Christian Nationalism Government

By Thomas Coffin

I am Christian, as is my wife. We have children and grandchildren. I have studied history, the law, our Constitution, and our nation’s dedication to the rule of law and democracy. I want nothing to do with the trend of authoritarian politicians to install Christian nationalism as the basis of our government. It is blatant theocracy, where one religious belief system would be dominant and supersede absolutely all basic rights enshrined in our Constitution.

The Founders recognized and bestowed us with freedom of religion, not an official State religion, in the Constitution. In fact, they created a “wall” between church and state. They had experienced or studied that form of religious despotism through oppression, crusades, wars, and the like and wanted none of that in the new world.

But here we are paying lip service to but otherwise ignoring our Constitution by implementing “Christian” nationalism. What about Jewish nationalism? Or Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, agnostic or atheist nationalism? Such would lead to discrimination based on one’s creed. We are circling back to discrimination based on race, gender, and a host of other prejudices. That’s not our system, nor should it be. Unfortunately, far too many of us cling to such distinctions as if they were solely determinative of one’s merit in our society and now even our government.

But aren’t the values that a person exhibits the key ingredient, regardless of the source of those values? Compassion, kindness, morality, intelligence, charity, honesty, etc. are not exclusive to only one or even 100 belief systems. No one system has a monopoly on virtue.

Beyond the commonality of virtue in a multitude of sources (let me also include classic literature such as Les Miserables), there is the practical issue of hiring personnel in government positions based on their religion. Such practices inevitably seed litigation by those rejected based on such a preference.

Thus, a mandate from a state’s governor that the Ten Commandments be taught in the public school system is likely headed for the courts, where it may also join those individuals rejected from government employment because they aren’t Christian.

I have friends who opine that a curriculum featuring the Ten Commandments can survive a constitutional challenge if they are part of a comparative religion class in the public school system, perhaps in an upper-level course along with a mix of other religious and belief systems being studied by the students.

However, I do not believe that a religious test for government employment could pass constitutional scrutiny at all under a freedom of religion barrier to such discrimination.

The issue begs the question: How can our government staff critical positions with Christian nationalists to the exclusion of non-Christian applicants without violating the Constitution? Just call it by a more polite euphemism?

But then, we do have a quixotic Supreme Court. Perhaps Alito will instruct us. I remember he once said he searched history and found no evidence that women had any rights of privacy or autonomy of their bodies.

Stay tuned. This is a developing story in our history. Up next: Will November be the last time we get to vote? One candidate promises so.

The Trump Party agenda is obvious. Only we the people can preserve democracy for our future generations.

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Thomas Coffin was the keynote speaker at the Blackberry Pie Society’s Political Party in February, 2020 and at Politics and Pie in October, 2022. He is a retired federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and a former professor at the UO Law School. Thomas retired in 2016 after 24 years on the bench, prior to which he had a career as a federal prosecutor spanning 21 years. He is married with 7 children. The Blackberry Pie Society is pleased to include a collection of his essays on our website. We will post them as they become available.

Posted 8.7.2024