Dr. Carmen Celestini

As per the definition of Katherine Stewart in her book The Power Worshippers, Christian nationalism is based upon the myth that the American republic was created and founded as a Christian nation, and as such, the legitimate government “rests not on the consent of the governed but on adherence to the doctrines of a specific religious, ethnic, and cultural heritage.”

Under this definition, the laws of the land should not be based upon deliberation of democratic institutions, but upon idiosyncratic interpretations of the Bible. . . . The belief that America has always been and remains a Christian nation is not an idea that is held solely by self-described Christian nationalists. The Public Religion Research Institute found that almost one third of Americans believe this, and that four in ten Americans believe America was a Christian nation but no longer is.

Read the full article on H-Nationalism.

Recently Facebook and their subsidiary social media platforms blocked QAnon accounts and other related content. While many of the QAnon believers are not primarily active on these platforms, they are conduits to engaging new adherents. QAnon members interact on other platforms, both mainstream and that are created for right wing “freedom of speech,” in response to social media’s perceived censorship. Adherents also interact within groups on cellphone messaging programs such as Telegram.  

Read the full article on H-Nationalism.

At the end of October, I will be presenting at the virtual conference Trump, Television and the Media: From Drama to “Fake News” to Tweetstorms, hosted by London Metropolitan University.

My presentation, “Tweets, Conspiracies, Moral Panics and Masks of Freedom,” will analyze and trace the creation of the moral panic that has become the focal point of a battle not against a virus, but representative of the moral divide in a country.