Hiding in Plain Sight
If you find yourself sitting in a coffee house on a stormy day and in need of something to do while riding out the storm — take a fanciful ride into the wild world of radical Christianity. This is not way off in some foreign land, rather, this takes place right here in Merica. Are you up to the challenge? Are you willing to see the danger that hides in plain sight? I dare you — purchase your tickets for a virtual ride on YouTube — type in Christian Identity Movement or British Israelism and gain the perspective that religious misinterpretation does not solely rest with radical Islam.
The “pastors” of the Christian Identity Movement; members of white-supremacist groups; conspiracy/prophecy theorists; and “theologians” all express their interpretations, perspectives, and views of the meaning of Christianity’s sacred scroll — the Bible. You’ll witness members of this movement justifying an ideology of hate — all in the name of Yahweh (God), that it is their responsibility as good Christians to live according to His Word.
One particular self-proclaimed pastor of the Christian Identity Movement, Ken Gregg presents the perspective of the Christian Identity Movement in detail. Struggling to sit through these vignettes, I found Gregg’s arguments clear, focused, and biased — but he was a little more tolerable than the rest. According to Gregg, the Bible in Genesis 5:1 supports the Christian Identity Movement. Gregg continues through a timeline beginning with King David and tracing familiar ties to Queen Elizabeth. This connecting of the dots helps him justify his claim the Bible is “written about, to, and for one race of people” –the Caucasians.
He claims a line of descendants originating with Adam, then to King David, and onto Jesus Christ, and then wrapping up family tree with a lineage that includes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — all to justify this ideology. He doesn’t stop there — oh no, Yahweh promised King David his lineage would always be in line and “sit on the throne.” According to this line of thinking, the lineage is still strong and justified with Queen Elizabeth of England still on the throne — oh, by the way — “she is a white woman.”
Gregg claims the legitimacy of British Israelism and Christian Identity through more scripture, including; Deuteronomy 7:6 and Revelations 2:9 and 3:9. The former states that Yahweh has chosen you, Israel above all people on the face of the earth. This was said to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel and to his 12 sons who are the twelve tribes of Israel. In Revelations 2:9 and 3:9, the claim is further supported by clarifying who are the true Jewish people compared to those who call themselves “Jews.” The people occupying the lands of Israel are actually of the anti-Christ — the sons of Caine. Caine is the embodiment of Satan. Moreover, the “real” Jews migrated through the Caucus Mountains and eventually to England and subsequently claimed America.
Now, I sat and listened to this rhetoric — skewed as it may be — but it definitely has shed some light on potential domestic terrorism threats wanting to emerge here — within the United States, and not at the hands of the Muslim. With all the unrest, protests, and rioting popping up around the country — are we not playing into the hands of extremists?
We have many radicalized Christian groups within this country espousing hatred and the ultimate goal of a white nation. This goal has been furthered by the militarization of these entities throughout the United States with groups such as the former Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord and Posse Comitatus. Reconstructionist theocracy finds support in “Genesis 1:26–31, where God grants human beings “dominion” over all creation.” This interpretation of the Bible is closely related to Evangelicalism, just tilted toward the even-more-radical perspective. The views of these people refer to “days gone by”, that America is in need to return to its foundation based in God. The ultimate goal of this movement is to establish a Christian State with the “abolition of civil rights laws, labor unions, public schools, denial of citizenship for non-Christians, and the removal of women in the work force to serve in the household.” Oh wait — isn’t that inline with the objectives of ISIS? Radicalism and extremist ideology is not isolated to Islam — hate and fanaticism are universal.
This rhetoric preached are by names many of us recognize, such as “Pat Robertson of the Christian Coalition and Jerry Farwell, founder of the Moral Majority.” Their message is spread throughout this country through a plethora of media including several television channels and programs. The similarities between Christian fundamentalists and Muslim radicalization mirror each other in a many ways with the exception of religious path. There exists a threat to the sovereignty and security of the United States residing within the Christian fundamentalist movement. This group espouses morality that many can identify with since it’s labeled as Christianity; however, the extremity of their beliefs are masked by familiarity, unlike that of the Muslim faith.
