters? Turns out, they are strongly related.
The following is link to an excerpt from The Power Worshippers, by Katherine Stewart. It explains Biblical support for economic deregulation and wealth disparity.
