The Country With The Fringe On Top

 The Country With The Fringe On Top

A song in the hit musical Oklahoma (1943) by Rogers and Hammerstein with a similar title, was about a surrey with a fringed top canopy. Our country seems to like the flutter of its fringe too and gives them perhaps more exposure than they are due based on their numbers. While single groups with a common purpose that we consider “fringe” elements of our society may be small, they can still do damage. This is especially true when they are joined by other fringe groups against a common enemy such as our government. If you have ever made or eaten a fruitcake, you know it takes a lot of nuts to make a good one.

One group of special concern are the so-called White Christian Nationalists (WCN). While Christian faiths account for roughly 70% of all Americans, 29% of us follow some non-Christian religion or have no religious affiliation. Within that 70%, the Christian population holds varying degrees of enthusiasm for their chosen religion. Perhaps the most fervent of these are Evangelicals who represent about 25% of our population. With these numbers to put things in perspective, we should also realize that most people of faith do not represent the more militant views of the WCN minority.

So, what is this WCN movement and why is it potentially dangerous? As we watched the events of the January 6th insurrection unfold, we saw a motley crew of cosplay commandos, Evangelicals in Jesus caps, QAnon cultists, and well-dressed country club conservatives, march together intent on abandoning our democratic process in favor of installing an authoritarian grifter to our highest office. We had a fruitcake of Evangelical Christians, Proud Boys, Nazis, etc., that was wrapped in the cloak of White Christian Nationalism. This fruitcake was “not half-baked, it was completely baked,” to borrow a line from the movie The Graduate.

Mr. Braddock: Ben, this whole idea sounds pretty half-baked.

Benjamin: Oh, it’s not. It’s completely baked.

Their belief system is more closely aligned with the Republican party than any other political entity. They want a stronger military, no gun control, no gay marriage, no interracial marriage, no affirmative action, and a stop to non-white immigration. They believe that they are the “chosen ones” described in the scriptures who are destined to inherit the promised land, America. They see Donald Trump’s promise to take back America as a signal that they will expel the heathens and non-white immigrants so their dreams of an all-white promised land can be fulfilled.

A core tenet of their beliefs is that America was founded as a Christian nation. The only dissension among their ranks lies in whether that Christian nation is in their future or if it is already here. Contrary to historical fact, they believe that our founding fathers were all Evangelical Christians who established the United States as a Christian nation and never wanted separation of church and state. They ignore the fact that many of the founders were atheists, Unitarians, Deists, and liberal Protestants. They ignore the fact that God, Bible, and the Ten Commandments are words not found in our Constitution. To many, there was a “typo” in the Constitution that opens with “We the People..,” as it was supposed to read, “We the White People.” Ah, the perils of “spell check” and “auto-correct” in 1787 America.

The incongruity of people carrying signs that read “Jesus Saves,” carrying Bibles, while violently attacking police officers who were standing between them and the Democratic (and Republican) leaders they wanted to kill, is a sign of the true craziness and absurdity of this group. As a former altar boy with five years of Catholic religious indoctrination in his past, I can say with some authority, Jesus would be pissed with this use of his name. I somehow can’t picture the “Prince of Peace” leading a violent insurrection.

This group ignores the teaching contained throughout the Bible and focuses on the last chapter, written about a century after Christ died, Revelations. That’s the R-rated chapter with the “whore of Babylon” who is drunk with the blood of the saints. This “Great Prostitute” is essentially seen as the government controlled by Satan’s armies. The visuals in Revelations are of a white horse (of course it’s white), a robe dipped in blood, and armies from heaven wearing white linen. As in previous times, people will pick and choose what fits their cause as they move down the biblical cafeteria line with their tray of needs.

The WCN movement believes that the ends justify the means and that “turn the other cheek” is for sissies. Militant white masculinity thrives on the testosterone of false patriotism cloaked with the pretense of following the Bible and the teachings of Christ. In recent polling, WCNs were the group that agreed most enthusiastically with the statement, “true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save the country.” They further believe the Second Amendment was handed down by God.

While WCNs may be spread throughout the country, they do have a capital of sorts. A major portion of the American Northwest has been designated as a sanctuary. All of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, with the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon, are a haven for conservative Christians. The America Redoubt is a political migration movement. This designation was made by a WCN survivalist, James Wesley Rawles. Several thousand people have taken the bait and moved in to tip the scales of what was a conservative part of the country to make it even more conservative. Here you must be far-far to the right of center in your politics. If you see Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Alex Jones, and Joe Rogan sitting on a bench, you may want to place your derriere a little further to their right.

Rawles will accept Christians, Messianic Jews, or Orthodox Jews as his neighbors. I wasn’t familiar with that middle group, but it seems that they are Protestants who follow elements of Judaism and Jewish traditions and mix that with Evangelical Christianity. The idea that Evangelical Christians are a persecuted group that needs protection from its government and a place to wait for the end times tells you a great deal.

So, as our horse-drawn surrey moves through the year 2023 toward the presidential elections of 2024, just know that a group of angry white Christians with guns wants an ultra-conservative white Christian in the White House. You can either vote one into that office or face the consequences. They are working their best to restrict voting rights, appoint conservative election officials, and already have the most pro-religion Supreme Court since WWII at their disposal. There are six Christian conservative justices, mostly Catholic, who are all religiously devout. The fringe on the surrey is just decorative but this fringe wants to be taken seriously. We best pay attention.