Post
She notes both the persistent tendency of some strands of religious groups to support authoritarianism and the equally persistent tendency of other strands in the same religious groups to push back against authoritarianism and assist those oppressed by authoritarian regimes.
"As lying, violence, and corruption are institutionalized, criminals are lionized as patriots, and truthtellers treated as criminals. Over time, a state of moral collapse is reached."
"This is the context for the bargains autocrats strike with media, religious, business and other elites. Those elites get profits and power in return for loyalty to the leader, no matter what he says or does. These deals tend to be durable, but every autocrat fears 'elite defection' which creates cracks in the edifice of his power.
Autocrats need religious leaders on their side to give them legitimacy."
"In fact, the more corrupt and violent they become, the more they must surround themselves with an aura of holiness." But:
"Faith communities in authoritarian contexts can work to defeat authoritarian tendencies within their ranks; dialogue with other faith communities in the nation to encourage elite defections; and collaborate with other sectors of society on resistance actions."
"We are seeing this potent moral charge every day now in the United States as ordinary people and clerics protest the brutal ICE raids and disappearances. The Rev. Michael Woolf, who was thrown to the ground and arrested for protesting in Chicago, along with other clerics, has diagnosed a 'spiritual emergency' in America."
"Faith institutions are called to act, and help people in their congregations to arrive at their own reckoning with the costs of this inhumane administration.
With autocracy expanding around the world, and repression intensifying in America, it is more important than ever to know how religious resistance has unfolded around the world and how faith institutions may best respond to attacks on our freedoms."
Robert P. Jones and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove talk about Trump and where his support comes from: Jones says,
"So how do we end up with this authoritarian president that we have and the MAGA takeover of one of our two political parties? And there's really only one answer to that question, right? And that is white Christians have allowed this to happen."
#authoritarianism #religion #Trump #MAGA #WhiteChristians #WhiteChristianNationalism
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https://www.whitetoolong.net/p/advent-hope-in-a-time-of-authoritarianism
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