Freedom, Equality, Faith, American Exceptionalism, and the War Against It
Here’s an excellent artice from Tom Rentz that aligns well with my views.
What do you thing?
Ron
https://tomrenz.substack.com/p/the-ap-religious-bigotry-and-anti
It is hard to dispute that the left and media are at war with Christians and seem to hate America’s position as a world leader. This is only becoming more apparent as regular Americans pull together and stand against the attempts to remake our country into a socialist utopia without even considering the prerequisite amendment process to the Constitution (which would never work because the people would not stand for it). To that extent, we are now seeing a new push to imply that the only thing worse than being a Christian or a nationalist is being a Christian nationalist. I write this for the religious bigots that apparently have an issue with Christianity and the apparent enemies of America that want to see our nation weakened and do so as a very proud Christian and nationalist.
Let me begin by sharing the backdrop of the upcoming war against people that are pro-American and/or Christian. There has been a tremendous uptick in activism on the national level from both Christians and people that believe in a strong America (Make America Great Again anyone?). Numerous examples can be given demonstrating this but my particular favorite is one that I have been honored to be a part of – Clay Clark and General Mike Flynn’s ReAwakening Tour. If you have not been to a tour stop I highly recommend it but the tour has been a highly successful gathering of pro-Americans that is open to anyone but that focuses on Christian principles.
The success of the tour can be demonstrated by the fact that thousands of people show up at every single event (contrast that to Joe Biden speeches that struggle to get a few hundred) and have routinely been exalted by nearly everyone that attends. The speaker list has continued to grow and is now including very important American figures such as Eric Trump and Kash Patel. Naturally the tour is led by the founders – General Flynn and Clay Clark. This success cannot be more succinctly demonstrated than by the fact that the AP and PBS have now joined forces to try and quell a movement that is pro-Christian and pro-America (here is a ridiculous article including a LOT of quotes from people that apparently want to ensure America is not great).
With this backdrop, let’s talk about the “terrible threat” Christian nationalism poses and why the left and their media advocates (not news – news is about REPORTING news rather than advocating for a position using propoganda). First, let’s define nationalism. Below is the merriam-webster definition of nationalism:
Definition of nationalism
1: loyalty and devotion to a nation especially : a sense of national consciousness (see CONSCIOUSNESS sense 1c) exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups. Intense nationalism was one of the causes of the war.
2: a nationalist movement or government opposing nationalisms
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism
So lets apply this definition to Americans that support nationalism. Loyalty and devotion to America is truly core to the beliefs of many that attend the tour. As the leader of the free world, the nation most responsible for ending slavery and apartheid on a global level, the nation that opened the door to men and women having equal opportunity, and the nation that stopped people like Hitler and the spread of communism, I think that loyalty is well-deserved. I also welcome anyone to explain to me why loyalty to these principles is anything less than critical in a world where nations like China (ethnic cleansing, communism, corruption, constant human rights abuses, etc.) and corrupt capitalism (WEF anyone) are pushing to limit human rights and expand control at alarming rates.
The last sentence of part 1 of the definition is also critical, “Intense nationalism was one of the causes of war.” This sample use of the word seems to be part of the war on the ideal of nationalism. The problem is that nationalism can certainly be a contributing factor to war but war can be a necessary thing if it is based on critical ideals such a protecting human rights. Would anyone like to argue that World War II was unnecessary to stop Hitler? No sane person wants violence or war but some ideals are worth fighting for and if war is necessary to stop evil, such as Hitler or slavery, then so be it and I am grateful we have people with the courage of convictions to fight that fight.
All this goes to the question, what nationalism is the AP opposing? Clearly, it is American nationalism. The AP and left are actively attempting to vilify heroes like those that attend the ReAwakening Tour and General Flynn for standing for a nation that stands for freedom, equality, opportunity, and human rights. You almost have to ask yourself if the reporters involved in this have ties to enemies of America…
Now let’s turn to Christianity. Before we even get to Christianity I think it is important to ask ourselves whether it would be acceptable for the AP to vilify Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, or any other religion. The answer is obviously, no. This is outright religious bigotry and I ask you to imagine an article being written in Saudi Arabia talking about the dangers of pro-Saudi Muslims. It is absurd and offensive.
Christianity can be broken into beliefs and practices. For this article I am not going to debate the divine nature of Christ and instead am going to focus on the practices taught by the faith. Christianity can most easily be summed up with the “golden rule,” treat others like you would want to be treated. Christians are taught to respect life and avoid judging others (we can and must judge actions otherwise there would be no right and wrong which is absurd – slavery, bigotry, and other things are universally wrong). Why is this a threat? Perhaps the AP and left do not like the Christian ideal that lying is wrong since they do it incessantly (though most other major religions agree).
The ideals of Christianity also stem from the implied recognition that freedom is a fundamental tenant of humanity. Christians, as do many other major religions, believe in a creator God. A creator God could have just as easily created slaves as free people but made the most important aspect of religion – faith – a choice rather than something forced on people. This belief suggests that freedom is central to humanity and, I would argue, explains the yearning in each of us to be free to live life. Christians believe it is a choice to follow the word of God and one that should be made but that can never be forced.
If we put this together, the great threat the AP is assigning to people like General Flynn, is the promotion of ideals that promote freedom, equality, kindness, non-judgementalism, fairness, and a strong nation that can defend these principles. Quite simply, that is Christian nationalism. It is not divisive, it is not hateful, and it is most certainly not violent. Rather it is about love, acceptance, the obligation to help our brothers and sisters around the world, and a strong desire to ensure our nation can continue to lead and stand for freedom in a world with so many that oppose such ideals. I’m just not sure what the problem with this is.
