A form of spiritual or religious totalitarianism

I long ago figured out, and I’m sure I mentioned here, that the reason why Christian fundamentalists adore the nasty guy, who ignores all Christian principles they say are vital, is that they support the supremacy he is selling.

David Neiwert of Kos reviewed the book The Power Worshippers, Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart. And Neiwert agrees with me, writing:

Eventually, it comes down to one word: authoritarianism.

As Stewart limns early on in the book, the religious right is not really all that much about religious belief and thought and more about political power and social conformity. When viewed through the lens of its real-world outcomes, fundamentalist Christianity is less a coherent theology than it is a form of spiritual or religious totalitarianism, one that requires abject submission to what is actually a very perverse and narrow interpretation of the meaning of Scripture.

This approach translated naturally into political authoritarianism—the kind that Donald Trump practices. And Trump in turn has proven very adept at feeding the psychological needs of the kinds of personalities that adhere to such movements.

One aspect of authoritarianism is the need to separate the world into us and them. For a long time that divide was along race and segregation. But as the civil rights movement gained strength it was less potent (though still quite effective) as a divider. However, with the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973 they found a substitute issue to keep conservative churchgoers inflamed.

They are a minority in America, but when they get into office they undermine and destroy institutions of democracy. Keep this in mind as you look over the current situation and try to defend democracy.