Reads of Reason (January 10, 2022)

Happy Monday!

Welcome to Reads of Reason, a weekly compilation of news-clippings that relate to our work advocating for nontheist Americans and secularism here in Washington D.C. Please share this email with those in your network to enhance our secular outreach.

This week's Reads of Reason features a special section on Christian nationalism's role in the January 6 insurrection. Last year's attack on the US Capitol was a direct attack on our secular constitutional democracy by many who believe their actions were sanctioned "god" or hold a Christian nationalist worldview that seeks to merge Christianity with American civic life. The Secular Coalition for America continues to lobby Congress to take seriously the dangerous implications of Christian nationalism while emphasizing how improper mixing of religion and government enables these anti-democratic anti-pluralist beliefs and actions.

At the Secular Coalition for A merica we know that being well-informed is a vital part of being an effective advocate.

The Christian Nationalism of January 6
(Defending secularism means defending democracy)

How Christian nationalism drove the insurrection: A religious history of Jan. 6 (Salon, 1/6/22)
"Fanatical, extreme religious faith wasn't incidental to last year's Capitol assault: It was a central driving force."

Violence isn’t the only way Christian nationalism endangers democracy (1/6/22)
"The threat of voter suppression is perhaps more destructive because its influence is more subtle and its effects more consequential."

Christian Nationalism Is One of Trump’s Most Powerful Weapons (NYT, 1/6/22)
"A decade ago, the radical aims at the ideological core of the Christian nationalist movement were there to see for anybody who looked. Not many bothered to look, and those who did were often dismissed as alarmist […] What a difference a decade makes”

The Twisted, Trumpist Religion of Jan. 6th (The xxxxxx, 1/6/22)
"The Jericho March may have shut down after the insurrection but its ideas and members haven’t gone away."

For further reading and examination of Christian nationalism's inseparable connection to the events of January 6, you can find a collection of over a dozen articles published on the subject by the outlet Religion Dispatches as well as a new comprehensive resource, Uncivil Religion from the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and the National Museum of American History.

News We Care About
(Good to know for protecting the Wall of Separation)

Americans support a high bar for religious exemptions to vaccines (RNS, 12/20/20)
"For most, the legitimacy of religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination mandates rests on how consistent the current claim is with a person’s previous actions."

Can a Christian flag fly at City Hall? The Supreme Court will have to decide (The Conversation, 1/6/22)
"On Jan. 18, 2022, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Shurtleff v. Boston. The case addresses whether the city violated the First Amendment by denying a request to temporarily raise the Christian flag on a flagpole outside City Hall."

Secular Americans
(Who are we? What are we up to?)

Atheist group demands Pelosi drop prayer from Jan. 6 vigil (Christian Post, 1/6/22)
"The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter of complaint to Pelosi on Monday, urging the Democratic House leader to drop the prayer part of the event, calling it an “improper marriage of state and church.”

Millennials lead shift away from organized religion as pandemic tests Americans’ faith (CNBC, 12/29/20)
“The secularizing shifts evident in American society so far in the 21st century show no signs of slowing,” said Gregory Smith, associate director of research at Pew Research Center."

Are Agnostics Just Atheists Light? (Religion in Public, 1/7/22)
"Are agnostics just a slightly more religious, slightly less liberal version of atheists? Ryan Burge dug through some data and thinks he can say that the answer is pretty clear – “yes.”

Commentary
(Everyone has an opinion...)

After Jan. 6, secularism is the crucial "guardrail" — and it's fatally weak in America (Salon, 1/7/22)
"James Madison blew it — by failing to restrict the power of religion in public life. Fixing that is crucial now"

Rethinking U.S. Religious Freedom, Sincerely (Berkley Center, 12/9/22)
"In theory, then, sincerity is public concept, a way to ensure honest dialogue. But in terms of religious freedom, “sincerely held” has come to mean deeply or intensely felt."

Stop separating ‘good’ Christians from Trump supporters (Open Democracy, 1/7/22)
A year on from the Capitol Hill riots, US democracy is still under attack – and the media’s misunderstanding of religious values isn’t helping”

Of course you can't fly a banner with a Christian cross on a giant flagpole at City Hall (LA Times, 1/4/22)
"I know as a non-Christian American that I’m pleased and proud to live in a country that so adamantly protects the rights of the nonmajority and doesn’t impose one set of beliefs on the whole country."

Opposing Views
(Always good to know what they are saying)

Can Democrats learn from their faith-based child care mistakes? (Deseret News, 12/27/21)
The bill described providers as receiving “Federal financial assistance,” which had the potential to put them on the hook for abiding by a suite of antidiscrimination laws that could force religious providers to change the way they operate or be at a severe disadvantage in the marketplace."

The views expressed in the articles included in the Reads of Reason do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Secular Coalition for America or its coalition members--varying opinions may be included in an effort to inform our readers as much as possible. Please let us know of any feedback you might have!