If I weren’t Catholic, if I were not a parent of LGBTQ+ kids, if I didn’t have a way to see what is happening globally, if I didn’t live and work with many Latino, Indigenous, and Black Americans in my community of San Antonio, TX, I wouldn’t know the danger so many historically-marginalized groups are facing worldwide right now. Many countries which currently have a traditional faction of their population are attempting to “take their country back to God” due to changing demographics. At first this sounds like a good thing until we understand that it requires melding their religion and the government into a political weapon to control and endanger the rest of the nation to “achieve their goal” of preserving a certain ethno-religious identity. The primary goal of any country who has far-right authoritarian movements is to enforce a set of ideals by using governmental force, not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and healing the sick as Jesus commands. Religious Nationalism in any country is a grave threat to democracy, freedom, human rights, and religious institutions who are trying to work for the Common Good of all.
As a Roman Catholic, mother, and wife who loves and cherishes family, I admire traditional cultures, but when this is enforced on an entire nation or state by militancy, it turns toxic and violent. This is happening in Russia in the Russian Orthodox Church over the Ukraine, in Poland with the Polish Catholic Church over those who are not Catholic, and in India with Hindu Nationalism over those who are not traditional Hindu. Religious Nationalism is also happening in Israel with Jewish Nationalism over Israel and parts of Palestine, and in the United States with Christian Nationalism over the rest of the country. There are also far-right extremist groups increasing in France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the UK. I may be missing a few.
Even though I appreciate traditional ways of life, when attempts to preserve traditionalism are done by political force, it in most cases leads to grave threats of human rights, safety, democracy, freedom, and liberty and justice for all.
I am going to focus particularly on Texas right now because it’s in a growing grave danger of becoming a Christian Nationalist State. Meet Democratic Representative James Talarico. He was a former middle school public school teacher in a low-income middle school in Texas, a progressive Democrat, and is currently the youngest representative in Texas office. Please watch his video because it will give you a good idea about the trends which are happening within the growing threat of Christian Nationalism, particularly in the United States and even moreso in Texas.
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Representative James Talarico has many good videos, but I pay special attention to these two, one about gun violence and the other about the harm towards transgender kids. Christians of all kinds, if you haven’t already, please open your eyes. Our world is dangerous right now, and there are many (not all) religious people in every major world religion on the extreme far right who are creating these dangers. All faith traditions and Jesus Christ teach people to love their neighbor as ourselves, not harm them.
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