I have a wealthy woman, whom I know considers herself a progressive, and whom I think of as a friend, who told me she reads SR regularly, and yet who has not supported SR. In talking to my wife she said she didn't support SR because I used words like christofascism. When my wife told me this what stood out for me is that this is one of the fundamental weaknesses of the Democratic Party and its progressive base. They do not appreciate or accept the reality of the passionate closemindedness of that segment of the population that has linked fascist politics, racism, and male dominance with their distorted version of Christianity. It is quite accurately called christofascism. What is happening in the U.S. is the same thing that happened in Germany as Hitler's fascism and distortion of Christianity rose to power, or that is happening in Russia where Putin's fascism has bonded with Russian Orthodox Christianity. The linkage of conservative politics with religion, whether it is Christianity, Islam, or Judaism -- look at what is happening in Israel today -- always leads to violent self-righteous authoritarianism.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump join in prayer with Jeremy LaPointe of Lumberton, Texas (holding cross), outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Credit: Mike Theiler / Reuters / Redux
When Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — many of them carrying Christian symbols like crucifixes, statues of the Virgin Mary and even life-sized portraits of Jesus Christ — a terrible thought occurred to Bradley Onishi: “Could I have been there?”
For much of his young adult life, Onishi had been steeped in the very same mixture of religiosity and radical far-right politics that was on display at the Capitol. After growing up in a secular household in Orange County, California, Onishi joined an evangelical megachurch at age 14. During high school, he led prayer meetings during lunch break and handed out anti-abortion pamphlets to his classmates. By the time he was 20, he had married his high school sweetheart, taken a job as a full-time youth minister and made plans to enter the seminary.
I believe Buddhism is a very good religion in which they do not believe in aggression and have always been a peaceful religion. Their greatest tool is Transcendental Meditation.
I believe Buddhism is a very good religion in which they do not believe in aggression and have always been a peaceful religion. Their greatest tool is Transcendental Meditation.