While co-Presidents Trump and Musk absorb all the oxygen/attention, the Christian Nationalists have continued their long-term focus on the public schools. While Americans who understand the damage of the daily assaults on Separation of Powers and the Rule of Law are distracted, those “Christian soldiers” just keep marching on…
The Guardian recently published a report on that steady march by a product of Evangelical schooling.
The author began by relating his own education in what he termed “a sanctuary of faith, community and ‘true’ education,” which he reported had left him disillusioned and bullied, and had set him on a “path of crushing financial insecurity that would haunt me for years.”
Twenty-five years later, Donald Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that put him in the White House (twice) are seeking to transform public education into something similar to what I was reared on, where science, history and even economics are taught through an evangelical conservative lens, while prayer and Bible reading are foundations of the curriculum.
As he notes, the efforts to transform education into fundamentalist Christian indoctrination takes two forms: injecting more Christian rhetoric and rituals into public school curriculum and the use of tax dollars to subsidize private religious schools via vouchers. As he also points out, each of these tactics is bolstering the education of America’s most privileged students, while downgrading services for children of low-income families.
Lest readers dismiss his concerns as overstatement, he provides evidence.
In Oklahoma, the state superintendent ordered his public schools to teach from the Christian holy book; he later sought to mandate all schools to air a video in which he prays for Trump. On his desk sat a black mug with the Latin phrase si vis pacem para bellum: “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
In June, Louisiana passed a law ordering all classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. And in Florida, Pam Bondi, now Trump’s attorney general, supported a constitutional amendment to allow state funding for religious schools before voters rejected it.
In 2022, a supreme court ruling allowed private religious schools to receive government funding. In response to this, LGBTQ+ advocates helped pass the Maine Human Rights Act in their state, protecting students and faculty from discrimination. Two Christian schools are suing the state for the ability to violate the new law while still receiving government funding. Separately, the supreme court has taken up a case addressing whether to allow taxpayer funds for religious charter schools, potentially leading to the first Christian public school in the US.
A Texas elementary school curriculum infuses Bible stories into language arts programs. And these efforts are not limited to Southern states. Iowa passed legislation granting taxpayer-funded “scholarships” to families who enroll their children in private schools, very much including Christian schools. Meanwhile, the Idaho Family Policy Center (IFPC), a Christian lobbying group, announced it was drafting a bill to would require Bible reading in all Idaho public schools. (The organization has also drafted legislation banning abortions and restricting transgender healthcare.)
These local efforts are currently being supercharged by the Trump/Musk administration. Trump has promised to “bring back prayer to our schools”, shut down the Department of Education and embrace “school choice”–measures that would fulfill a longstanding evangelical wishlist. Christian Nationalists insist that “government schools” brainwash children into “liberal atheists.”
The Guardian essay recites the history of this effort to make America’s schools “godly” and–not so incidentally–keep them White. (The government’s denial of tax exemptions for segregated Christian schools–not Roe v. Wade– was what galvanized evangelicals and drove them into the GOP.)
Meanwhile, the Christian right doubled down on the creation of its own, independent education system, one that rejected evolution in favor of creationism, made students pledge allegiance to a Christian flag, and preached against environmental issues, LGBTQ+ rights and progressive policies.
The essay traced the author’s very painful emergence from the bubble he had inhabited, the fundamentalist education system in which “all knowledge and thought must bend itself to unarguable truth that the Bible is 100% factual in all matters.” As he notes, the “itchy curiosity of philosophy, the relentless questions of the scientific method, the skeptic probing of journalism, have no place in that world.”
That rejection of science, empiricism and inconvenient evidence is the “education” supported by the Trump/Musk Administration–not because either of these megalomaniacs are devout Christian fundamentalists, but because they know they owe their continued support to the fearful, racist, “faux Christian” voters who comprise the majority of the GOP base.
If successful, those Christian Warriors will take us back to the Dark Ages.
In the 1940s the Riverside #44 school I attended in Indianapolis, grades 1-8, offered Bible Studies one semester, we were not graded on the studies and we walked 4-5 blocks to the Methodist Church to participate…with parent’s consent. Most of us participating attended Sunday School and Bible Studies on Sundays at that church and other Christian denomination in the neighborhood. It was a break from sitting at desks all day and a chance to chatter and gab to friends on the walk. It was not offered after the one session due to lack of interest. The school, like most others, was segregated and the only Jews we knew of owned a few businesses in the area. Those Bible Studies were not religious education beyond the Sunday School Bible Studies with coloring printed pictures.
Trump, Musk and MAGA with the White Nationalist have thumb-tacked the American flag to an “old rugged cross” and are marching as “…onward Christian soldiers…” back to Germany’s 1930s; “…marching as to war…”.
As a former public school educator, I shudder at all that “Christian” nationalism is doing APART from their quiet indoctrination programs in schools. But this dovetails with the Republican playbook started – in earnest – by Karl Rove and Lee Atwater back when George I was chairman of the RNC. The theme was to do everything and anything to WIN. Winning elections by deceit, lying, cheating and being otherwise uncivilized worked … often enough that it has become the norm for all Republican politics.
The “Christian” nationalism bullshit is just another brick in the wall that separates intelligence from winning elections. Christianity is based on fear and guilt as taught by these idiots. That delves right into the most primitive survival instincts of the human psyche; those things that allowed the species to evolve. Denying science is part of that agenda, because science PROVES that the myths and fairy tales that are taught in Bible school, churches and everywhere else are complete b.s. with no basis in fact whatsoever. So, naturally, Republicans embrace that b.s. agenda in order to WIN.
But the voters are sluggish and not very sophisticated when it comes to exercising their civic duty to their country and fellow American. When 40% stay home to allow the election of the worst human this country has ever produced, it gives a “win” to the party, but a huge and terrible loss to democracy, the rule of law and fairness in society. These are the things that come with Christian nationalism, and will be a major player in the collapse of our democracy … just as it did in and beyond the Dark Ages.
Backward Christian soldiers, marching as to your own stupidity.
Am I the only one who see hypocrisy here! They want to turn the public school systems into “church” schools. It was this type of extreme chaos that caused Jesus to come to Earth once before, to save humanity. I do not believe He will come again to do anything but gather up the saved souls. He is not insane and the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Trump and Musk know who the suckers are in the US. So does the lady heading up Trump’s “faith office.” She’s a swindler and even bankrupted a large megachurch. I don’t know which requires more ineptness: bankrupting a mega Evangelical church or a casino. She’s a complete fraud and swindler from the prosperity theology movement. Trump knows how to attract them. See the spiritual law of attraction – like attracts like:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_White
I am a major proponent of education reform, but eliminating the federal government is not the best approach. For years, we have been falling behind other countries in test scores. Inequality has worsened at the school level, and so has absenteeism. This has more to do with parenting than teaching. If you are too lazy and weak to send your kid to school, there will be other problems at home.
We just spent $500 billion on AI research, and Vance just told Europe that they will follow us and not compete with us. Isn’t that contrary to “free market” advocacy?
Our own Todd Young wrote a letter to Trump advocating for his high-tech bill, which he co-sponsored with other co-sponsors. It’s rather long and technical. The letter tells me Todd just signed his name, but I don’t think he wrote it. I read the whole thing because I wanted to know what Todd has in mind for preparing labor for the mass layoffs that will occur with AI. Not one single word about creating a program for labor. Before the $500 billion in taxpayer money was handed to the tech oligarchy, a plan should have been in place for the working class. I’ve not heard of any programs so far. Not a one. The “free labor market” is NOT the answer. Capitalism is not the answer. “Pull up your bootstraps” is NOT the answer.
Trump’s creation of a “wealth fund” for taxpayer investments is a step in the right direction. Still, it needs to include a central planning mechanism (socialism) in which American workers participate in the profit generation of American enterprises.
Roberta (Robbie),
“Under the law arrangement righteousness was imputed only by the shedding of blood. In viewing the sacrifice and ransom of Jesus we must bear in mind the plain statement of Scripture that “unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place.” That is why Israel through the high priest continuously offered the blood of animals to obtain, in a pictorial sense, the yearly release from sins. But with the coming of Jesus Christ there is a great change, for “he entered, no, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time into the holy place and obtained an everlasting release for us.” (Hebrews 9:22, 12) No more was it necessary to periodically offer animal blood, for the one who was foreshadowed by these sacrifices had come and established an everlasting release. Now it was a matter of qualifying to receive the benefit of that release by ransom.”
“Peter confirms that it is the shed blood of Jesus that provides the ransom merit: “For you know that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, as a ransom that you were released from your fruitless form of conduct received by tradition from your forefathers. But it was with precious blood, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, even Christ’s.” (1st Peter 1:18, 19)
2nd Corinthians 5:14, 15: “The love the Christ has compels us, because this is what we have judged, that one man died for all; so, then, all had died; and he died for all that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised up.”
This is what scripture teaches, just a small portion. There are consequences for misconduct by those who claim to represent Christ in the religious sense. And if we really get deep into it, those that are using the name of Christ in a misleading and self-serving way, are not covered by his sacrifice and therefore will not gain that life of being righteous, but ends up with a death sentence.
Even subtle ‘christianity’ in the public schools can be upsetting to young children. I recall daily prayers before lunch when I was in 4th grade (this would have been 1970, so I believe it was well past the prohibition on prayer in school). A small box, like a recipe box, was passed from child to child each day, and when it was your turn you pulled a prayer out & read it. Being from a Quaker family, these supplications were totally foreign to my nature and extremely disturbing to hear, let alone being forced to read. I still feel the discomfort and anxiety over 50 years later.
Can you even begin to imagine how a Muslim, atheist, Jewish, or Buddhist child would feel?
Schools are for learning facts, and for learning how to learn. Churches are for learning about your faith.
Places of worship who flourish are not supportive of Christian Nationalism. The only clergy that do are those frustrated by loneliness surrounded by empty parking lots and yet larger cemeteries. These clergy cling onto any movement that gives them even token patronage. When identity trumps genuine fulfillment, forced fidelity does not last long. It is totally contrary to the life and teachings of Jesus.
Thanks, Norris, for confirming my thoughts on the intellectual desert of religion.
Thanks, Todd for mentioning education reform. When I retired from teaching science in public schools, I wrote a book: “Saving the Seed Corn … “(www.vernturner.com)
In it I described several reforms none of which included adding any religion to any curriculum. That is the churches’ jobs. If these folks are needing to inject this stuff into public schools, it’s a tacit admission that they are failing – utterly.
My first adjustment would have two parts: Eliminate the high-stakes testing regimes brought to us by the half-baked (I’m being generous) idea of George W. Bush and his Texas Republican oligarchs. Why did they do this and put in place a punishment only reward system? To combat teacher’s unions that wanted to maintain a strong curriculum academically. More non-academic nonsense robs the already scant instruction time; the shortest in the civilized world. The second part of that is to indeed lengthen the school day and beef up the curriculum to match what people in my generation experienced from 1947 – 1960.
The anecdote here is when I went back to teaching in high school in 1992, I discovered that the texts and lesson “development” were very weak and unchallenging for the students. No wonder they lose interest and drop out. The vast majority of interviewed students who have dropped out conclude that they weren’t learning anything and having to learn to a test (Tests that were/are deeply flawed in every way) destroyed their interest in learning. THAT alone is an incredible indictment against the Republican politicians who want to control education so they can create populations of voters that vote for them. Winning is the only thing with Republicans. Governing for the people? Not so much.
I am going to say it again: The Christian Taliban is on the doorstep.
We have seen what the Islamic Taliban has done to Afghanistan. Why would we want to do the same to our country?
There are brilliant women, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc. in about the same proportion as brilliant white men. Progress is achieved by standing on the shoulders of the best of all races and genders; not by kicking any of them to the curb.
The Taliban are ignorant fools, whatever their religious basis, and they are the ones that need to be kicked to the curb.
I’ll need to see more details about Orange Jesus’ wealth fund before I buy into it. My guess is that it’s the first step to getting rid of Social Security. Fund Social Security by making ALL earned income subject OASDI taxes. It might even make up for the loss of taxes from the undocumented immigrants they’re sending away.
It’s always amazed me that people like Ronald Reagan would advise people to pull themselves up by the bootstrap without taking into account that too many people don’t have shoes, much less boots. Those would be among the people that Jesus said were blessed. They would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. He also told us that we needed to take care of them while they are with us. That would be the “Christian” thing to do.
Would it be too cynical suggest that the reason for Christian education is to brainwash the kids to follow a higher authority without question or pause? If they can get the kids to turn in Mom and Dad for their sins, they will have succeeded. That makes an orderly society, one without great art, music, philosophy, or science, but who needs those distractions?
I often wonder if the Christian Nationalists have even read the synoptic gospels. They seem to focus on the Old Testament with a vengeful God and the Apocalypse. If they are in charge, do the Red Lobsters (bottom feeders) all have to close? Can I stone my neighbor if he wears a wool sweater with cotton trousers? I know I can’t have a slave from Alabama or Georgia (neighboring states), but just to be safe, can I have some from South Carolina or Mississippi?
I had Christian training growing up (in the Dutch Reformed Church of America), an organization not far from the Puritans.
My parents had a tough time. My Father (an early math whiz raised by immigrants whose political hero was FDR) taught me my ABCs (always be curious) and how things are connected instead of delving into details. My Mother (raised to be but rebelling against being a dutiful daughter in a staunch Republican small town wealthy business oriented family) tried to teach me the Faith of her original family. They conflicted, I did, my Mother did against her upbringing, and my Father against living in a technologically backward village.
As the decades passed, I had to resolve my internal conflicts, so, at 82, I feel I have put Humpty together again.
I passed on the religion based on looking at how things are connected.
My nationalism has evolved to the belief that we are an ordinary country, very similar to our heritage as a British Colony except we left in a revolutionary way to become a liberal democratic republic on our own. Consistent with our heritage, we conquered those who were not caucasian and put them on reservations, stole their natural resources, and enslaved them.
Now, times have changed, and some people consider me a rebel, like Ben Franklin, who wants to revolt against our traditions again because the world has progressed.
I’m comfortable with that, Mom and Dad. I’m sure you are, too.
it seems the link to share on facebook is broken.
Back in the age of forced prayer in public schools, I was a Catholic child in a small town without any non-public schools. A teacher called me out for staying silent at the end of the Lord’s Prayer that was not recited in Catholic ideology of the time. She ordered me to stand and be singled out for ridicule. It did two things; made me more determined to stand my ground and made me distrust the teacher. It also caused me to be ostracized by most of my classmates. I never really got over that distrust. Maybe it is why I am no longer a practicing Catholic. The hypocrisy, misogyny and tribalism was just too much. I do miss the comfort of ritual and the often beautiful music of services.
To see these hate-filled people demanding conformity to their deeply flawed and sometimes murderous ideology makes me very sad for the young people who will either conform and suffer the consequences of that conformity or be delegated to the scrap heap. It has happened before and not so long ago right here in Indiana. Those seeds are awakened and have grown into the “worst legislature in the world” as well as a fascist governor with a white Christian nationalist lt. governor.
Peggy,
Kiplinger explains the sovereign wealth fund. My idea of it varies from theirs, which is a fund set aside for future generations.
https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/sovereign-wealth-fund-what-is-it-how-does-it-work
My cynical side about these Christian Nationalists is they want to put asses in their pews again. Supposedly, a “good Christian” is supposed to tithe 10% of their annual income. That mark hasn’t been reached for generations. So while they may claim this is about saving souls and developing a pure mind, it might just be about money.
I guess I’m one of those christian-turned-atheist after leaving home and getting an education kind-of-person they speak of. The only people driving anyone away from the churches are the people in it. Hold up a mirror and look inside. Drove me right out of there!
In the 70s, I was a member of a group of evangelical church going teens and we held prayer sessions in the basement of the school daily. With permission. It was allowed. We just couldn’t advertise it or make lots of noise etc. Follow the rules. Has that changed? Isn’t that good enough for those Christian Nationalists? Because that’s all they need. Not our property taxes or a handout from the general public. You want to run a school, use the public option and follow the rules. Period.
Me: Do not yield to these hypocrites and racists.