|
 |
This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one 👇
One of the most popular and profitable grifts in the world of the religious right and MAGA is the production of propaganda to convince Christians that they are horribly discriminated against, or even oppressed, by the government and government funded entities.
Perhaps the best known example of this is the “God’s Not Dead” series of movies, and the latest instance is the movie “By Dawn’s Early Light,” which promotes the findings of Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.
The central narrative of these white (frequently southern) Christians is that they are the real victims in the story of American history. This builds on their belief that their ancestors were the victims of the Civil War, rather than the people they enslaved and fought to keep enslaved.
This victimhood narrative is central to their identity. But it also raises the question: would they recognize what actual oppression looks like?
 |
|
History has some awful examples of governmental oppression of groups before the victims of it are carted off to “re-education” centers, labor camps, or simply dragged into a field and shot. Let’s take those historic examples and imagine them happening to Christians, and see if they line up with anything happening in the US today.
“End Christian insanity forever”
Let’s start with universities and schools eliminating all material relating to Christians and Christianity.
Christian teachers and professors would be forced out of their positions by a variety of means, and at a minimum are barred from even alluding to their faith, including the wearing of crosses. Laws banning Christians from using public facilities used by non-Christians means that a Christian teacher has to leave campus to go to the bathroom, effectively forcing them out of the profession. Parents’ groups and social media influencers storm school board meetings and send constant death threats to push Christian instructors out of classrooms.
At the same time, the government passes laws that would prohibit any federal funding from schools and universities that allow any mention of the Bible or Christianity on campus, including banning students from receiving loans to attend institutions that violate this edict. Christian students are banned from meeting on campus, and school officials are prohibited from taking action when Christian students are harassed or beaten, because the position of the government is that there is no such thing as a Christian student.