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Protest Convoy Headed to Southern Border Is Calling Itself an ‘Army of God’ (www.vice.com)

submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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Experts say that the Christian nationalist rhetoric adds a dangerous dimension to the standoff between Texas and the Federal Government.

A trucker convoy of “patriots” is heading to the U.S. border with Mexico next week, as the standoff between Texas and the federal government intensifies. The organizers of the “Take Our Border Back” convoy have called themselves “God’s army” and say they’re on a mission to stand up against the “globalists” who they claim are conspiring to keep U.S. borders open and destroy the country.

“This is a biblical, monumental moment that’s been put together by God,” one convoy organizer said on a recent planning call. “We are besieged on all sides by dark forces of evil,” said another. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. It is time for the remnant to rise.” (The remnant, from the Book of Revelation, are the ones who remain faithful to Jesus Christ in times of crisis).

Experts say that the Christian nationalist overtones in this rhetoric adds a dangerous dimension to an already fraught situation.

“When people believe that they are working on behalf of God, they might be willing to resort to relatively extreme measures,” said Ruth Braunstein, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and author of “Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide.” ”And so you have a politically volatile situation that could become much more so, in part because of this rhetoric.”

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[-] HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

"When people believe that they are working on behalf of God, they might be willing to resort to relatively extreme measures,”

Ask the Cathars about "armies of God"

[-] agent_flounder@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

It's worth reading the article to see what the supporters of this convoy have to say, following the quote above. Hopefully these lunatics stick to peaceful protesting but even that makes a tense situation worse. This dispute needs no more powder or matches right now.

Hopefully it all blows over but I fear historians may point to this as marking a notable shift in the power struggle between (red) states and the federal government. If states whose political leadership opposes federal leadership successfully gain power through extra legal means, it seems to me that introduced some big cracks into the foundation of the union.

[-] HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

Well, last time this happened, things got worse really fast. Still the most deadly war in US history

this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024

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