I think I’ve possibly figured out what we are facing when it comes to our constitutional democracy and liberty, justice, and freedom for all Americans without exception. It’s not red versus blue, Christian versus non-Christian, rich versus poor, or any other group versus another group. It’s those individuals who deliberately support American democracy versus those individuals who deliberately do not support American democracy; however, there is a range of misunderstanding and non-deliberation of gray in-between. Minus the gray, those who willingly support Christian Authoritarianism, Christian Rule, and political power (like some CPAC guest speakers) versus those who fully support the US Constitution, American Democracy, and freedom for all Americans without exception are the two primary groups of Americans we have right now. Like the LGBTQ+ issue, there are various degrees of understanding, “grayness,” and acceptance just as there are various degrees of understanding what should and should not be passed as law and what is and what isn’t oppressive on others. Even though it took me a while to open my eyes to reproductive healthcare, I opened my eyes, well-before Roe was overturned. But every day, my eyes open to more and more injustice. I wish my eyes would have opened fully at an earlier time, but they finally opened to a point where I could identify as a pro-choice Catholic Democrat and an LGBTQ+ ally.
It’s impossible to broadbrush any group of people and make statements such as “All Republicans are racist” or “All Christians are Christian Nationalists,” or “all minority groups are Democrats.” It boils down to each individual and which side of history that person will choose. However, there are some gray spaces of misunderstanding where people cannot see different levels of injustice; I was unable to start noticing more injustice until Trump mocked the disabled reporter. It took some awakenings for me to open my eyes further; it took some hard lessons, but I choose American democracy because I believe that each and every person is beloved by God, is equally-sacred, and deserves equal human rights. As a Catholic-Christian, I should want the same rights and freedoms for those who are different than myself, regardless if they share my values and beliefs or not. As Amanda Tyler of Christians Against Christian Nationalism says, full participation in American society should never be based on how someone identifies religiously. In order for religious liberties of all kinds to flourish, a secular democracy must flourish.
But this is not what the far Putin right-wing of the Republican party wants. Let’s look at a very recent CPAC speech from a member of the Putin wing of the Republican party. He specifically states that he supported January 6th, that he wants democracy defeated, and then he ties in “The name of God” to the end of his short speech. It’s getting dangerous, my fellow Americans. Catholic Americans, will you stand on the side of the vulnerable, the oppressed, and the marginalized, or will you stand on the side of the oppressors like this who have promised to defeat democracy. I choose to stand with democracy and liberty and justice for all because each and every human being is equally-created in God’s image.
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