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The best book for understanding the political situation in the United States costs $59.99 (plus shipping) and is bound in synthetic leather. To progressive, secular Americans, it is incomprehensible. And that is precisely why it is such an important book.
It is called God bless the USA Bible and includes, in addition to the King James Version of the scriptures, the founding documents of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the first ten amendments or rightsand the words Americans use to show their loyalty to country and flag: loyalty oath. On one page ‘amen’, with which John’s revelation ends, and ‘We take these truths for grantedFrom the Declaration of Independence, the song still has handwritten lyrics God bless USA singer Lee Greenwood, the song played at every Trump rally and the inspiration for this post.
This God/America package appeared as early as 2021, but only gained attention when Donald Trump gave it his blessing in a video message this spring. Progressive TV comedians joked for days about the Republican presidential candidate who, in his insatiable hunger for money, had now reached the lowest rung of the ladder: selling free texts for a lot of money. (One seasoned Bible appraiser estimates that you can buy a similarly published Bible at Walmart for $15.)
But in their zeal for the saucy hoax In derision, the Jokers ignored its serious political significance. Trump has thus claimed universally applicable texts from the Bible and the Founding Fathers that apply to all Christians and all Americans, exclusively for his political movement. It arose out of the philosophy of the Enlightenment and is intended as a universal list of the inalienable rights of every human being (‘all men are created equal‘), is reserved for Christians who support the Republican Party candidate.
Corollary: the real American is a Trump American; The laws of God or 18th century rebels protect only them. That’s why Trump doesn’t hesitate to call his left-wing opponents vermin, vermin – They may have an American passport, but they are not real Americans.
Christ the King
When God bless the USA Bible was released, some Christians were still angry. They thought it inappropriate to bundle historical (legal) texts into one work with the Bible—as if the words of the founders were as sacred as the words of the Old and New Testaments. But that’s exactly how many conservative Americans think. They say that the fundamental difference between European democracies and American republics is that European laws are designed and written by men, while the American constitution is given by God.
MAGA politicians are now publicly opposing the separation of church and state. The laws of God supersede the laws of the republic. During the storming of the Capitol, Trump supporters waved “Christ the King and Trump the President” banners. The fact that the adulterous, cursing and deceitful Trump is not an exemplary Christian makes his election all the more plausible for supporters of Christian nationalism. The ways of the Lord are unsearchable. Last week’s botched attack is conclusive evidence that Providence is headed for Trump’s second term. Didn’t the good Lord personally turn his chosen one’s face to the left when the first shot rang out? The blood from the shot has finally killed him miles Christi baptized.
Anti-revolutionary
The identification of the basic principles of the American republic with the Christian faith and one political leader is the seal of a years-long process that started long before the rise of the politician Trump. Conservative Christian organizations regrouped after the revolutionary 1960s and 1970s as prosperous America moved collectively to the left. Since Reagan’s election victory in 1980, Christians have increasingly managed to leave their mark on the Republican Party. But never before has their influence on the party and the country been so great and decisive as in the Trump political era. As president, he appointed more than 230 conservative justices, including three to the Supreme Court, individually from the Federalist Society, a lobbying group that sees religious freedom as the touchstone of a free country.
Are these Christian fundamentalists marching relentlessly toward an American theocracy under Messiah Trump? No. Behind the pious words about God and Christ lies an anti-revolutionary ideology with a rather secular economic agenda. He wants to pull the government’s teeth and thus give plenty of opportunities to entrepreneurs. His program is called “Project 2025” and was written under the auspices of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. Because it contains controversial views on abortion (such as banning the abortion pill and naming the Department of Health the Department of the Spirit), Trump has apparently distanced himself from it. But the central theses — more power for the White House, breaking up bureaucracy — run seamlessly with his own plans. He has perhaps mostly an instinctive grudge”deep space‘ at the Heritage Foundation is about the deliberate deregulation of public life and the curbing of all forms of predatory capitalism.
Do not expect salvation from a third force, the judiciary. Even the opponents of the revolution now have a firm grip on this, as evidenced by the explosive decisions of the conservative Catholic-dominated Supreme Court. The president’s far-reaching immunity decision received a lot of attention, and rightly so. But even more important was another decision that overturned the so-called Chevron precedent. In doing so, the court’s conservative majority limited the authority of government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. This is a resounding victory for business, which can now challenge virtually any oversight. Contrast that with the vision behind Project 2025. There, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is responsible for, among other things, weather data, has been called “one of the biggest engines behind the climate alarm industry” – and therefore should be abolished, after which companies can profit from weather forecasts. .
Oh, that’s not allowed!
Democrats seem to have only recently woken up to conservative plans. Christian resentment, cultivated for years through news media like Fox, where every fallen Christmas tree is presented as “Christianity under attack!”, is laughed off as slow-motion nonsense on the progressive side of the spectrum. For secular Americans, faith is so ephemeral that they seriously underestimate its recruiting power. They congratulate themselves on the election result ( referendum!) and think that demographic shifts from white to more diverse will necessarily work in their favor.
Against the patience and determination of Christian nationalists and business kongs, they mainly use “oh, but it’s not allowed!” Look at Joe Biden, who thinks he can get enough “Trump is no good” to win re-election. In doing so, he unwittingly reinforces the conservatives’ totalitarian view of society. Logically on the other side: they must not give a cent to their political opponents. If God is in charge of your agenda, compromise is a sin. Just look it up in the section God bless the USA Bible: ‘I am a jealous God.’