Where do we go from here?

What is the way forward for ordinary Americans in the midst of a Cold Civil War they never wanted?

Last week I wrote a piece asking what the plan was after our votes were overturned on January 6th, had MAGA been successful in stealing an election by force. I ask this, because I see no plan for January 6th beyond death and destruction, so imagine if Trump supporters had overwhelmed law and order!

I also wrote an imaginative piece (for paid subscribers) that posits what could have happened next, based on the rhetoric I heard from Republicans and saw online, leading up to January 6th. It is the darkest thing I have ever written, with shades of dystopian literature I have read, and including references to actual documented events and public online conversations on January 6th. 

Suffice it to say, I believe, based on the online chatter and threats of executions, that absent a plan beyond installing Trump, the most delusional of his supporters were in fact prepared to murder Americans. The violent hatred, for Nancy Pelosi and the murderous intent towards Mike Pence, was palpable, and reflected the complete disdain for human life from Trump throughout his presidency, as well as on the day he let his mob attack the US Capitol. 

Yes, I do think we could have seen hangings and brutal violence - my worst fear, given the swirling evil of the raging mob- was to see someone dragged out and raped, on livestream, had the Capitol police not managed to contain the mob, and had the US National Guard not been called in and the attackers been arrested, as they still are being, and should be.

We would not have recovered from that abuse easily; what happened was bad enough.

One of my concerns is the desensitization to domestic violence our children were exposed to because of Republican folly. I also believe firmly that anyone who still supports Trump should be excommunicated from churches pending repentance, but sadly, I am not in charge in that realm, and I have no desire to play any role in evangelical circles ever again, given this very brutal and callous betrayal of our personal safety. 

I sincerely believe, based on what happened on January 6th, and the rhetoric that both led to it and followed it to this day, that it would be very unwise, to trust a good number of Republicans and evangelicals, with our lives. (So why anyone would worship with such people is beyond me.) I am well aware that such a frank statement is offensive to many evangelicals, and I certainly hope it is.

It needs to cut Christians to the heart.

Humble Christians cannot be offended by the sad truth, given the fact that over 70% of evangelicals continue to support Trump, which is clearly an abject failure of discipleship. Christians in step with Jesus are meant to be grieved at abuse, not honesty about it.

I wrote my short story last week, the way I did, because I want it driven home: calling for executions or civil war absolutely does not make you a safe person, and anyone engaging in that should be told straight that they do not care about lives. Such people do not have any right to relationship with decent people, because we cannot trust them with our lives, which is a basic requirement for that!

Simply, many Christians were there worshiping in the vicinity of a gallows, a death threat, consenting to deaths.

This isn’t just about emotional safety anymore; this is a life and death issue for many of us, and Christians owe their country repentance for the loss of trust they have caused. Americans don’t owe them deference after they’ve made it clear they will unite with the ones who will kill us, if we don't fall in line.

This is about the fact January 6th was a murderous attack on free Americans, and we aren’t over it, because most are not sorry. Some are, to their credit, and grace can be given to people who repent, which means a total 180 about-face turn towards doing right, and righting wrongs. But where have we really seen that, either on a corporate level, or from the main ringleaders of deadly American evangelical public opinion?

In reality, the show goes on in churches, despite a deadly attack that many Christians were just fine with and/or continue to minimize. This is revolting wickedness, according to the God I was raised to trust. 

There must be ownership of the evil theology that led to evangelicals feeling free to embrace the murder of neighbors as acceptable, and there must be rejection of evil teachers in pulpits, from congregations who were deceived. This has barely happened; instead, pastors and laypeople who speak out firmly have tended to be the ones put out of their churches, as “divisive” or “bitter” or “abusive”! What a mess.

Of course, not everyone who supports Trump is necessarily religious. Let’s be clear: there is the inner delusional cult that really believed they could overthrow the government for Trump, then there are the tacitly complicit, who maybe didn’t participate but thought maybe civil war needed to happen(!). Then there are the Republicans who are educated enough to recognize the blatant fascism in the authoritarianism of their base, but just don’t care, as long as they get their way, even if violence is required to enforce that.

There are people with a variety of beliefs merging together in all these parts of MAGA, but my point is that over 70% of evangelicals are not rebuking this cult; they are still part of it. Instead of repenting of textbook idolatry, they will “rebuke” those who dare to hold them accountable for it, including questioning our faith. So much for discernment, let alone love.

The narcissistic abuse of a nation, by its own people, is a thing to behold, truly.

I intended to write today about the illegitimacy of the pro life claim, given January 6th, and the rhetoric in our society as a result of Trump, but I’ll save that for another time. It’s just obvious. You can’t claim to value life and simultaneously threaten civil war, as prominent evangelical pastors and thought leaders actually did throughout the Trump regime. Using plausible deniability and weasel words will not save you on the day of judgment, if God truly judges the hearts and motivations of men.

Christians, you can’t have it both ways; you know better than that: you cannot serve two masters. And to my dear fellow appalled and righteously angry Americans: yes they do know better; they just don’t care!

I remember being shocked when in the middle of the ongoing refugee crisis, an evangelical church-goer in Texas told me point blank that she didn’t care about Muslims. I guess this won’t come as a shock to people who know Texas, but having been brought up in a completely different culture, it was appalling to me. When people get to a point they just don’t care about the lives of others, based on anything, we are lost.

Extremists of all faiths are likely to excuse murder, or even death by neglect; that much has become abundantly clear, but for Christians to condone callousness in favor of self, is a narcissism akin to Nazism. I was taught that God loves all creation; there was no religious test for that love. And to be pro life, but to disregard lives in need right in front of us, is a blatant sin - totally missing the mark of Christlikeness. We are dealing with a violent narcissism that only ends in fascistic death. 

My point, in writing today, is not to preach Christianity, however useful I think it might be to my readers to hear a Christian perspective, but to answer the question: where do we go after January 6th? Certainly, there is a loss of innocence; we cannot repair the trust in our evangelical and Republican neighbors that they have abused, by their refusal to condemn violence in action and in truth.

January 6th was a trauma: a visual of how much a segment of the population hates all the rest of the US, from conservatives who honor the Constitution, to Democrats, to leftists, and everyone in between. 

Yes, these Americans hate Americans. Hate is not too strong of a word, because they were prepared to threaten fellow Americans with murder (a gallows on the Capitol lawn is absolutely not art, whatever you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night), and they didn’t care who died, either in a brawl, or in the process of an attempted coup. They don’t seem to care now, much, either. (It certainly appears that a lot of these people sleep just fine, while all the rest of us are still coming to terms with what they did.)

This is absolutely about life - and liberty.

The only way forward is to tell the truth: MAGA threatened to kill Americans, and their enablers aren’t clearly sorry. They haven’t rejected the instigator, they haven’t rebuked violent rhetoric, and so, we can conclude they are prepared to abuse us again. Arguably voting for the guy who wants to “be your retribution” tells everyone else a hell of a lot about how safe you are. (Again with the anti-Christ behaviors as well, given the God I love says not to take revenge. Christians know this; there is no excuse.)

Republicans, religious or not, need to be forced to own their abuses of power, so this is our best way forward: expose their threats of violence, their murderous abuse fantasies, talk honestly about their Nazi rhetoric and make historical comparisons without deference or apology, be real about what their “big talk” actually means in practice…in other words: we need to be exercising free speech for tough love, don’t try to protect abusers’ feelings thinking you can change them, just be honest. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to spend time with someone who can’t be trusted with my life,” is a perfectly valid comment, given the circumstances. These people are already addicted to anger, so maybe just let them be angry without US.

Trust your intuition, be true to yourself, be wise and stay safe. 

Peace.

End note:

There is an excellent piece by Will Bunch at the Inquirer that is the warning call I see as necessary, having learned about the Nazis in my German and French degree. There is a lot going on. Keep going.