Five Things About... Christian Identity (Patreon)

What is it? A uniting theme among white supremacist groups, and even some regular shmegular Christians. 

In the coming months it is my goal to explore different types of American racism. We often lump white people into one monolithic brand of racism, but I think it's wise to examine all the flavors they come in. 

While Christian Identity isn't an actual movement with too many official numbers (The SPLC says there are roughly 20 groups in existence right now), the ideology has oozed into fundamentalist and evangelical groups. It's no accident that Christian Identity is permitted on the evangelical and racist dating site, WASP Love. 

The crazy part? Christian Identity was initially a hit with white prison gangs more than anyone... but because Christian Identity is anti-Semitic, racist, and white supremacist, the philosophy pulled in "regular" white Christians by bringing up things they believe to be societal problems, like immigration and abortion. 

1. A Few Basic Beliefs:

• That they are the true members of the lost tribes of Israel
• Jews are evil
• Other races are inferior beasts, meaning interracial marriage is a mortal sin
• To push the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", or a jewish plot of world domination 
• The conspiracy that whites are being eradicated from the face of the Earth. Because of this, violence and terrorism are legitimized as ways to fight back against perceived efforts to eliminate white people. 
• An impending race war will restructure society and restore order

2. How It Formed:

In 1840 Scotsman John Wilson wrote "Our Israelish Origin" claiming Englishmen to be the original Israelites and God's true chosen people. With this in mind, the bible was perceived by adherents to be the recorded history of Aryans, not Jews. But it wasn't until the 1940s that the British Israelism doctrine really took hold and led to Christian Identity. The first man to coin the term "Christian Identity", Howard Rand, spent much of his time in the 40s pushing to strategically integrate fundamentalist ideas about the bible into American politics and law. A racist preacher named Wesley Swift promoted the ideology and founded his own church, and even hosted daily radio shows in the 50s and 60s that broadcasted nationwide and inspired similar churches. It came to be popular in prisons among white gangs. Later during the 80s and 90s, the internet and video tape industry exploded the ideology. Disenfranchised whites were recruited into churches like The Aryan Nations Church (began by renowned racist Richard Butler), or institutions that covertly espoused racist and fundamentalist ideologies in line with Christian Identity. 

3. Christian Identity Goes Hand In Hand With Fundamentalist Beliefs

Fundamentalists are anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, and anti-interracial marriage, usually on the basis of being good and pure Christians following God's word (which they interpret literally from the bible). But their stances on these issues stems from conspiratorial and polygenist views in step with Christian Identity. Polygenist views on the origins of humanity dictate that non-whites are the result of a pre-Adam species, and that whites are the result of divine creation. Christian Identity adherents also believe Jews are the result of a coupling between Eve and the Devil. This brings me to something else you should know about the Christian Identity. 

4. Christian Identity Is Misogynistic

Surprise! Among members of the Christian Identity, white women are seen as highly desirable and weak flowers in need of protection- but also that these women are easily corruptible, mirroring the alleged liaison between Eve and the devil. To these folks, a woman rejecting her role as a wife and mother is akin to being a sick feminist traitor. It's pretty hard to say which offense is worse for Christian Identity women: race mixing, being lesbian, or having an abortion.

5. Christian Identity Has Influenced Numerous Acts of Terrorism

Many bombed abortion clinics and murders were done by men who fully embodied or partially endorsed views of Christian Identity. For example, the Charleston Church shooter Dylan Roof believed there was a conspiracy to kill whites, and that black men wanted to de-purify white women by sleeping with them. But there's more.  The most prominent work of Christian Identity fiction is The Turner Diaries by Louis Beam, which involves a revolution against the federal government and a race war that ultimately eradicates all non-whites. (The gays are killed too). This book is a favorite among white men who have committed acts of terrorism, including Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh, whose bombing mirrored the bombing of the FBI building in The Turner Diaries. John William King, the racist who lynched James Byrd in 1998, was reported to have said "We're going to start The Turner Diaries early" while committing the crime. 

References

• The Identity Christian Movement: Ideology of Domestic Terrorism (Tanya Telfair Sharpe)
• Christian Identity (Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Christian Identity: A “Christian” Religion for White Racists (Viola Larson)