U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) declared Monday he is advocating for Christian nationalism, a far-right ideology that claims there is no separation of church and state in the Constitution, and promotes as a national religion Christian fundamentalism, a hardline, extremist brand of Christianity at odds with the religious beliefs of many Christians across the country. It opposes LGBTQ people and people of other faiths or of no faith, and their civil rights. It often has links to neo-Nazis, white supremacy, and dominionism, and many see Russia and Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, as its leader.
"Some will say I'm calling America a Christian nation. And so I am. Some will say I'm advocating Christian nationalism. And so I do. My question is - is there any other kind worth having?" Senator Hawley said at "NatCon 4," the National Conservatism conference being held in Washington, D.C., this week (video below), as reported by Semafor's David Weigel.
Sen. Hawley, not backing down, promoted his remarks by reposting them on social media.
Senator Hawley told attendees at the far-right conference, "Christian nationalism founded American democracy.. the Christian political tradition is our political tradition," Weigel also reported.
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"They want the religion of the pride flag. We want the religion of the Bible. I have a suggestion: Why don't we take down the trans flag from all the federal buildings from which it's flying, and instead, inscribe on every federal building our national motto: In God We Trust?" Hawley also reportedly said.
The Missouri MAGA GOP Senator's remarks echo a speech he gave just weeks ago, as Right Wing Watch reported:
Sen. Josh Hawley declares that "religion unites America" but the "radical left" is trying to "erase the foundation that this country has in, yes, the Bible": "We don't need less Christian influence in our society ... We need more, in every part of government." pic.twitter.com/FkIDZ7E7RZ
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 21, 2024
Last year in July, Hawley promoted the debunked claim that America was founded as a Christian nation, and delivered a speech, also at "NatCon," titled “Biblical Revolution,” as Religion News Service reported. He declared: "Without the Bible, there is no America.”
In 2022, The New York Times reported on "The Far-Right Christian Quest for Power."
"Since the Jan. 6 attack, which blended extremism and religious fervor, the term 'Christian nationalism' is often used broadly to refer to the general mixing of American and white Christian identities. Historically, however, Christian nationalism in America has also encompassed extremist ideologies," The Times reported. "Mr. Trump gained power in large part by offering to preserve the influence of white evangelicals and their values just as many feared that the world as they knew it was rapidly disappearing."
It also looked at the history of Christian Nationalism.
"In the 1948 presidential election, for example, a fringe political party called the Christian Nationalist Party nominated Gerald L. K. Smith, a pastor with pro-Nazi sympathies, and adopted an antisemitic, anti-Black platform that called for the deportation of people with whom it disagreed."
National Conservatism is a multinational "project" created by the Edmund Burke Foundation, a Netherlands-based group.
Watch a clip of Hawley's remarks below or at this link.
"Some will say now that I am calling America a Christian Nation. So I am.
And some will say that I am advocating Christian Nationalism. And so I do." -Senator @HawleyMO at NatCon 4 pic.twitter.com/yyJsA0BIkf — National Conservatism (@NatConTalk) July 9, 2024
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