Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t hide his religion or his belief in the primacy of his Christian beliefs. Quite the contrary. Here’s what he told Sean Hannity Thursday on Fox News: “Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’ I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview. That’s what I believe.’”
This came the day after he used his precious first remarks as speaker to tell the House and the country that he believes God has ordained him. “I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear: that God is the one who raises up those in authority…I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment in this time.’”
(He also introduced his “dedicated wife of 25 years” to the nation—and her absence at his acceptance speech—like this: “She's spent the last couple of weeks on her knees in prayer to the Lord. And, um, she's a little worn out.”)
In this speech, he highlighted British writer and Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton who, Johnson said, asserted that America is “the only nation in the world founded upon a creed,” which is “listed with almost theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.” That is, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”—“created,” Johnson emphasized, not born. He also noted that the motto, “In God We Trust,” added to the Capitol’s rotunda in 1962, was meant as a rebuke to the Soviet Union, Marxism and communism, “which begins with the premise that there is no God.”
Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez, who studies evangelical Christianity and politics, told Politico this week, “Christian supremacy and a particular type of conservative Christianity is at the heart of Johnson’s understanding of the Constitution and an understanding of our government.”
Johnson calls himself a “bible-believing Christian.” He has been called a Christian nationalist, convinced of the centrality of his faith in the founding of America, which he believes is under attack. In the podcast he produces with his wife, Kelly, he said, “What we found was often the Christian viewpoint is not given equal treatment and equal platform and equal chance. Very often religious viewpoints, specifically Christian viewpoints, are censored and silenced.”
In his rejection of abortion and homosexuality in a 2006 article, Johnson criticized “the earnest advocates of atheism and sexual perversion,” adding, “This sprawling alliance of anti-God enthusiasts has proven frighteningly efficient at remaking America in their own brutal, dehumanizing image.”
Surely, then, when asked about the mass shooting in Maine, this would be a chance for him to speak out against the most sacred commandment—Thou shalt not kill—and use his new divinely ordained power to speak to the need to address the availability of weapons that make murder possible on a quick and massive scale. Right? Nope.
“The problem is the human heart,” he told Hannity. “It’s not guns. It’s not the weapons. At the end of the day we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves and that’s the Second Amendment…This is not the time to talk about legislation.”
Mike Johnson is now second in line to the presidency. I worry that he puts his religion to the forefront of his efforts to remake government and America. This is a man who, benefiting from a courtly demeanor, rejects a clear separation of church and state.
What do you think? What do you hear when the new House speaker says he’s ordained by God? What does it portend for his leadership and the road ahead?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in responding to each other.
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*Photo: Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson after the GOP unanimously elected him House speaker on Oct. 25. Photo by Tom Brenner/AFP via Getty Images)
What I hear him saying with that statement is "I am a Christian Nationalist and sooner or later I will tell you what you too can believe". I am so offended by the Republican Party putting this man, who feels the need to oppress women, in charge of anything, I can hardly breathe...I'm going on 80 years old and it's been a battle my own life and I'm tired of fighting it but I will NOT succumb to the GOP's backward thinking. They DO NOT get to set us back 200 years..
Have women in the United States been complacent? Lulled by powerhouse Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Lulled by the presence of women like Kamala Harris elevated to VP? Or Hillary Clinton, Senator and Secretary of State. Or Nancy Pelosi, petite Amazing Amazon Woman? And btw, what about the Equal Rights Amendment? Still not passed by 13 states?
We females have much more work to do in order to assure our human rights.
Only good thing about Christian Right types is knowing that GODSPELL's Jesus was played by open gay married actor Victor Garber, and that he sings about Pharisees and Hypocrites...like Mike Johnson.
I am disgusted by this too. I have lived my 60+ years in a democracy and I refuse to accept this Christo-fascist stuff. Maybe the younger people aren’t seeing the danger as clearly? Idk. I think those of us who have lived decades in this democracy need to do everything we can to fight for it. What do we do??
I teach online for two universities, and from what I can see, the vast majority of the Gen Z generation is not on board with the GOP's ideology. The only ones who seem to be on board are those who have been indoctrinated from birth. I have many Millennial family members, most of which are not on board with the GOP. I tell them all the time that after living 60+ years in a democracy, I'm not willing to live out my grandmother's worst fear. She narrowly escaped capture by the Nazis when she went home to Germany to visit her dying parents in 1938 (before she immigrated to the U.S., she was very outspoken against Hitler). I grew up with her belief that such a dictatorship would be possible here if we were to elect officials to just the right positions, in which they would push a radical agenda. Had my grandmother lived long enough to witness the Jan. 6 insurrection, her reaction would have been, "I told you so." Would she accept this madness? Not a chance.
I think many younger people are fired up -- I network on Threads and see some very impressive individual activists and groups working on building communities, Gen Z & Millennial (etc.) voters, determined to unite and get out the Blue Vote. One saying that's sprung up on there is "No Dems under 11,780 followers" (or whatever the infamous Trump GA phone call # was.) I'm not in those age groups myself but I "follow" them and monitor them. I feel very optimistic about their commitment and seriousness.
For many of us, the only thing that changed was the amount and color of our hair. The young now never had the freshness of discovering Dylan, Doonesbury, or Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.
Hi Linda, I usually agree with what you write... today I wonder. I usually react to his kind of rhetoric like you. However, I sometimes find a different place. I hear in him a particular perspective on where purpose comes from, perfectly valid. My perspective is more aligned with Mother Nature, and the purpose I serve in maintaining the human spirit and life. I can talk with him, reconcile my purpose to his God. The question is, can he reconcile his God to my purpose. If he is a genuine follower of his God, he will have no problem with reconciliation. If he is a fake, he will insist he is actually God..
Considering his previous work as an attorney, volunteer, seminars with his wife and his legislative activities (LA and Congress) I’m skeptical that he has any interest in allowing beliefs that diverge from his. He opposes separation of (Christian) church and state and works toward “Biblically-sanctioned government“.
I’d call him one of our typical white evangelical social warriors but happens to wear suits, spectacles & has a pleasant demeanor.
He's going to have a fun time as Speaker, then, given one major thing a Speaker of the House has to do is compromise! For all everybody talks about Nancy Pelosi's "toughness" and "arm-twisting", when she's got the Speaker's Gavel she's also very good at bending like a reed in the wind so she can get legislation passed.
I don't especially like Pelosi because I HATE NeoLiberalism and NeoLibs, and think she doesn't bend Left like she should near often enough to PWN! those chickenshits on the Right—but I also think viciously beating her husband is a horrifying example of how low we've sunk as a nation.
So, we have an understanding that I disagree with a lot of what she supports, but at the same time acknowledge she's very effective...and she doesn't know I exist!
Somehow, I can't picture Mr. Bible Belter being able to bend, and while the vast majority of Republicans may agree with him they're also from pro-Biden districts. That means they have to at least TRY to thread the needle between what their current Speaker wants, and what the people at home who somehow didn't toss them out in The Nonexistent Red Wave of 2022 want from them.
I’m not sure a vast majority agree with him beyond a sizable chunk determining GOP primaries in magaland. Disaffected voters, gerrymandering & the electoral college being weighted in favor of less populated states, give them a voice louder than their size.
For instance, Mr. Bible Belter came to the speakership via the ability of 8 legislators to drive the agenda by repeatedly obstructing the GOP conference’s majority. A majority of the House GOP voted for the CSR that got McCarthy “vacated”. A wider majority supported McCarthy on the vacate motion. But the handwriting was on the wall — nothing they wanted would pass without Dem votes. So they caved. We’ll see how that works out for them with too few firebrands in the Senate to carry their water.
How many things will Johnson break before he breaks? He will likely become a symbol, run by the 8 & therefore the face of the 2024 elections. I believe McConnell is desperately afraid of that. KY elects a governor next week. The incumbent Dem is ahead of McConnell’s wayward former staffer trumper. Ky like the other 6 states rejected the Bible Belt position on abortion in those state ballot initiatives.
Oct 28, 2023·edited Oct 28, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
He is reading the Constitution from a position of total confirmation bias. And the Bible is NOT supposed to be any legislator's guide book: the CONSTITUTION IS THE GUIDE. His attitude is so transparently and blatantly seditious -- and he himself is guilty of an attempt to overthrow a free and fair election -- that his attempt to become Speaker of the House should have been laughed off the floor. But he's OK with Trump, so that's enough. I hope the January 6th prosecutions go on for years and that he and McCarthy and Gaetz and Jordan ALL wind up in jail for an illegal attempt to rip off people's right to vote and Joe Biden's fairly won presidency. And this country wasn't founded by Christians. The Founding Fathers, though most had Christian upbringings, were DEISTS who supported religious freedom, not some Christofascist state formed by people who cherry pick Constitutional clauses and Bible verses to stitch together a fabric shot through with threads of misogyny, sexual bigotry, racial supremacy and Francoist fascism. And if we don't stick together, we can lose everything. And as Joyce Vance says, "we're in this together"--or if we're not, we will not pass along democracy to following generations.
It is so important to repeat that the founding fathers were deists, not bible-thumping Christians. It is fine to believe in one's god, as people in many religions do, but it is not safe for our democracy when leading officials with significant power reveal themselves as Christofascists, trying to impose their beliefs on our population and system of government.
Too right. This fake history being pedaled by the Christian Radical Right -- like Trump's endless lies about everything -- has to be exposed and challenged by the facts of our past.
I think we have to keep an eye on the list of Congressional members who voted against the electoral certification for 2020 as well as against impeaching Trump. AND then vote them out. Tough with gerrymandered, single party counties in Arizona, but where I can, I will.
I read the piece on my phone and—we really need to give the FBI more money so they can continue to prosecute those responsible for 1/6, up to and including Donald Trump!
Everybody knows why Trump's trying to shut the Government down, yes? He's gotten it into his head that if the Government's shut down Jack Smith, Letitica James, Fani Willis, and Judges Engoron and Chutkan will stop prosecuting him!
Looks like nobody's explained to him that's not how it works....
President Jefferson clearly stated in his Jan 1 1802 letter to the Danbury (CT) Baptist Association that the First Amendment absolutely separates church and state.
This makes me sure Johnson’s claim that America is a biblical republic would horrify Jefferson.
Johnson filled the void in the Republican cult that the former guy has vacated. If he succeeds in solidly uniting all their factions, then I fear the separation of church and state is in great peril. There will be no freedom from Christian religion for anyone. I am an atheist and my first response to his election was “god help us”.
Matt. 7. [15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Johnson's pompous self-piety coupled with his bold demagoguery and self-righteousness make him one of the most ravenous dangerous (lethal) wolves in Congress. As an ordained Seminarian, I find such abuse and misuse of Holy Scripture to be toxic; and, anti-Christian. Johnson boldly proclaims his love of Scripture. Well, Mike, WHICH PARTS? WHICH SCRIPTURE? Oh, I get it. Like all miscreant evangelical Christians, Johnson pulls out those parts and passages that validate his self-righteous ideology and goals. Johson represents the WORST in American governance and the worst offender of the Christian Faith. He is sinister and very, very dangerous. We must keep close watch and vigilance on this draconian monster who was not "divined" into the Speakership.
Thank you! I have followed those misinformers and disinformers of Scripture since the 1980s. They want to rip apart our country. They are the ones who give Faith a bad name while seeking to place us into a fascist theocracy.
Thank you. When it comes to the evangelicals, I am biased. I was among them as a teenager. They are dangerous, and want to tell you how to live your lives. Just like Republicans. 🧐
Welcome! "Evangelical" is defined as those who believe the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are indeed the spoken Word of Jesus Christ. Current-day evangelicals ignore the Teachings, leaning on Hebrew Scripture whenever that fits their political agenda. They'd rather judge others, lie to others, promote their pompous [false] piety. They have ruined and corrupted the Faith, just as they ruin and corrupt nearly everything else through their toxic self-righteousness.
Thank you. I grew up in what I would say was a faithful family. I was in church youth (its secretary); choir; fundraising; Boy Scouts. We did not impose our faith on others. That would have been deemed outrageously disrespectful; even rude. People like Johnson are the religious apostates of our time. They believe their "Xtian" faith puts them above everyone else, even those within their own tribe. We were caught unexpectingly. The zealots have been working diligently to undermine our democratic republic for decades. From Barry Goldwater: "“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.”" Say what one may about Goldwater, he was spot-on on a number of issues.
Ironically, I view this Christian Nationalist alt-Right Mike Johnson as an ironically good thing. Good because, for too long, people like Speaker Johnson have operated in the shadows. Now his belief system, egreiously racist, sexist, and Constitionally dangereous, will get the broad coverage needed to stir to action more Americans to the voting booths to protect and defend democracy.
Because it is way past time to expsose the Republicans pervison of democracy.
Speaker Johnson can pass legislation in the House all day long. Schumer can forestall any vote on it. Schumer and the Democrats can defeat it. Even if Johnson passes perverse legislation and for some inanane possibility it passes the Senate, Biden can veto the Act. And there absolutely will not be 2/3rds of the House and 2/3rds of the Senate to overturn Biden's veto.
Yes, Elisabeth. It like they’re always jockeying for position to undermine peace and harmony and disrupt a well run democracy. To steal what is good and just. To overturn and take over. To stockpile weapons for killing other people.
I agree, Lisa. Now that they are a couple bullets away from taking over, we must be super vigilant. I hope the WH has tripled security for Pres and VP.
When I heard each of those statements I knew that Johnson was not a poser regarding his beliefs. He is a true believer who cannot be convinced otherwise. The great American philosopher, Eric Hoffer wrote in his book “The True Believer” (a must read for everyone to understand the Christian Nationalist and MAGA cults), “The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is the surrendering and humbling of the self breed pride and arrogance. The true believer is apt to see himself as one of the chosen, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a prince disguised in meekness, who is destined to inherit the earth and the kingdom of heaven too. He who is not of his faith is evil; he who will not listen will perish.”
I am truly deeply disturbed by his ascendance to power. This is not healthy for our representative government. He represents a very vocal and authoritarian minority, not the general view of most Americans. His statements mean that he will not adhere to our constitution, but substitute his Christian Nationalist views for our system of governance.
In that the position of President of the United States is an even higher authority, by his logic, President Biden was also ordained by God and he (Johnson) should be exhorting everyone to follow him obediently.
Simply stated, his fanatical beliefs are not mine, and do not represent the beliefs of a majority of our country. His position of power and what he will choose to do terrify me.
They seem to forget that the colonists left England in part due to religious oppression.
I remember how people express the idea that trump is in some way also divine. This is serious and yes, we can not allow this to continue.
He claims to be a constitutional lawyer. Yet when he was pushing his joining the Texas lawsuit to overturn the election results that the republican caucus House lawyer advised him it was unconstitutional. He proceeded anyway.
The idea that any religion should think they are superior to other religions is abhorrent.
Even worse than I feared. This is the arrogance of Christian Nationalism in the flesh. If his god installs political leaders, I suppose that explains Hitler, Idi Amin, et al.
Everything he stands for is Un-American in the most fundamental way. Hope people in every precinct read the long list of his bonkers positions and are reminded that every Republican House member voted for this guy and his desire to implement a theocracy.
Ya-know I went and looked at that Bible that MAGA Mike referred to and couldn't find anything in it that required one to be a moron or a traitor. And yet ...
An old friend,now deceased, a Catholic priest, told me several times-never listen to anyone who tells you God has spoken to them. God has chosen them. God speaks through them.
I think that as soon as Mike starts enforcing his holier than thou policy on America , he will be soundly rejected, along with the rest of the traitors in congress! #resistfascism #gqptraitorstodemocracy
This man is worse than even Jordan who has no convictions at all. This man is akin to the Taliban but in a suit and espousing Christian beliefs. Obviously, the Ten Commandments mean nothing to the GOP
As a non-christian, hella pro-choice, cis-woman, who believes in bodily autonomy, free will, and kindness, I hear a man who doesn't read (or believe in) history (American or otherwise) or science, who lives in cognitive dissonance, and who has no clue how to work with others and/or (truly) collaborate. And it frightens the $hit out of me; both for our internal systems, but also for how our country now appears to the rest of the world after this last month.
I am appreciative of someone under the age of 65 now holding the speaker position, but sweet baby Buddha, y'all - this is "best" the GQP have? I hate to succumb to the hyperbole yet, we really have to vote like our lives, culture, society depend on it in every election from here on out but especially in the next 18 months......
I hear another misogynist, racist, christofascist planning to destroy this country. Having lived in his state for over 20 years? There’s a reason I’m glad I left in 2003- it’s just not safe to be a non christian lesbian
Frightening! A full-blown theocrat who does not, or cannot, accept the Constitution except in concepts he believes are biblical in nature, which they are obviously not. There has always been a clear separation of church and state. It's funny that the "originalists" in their view of the Constitution is that it should be followed without regard to the obvious changes that have occurred over the last 230 years, i.e. when the Second Amendment was written guaranteeing the right to bear arms, they had muzzleloaders that a trained person could maybe fire three or four rounds a minute rather than thousands of rounds a minute. It is interesting to hear that he is a Constitutional scholar. How can that be unless he only reads the Constitution in the context of what he wants to believe. This is not about all the people all the time but some of the people all the time, and this minority of views wants all of us to cave to the "Godly way" whatever that means. People, we got to get out the vote, and tell the MAGAs not to vote since the election is obviously rigged and their vote means nothing.
He calls some citizens perverted and ungodly. I say that MAGA Mike is projecting, which is typical of his brand of so-called religion. The kind of religion that tells others that if they don’t believe the same they are going to burn in Hell.
One word - hypocrite. I would compare him to the chief priests and Pharisees in the Gospels who are outwardly and ostentatiously religious, but do not really believe in what they do or say.
Terrifying and disgusting. This guy really ticks me off so please excuse the ornery response.
So his beliefs are in the Bible? Which parts? IMO, you can find ‘justification’ for pretty much any stance you choose - loving or hateful, gentle or violent - in that book.
He claims the Christian viewpoint is not given equal platform? Are you kidding? No, Christian viewpoints are not censored or silenced - lots of us just DISAGREE WITH YOU. You want your viewpoint to be the ONLY one (who wants to silence whom??).
Focusing on the word ‘created’ in the Declaration of Independence and not the word ‘equal’ is missing the entire point. And BTW no Christianity or Jesus mentioned in the constitution.
And then he claims atheists are dehumanizing? He believes in Christian supremacy and says that homosexuals practice sexual perversion? But atheists are the ones dehumanizing??
Ok I’m done.
[I’ve been meaning to start a paid subscription to this Substack for a while. This post finally pushed me to it.]
He has the First Amendment right to believe in the religion of his choice as an American. However God was not involved in the writing of, or interpretation of, our Constitution.
It is great to have access to this community of like-minded rational people. I was going to add my thoughts but they would be redundant. You have all said it so well.
And yes, we all have to work to get out the vote. Even this 81 year old grandmother will be out there!
I hear a smarmy unapologenic Christofascist fully intent on ramming his misogynistic homophobic beliefs and derivative legislation down all our throats. He doesn't ignore separation of church and state, he denies it's even in the constitution. Absolutely appalling he is in ANY position of power, much less a nationally and internationally influential one as speaker. We've seen what religious fanatics do when in power, why do you think it was called the Dark Ages? Our democracy is slipping from our grasp and if republicans aren't resoundingly voted out en masse in 2024 it will be gone, never to be seen again, certainly not in my lifetime.
He and his wife do or at least have done seminars with Tony Perkins on the need to put / keep god in our government. Their god of course. He approved of the Muslim ban and stopping LA agencies from working with Muslim organizations - just for the sake of “security”. 🙃
For me I heard a man put a target on his back, by his fanatical twisted belief system...The Constitution, our way of life of nearly 250 years has been under attack from the bullhorn of religion for as long as I can remember..This quote rings so very true in this moment "Religion is the main source of hatred in this world" spoken by Christoppher hitchens..I also seem to recall in this moment the following quote.."A good defense is a great offense." It's time we take it to these fucking people in no uncertain terms..Reason and logic is not something they are willing to abide..And I am sick and tired of the term "Political Violence". It is a red herring..These people are traitors and seditionists..They are not being dealt with properly..
Johnson’s Speakership, based on his strongly held religious beliefs and his being number two in succession to the President , is indeed concerning. Concerning if you believe in the separation of church and state. All citizens should be allowed to practice their religion no matter their faith, but our government should be run on consensus of its two parties and based on the greater good for all of our citizens. That should mean freedom of choice, whether it has to do with one’s own body or one’s choice of a mate or lifestyle that does not result in harm to their neighbors or nation.
I heard it's time to move to Crete. The glory that is Greece. The Adriatic beats the Dead Sea. And the Levant. What a difference a few time zones and continents make. And a place where democracy was born and whose spirit is still alive.
When I hear Mike Johnson give his bible thumping platitudes, I hear one thing, but I see another. I see a fraud.
For our country to live up to its creed, we must live our constitutional obligation of separation of church and state. Our First Amendment right to Freedom of Religion means that everyone has the right to practice any religion they choose, or to practice no religion at all. Understanding that as an American citizen, I must not impose my religious views on anyone else, if I am to follow our law of the land, The Constitution.
This push by Johnson, and others of a Theocracy driven mind, is unconstitutional, and can be argued, unChristian, in that it excludes people that don’t see things the way they do.
Johnson and his ilk are making a fraudulent appeal to those who want to cling to the rigid law of The Old Testament and not the more all encompassing 8 Beatitudes, or precepts of many other religions.
Even Jesus, Himself, was not tricked by the Pharisees, with his response about paying taxes, when he said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. I interpret that to mean that, for the benefit of the common good, it’s best to keep church and state separate.
I say, “e pluribus unum”, and God is not an exclusive God. If one does not believe in God, that must be respected. Those who call themselves believers must not impose their beliefs on others.
In the final analysis, though, it’s totally hypocritical to “talk the talk” and not “walk the walk”.
If God ordains those who ascend to leadership positions, then do you agree that Joe Biden’s ascendency to the Presidency is similarly ordained? How about Putin?
How can you say that the often stated Biblical imperative to care for immigrants and refugees is a “personal” vice governmental responsibility, while at the same time saying that gov’t is supposed to be deeply involved in a abortion decisions, even to the point of a total prohibition?
As a deeply faithful Christian, I find his certitude regarding his reading of the Bible insulting. His efforts to push his views into our secular gov’t is un-Constitutional. Both will draw no one closer to Christ. In fact, it will push millions away.
I've been a rabid atheist since I've been old enough to reason. I've understood the concept of separation of church and state for at least sixty years.
The GOP has normalized the entire Christian Nationalist "movement". In my lifetime I've had the pleasure of voting for, and appreciating the leadership of, Jimmy Carter. He is a great example of a man who has unshakeable faith as a Christian, but kept that faith personally rather than projecting it into his presidency. I've had the sad challenge of watching Ronald Reagan "lead" (make speeches and bad decisions wherever possible) from a bully pulpit.
Watching donald john trump (pussy grabber, and they like it) hold a bible upside down, confirmed for me everything I need to know about the GOP. The newly minted SoH, Mr. Johnson, is just the latest symptom of a diseased and dying political party.
I see a man who obviously believes that his God was incapable of stopping those thieving Democrats from stealing an election from his demigod. That doesn't seem to line up with his "worldview"!
The horror and apprehension emanating from House Speaker Mike Johnson's recent statements are palpable. These comments reveal a zealous religious fervor that reminds many of a real-life “Handmaid's Tale.” By explicitly tying his entire worldview to the Bible, Johnson places religion, not democracy, as the guiding principle of his leadership.
Consider the words of James Madison, one of America’s founding fathers: “The civil government … functions with complete success … by the total separation of the Church from the State.” Madison's perspective underscores the importance of a boundary between religion and government, a boundary Johnson seems keen to erase.
Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez's observation that “Christian supremacy and a particular type of conservative Christianity is at the heart of Johnson’s understanding of the Constitution and an understanding of our government,” is a startling revelation. It signifies an ideological deviation from the secular foundation upon which the U.S. was built.
In the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, there should be a "wall of separation between church and state." But Johnson, with his audacious statements, appears to be chipping away at that wall. When he emphasizes “created” over “born” and nods to the “In God We Trust” motto, he strategically intertwines his religious beliefs with governance.
His assertion about the censorship of Christian viewpoints is alarming. It implies that any opposition to his brand of Christian nationalism is a form of religious discrimination. This viewpoint can lead to policies that suppress dissenting voices and prioritize one religious perspective over all others.
Furthermore, his response to the Maine mass shooting by attributing the issue to the "human heart" instead of addressing the clear and present danger of gun availability is deeply concerning. It’s reminiscent of a quote from Susan B. Anthony: “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” Johnson's refusal to engage in meaningful legislation discussions on this pressing issue raises questions about his ability to separate personal beliefs from civic duty.
The concern is not merely about a man of faith holding office. Many leaders throughout history have been deeply religious. The crux of the matter is Johnson’s apparent belief that he's divinely ordained to lead, which may encourage him to position his religious beliefs above the democratic principles that have long been the bedrock of American governance. As the new House speaker who is second in line to the presidency, such an approach from Johnson is undeniably troubling.
When Johnson claims divine ordination, it raises a chilling question: Where does that place dissenters or those of other faiths in his vision of America? As we look to the future, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and ensure that the sanctity of the American democratic system remains untarnished by any form of extremism.
His position on god in government is no secret in his legal practice and other work inside and outside the legislature & Congress. He and his wife held seminars on such topics. His resume is exactly what McCarthy’s “crazy 8’s” wanted - with a more affable demeanor.
Mike Johnson revels in being a Christian Nationalist, and I would take it a step further to categorize him a christofascist because of his egregious misogynist and homophobic statements. That Johnson is second in line to the presidency is terrifying.
Even more horrifying is that the far-right's installation of Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House goes hand in hand with the goals of Project 2025—a coalition of far-right groups led by the Heritage Foundation. Their mission is to shape a Republican presidency founded on their extreme conservative "values." Many focus on the group's plans to expand presidential power over federal agencies, i.e., create an autocracy, while often overlooking the group's plans to install Christian governments at the state level. The Heritage Foundation's president published a book outlining their goal to “maintain [i.e., impose] a biblically based, social science–reinforced definition of marriage and family.” And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The Heritage Foundation published a notice this month announcing how strong they are today versus their launch in 1973. They now have 75 coalition partners, solidifying their plan to prepare a policy agenda for the next (Republican) president.
The lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation scores Johnson 90% on his voting record.
Whether or not Mike Johnson is a tool for the Heritage Foundation remains to be seen, but there can be no doubt that he has the theocratic goal for our government of eliminating the separation of church and state.
To end on a note of optimism, I do believe that as Johnson's beliefs are so contrary to what the majority of Americans want, that the GOP electing him Speaker will drive more Democrats to vote in 2024. I do believe the GOP will lose control of the House with this election, at which point Johnson will not be speaker at the time *our* president will be inaugurated.
Mike is right in line with the 8,000 year history of the self serving claim of "divine right" used by kings and pharaohs and warlords and conman preachers. I'm in power now so it must be "the will of God!"
A couple of disconnects here. The big one being that he's a leading acolyte for the most immoral, anti-Jesus, moronic politician in American history. How does being a follower of Christ (Love thy neighbor as thyself) fit with MAGA? "Let's torture children by separating them from their parents to punish them for migrating here." Would Jesus have approved?
The second disconnect is his opposition to the fundamental foundation of The United States of America. That the church does not control the government. How does Mike square his devotion to his form of religion with his oath to the Constitution? Just flush the Constitution like DJT did?
When John Kennedy was running for the presidency, so many Americans feared that as a Catholic, he would obey the Pope. He assured all that yes, he was a Catholic, but promised the nation that he would take the oath too uphold the Constitution including the separation of church and state. And that is what he did.
According to the Bible, only one was the chosen one, and it wasn't Mike Johnson. I see him as narcissistic like trump,& like so many, he wears his religion on his sleeve. The Bible actually says to pray, go into your room and close the door.Such people believe only what agrees with them in the Scriptures. Otherwise why would he have voted against every bill that would have uplifted the nation and answered the call of those in need? As for his wife being on her knees for the last two weeks praying for him, he wasn't even in the game the prior two weeks. His choice of words was not the best.
The nation was indeed first populated by those who wished to practice their religious beliefs, primarily
Christian although they showed little goodness and mercy to the natives.We can refer to Jefferson's Bible, we hear that Ron Reagan is not afraid of going to hell.We sing God Bless America and inscribe coins with In God We Trust. Religion is a personal thing, a private thing. Meanwhile, America now has an Ayatollah.
I have saved the entirety of this post w/comments because I believe it to be at the heart of the coming battle between those committed to the principles of Democracy and the twin slathering reptiles of Trump Fascism and Christi or Christo Fascism. Others should do the same.
What I hear him saying with that statement is "I am a Christian Nationalist and sooner or later I will tell you what you too can believe". I am so offended by the Republican Party putting this man, who feels the need to oppress women, in charge of anything, I can hardly breathe...I'm going on 80 years old and it's been a battle my own life and I'm tired of fighting it but I will NOT succumb to the GOP's backward thinking. They DO NOT get to set us back 200 years..
Or two-thousand years, more like it. Ty Linda, for your comment. I'm 74, and I have no plans to accept this idiocy!!!
I, too, am 74 and I refuse to see those women coming after me returned to the Middle Ages! Grandmothers need to rise up yet again!
Have women in the United States been complacent? Lulled by powerhouse Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Lulled by the presence of women like Kamala Harris elevated to VP? Or Hillary Clinton, Senator and Secretary of State. Or Nancy Pelosi, petite Amazing Amazon Woman? And btw, what about the Equal Rights Amendment? Still not passed by 13 states?
We females have much more work to do in order to assure our human rights.
Great outlook. I am ready to do anything to stay out of the Middle Ages! ❤️
and this gramma is 76.... I'm ready
I’m 70 and very tired too. 🫶🏻
I'm a few years younger and I'm very tired, too.
Only good thing about Christian Right types is knowing that GODSPELL's Jesus was played by open gay married actor Victor Garber, and that he sings about Pharisees and Hypocrites...like Mike Johnson.
don't tell them Jesus was a Jew ....IRNI... label on the cross... and his skin was dark... apoplexy will set in swiftly if they knew that
I know, right? Christian White Nationalists always want to see Jesus like this
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/72LCRDBLGZFNFN2ESVARBVYLTY.jpg&w=1200
essentially, Errol Flynn with long hair, rather than like this!
https://i.redd.it/mmo9fxkxz7d51.jpg
::don't tell them Jesus was a Jew::
That goes double for Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's still obsessed with JEWS! IN! SPAAAAACCCCCEEEEEE!
https://youtu.be/ZAZhtT-dUyo?si=0KOKLGdqU7QO4d1Y
I am disgusted by this too. I have lived my 60+ years in a democracy and I refuse to accept this Christo-fascist stuff. Maybe the younger people aren’t seeing the danger as clearly? Idk. I think those of us who have lived decades in this democracy need to do everything we can to fight for it. What do we do??
I teach online for two universities, and from what I can see, the vast majority of the Gen Z generation is not on board with the GOP's ideology. The only ones who seem to be on board are those who have been indoctrinated from birth. I have many Millennial family members, most of which are not on board with the GOP. I tell them all the time that after living 60+ years in a democracy, I'm not willing to live out my grandmother's worst fear. She narrowly escaped capture by the Nazis when she went home to Germany to visit her dying parents in 1938 (before she immigrated to the U.S., she was very outspoken against Hitler). I grew up with her belief that such a dictatorship would be possible here if we were to elect officials to just the right positions, in which they would push a radical agenda. Had my grandmother lived long enough to witness the Jan. 6 insurrection, her reaction would have been, "I told you so." Would she accept this madness? Not a chance.
Someone posted a meme: “I’m taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.”
I like that thought.
Clever!
I think many younger people are fired up -- I network on Threads and see some very impressive individual activists and groups working on building communities, Gen Z & Millennial (etc.) voters, determined to unite and get out the Blue Vote. One saying that's sprung up on there is "No Dems under 11,780 followers" (or whatever the infamous Trump GA phone call # was.) I'm not in those age groups myself but I "follow" them and monitor them. I feel very optimistic about their commitment and seriousness.
exactly gun violence alone towards them is depressingly real
That’s good to hear. I’ll take all the hopeful news I can get!
How can one respond to folks who don’t know history? Who can’t appreciate every struggle for rights?
Hooray I will be 80 in Mar & couldn't agree more. You go Girl
As will I be in May. That's about 70 years since I figured out that thoughts and prayers don't work worth beans.
Remember when the radicals were young and the Establishment types were old?
When did that turn around?
For many of us, the only thing that changed was the amount and color of our hair. The young now never had the freshness of discovering Dylan, Doonesbury, or Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.
Hi Linda, I usually agree with what you write... today I wonder. I usually react to his kind of rhetoric like you. However, I sometimes find a different place. I hear in him a particular perspective on where purpose comes from, perfectly valid. My perspective is more aligned with Mother Nature, and the purpose I serve in maintaining the human spirit and life. I can talk with him, reconcile my purpose to his God. The question is, can he reconcile his God to my purpose. If he is a genuine follower of his God, he will have no problem with reconciliation. If he is a fake, he will insist he is actually God..
Anybody with the ARROGANCE to think he has God on speed-dial?
Is a man no one can trust.
Selah.
Considering his previous work as an attorney, volunteer, seminars with his wife and his legislative activities (LA and Congress) I’m skeptical that he has any interest in allowing beliefs that diverge from his. He opposes separation of (Christian) church and state and works toward “Biblically-sanctioned government“.
I’d call him one of our typical white evangelical social warriors but happens to wear suits, spectacles & has a pleasant demeanor.
https://mikejohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=138
He's going to have a fun time as Speaker, then, given one major thing a Speaker of the House has to do is compromise! For all everybody talks about Nancy Pelosi's "toughness" and "arm-twisting", when she's got the Speaker's Gavel she's also very good at bending like a reed in the wind so she can get legislation passed.
I don't especially like Pelosi because I HATE NeoLiberalism and NeoLibs, and think she doesn't bend Left like she should near often enough to PWN! those chickenshits on the Right—but I also think viciously beating her husband is a horrifying example of how low we've sunk as a nation.
So, we have an understanding that I disagree with a lot of what she supports, but at the same time acknowledge she's very effective...and she doesn't know I exist!
https://imgflip.com/gif/849rs9
Somehow, I can't picture Mr. Bible Belter being able to bend, and while the vast majority of Republicans may agree with him they're also from pro-Biden districts. That means they have to at least TRY to thread the needle between what their current Speaker wants, and what the people at home who somehow didn't toss them out in The Nonexistent Red Wave of 2022 want from them.
I’m not sure a vast majority agree with him beyond a sizable chunk determining GOP primaries in magaland. Disaffected voters, gerrymandering & the electoral college being weighted in favor of less populated states, give them a voice louder than their size.
For instance, Mr. Bible Belter came to the speakership via the ability of 8 legislators to drive the agenda by repeatedly obstructing the GOP conference’s majority. A majority of the House GOP voted for the CSR that got McCarthy “vacated”. A wider majority supported McCarthy on the vacate motion. But the handwriting was on the wall — nothing they wanted would pass without Dem votes. So they caved. We’ll see how that works out for them with too few firebrands in the Senate to carry their water.
How many things will Johnson break before he breaks? He will likely become a symbol, run by the 8 & therefore the face of the 2024 elections. I believe McConnell is desperately afraid of that. KY elects a governor next week. The incumbent Dem is ahead of McConnell’s wayward former staffer trumper. Ky like the other 6 states rejected the Bible Belt position on abortion in those state ballot initiatives.
I just turned 71 and I agree with you completely.
He is reading the Constitution from a position of total confirmation bias. And the Bible is NOT supposed to be any legislator's guide book: the CONSTITUTION IS THE GUIDE. His attitude is so transparently and blatantly seditious -- and he himself is guilty of an attempt to overthrow a free and fair election -- that his attempt to become Speaker of the House should have been laughed off the floor. But he's OK with Trump, so that's enough. I hope the January 6th prosecutions go on for years and that he and McCarthy and Gaetz and Jordan ALL wind up in jail for an illegal attempt to rip off people's right to vote and Joe Biden's fairly won presidency. And this country wasn't founded by Christians. The Founding Fathers, though most had Christian upbringings, were DEISTS who supported religious freedom, not some Christofascist state formed by people who cherry pick Constitutional clauses and Bible verses to stitch together a fabric shot through with threads of misogyny, sexual bigotry, racial supremacy and Francoist fascism. And if we don't stick together, we can lose everything. And as Joyce Vance says, "we're in this together"--or if we're not, we will not pass along democracy to following generations.
It is so important to repeat that the founding fathers were deists, not bible-thumping Christians. It is fine to believe in one's god, as people in many religions do, but it is not safe for our democracy when leading officials with significant power reveal themselves as Christofascists, trying to impose their beliefs on our population and system of government.
Too right. This fake history being pedaled by the Christian Radical Right -- like Trump's endless lies about everything -- has to be exposed and challenged by the facts of our past.
Excellent 👌🏾, Morgan.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a five-year statute of limitations for those January 6th traitors.
You're right. AND there are hundreds more indictments in the pipeline right now. THEY OUGHT TO GO AFTER SITTING CONGRESS PEOPLE WHO DID THIS AS MUCH AS ANYONE. SEE https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/feds-say-long-haul-jan-6-investigation-rcna61728
I think we have to keep an eye on the list of Congressional members who voted against the electoral certification for 2020 as well as against impeaching Trump. AND then vote them out. Tough with gerrymandered, single party counties in Arizona, but where I can, I will.
Where can I find that? I thought it was seven years like it is for everything but murder and treason....
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/feds-say-long-haul-jan-6-investigation-rcna61728
I read the piece on my phone and—we really need to give the FBI more money so they can continue to prosecute those responsible for 1/6, up to and including Donald Trump!
Everybody knows why Trump's trying to shut the Government down, yes? He's gotten it into his head that if the Government's shut down Jack Smith, Letitica James, Fani Willis, and Judges Engoron and Chutkan will stop prosecuting him!
Looks like nobody's explained to him that's not how it works....
OH, HUMBUG!!!
Very well said. Thank you!
Bravo! Well said Morgaan.
President Jefferson clearly stated in his Jan 1 1802 letter to the Danbury (CT) Baptist Association that the First Amendment absolutely separates church and state.
This makes me sure Johnson’s claim that America is a biblical republic would horrify Jefferson.
It certainly horrifies me.
And me, JB! Let's throw them all the hell out!!!
Johnson filled the void in the Republican cult that the former guy has vacated. If he succeeds in solidly uniting all their factions, then I fear the separation of church and state is in great peril. There will be no freedom from Christian religion for anyone. I am an atheist and my first response to his election was “god help us”.
Matt. 7. [15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Johnson's pompous self-piety coupled with his bold demagoguery and self-righteousness make him one of the most ravenous dangerous (lethal) wolves in Congress. As an ordained Seminarian, I find such abuse and misuse of Holy Scripture to be toxic; and, anti-Christian. Johnson boldly proclaims his love of Scripture. Well, Mike, WHICH PARTS? WHICH SCRIPTURE? Oh, I get it. Like all miscreant evangelical Christians, Johnson pulls out those parts and passages that validate his self-righteous ideology and goals. Johson represents the WORST in American governance and the worst offender of the Christian Faith. He is sinister and very, very dangerous. We must keep close watch and vigilance on this draconian monster who was not "divined" into the Speakership.
Agree. Well said
Thank you! I have followed those misinformers and disinformers of Scripture since the 1980s. They want to rip apart our country. They are the ones who give Faith a bad name while seeking to place us into a fascist theocracy.
Thank you. When it comes to the evangelicals, I am biased. I was among them as a teenager. They are dangerous, and want to tell you how to live your lives. Just like Republicans. 🧐
Welcome! "Evangelical" is defined as those who believe the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are indeed the spoken Word of Jesus Christ. Current-day evangelicals ignore the Teachings, leaning on Hebrew Scripture whenever that fits their political agenda. They'd rather judge others, lie to others, promote their pompous [false] piety. They have ruined and corrupted the Faith, just as they ruin and corrupt nearly everything else through their toxic self-righteousness.
Couldn't agree more
Does he not even look like Leonard Leo??
👍👍 Vince T., particularly Matt. 7:15 and "WHICH PARTS, WHICH SCRIPTURES."
Thank you. I grew up in what I would say was a faithful family. I was in church youth (its secretary); choir; fundraising; Boy Scouts. We did not impose our faith on others. That would have been deemed outrageously disrespectful; even rude. People like Johnson are the religious apostates of our time. They believe their "Xtian" faith puts them above everyone else, even those within their own tribe. We were caught unexpectingly. The zealots have been working diligently to undermine our democratic republic for decades. From Barry Goldwater: "“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.”" Say what one may about Goldwater, he was spot-on on a number of issues.
Ironically, I view this Christian Nationalist alt-Right Mike Johnson as an ironically good thing. Good because, for too long, people like Speaker Johnson have operated in the shadows. Now his belief system, egreiously racist, sexist, and Constitionally dangereous, will get the broad coverage needed to stir to action more Americans to the voting booths to protect and defend democracy.
Because it is way past time to expsose the Republicans pervison of democracy.
I hope you are right. Something has to wake them up
Exposure is great; the fear is that with so much at risk now, how much damage he can do in the meantime.
Well, nothing that Schumer and Biden do not want.
Explain your statement.
Speaker Johnson can pass legislation in the House all day long. Schumer can forestall any vote on it. Schumer and the Democrats can defeat it. Even if Johnson passes perverse legislation and for some inanane possibility it passes the Senate, Biden can veto the Act. And there absolutely will not be 2/3rds of the House and 2/3rds of the Senate to overturn Biden's veto.
I would triple the security around Biden and Harris immediately.
I’ve had that thought many times, Susan. Seems like they want to assassinate someone....just unreal.
Yes, Elisabeth. It like they’re always jockeying for position to undermine peace and harmony and disrupt a well run democracy. To steal what is good and just. To overturn and take over. To stockpile weapons for killing other people.
It seems that this is all part of an ongoing Republican coup. Dark.
I agree, Lisa. Now that they are a couple bullets away from taking over, we must be super vigilant. I hope the WH has tripled security for Pres and VP.
Me too, Elisabeth.
Steven,
When I heard each of those statements I knew that Johnson was not a poser regarding his beliefs. He is a true believer who cannot be convinced otherwise. The great American philosopher, Eric Hoffer wrote in his book “The True Believer” (a must read for everyone to understand the Christian Nationalist and MAGA cults), “The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is the surrendering and humbling of the self breed pride and arrogance. The true believer is apt to see himself as one of the chosen, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a prince disguised in meekness, who is destined to inherit the earth and the kingdom of heaven too. He who is not of his faith is evil; he who will not listen will perish.”
I think those words perfectly describe Johnson.
Peace and be safe,
Steve
Thanks for flagging this, Steven.
I am truly deeply disturbed by his ascendance to power. This is not healthy for our representative government. He represents a very vocal and authoritarian minority, not the general view of most Americans. His statements mean that he will not adhere to our constitution, but substitute his Christian Nationalist views for our system of governance.
About prayer: If it wears you out you’re doing it wrong.
Yes, she should have been soaking in a tub of Epsom salts or something. What idiocy!
In that the position of President of the United States is an even higher authority, by his logic, President Biden was also ordained by God and he (Johnson) should be exhorting everyone to follow him obediently.
Welcome to modern conservative Christianity, where they cherry-pick parts they like, and ignore the rest.
Simply stated, his fanatical beliefs are not mine, and do not represent the beliefs of a majority of our country. His position of power and what he will choose to do terrify me.
They seem to forget that the colonists left England in part due to religious oppression.
I remember how people express the idea that trump is in some way also divine. This is serious and yes, we can not allow this to continue.
He claims to be a constitutional lawyer. Yet when he was pushing his joining the Texas lawsuit to overturn the election results that the republican caucus House lawyer advised him it was unconstitutional. He proceeded anyway.
The idea that any religion should think they are superior to other religions is abhorrent.
Even worse than I feared. This is the arrogance of Christian Nationalism in the flesh. If his god installs political leaders, I suppose that explains Hitler, Idi Amin, et al.
Everything he stands for is Un-American in the most fundamental way. Hope people in every precinct read the long list of his bonkers positions and are reminded that every Republican House member voted for this guy and his desire to implement a theocracy.
Ya-know I went and looked at that Bible that MAGA Mike referred to and couldn't find anything in it that required one to be a moron or a traitor. And yet ...
An old friend,now deceased, a Catholic priest, told me several times-never listen to anyone who tells you God has spoken to them. God has chosen them. God speaks through them.
I think that as soon as Mike starts enforcing his holier than thou policy on America , he will be soundly rejected, along with the rest of the traitors in congress! #resistfascism #gqptraitorstodemocracy
This man is worse than even Jordan who has no convictions at all. This man is akin to the Taliban but in a suit and espousing Christian beliefs. Obviously, the Ten Commandments mean nothing to the GOP
I would say to his face, "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
The dude abides
As a non-christian, hella pro-choice, cis-woman, who believes in bodily autonomy, free will, and kindness, I hear a man who doesn't read (or believe in) history (American or otherwise) or science, who lives in cognitive dissonance, and who has no clue how to work with others and/or (truly) collaborate. And it frightens the $hit out of me; both for our internal systems, but also for how our country now appears to the rest of the world after this last month.
I am appreciative of someone under the age of 65 now holding the speaker position, but sweet baby Buddha, y'all - this is "best" the GQP have? I hate to succumb to the hyperbole yet, we really have to vote like our lives, culture, society depend on it in every election from here on out but especially in the next 18 months......
I hear another misogynist, racist, christofascist planning to destroy this country. Having lived in his state for over 20 years? There’s a reason I’m glad I left in 2003- it’s just not safe to be a non christian lesbian
Same. A woman hater, who according to a couple of Gay friends -sounds like he might have some issues in his background.
Frightening! A full-blown theocrat who does not, or cannot, accept the Constitution except in concepts he believes are biblical in nature, which they are obviously not. There has always been a clear separation of church and state. It's funny that the "originalists" in their view of the Constitution is that it should be followed without regard to the obvious changes that have occurred over the last 230 years, i.e. when the Second Amendment was written guaranteeing the right to bear arms, they had muzzleloaders that a trained person could maybe fire three or four rounds a minute rather than thousands of rounds a minute. It is interesting to hear that he is a Constitutional scholar. How can that be unless he only reads the Constitution in the context of what he wants to believe. This is not about all the people all the time but some of the people all the time, and this minority of views wants all of us to cave to the "Godly way" whatever that means. People, we got to get out the vote, and tell the MAGAs not to vote since the election is obviously rigged and their vote means nothing.
Richard, I’m getting out the vote. No more hand-wringing for this pro-democracy, anti-hatred activist!!!
He calls some citizens perverted and ungodly. I say that MAGA Mike is projecting, which is typical of his brand of so-called religion. The kind of religion that tells others that if they don’t believe the same they are going to burn in Hell.
Creepy-deepy.
One word - hypocrite. I would compare him to the chief priests and Pharisees in the Gospels who are outwardly and ostentatiously religious, but do not really believe in what they do or say.
An excellent reply by James Talirico, Democratic Texas State Representative and seminarian from Austin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln7LQbd2xpI
In the beginning, man created god. And the death penalty. To quote George Carlin, "Aren't we versatile?"
Terrifying and disgusting. This guy really ticks me off so please excuse the ornery response.
So his beliefs are in the Bible? Which parts? IMO, you can find ‘justification’ for pretty much any stance you choose - loving or hateful, gentle or violent - in that book.
He claims the Christian viewpoint is not given equal platform? Are you kidding? No, Christian viewpoints are not censored or silenced - lots of us just DISAGREE WITH YOU. You want your viewpoint to be the ONLY one (who wants to silence whom??).
Focusing on the word ‘created’ in the Declaration of Independence and not the word ‘equal’ is missing the entire point. And BTW no Christianity or Jesus mentioned in the constitution.
And then he claims atheists are dehumanizing? He believes in Christian supremacy and says that homosexuals practice sexual perversion? But atheists are the ones dehumanizing??
Ok I’m done.
[I’ve been meaning to start a paid subscription to this Substack for a while. This post finally pushed me to it.]
He has the First Amendment right to believe in the religion of his choice as an American. However God was not involved in the writing of, or interpretation of, our Constitution.
It is great to have access to this community of like-minded rational people. I was going to add my thoughts but they would be redundant. You have all said it so well.
And yes, we all have to work to get out the vote. Even this 81 year old grandmother will be out there!
Thank you all and thank you Steven
The new House Speaker personifies the contradiction that is today's GOP: God and Guns.
Mike Johnson scares me.
I hear a smarmy unapologenic Christofascist fully intent on ramming his misogynistic homophobic beliefs and derivative legislation down all our throats. He doesn't ignore separation of church and state, he denies it's even in the constitution. Absolutely appalling he is in ANY position of power, much less a nationally and internationally influential one as speaker. We've seen what religious fanatics do when in power, why do you think it was called the Dark Ages? Our democracy is slipping from our grasp and if republicans aren't resoundingly voted out en masse in 2024 it will be gone, never to be seen again, certainly not in my lifetime.
He and his wife do or at least have done seminars with Tony Perkins on the need to put / keep god in our government. Their god of course. He approved of the Muslim ban and stopping LA agencies from working with Muslim organizations - just for the sake of “security”. 🙃
He won't last long.
I fear for our children. Especially the female children.
For me I heard a man put a target on his back, by his fanatical twisted belief system...The Constitution, our way of life of nearly 250 years has been under attack from the bullhorn of religion for as long as I can remember..This quote rings so very true in this moment "Religion is the main source of hatred in this world" spoken by Christoppher hitchens..I also seem to recall in this moment the following quote.."A good defense is a great offense." It's time we take it to these fucking people in no uncertain terms..Reason and logic is not something they are willing to abide..And I am sick and tired of the term "Political Violence". It is a red herring..These people are traitors and seditionists..They are not being dealt with properly..
Johnson’s Speakership, based on his strongly held religious beliefs and his being number two in succession to the President , is indeed concerning. Concerning if you believe in the separation of church and state. All citizens should be allowed to practice their religion no matter their faith, but our government should be run on consensus of its two parties and based on the greater good for all of our citizens. That should mean freedom of choice, whether it has to do with one’s own body or one’s choice of a mate or lifestyle that does not result in harm to their neighbors or nation.
I heard it's time to move to Crete. The glory that is Greece. The Adriatic beats the Dead Sea. And the Levant. What a difference a few time zones and continents make. And a place where democracy was born and whose spirit is still alive.
When I hear Mike Johnson give his bible thumping platitudes, I hear one thing, but I see another. I see a fraud.
For our country to live up to its creed, we must live our constitutional obligation of separation of church and state. Our First Amendment right to Freedom of Religion means that everyone has the right to practice any religion they choose, or to practice no religion at all. Understanding that as an American citizen, I must not impose my religious views on anyone else, if I am to follow our law of the land, The Constitution.
This push by Johnson, and others of a Theocracy driven mind, is unconstitutional, and can be argued, unChristian, in that it excludes people that don’t see things the way they do.
Johnson and his ilk are making a fraudulent appeal to those who want to cling to the rigid law of The Old Testament and not the more all encompassing 8 Beatitudes, or precepts of many other religions.
Even Jesus, Himself, was not tricked by the Pharisees, with his response about paying taxes, when he said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. I interpret that to mean that, for the benefit of the common good, it’s best to keep church and state separate.
I say, “e pluribus unum”, and God is not an exclusive God. If one does not believe in God, that must be respected. Those who call themselves believers must not impose their beliefs on others.
In the final analysis, though, it’s totally hypocritical to “talk the talk” and not “walk the walk”.
So many questions for him... here are two:
If God ordains those who ascend to leadership positions, then do you agree that Joe Biden’s ascendency to the Presidency is similarly ordained? How about Putin?
How can you say that the often stated Biblical imperative to care for immigrants and refugees is a “personal” vice governmental responsibility, while at the same time saying that gov’t is supposed to be deeply involved in a abortion decisions, even to the point of a total prohibition?
As a deeply faithful Christian, I find his certitude regarding his reading of the Bible insulting. His efforts to push his views into our secular gov’t is un-Constitutional. Both will draw no one closer to Christ. In fact, it will push millions away.
I've been a rabid atheist since I've been old enough to reason. I've understood the concept of separation of church and state for at least sixty years.
The GOP has normalized the entire Christian Nationalist "movement". In my lifetime I've had the pleasure of voting for, and appreciating the leadership of, Jimmy Carter. He is a great example of a man who has unshakeable faith as a Christian, but kept that faith personally rather than projecting it into his presidency. I've had the sad challenge of watching Ronald Reagan "lead" (make speeches and bad decisions wherever possible) from a bully pulpit.
Watching donald john trump (pussy grabber, and they like it) hold a bible upside down, confirmed for me everything I need to know about the GOP. The newly minted SoH, Mr. Johnson, is just the latest symptom of a diseased and dying political party.
I see a man who obviously believes that his God was incapable of stopping those thieving Democrats from stealing an election from his demigod. That doesn't seem to line up with his "worldview"!
I hear myself laughing.
What do I hear? I hear this: “I am better than you, and I alone can show you the way “. How sickening, beware of false prophets I was always told
I hear someone who is insane in a dangerous way
The horror and apprehension emanating from House Speaker Mike Johnson's recent statements are palpable. These comments reveal a zealous religious fervor that reminds many of a real-life “Handmaid's Tale.” By explicitly tying his entire worldview to the Bible, Johnson places religion, not democracy, as the guiding principle of his leadership.
Consider the words of James Madison, one of America’s founding fathers: “The civil government … functions with complete success … by the total separation of the Church from the State.” Madison's perspective underscores the importance of a boundary between religion and government, a boundary Johnson seems keen to erase.
Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez's observation that “Christian supremacy and a particular type of conservative Christianity is at the heart of Johnson’s understanding of the Constitution and an understanding of our government,” is a startling revelation. It signifies an ideological deviation from the secular foundation upon which the U.S. was built.
In the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, there should be a "wall of separation between church and state." But Johnson, with his audacious statements, appears to be chipping away at that wall. When he emphasizes “created” over “born” and nods to the “In God We Trust” motto, he strategically intertwines his religious beliefs with governance.
His assertion about the censorship of Christian viewpoints is alarming. It implies that any opposition to his brand of Christian nationalism is a form of religious discrimination. This viewpoint can lead to policies that suppress dissenting voices and prioritize one religious perspective over all others.
Furthermore, his response to the Maine mass shooting by attributing the issue to the "human heart" instead of addressing the clear and present danger of gun availability is deeply concerning. It’s reminiscent of a quote from Susan B. Anthony: “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” Johnson's refusal to engage in meaningful legislation discussions on this pressing issue raises questions about his ability to separate personal beliefs from civic duty.
The concern is not merely about a man of faith holding office. Many leaders throughout history have been deeply religious. The crux of the matter is Johnson’s apparent belief that he's divinely ordained to lead, which may encourage him to position his religious beliefs above the democratic principles that have long been the bedrock of American governance. As the new House speaker who is second in line to the presidency, such an approach from Johnson is undeniably troubling.
When Johnson claims divine ordination, it raises a chilling question: Where does that place dissenters or those of other faiths in his vision of America? As we look to the future, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and ensure that the sanctity of the American democratic system remains untarnished by any form of extremism.
His position on god in government is no secret in his legal practice and other work inside and outside the legislature & Congress. He and his wife held seminars on such topics. His resume is exactly what McCarthy’s “crazy 8’s” wanted - with a more affable demeanor.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/evangelical-conservatives-cheer-one-of-their-own-as-mike-johnson-assumes-congress-most-powerful-seat
Mike Johnson revels in being a Christian Nationalist, and I would take it a step further to categorize him a christofascist because of his egregious misogynist and homophobic statements. That Johnson is second in line to the presidency is terrifying.
Even more horrifying is that the far-right's installation of Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House goes hand in hand with the goals of Project 2025—a coalition of far-right groups led by the Heritage Foundation. Their mission is to shape a Republican presidency founded on their extreme conservative "values." Many focus on the group's plans to expand presidential power over federal agencies, i.e., create an autocracy, while often overlooking the group's plans to install Christian governments at the state level. The Heritage Foundation's president published a book outlining their goal to “maintain [i.e., impose] a biblically based, social science–reinforced definition of marriage and family.” And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The Heritage Foundation published a notice this month announcing how strong they are today versus their launch in 1973. They now have 75 coalition partners, solidifying their plan to prepare a policy agenda for the next (Republican) president.
The lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation scores Johnson 90% on his voting record.
Whether or not Mike Johnson is a tool for the Heritage Foundation remains to be seen, but there can be no doubt that he has the theocratic goal for our government of eliminating the separation of church and state.
To end on a note of optimism, I do believe that as Johnson's beliefs are so contrary to what the majority of Americans want, that the GOP electing him Speaker will drive more Democrats to vote in 2024. I do believe the GOP will lose control of the House with this election, at which point Johnson will not be speaker at the time *our* president will be inaugurated.
https://www.heritage.org/press/project-2025-reaches-75-coalition-partners-continues-grow-preparation-next-conservative
Mike is right in line with the 8,000 year history of the self serving claim of "divine right" used by kings and pharaohs and warlords and conman preachers. I'm in power now so it must be "the will of God!"
A couple of disconnects here. The big one being that he's a leading acolyte for the most immoral, anti-Jesus, moronic politician in American history. How does being a follower of Christ (Love thy neighbor as thyself) fit with MAGA? "Let's torture children by separating them from their parents to punish them for migrating here." Would Jesus have approved?
The second disconnect is his opposition to the fundamental foundation of The United States of America. That the church does not control the government. How does Mike square his devotion to his form of religion with his oath to the Constitution? Just flush the Constitution like DJT did?
When John Kennedy was running for the presidency, so many Americans feared that as a Catholic, he would obey the Pope. He assured all that yes, he was a Catholic, but promised the nation that he would take the oath too uphold the Constitution including the separation of church and state. And that is what he did.
According to the Bible, only one was the chosen one, and it wasn't Mike Johnson. I see him as narcissistic like trump,& like so many, he wears his religion on his sleeve. The Bible actually says to pray, go into your room and close the door.Such people believe only what agrees with them in the Scriptures. Otherwise why would he have voted against every bill that would have uplifted the nation and answered the call of those in need? As for his wife being on her knees for the last two weeks praying for him, he wasn't even in the game the prior two weeks. His choice of words was not the best.
The nation was indeed first populated by those who wished to practice their religious beliefs, primarily
Christian although they showed little goodness and mercy to the natives.We can refer to Jefferson's Bible, we hear that Ron Reagan is not afraid of going to hell.We sing God Bless America and inscribe coins with In God We Trust. Religion is a personal thing, a private thing. Meanwhile, America now has an Ayatollah.
I have saved the entirety of this post w/comments because I believe it to be at the heart of the coming battle between those committed to the principles of Democracy and the twin slathering reptiles of Trump Fascism and Christi or Christo Fascism. Others should do the same.
A fool.
I hear evil.