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January 7, 2021

Chaos At The Capitol Proves Why We Need Separation Of Church And State

By Emily Hunt
Current Events

*This is an editorial piece and should be read as such. The views expressed are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this She’s a Full on Monet. We are a platform for women’s voices that welcomes and encourages all voices from women of any and all walks of life.*

Yesterday, January 6, members of the US Congress convened to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. They were unable to do so, however — soon after the conclusion of Donald Trump’s DC rally, rally attendees stormed the Capitol building, smashing windows and forcing their way inside. The Capitol went into lockdown. Congresspeople hunkered down in safe locations. A woman (whose identity was unknown at the time of posting this article) was shot and killed. And democracy? Well, we’ll see what happens there.

What’s to blame? How did we get here? What’s happening to our nation, and, most importantly — where do we go from here? 

I don’t have the answers to all these questions, but I do have what I hope will prove to be valuable insight. So today, friends, we’re going to talk about Christian Nationalism, “Trumpism,” and what happens when we conflate politics with religion.

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The Church and Me

 
 
 
 
 
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Before I get into the thick of this, I feel compelled to share a bit of my own background. I grew up in the suburbs of Northern Virginia, about 30 minutes outside of Washington, DC. I grew up in a Christian home and attended an Anglican church every Sunday up through my early 20’s. I loved my church and I genuinely loved my faith — but after Trump was elected in 2016, I started to become disenchanted with Christianity as I saw many Christians very vocally support Donald Trump. They’d cite claims from modern “prophets” that Trump was sent by God to “make America Christian again.” They’d dismiss allegations of sexual assault and blatant racism and sexism because “God can use anyone to fulfill His plan.” President Trump’s vocally pro-life stance, his commitment to protecting our borders, and his mission to “make America great again” drew them like moths to a flame. And before we knew it, Trump was the symbol at the forefront of evangelical Christianity.

After Trump was elected in 2016, I started to become disenchanted with Christianity as I saw many Christians very vocally support Donald Trump.

The “Trump-ism” that arose from this far-right evangelical Christian faction quickly drove myself (and many, many others) away from the Church, as Christian Nationalism became more prevalent and more visible in the years following Donald Trump’s 2016 victory. And in 2020, it exploded.

Coronavirus, Conspiracy, and Christianity

In March of 2020 (unfortunately, an election year), almost the entire country was put on lockdown due to the rapid spread of coronavirus. Pandemics happen every so often (roughly three per century), but the coronavirus has been different in that we now have fast news and social media. So 2020 presented us with a super fun cocktail — a pandemic, an election year, and easily accessible news media — that unequivocally shaped the events of the coming months.

On May 4th, the documentary Plandemic was released, which (to put it succinctly) claimed that: 

“To get everyone to take a possibly mind-altering vaccine, the powers that be created the novel coronavirus, which the human immune system would be able to fight off were it not for things like face masks and hand-washing, which “activate” the virus and help to spread it.” (Source)

This conspiracy-centric video set the stage for mounting distrust of the “powers that be,” distrust that would only be fueled in the coming months. Notably, outrage and cries of persecution spread among Christians as they were banned from singing in in-person worship services to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The result? A fearless, bold determination to stand for “Christian rights,” a refusal to be oppressed, a loud and victorious claim of the freedom they have a right to as American citizens and as Christians. Unmasked “worship rallies” broke out around the country, Christians everywhere looked to Trump to restore Christian values to America, and videos of “prophets” started circulating that espoused the firm belief that God has raised up Donald Trump to be the President of the United States for another four years. 

Seen through this lens, Donald Trump can’t not be President. If God has ordained it, if prophecies have confirmed it, if it’s God’s will, if Trump will stop the “persecution” of Christians, it can’t not happen. And, viewed through this lens, if Christians believe they’re under attack and must do what they can to help bring about God’s will, then they will. When politics and God become this intertwined, God’s mission becomes a political one. And we’ve seen throughout history what Christians will do to politically defend their religion.

Donald Trump couldn’t possibly lose the election. But he did. Don’t worry, though — it’s only a small bump in the road. God’s plan will prevail.

Draining the Swamp and Releasing the Kraken

Following Biden’s victory in November, cries of voter fraud were rampant. Trump supporters rallied around trending hashtags like #draintheswamp, #stopthesteal, and #releasethekraken, and all news supporting Biden’s victory was quickly dubbed “Fake News” and was discredited. Trump was in the thick of this, holding rallies and gathering evidence to prove that the election was stolen from him, that he actually won. And possibly his most vocally supportive, most committed group of supporters contained many far-right evangelical Christians. Because, if God ordained it, how could Trump have lost?

If God ordained it, how could Trump have lost?

But weeks went by and election results weren’t overturned. Evidence was presented in court, and the results weren’t overturned. Votes were recounted, and the election wasn’t overturned. But Trump must have won, because prophets said that God ordained it, and God wants Trump as President because Trump will put Christian moral principles into law, which is obviously what God wants for America.

So on January 6, the day that Congress is set to certify Biden’s electoral college win, what else were devoted Christ followers supposed to do? They are commissioned to do what they can for the cause of Christ. Many of us who grew up in the Church grew up with war rhetoric — that there’s an enemy we must fight against, that we’ll one day be called to fight for Christ, to spread Christianity as far and wide as we can. I suppose to many Christians, then, January 6 seemed like their time to fight. 

Before I get mountainous backlash from this, let me say: I speak to you as one who fervently seeks after Jesus, who seeks to love his people as best I can following his example. But friends, this is what happens when we conflate politics and religion. We become willing to harm our neighbor and subvert the systems and procedures our government has put in place if it means we’ll accomplish what we perceive as the will of God. We’re willing to end a Trump rally by storming the Capitol building, entering a long-sacred Chamber wielding a strange conglomeration of Trump flags and Jesus flags, because the two have become inextricably intertwined. Well I have a newsflash for you, friends: your Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, didn’t come as the towering, powerful political figure the Israelites expected. He came as a baby, a carpenter, a lamb. And he reserved the harshest words for those (notably political figures) who would oppress and enact their will upon others in His name. 

If God is as big as Christians claim, he doesn’t need anybody in power. He doesn’t need Donald Trump or Joe Biden. He doesn’t need us. Yet, somehow, this is where we are — convinced that God needs us to stand up, expose, uncover lies, resort to violence, attempt a coup to accomplish his will. It’s clear how we got here; what’s not clear is where we will go. My most fervent prayer is that we end up far away from this.

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We’d like to know your thoughts — do you also think separation of Church and State is vital to a well-functioning government? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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3 thoughts on “Chaos At The Capitol Proves Why We Need Separation Of Church And State”

  1. THe separation clause was intended for one purpose only… to prevent the establishment of a single national religion. It was never intended to keep God or prayer out of government activities. That’s a 20th century bastardization of the clause.
    What happened on January 6th was not Christian America. It was crazy America. Those of us who LOVE jesus decried yesterday as violently wrong.
    Donald Trump has accomplished a great many things that have helped this country, economically and on the world stage. Sadly, his narcissism demands to be fed, and he, being a masterful stage presence, knows how to appeal to some of the worst in many. It is a mistake to view him as a Christian symbol. He is a symbol of toxic radicalism.

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