We’re already seeing the white power / Christian nationalist movement carve out its out groups, with anti-trans laws and anti-abortion efforts before and since the Dobbs decision. I am not a CIA analyst but I’d anticipate they’ll continue to carve out new out groups through rhetoric, through legislation and judicial rulings meant to target specific out groups.
We’re unlikely to see the movement specifically criminalize a religious movement the way that Mormons were identified and chased out in the 19th century, rather we’re going to see the state assert specific values, much the way the Holistic Health and Fitness initiative in the US Army asserted belief in a god (and more ambiguously in Evangelical Christianity) was a requirement for spiritual readiness. Non-Christian soldiers would have their readiness downgraded, and they’d be obligated to attend Christian focused lectures and services in an effort to treat their spiritual readiness deficiency.
So early on in an autocratic US we might see prayer mandates return to schools, and then schools would have to select among a set of (say) three standard prayers, which would not only plebianize non-Christians, but any whose articles of faith are mismatched with those prayers.
I don’t think the transition is going to be quick or directly towards a specific ministry. Firstly, because the enforced doctrine won’t be chosen to specifically conform with a given ministry, rather in the purpose of consolidating power, whether by defining more out groups, or by adhering to an issue that is popular among the movement base (abortion is a big one. Few Christians seem to care for honoring and providing comfort for immigrants. No one wants to turn the other cheek.), or to affirm populist sentiments, such as affirming racist ideology, sexist ideology, hyper-conformity, violence in service of the movement, and so on.
Also, unlike the German Reich, the US is huge and crosses a lot of regions and cultures that have conflicting interests, and so it is going to be prone to the chaos of complexity. Resistance efforts will watch for opportunities within this chaos, and will operate much the way dinosaur clones escaped Isla Nublar, were able to breed despite having no males, and were able to overcome a lysine dependency and migrate deep into South America. We may not be able to stop the US transition to autocracy, or to the establishment of a state religion (and state religious doctrine) but we will be able to slow it down and raise questions to the public regarding how it will affect the public. We can make sure everyone knows its a mess, that our governors and ministers are all corrupt and greedy for power, and this will weaken the legitimacy of such a regime once it is in place.
We’re already seeing the white power / Christian nationalist movement carve out its out groups, with anti-trans laws and anti-abortion efforts before and since the Dobbs decision. I am not a CIA analyst but I’d anticipate they’ll continue to carve out new out groups through rhetoric, through legislation and judicial rulings meant to target specific out groups.
We’re unlikely to see the movement specifically criminalize a religious movement the way that Mormons were identified and chased out in the 19th century, rather we’re going to see the state assert specific values, much the way the Holistic Health and Fitness initiative in the US Army asserted belief in a god (and more ambiguously in Evangelical Christianity) was a requirement for spiritual readiness. Non-Christian soldiers would have their readiness downgraded, and they’d be obligated to attend Christian focused lectures and services in an effort to treat their spiritual readiness deficiency.
So early on in an autocratic US we might see prayer mandates return to schools, and then schools would have to select among a set of (say) three standard prayers, which would not only plebianize non-Christians, but any whose articles of faith are mismatched with those prayers.
I don’t think the transition is going to be quick or directly towards a specific ministry. Firstly, because the enforced doctrine won’t be chosen to specifically conform with a given ministry, rather in the purpose of consolidating power, whether by defining more out groups, or by adhering to an issue that is popular among the movement base (abortion is a big one. Few Christians seem to care for honoring and providing comfort for immigrants. No one wants to turn the other cheek.), or to affirm populist sentiments, such as affirming racist ideology, sexist ideology, hyper-conformity, violence in service of the movement, and so on.
Also, unlike the German Reich, the US is huge and crosses a lot of regions and cultures that have conflicting interests, and so it is going to be prone to the chaos of complexity. Resistance efforts will watch for opportunities within this chaos, and will operate much the way dinosaur clones escaped Isla Nublar, were able to breed despite having no males, and were able to overcome a lysine dependency and migrate deep into South America. We may not be able to stop the US transition to autocracy, or to the establishment of a state religion (and state religious doctrine) but we will be able to slow it down and raise questions to the public regarding how it will affect the public. We can make sure everyone knows its a mess, that our governors and ministers are all corrupt and greedy for power, and this will weaken the legitimacy of such a regime once it is in place.