Kingdom

KINGDOM COMING The Rise Of Christian Nationalism

By Michelle Goldberg

This book is a telling account of the second coming of religious right in American political sphere, Earlier during cold war days the religious right tried their best thru anti-communist demagogy to capture political positions. It happened during the presidential time of the Republican regimes. Since, they never formed any serious threat to secularism and liberalism, they were marginalised in society. The born again movement of Christian nationalism, bases
itself in the mega churches coming up in the newly developing urban areas. There is already existing divide between democratic and republican states. The born again Christian groups in several nomenclatures operate both the Republican Party apparatus and posts in administration. Ms Michelle has done a detailed and grass roots analysis of the origin and spread of church based social political groups to bolster the Republican Party. Since, their main base is the church, a significant part church going people are involved in this movement. All they stand for is the rule of bible-based laws and rules that are re-invented from medieval times.

Ms Michelle covered a lot of ground, such as re-writing the history of America as a Christian nation though there is no evidence of such intentions on the part of the founders of USA. Many of them were Christians but they did not impose their beliefs on the constitution of United States. Their constitution is a liberal and enlightenment document that could be adopted by any progressive and democratic nation. Many post World War II independent countries did adopt constitutions based on the model of US. The Christian nationalists are questioning the historical truth by inventing their own facts. What are threatening the fabric is; the church is able to convince the followers through their lying propaganda.

The faithful are fair targets on the matter of religious education, birth control, abortion, sex, pornography, gay rights, religious conformity etc. They blame the liberals for the moral fall from biblical mores. The objective of the Christian right is same or similar with all religious faiths. While the Muslims wanted the whole world to be converted to Islam, the Hindu right dreams of the twenty-first century as Hindu, the American Christian rights wanted to impose biblical Christianity on all nations of the world. The agenda includes subversion of the democratic rights of the individual, up to now upheld by the courts. In America the Christian right wanted to curtail the power of supreme courts and others to review legislations passed by the states. The Christian right also involved in organising parallel militias in states where they are strong enough. They did indulge in sporadic violence against people of liberal views.

There are other movements like home school, where families teach children at home on their faith and morals a kind of Madrasa. There anti-abortion etc. The American population consist of overwhelming majority following Christian religion. The right propagates that liberals and secularists persecute Christian. Right to religious freedom is advocated to discriminate other religious denomination that comes only about 5% of the population.
Ms Michelle has devoted a chapter to the future scenario. She
advocates the grass roots organisation of people to combat the
onslaught of the right, on hard won freedoms in all spheres of life and professions.

While reading this book I am reminded of the Hindutva propaganda and programmes. They are equally fanatic about re-writing Indian history as that of Hindu, advocates Vedic science, puranic dharmas. During their rule in the states and at the centre they filled all posts with Hindutva advocates. They also cry that in India a Hindu majority nation Hindus are persecuted. They wanted the Hindus to rise and oppose all liberal and secular acts, laws, morals, ethics etc. May be all religious rights follow the same strategy and principle, world wide to impose themselves on common people.

17. 4. 2007

(K.N,Krishnan)