Summary Religious extremism is often treated as a bizarre deviation from “true” faith—a handful of fanatics twisting otherwise peaceful religions. In reality, much of what we call extremism is doctrine taken seriously: literal readings of texts that command holy war, punish unbelief, and fuse faith with state power. When those doctrines are backed by law […]
Tag: religious extremism
How To Stop Religious Extremism
Summary Religious extremism does not appear out of nowhere. It is built, slowly and deliberately, by cutting children off from reality and feeding them a single, rigid story about God, enemies, and the world. That is as true for jihadist groups abroad as it is for Christian nationalism at home. The most effective way to […]
Don’t Say It Can’t Happen Here In America…
Summary This isn’t a warning — it’s a fire alarm. If the Christian right seizes unchecked political power and enforces a literalist, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, America could become a mirror of Taliban‑run Afghanistan — not in theology, but in tyranny. From legal wife‑beating to banning women from public life, from criminalizing LGBTQ+ identities […]
Beyond LGBT Rights: The Broader Struggle Against Christian Extremism in America
Summary The Christian Right likes to ask how a “small” minority like LGBTQ+ people can have such a big impact on national politics, as if it were all media manipulation or a secret agenda. What they miss—or hide—is that LGBTQ+ rights have become a frontline in a much larger fight against Christian nationalism and religious […]
Blasphemy Laws Scare Me
Summary Blasphemy laws scare me because they show how fragile freedom really is—even in countries that claim to value it. Today, people are still imprisoned or killed for criticizing prophets and holy books in parts of the world where religion and state are fused. But America is not immune: we once jailed people for “denying […]