So, We Got A Uber Christian Speaker Of The House
Or, why fundamentalism isn't just for the Middle East
Thanks to the hyper focus on the Middle East right now, there's this concern that Islamist regimes will become more prevalent in the region (see Iran) and then spread to so-called "western" nations.
To be clear, I am not saying the U.S. is anywhere close to Iran where people are jailed and killed for not complying with the laws imposed by an extremist government, but we would be naive to assume that could never happen to us.
In light of the election of the new Speaker of the House, I remain concerned about the growing influence of the Christian right (and Christian nationalism) in the United States Speaker Mike Johnson is said to be the most religious conservative to hold the position and his views on LGBTQ rights and bodily autonomy (abortion rights) are concerning.
Perhaps it is because I finally got around to watching The Handmaid’s Tale, but I am hyper aware of the dangers of unchecked religious fundamentalism — no matter where it comes from.
Fundamentalism is influencing and gaining power in a lot of places and no religion or country is immune. Giorgia Meloni, for example, Italy’s most far-right PM in decades has made her views on abortion clear and makes no secret of her religious devotion.
Over in Israel, before the Oct. 7 terror attacks shook an entire nation, citizens took to the streets to protest PM Benjamin Netanyahu and voice concerns over erosion of LGBTQ rights and other freedoms. As one of the many Jews who falls outside of the ultra Orthodox view of Judaism, I was and remain worried about the influence of fundamentalist Judaism on Israeli policy.
And before anyone thinks I am just some progressive hater, the far-left wing of the Democratic party is bringing its own brand of extremism to the table. There fundamentalism may not be based in religion, but make no mistake it comes from the same form of zealous ideology that has no room for reasonable debate.
We might be in our MAGA moment now, but the split in the Democratic party is coming along with their version Trump.
My point is fundamentalism is dangerous no matter where it comes from, and thanks to social media impacting our collective ability to think critically, yeah I am worried about how easily those ideas will spread.
And, speaking as a Jew, I am not feeling too great about any of it.