Questions for Political Candidates Who Profess to be Christians
Their answers will reveal whether they are a Christian or a Christian Nationalist (Scroll to the end to listen)
Yesterday, we shared a list of guidelines for voters to ascertain whether a Christian political candidate is a Christian Nationalist. (Read the post HERE.) This newsletter is a continuation of that theme.
When attending a public forum with candidates, asking the right questions is important. Liberals tend to frame questions to opposing candidates in combative or confrontational ways. With their persecution complexes, Christian Nationalists are particularly sensitive to this approach. It is always better to make them think you’re one of them.
Here is a list of questions for candidates who profess to be Christians. Each question is framed in Christian Nationalist language.
1. Do you believe the Bible is the inerrant, inspired word of God?
While a Christian candidate may say that is their personal belief, they will also stress that they have no right to force that belief on others. A true Christian Nationalist will have a difficult time answering this question with the word NO. By framing the question this way, you are speaking their language. They will be more inclined to give an honest answer.
2. Do you believe marriage is a holy covenant between one man and one unrelated woman?
You don’t need to bring up same-sex marriage to find out whether a candidate is against it. Use their own language against them. By asking the question this way, you are communicating that you might be on their team. Let them think so. They are more likely to share extremist beliefs when they don’t feel defensive.
3. Do you believe life begins at conception/fertilization?
It is a waste of time to ask a Christian Nationalist why they oppose abortion or if they oppose a woman’s bodily autonomy. They don’t believe in women’s bodily autonomy. To them, it is a woke phrase they must obliterate from society. Use their language to find out what they believe.
4. Do you believe the Bible opposes divorce?
Christian Nationalists believe marriage is an eternal contract between God, the man, and the unrelated woman. It cannot be undone simply because one or both parties decide the marriage was a mistake. They don’t merely oppose no-fault divorce; they oppose ALL divorce. Attacks on no-fault divorce are the first step to removing the right to ALL divorce.
5. Do you believe God defines gender in binary terms, as only male and female?
Don’t ask a possible Christian Nationalist if they oppose transgender surgeries and treatments. You only reveal your political sympathies. Frame the question in their terms, and you will get a more revealing answer.
6. Do you support religious freedom exceptions that allow for the exclusion of LGBT people from society?
They don’t use LGBTQIA+, so avoid it when questioning them. A Christian Nationalist will strongly support their right to discriminate against all people who offend them by claiming such behavior offends God.
7. How do you define pornography?
A Christian Nationalist believes anything that could make anyone think about sex is pornography. An answer that strays from the liberal definition of porn and includes things like smutty books, sex scenes in movies, sex between people who aren’t married, homosexuality, transgenderism, nudity in art and similar is a sure sign of a Christian Nationalist.
8. How do you feel about the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that defines embryos as “extrauterine children”?
Christian Nationalists are falling all over themselves to placate outraged voters who have spent thousands on IVF while pandering to their far-right anti-abortion donors right now, but make no mistake. If they win in November, they will outlaw IVF and all forms of birth control nationwide. If the candidate brings up the ethics of IVF, a popular talking point, she is a Christian Nationalist pretending to be more open-minded. Don’t fall for it.
9. How do you feel about assisted suicide or the right to die?
DO NOT say right to die with dignity. It reveals your own position. Just as Christian Nationalists believe it is God’s choice to give life, they also believe our lives end when God wills it. A human being is never supposed to decide to end their own life, regardless of their suffering or the cost and burden to others. Christian Nationalists will outlaw assisted suicide nationwide.
10. How do you feel about the statement “God’s word is law”?
If a Christian Nationalist believes you are sympathetic to this view, they are likely to say some version of, “the Bible is God’s perfect law. It’s arrogant of man to think he can improve upon it.”
Some final thoughts.
Do not mention your position on an issue.
If you’re a Christian, say you are. Otherwise, don’t identify your faith or lack thereof.
Don’t reveal that you or someone you love is LGBTQIA+.
Don’t tell your abortion story or admit you’ve had one.
Don’t talk about your IVF experience.
Don’t say divorce is important to you because you’ve had one due to an abusive relationship. Christian Nationalists believe the man is the head of the home, and the wife must submit to him. If the husband punishes his wife for failing to submit, it is God’s will and she deserved it.
Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t act outraged or shocked. Keep your faces and reactions neutral.
Don’t argue. You are there to get them to reveal how extreme they are, not to lecture them about how abominable they are or to change their minds.
If you’re new here, WELCOME!
You’ve made a decision to support freedom and democracy this November. And guess what?
Freedom isn’t free.
Good information is one of the best defenses against fascism. US media outlets are failing because most Americans have adopted the belief that information should be free. Including many liberals, if my paid subscriber rate is any indication.
Your financial support enables me to keep this newsletter an open, persuasive tool for your communities. It gives me the ability to devote more time to this space. I can invest in tools that help this information reach more eyeballs and hire the support to do deeper dives into what Christian Nationalists are already doing to create a Christo-fascist America.
This is a terrific resource, and a potent reminder that the Right in general and Christian Nationalists as well have consistently deployed Language as a tactical weapon, and not addressing that head-on is like taking a knife to a gunfight. Arming your readers this way helps make it a fairer fight.
Great questions, thanks.
it would be beneficial if this could get into a nationwide publication - and can you please send these to every news reporter, anchor person , journalist in the United States? They need it too. 👍
I like your section under final thoughts, "don't roll your eyes"...... I would have a hard time with this one.