This Strikes Me as True — And Terrifying

This constitutes a compelling case that white evangelical fundamentalists, their ultimate goal is to create a religion and race based dictatorship.

The more cynical among you (Bear who Swims) might just shrug their shoulders and say, "So Nu?", but this is a threatening development:

Members of the pundit corps seem to believe white evangelical Protestants (WEPs) have politicized their faith. They seem to believe the disgraced former president is the reason why. To be sure, there is something to this. After all, some adherents, especially younger ones, have fled congregations, increasing the ranks of mainline churches, according to the latest Pew poll. But on the whole, the idea that WEPs have politicized their religion overlooks a reality few are capable of seeing: It’s always been politicized.

………

What if it’s sane, though? What if it’s rational? What if all this is being done according to a coherent set of principles by which members of the in-group are right even if members of the in-group die by the covid like everyone else? 

………

What exvangelicals know that normal people like Jennifer Rubin cannot know, because they did not emerge from that religious tradition (I think she’s Jewish), is that WEPs believe they are God’s chosen (or will be). They tend to believe the United States was given to “real Americans” by God to be ruled in His name. Those who are not God’s chosen are pretty much disposable. (After all, He knows who the righteous are.) The WEP identity is furthermore based not so much of what they are but on what they are not. We are not them. They are enmeshed in the world. We live here temporarily until The End. They represent a multiracial republic. We believe Christ is our King. The degradation is democracy isn’t regrettable. It’s desirable. Theocracy is the goal. 

………

How does someone look in the mirror? That’s easy. Morality is obedience to God’s authority. Morality is not doing to others what you would have done to you. (If that’s the lesson Michael Gerson learned, he obviously learned the wrong lesson.) As long as white evangelical Protestants obey God and His law, they will remain His chosen. More importantly, they won’t become one of them. They deserve whatever’s coming to them. We rejoice in seeing God’s will be done. Sure, white evangelical Protestants get sick and die, too, but that means little to the authoritarian mind. Fox News, Ted Cruz and the disgraced former president are not instilling terror any more than they are politicizing religion. They are merely vivifying what was always already there.

They and Them are Blacks, Hispanics, Catholics, mainline Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, etc.

This is why they supported, and continue to support, Donald Trump:  They know that he will further their goals.

I don't know what to do about this, I find the idea of the FBI engaging in religion based "sting" operations morally abhorrent whether conducted against fundamentalist Muslims or fundamentalist Christians.