Christian Nationalists: God Said It, and That Settles It
This phrase is the backbone of Project 2025. Plus, a checklist to evaluate whether a candidate is a Christian Nationalist (Scroll to the end to listen)
Music is a key tool for religious indoctrination. When I was a small Christian Nationalist child, we sang the song God Said It, I Believe It, and That Settles It.
Give it a listen.
Readers brave enough to click on the video are probably screeching, “WHY ARE YOU MAKING MY EYES AND EARS BLEED, ANDRA?! WHY WHY WHY?!”
Imagine what it was like for me. I went to the neighborhood playground and walked up to children with this look on my face:
I asked them if they knew Jesus Christ as their personal lord and savior and had no idea why they didn’t want to play with me.
Anyway.
Around the time the Moral Majority formed, my pastor took this song out of our worship rotation. He preached a hellfire-and-brimstone sermon to proclaim what was wrong with God Said It, I Believe It, and That Settles It.
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe God’s word or not,” he ranted as he pounded his pulpit and waved his Schofield KJV Bible. “It’s God’s word. God’s law. He is the final authority. You don’t have to believe it for it to be The Truth. This song should be called God Said It, and That Settles It.”
Afterward, we tottered through church and school hallways like good little robots chanting, “God said it, and that settles it.”
I didn’t know it then, but this would become one of Christian Nationalism’s most radicalizing phrases.
By removing the phrase I believe it, they gave themselves the go-ahead to force their interpretation of the Bible on everyone. God said it, and that settles it is their battle cry for American government and society. Everyone must follow God’s law, whether they believe it or not.
This dictum drove the Moral Majority. It informed the Republican party’s family values platforms of the 1990s. It drove their isolationism and Islamophobia in the wake of September 11. It fueled their horror at Obama’s presidency, and it led them to 45, their messiah. It is the bedrock belief of groups like The Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Federalist Society. Several Supreme Court justices interpret the law through this lens.
With every step listed above, they became more radical, more extreme. They went from trying to win hearts and minds in the 80s and 90s to forcing their religion into our laws, our classrooms, and our public spaces, from “Do you know Jesus as your personal lord and savior,” to “You will live by the rules of the One True God whether you believe or not.”
I don’t advocate for no Christians in government. People like Pete Buttigieg are lovely examples of what it means to be a committed Christian in public life.
But when a candidate says she is a Christian (or any faith,) voters must dig deeper and find out what that means to the candidate. Are they a Christian? Or a Christian Nationalist?
Here’s a handy cheat sheet of questions American voters can use to evaluate candidates of faith.
Where do they worship? What causes does their church publicly support? Christian Nationalist churches put their extreme views in black-and-white on their websites and social media. If they’re local, the church may already have a reputation for radicalism.
How often do they attend? Go to public forums and ask candidates this question if the information isn’t public. Christian Nationalists love to expound on their holier-than-thou-ness.
What is their church history? Have they attended radical churches or been involved in cult-like sects?
Are they in church leadership? Christian Nationalist candidates like to mention that they are deacons, Sunday School teachers, and small group leaders. They believe it makes them appear to be walking the walk.
Have they been involved in Christo-fascist political groups or organizations like The Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, Moms for Liberty and similar?
Were they educated in faith-based schools? What is the reputation of the attached church?
If they have a voting record, do they vote like a Christian Nationalist? Because how they vote means more than anything they say.
Are they married to or closely affiliated with anyone who is a Christian Nationalist?
If they are a businessperson, do they have stated values for their business? Christian Nationalists often proclaim God through their businesses.
If candidates refuse to answer questions about their faith in public forums, consider it a red flag. Christian Nationalists are savvy about hiding their extremism to get elected.
Do as much of the above research as possible before attending a public forum. Be prepared to ask questions like Do you believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible word of God? and Do you believe life begins at conception or fertilization? and Do you believe being LGBTQIA+ is a sin? (These questions and more are included in a separate post tomorrow.) These kinds of questions make it difficult for Christian Nationalist candidates to avoid showing their hand.
Be curious with your questioning. Don’t be combative. Make the candidate think you’re genuinely interested in their faith journey, that they are addressing a fellow brother-or-sister-in-Christ. They are more likely to be open and honest if they believe they have a friendly, receptive audience.
Don’t assume a non-Republican candidate is immune from this line of scrutiny. We’ve seen several examples of candidates crossing the aisle to push Christian Nationalist agenda items once they won their seats. Christian Nationalists are waging a holy war, and they fight dirty.
What do they post on social media? Christian Nationalists love to post Bible verses and show everyone what they read in their daily devotions/quiet times. They are more likely to share their prayer lists to demonstrate how much they care for others. Most can’t resist sharing political viewpoints.
If we want to save democracy, being a Christian Nationalist should automatically disqualify a candidate from getting one’s vote. They do not care about freedom and democracy. They care that God said it, and that settles it. If they win, they will force everyone to live in their Christo-fascist reality.
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The insane dogma is like the last puzzle piece in destroying our basic freedoms. SCOTUS, Trump, the Republican party, the oligarchs funding the think tanks spewing out Project 2025 and other manifestos and the unhinged MAGA cult members who don’t care what Christian Mationalists believe as long as they get to “make America great again”.