Christian nationalism threatens democracy
During the Jan. 6 insurrection, over 2,000 rioters stormed the Capitol building to protest the results of the 2020 election. Among the crowd’s shouts of election fraud, crosses and Christian flags waved overhead. In front of the White House, evangelical Paula White delivered a militant prayer.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is Lord,” White said. She then proceeded to call for a “holy boldness” against “the Adversary” to “secure destiny.”
In an American democracy long defined by the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, a religious force has emerged that now dominates political discourse.
Christian nationalism is a political ideology and cultural framework seeking to merge Christian faith with America’s constitutional democracy. It relies on the premise that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation” and should be governed accordingly.
This ideology isn’t new. Deeply rooted in American history, it has only become fully embodied by a political party today. The Confederacy’s constitution invoked “Almighty God” to justify its cause. Pastors and politicians once used scripture to defend slavery and white dominance. After Sept. 11, 2001, anti-Muslim sentiment and the “War on Terror” reinforced the image of a Christian America battling infidels.
Though historically entrenched, Christian nationalism has gained unprecedented influence through modern political movements — most notably the Trump administration and its Make America Great Again campaign, which framed its mission as a “fight for Christianity.”
Trump ends his rallies in prayer and poses with Bibles in front of churches. Pastors pray over him at events, urging him to restore the nation’s greatness despite his multiple marriages, sexual assault accusations and business fraud conviction.
Additionally, according to Pew Research Center, 69% of Trump supporters would like the Bible to have at least some influence on U.S. laws. Even after a failed 2024 assassination attempt, many Trump supporters claimed that a “divine intervention” and the “hands of God” saved him.
“Thank God Almighty that we live in a country that still believes in the King of Kings. … [Our God] still delivered, and he still sets free,” said Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). “Because on Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle. But an American lion got back up on his feet.”
Extending from Trump, Christian nationalism has taken a bolder role in society with the assassination of conservative activist and leader of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk. His memorial service was simultaneously a political rally and a Christian revival, concerningly melding religious and political topics through a number of speeches by political leaders.
Today, Christianity is being used as a strategic asset to not only push for conservative policies but to assert the idea that America must be purified and cleansed in the Christian image. The rhetoric, practices, and policies threaten the foundations of our democracy. It blurs the line of separation between church and state and has taken a more aggressive form in our political parties today. As a nation founded as a refuge for religious freedom, the core ideologies of America are at risk. When political leaders invoke a divine mandate and cast opponents as religiously “evil,” they stretch the influence of religion in our politics. The question our nation faces today is whether or not we will fight for the principles of religious freedom that have created our democracy as it stands today.
Middle Eastern nationalism propagates violence
To say the word “Zionism” in 2025 is to invoke a serious debate on the context surrounding Israel’s existence over the last 75 years. Some will demonize it as an excuse to persecute minority groups, while others claim it simply permits Israel to exist in its current state. But long before this conflict originated, the hyper-diverse Middle East had been a prime breeding ground for religious nationalism to dictate domestic and foreign policy.
As the Ottoman Empire began to heavily decline in the 19th century, various ethnic groups — including Turks, Kurds, and Arabs — sought independence. Many launched movements that went against established regimes and thus faced significant backlash. Perhaps the most infamous example is the Armenian Genocide, in which the Ottoman government systematically orchestrated the mass murder of up to one million Armenians, primarily due to religious differences. This event was only recognized in the United States over 100 years later, in 2021. Still, many Turks were outraged, illustrating the complex nature of the Middle East that persists to this day.
Within the rise of Muslim-majority countries, there have been ongoing rifts on the grounds of Sunni versus Shia identity. Whether one recognizes the four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs or Muhammad’s family as the natural successors upon his death establishes their side of the divide that has separated millions of families and dominated politics in the region for centuries. Ongoing civil wars in Syria and Yemen, although stemming from government oppression in general, have been provoked by leadership persecuting those of the minority faction of Islam in their country. Even after the Iraq War ended Saddam Hussain’s persecution of Shias, the nation remains staunchly divided, with each sect controlling its own major party in government.
In regard to Israel, policy ties to Judaism have always been prevalent. Established in 1948 as a safe haven for a previously persecuted Jewish population, its formation was undoubtedly guided by Zionism: the belief in a Jewish homeland. But settlement movements into areas of the West Bank have been seen as unjustified occupations of civilian land. As the conflict in Gaza rages on and death tolls continue to rise, developed nations are increasingly critical of Israeli actions and the religious justifications behind them.
Complete peace in the Middle East seems like a distant pipe dream with all of the various factions competing for control. So long as religious nationalism provokes additional conflicts in the region, the possibility of a lasting resolution remains quite slim.
Hindu nationalism persecutes Muslims
Among the most dangerous consequences of religious nationalism is the systemic persecution of other religions. Hindu nationalism is the core belief that Hinduism and Indian national identity are inseparable. Although it was most prominent during the 20th century and has since declined, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) rise to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the current governing party of India has led to a revival of Hindu nationalist ideals, particularly anti-Muslim sentiment and violence.
Many consider the BJP to be the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization historically associated with violence and even the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The BJP has been accused of encouraging policies that develop India into a Hindu state, passing citizenship and marriage laws that discriminate against minorities, and creating a baseless narrative that Indian Muslims pose a threat to the Hindu population.
Among these laws was the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which introduced a religious test for fast-track citizenship, but only for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Other anti-conversion laws prevent religious conversions solely for marriage and target interfaith marriages between Muslim men and Hindu women, with additional bans on the Triple Talaq, a form of Islamic divorce, criminalizing Muslim men for divorcing their wives without the same regulations applying to other religious groups.
Although India is primarily Hindu, Muslims still make up a significant portion of the population — approximately 14.2%. Hence, it should be reasonable to say the Hindu nationalist persecution of Muslims is completely unjustifiable. Several instances, including the 2002 Gujarat riots, 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and 2020 Delhi riots, have seen Muslims accused of heinous crimes even with evidence directly proving the contrary, ultimately resulting in the deaths of thousands of Muslims at the hands of Hindu nationalists.
Even worse, politicians have repeatedly used Hindu nationalism as a tool to appeal to the Hindu majority through pro-Hindu policies, often alienating the Muslim population and other minorities in India. For example, Modi’s campaign in particular capitalized on anti-Muslim riots and religious tensions for political gain, ultimately using them to advance his authoritarian policies that consolidate power over the police, courts, and media.
Ultimately, Hindu nationalism has undermined the secular foundation on which India’s government was founded after gaining independence from Britain. The result has been an erosion of democracy, alienation of Muslims and other minorities, and polarization of the political and ethnic climate. Religion and government in India must remain separate, not just to protect Muslims and minorities, but to preserve the values on which India first founded its government.
