The NYer: A Pennsylvania Lawmaker and the Resurgence of Christian Nationalism

[Montauk6]

How Doug Mastriano’s rise embodies the spread of a movement centered on the belief that God intended America to be a Christian nation.



Doug Mastriano, a Republican state senator from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and parts of neighboring counties, was a little-known figure in state politics before the coronavirus pandemic. But, in the past year, he has led rallies against mask mandates and other public-health protocols, which he has characterized as “the governor’s autocratic control over our lives.” He has become a leader of the Stop the Steal campaign, and claims that he spoke to Donald Trump at least fifteen times between the 2020 election and the insurrection at the Capitol, on January 6th. He urged his followers to attend the rally at the Capitol that led to the riots, saying, “I’m really praying that God will pour His Spirit upon Washington, D.C., like we’ve never seen before.” Throughout this time, he has cast the fight against both lockdowns and Trump’s electoral loss as a religious battle against the forces of evil.

He has come to embody a set of beliefs characterized as Christian nationalism, which center on the idea that God intended America to be a Christian nation, and which, when mingled with conspiracy theory and white nationalism, helped to fuel the insurrection. “Violence has always been a part of Christian nationalism,” Andrew Whitehead, a sociologist and co-author of “Taking America Back for God,” told me. “It’s just that the nature of the enemy has changed.”

More of this must-read article:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/a-pennsylvania-lawmaker-and-the-resurgence-of-christian-nationalism?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_050921&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5d60c324fbd29706403e18be&cndid=58220567&hasha=e26c28a24a9abddf4978715c0da94260&hashb=fed5c2d7e2a2a764bfabebd882d480219e0309b4&hashc=bb50d34d9c346e6f2f4024f63764500134d513288a8ba3e81105af407c45253b&esrc=Auto_Subs&mbid=CRMNYR012019&utm_term=TNY_Daily

[nebby70]

1. ... most frustrating is his lack of basic knowledge of PA history ....

... although I feel old enough to have been an eye witness, I was taught that 'settlement' in Penn's land was 'sold' to Europeans as being a place for religious freedom -- at least by Wm. Penn (his sons sort of distorted it later)

[bronxiteforever]

2. Kick and recommend. Important read

[fwvinson]

3. When will he be arrested for his participation in the insurection?

[Montauk6]

4. Y'know I'm so cynical...

I'd be surprised if the principals get nailed on 1-06. I'm still in "yeah right,I'll believe it when I see it" mode when it comes to YouKnowWho being prosecuted, found guilty and sent to prison on his mishaps.

I HOPE I'm wrong.