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Here’s what I don’t understand:
If the President is surrounded by people who are convinced they know the One True Way to Get to Heaven, why is he musing aloud about wanting to go to heaven and saying he can’t get there?
Every version of White Christian Nationalism sells a specific (though differing) formula as the One True Way to Heaven.
Some are easy: Pray this prayer and – voila! – you are a card-carrying Christian who is washed in the blood of the lamb. Your good works (or bad works) don’t matter. All will be covered by your simple prayer asking for salvation.
Some are harder: Jesus matters, but so does doing this set of things or giving this much money to me whoever we designate or bearing other markers we can judge as legitimate and real and pure.
I covered the variations of Christian Nationalist beliefs about who is going to heaven in yesterday’s newsletter:
Regardless, it seems like anyone who calls him-or-herself a Christian in the President’s orbit would sit him down and say, “I know the One True Way to Heaven, because I worship the One True God and practice the One True Faith. Let me help you, Sir.”
I’m not privy to private conversations. Maybe numerous White Christian Nationalists who speak to the President have tried.
Could it be that it’s more a case that they don’t care? The power the President grants them is more important to White Christian Nationalists than the eternal state of his soul.
Plus, they’d all be telling him different things about the One True Way to Heaven, which could undermine their theocratic takeover of the federal government. What’s one dastardly, probably deserving soul condemned to eternal damnation in the face of destroying American democracy and converting it to Name the White Christian Nationalist Faction’s Version of Theocracy?
Americans, be it journalists, academics, or private citizens, need to get comfortable with asking public questions of Christian Nationalists and getting them to answer on the record. When people’s personal religious beliefs became the basis of lawmaking and governmental policies, they no longer deserve deference from public disclosure.
In today’s newsletter, I include some sample questions anyone can deploy with Christian Nationalists in any setting to draw out the beliefs that are transforming our democracy into a theocracy.
“You’ve made a big deal of your Christian faith and how it dictates your public life. Help me understand: How can I go to heaven? I’d sincerely like to know.”
Make a note of their answer and compare it to every other answer a WCN provides to this question. Note every way they differ and commit those differences to memory.
Answers will range from “Praying the Sinner’s prayer is the only way” to “following this set of behaviors is critical” to “Let me get your contact information and have someone follow up with you.”
The first response represents a schism with the other responses. The different things one must do in the second and third responses also represent schisms. Our goal with this line of questioning is to identify differences that can be pressed and exploited.
Don’t be surprised if the subject says something like, “I’d really love to talk with you about that, but I’d prefer to do it privately. Find me after this event, and we can discuss.” Take them up on it, and note their answer. If they aren’t delighted to go on the record, make a note of that refusal.
If they don’t want to answer the “how do I get to heaven” question publicly, here’s a followup: “I’m sincerely worried about my soul. Why won’t you help me? If Christian religious laws are appropriate, why isn’t it appropriate to help me now when I’m struggling and asking for your help?”
Many lower-profile White Christian Nationalists won’t be able to resist the opportunity to pontificate when prodded in this manner. Note various responses.
Higher profile WCN like Mike Johnson and JD Vance won’t take this bait. But never fear: We can use the data we get from the answers above to undermine their efforts to consolidate power in the name of their religious predilections.
“Given your politics, I assume you believe the President is God’s chosen leader. His recent public statements indicate an obsession with going to Heaven. Have you or someone in your orbit talked with him about his continued musings about whether or not he is going to Heaven? Why or why not?”
Our goal with this question is to get the WCN politician to talk about their thoughts on the state of the President’s soul and view it through the lens of their WCN faction’s beliefs. Many may say, “I can’t talk about that issue with the President.” Which demands a followup question: “You know someone influential in his orbit. Have you pressed them with the need to talk about it?”
Higher profile Christian Nationalists may gaslight with a response like, “The President is a busy man. We have many other important things to discuss during our brief meetings.” Which demands a followup question: “What could be more important than the state of someone’s eternal soul? As a very public Christian, why isn’t the state of the President’s soul important to you?”
At this stage, it would be appropriate to ask a question like, “You’re a devout Catholic. This Southern Baptist politician said “x” about the way to heaven, which differs from stated Catholic beliefs about who is going to heaven, which are “y.” Is Named Southern Baptist Politician going to hell? Why or why not?”
Americans must get these WCN adherents to say 1. Why they believe they are going to heaven; and 2. Why they believe other WCN factions ARE NOT going to heaven. Forcing them to state on the record why they believe they are going to heaven, recording and comparing their answers, and pressing them on any differences will expose these fissures.
Because nothing will get this crowd fighting like “So-and-so said your faith is wrong and implied that you aren’t a ‘real’ Christian. What do you have to say about that?”
Remember what we covered yesterday: Far-right Catholics do not believe any other WCN faction are True Christians. Protestant Reformation WCN do not believe Catholics and Dominionists are going to heaven. Dominionists believe following their dogma is the One True Way to Heaven. Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses believe their faith is the One True Faith, and other WCN factions call them “cults” and ridicule them. THEIR WCN DOGMA DOES NOT AGREE.
Various WCN factions have worked together to stoke culture wars, but they all believe they can gain power, defeat the other factions, and proclaim their faction the One True Faith.
Today’s questions are designed to get them to talk about these differences publicly so that we can get them to start fighting BEFORE they consolidate complete and total power.
Because White Christian Nationalism isn’t really about the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
White Christian Nationalism is about POWER. It twists the Great Commission into “Go ye into all the world and FORCE every creature to live by your human interpretation of the Gospel.”
That the various White Christian Nationalists in the President’s orbit cannot be bothered to show him how to get to heaven is the biggest evidence of their lust for power. They’d rather use him to FORCE every creature to live by their human interpretation of the Bible than help him succeed in his professed quest for a heavenly eternity.