Daddy, Where Were You When The American Taliban Overthrew The Government?

No, it almost certainly won't look like January 6th; it'll probably look like an election

This country is founded on God. We think it’s critically important to maintain that belief.

• James Judge

There’s no question that many of the Founding Fathers were men with strong foundational beliefs in God. That said, they’d also had the example of England to show them how the commingling of politics and religion could bring out the worst qualities in both institutions. When formulating the structure for the governance of the new nation, those who’d put their names to it were determined to construct a metaphorical wall separating Church and State.

The Founding Fathers believed strongly that governance and religious faith each had their place in a healthy and vibrant society. They were also convinced that history had shown them the importance of keeping the two institutions separate from one another so that they might avoid the corruption that had ruined England.

America has valued the principle of the separation of Church and State since its inception almost a quarter-millennia ago. As Conservatives are wont to point out, the phrase “separation of Church and State” appears nowhere in the Constitution- and they’re correct. But their argument is far too simplistic.

The 1st Amendment’s Establishment Clause prevents Congress from passing legislation favoring one faith tradition over another.

There’s also the 1791 Treaty of Tripoli, which certifies that the American Government is not based on Christianity. Article 11 of the Treaty states,

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion….

Of course, the treaty didn’t have the desired effect, as the Pasha of Tripoli declared war on the US in 1801. Still, the language has always been taken as precedent establishing American governance as secular.

There’s also Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 letter to the Danbury Baptists, in which he discusses the separation of Church and state:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of the government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State.
Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore man to all of his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

There’s more, of course. Precedent and case law over the past two-plus centuries have cemented the concept of the wall separating Church from State. It’s why Churches and religious organizations are tax-exempt (a topic you don’t want to get me started on).

Throughout American history, the separation of Church and State has withstood numerous challenges, some rather serious and some less so. Since 1980 and the rise of the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority, Evangelical Christians have become more organized and politically conscious.

Today numerous groups count as among their primary goals the dismantling of the wall separating Church and State. Some call themselves Christian Nationalists (or American Taliban, a label I’ve attached to them), but whatever label one chooses, they pose a legitimate threat to American democracy.

Many of the groups attracting the most attention on a national level pose a lower threat than some groups working under the radar as they organize on a more local level. Such a group is Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF), or what some call “Moms for Liberty in suits.”

CDF is a county-based organization that, like Moms for Liberty, works to remove books from libraries and opposes Pride celebrations…all while invoking “Judeo-Christian values.”

That’s if you assume “Judeo-Christian values” include hatred, homophobia, and Christian nationalism. Precisely what Jesus would do, no?

The reason you likely haven't heard of CDF, or Citizens Defending Freedom, is because they keep their work hyper-local — they used to go by County Citizens Defending Freedom.

But activists say they've been especially influential in Florida, and are expanding into GA and TX.

E.g., Remember when Miami-Dade county's school board made headlines for reversing a decision on two sex-ed textbooks?

The NYTimes and others cited pushback from local parents. But activists say the only (vastly outnumbered) opponents who spoke were Moms for Liberty and CDF.

Or remember when Florida had a fight with #Disney over the company's #vaccine mandate? And Gov. Ron #DeSantis signed a law that ultimately forced Disney to rescind it?

CDF claimed credit for literally writing that law.

So, yes, CDF believes America was founded on God. THEIR God- a White Conservative heterosexual America-centric deity who’d kick ass and take names.

CDF hardly represents a majority of voices wherever they speak. Still, they’re often the loudest and most politically connected and influential, which means they more often than not get their way.

While CDF is hardly a household name, its activists have become regular voices before school boards and in other public meetings across Texas, Georgia and especially Florida since the group was founded roughly two years ago.

Rooted in religion and endorsed by figures such as former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, CDF members have been acting as foot soldiers in a broader culture war, fighting small, local battles to slow COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, back abortion bans and remove books they find objectionable from schools — including targeting books (or events) that promote LGBTQ equality or detail the experiences of LGBTQ people. 

Fenning described the CDF as a segment of an emerging conservative activist coalition that includes the Florida-based Christian Family Coalition and the increasingly national Moms for Liberty.

“We see them as Moms for Liberty in suits,” Fenning said of CDF.

The idea is that by starting on the local level, they’ll already be well-established and have a strong foundation by the time they attract wide-spread attention. This will allow them to move into state and, eventually, national electoral politics.

The thing Liberals tend to lose sight of (see the fight against abortion rights) is that committed Conservatives can be very patient. As with abortion, if they determine a frontal assault won’t yield their desired result, they’ll change direction and tactics. If they have to devise a strategy that calls for nibbling away at a law with rubber mallets for years, they’ll do it knowing they’ll eventually outlast Liberals.

And there’s every chance they will. Conservatives committed to a cause often possess a fanatical focus Liberals lack.

America is NOT a Christian nation. America IS a nation where roughly three of four citizens self-identify as “Christian.” That’s a significant difference. Referring to America as a “Christian nation” ignores the reality of our melting-pot nature and history. Millions of our fellow Americans follow faith traditions other than Christianity…or none at all (me, f’rinstance).

I’m not bothered by being a minority when it comes to religion. I don’t care what others may or may not believe. Are you a good person? Do you treat others with respect and dignity? If you can answer “yes” to those questions, you can be on my team anytime, regardless of what flavor of deity you pledge allegiance to.

What I don’t want is someone trying to squash me under their thumb if I refuse to knuckle under to their demand that I worship their imaginary friend. I don’t care who you are or what kind of power you wield; you’ll never get me to bow to that demand.

“Our freedom is on the line?” What about my freedom? What about that of the millions who don’t want to be under the bootheel of an authoritarian jackass who believes HIS god should be OUR government? Is YOUR freedom worth more than ours because you believe your flavor of personal deity to be worth more than anyone else’s?

That’s beyond delusional.

The day may be coming when a powerful minority requires us to bow before their “god,” and it may be coming sooner than we know. If Americans continue voting for Republicans, that may be our “reward.”

Perhaps it’s time y’all started paying attention.