Last Updated on February 9, 2023
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has passed a resolution condemning “white religious nationalism,” stating that “theocracy is incompatible with democracy and religious freedom.”
The motion was approved in Philadelphia this past weekend, where Democrat leaders gathered for their winter meeting. The resolution, which had more than 30 co-sponsors from across the country, linked religious nationalism with “white nationalism,” arguing that “one of many heinous elements of white nationalism is its perversion of religion to make their hateful message more palatable.”
The authors claimed that “religious nationalism” — particularly Christian nationalism or “white Christian nationalism” — has been condemned by “faith leaders” in recent years. Authors pointed to the January 6 Capitol protests as a clear example of the “white, Christian nationalist” threat.
“White religious nationalism has used the cover of patriotism to foment and inflame hate by providing cover for racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and islamophobia,” the resolution read. Ultimately, the resolution linked the rise of “white Christian nationalism” with the decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, as well as numerous other GOP initiatives.
Michael Bearfoot, a Democratic delegate from Minnesota who submitted the resolution, celebrated its passage in a statement. “White religious nationalism has an end goal of a white religious state,” Bearfoot said in a statement to Religion News Service. “This has no place for me as a black pagan. This is why I was proud to introduce this resolution and was happy that it passed.”
Sarah Levin, who co-chairs the DNC Interfaith Council as a “secular representative,” also praised the document. “Since he was elected, President Biden has been warning Americans about the threats to our democracy on multiple fronts,” Levin said in a statement. “White Christian nationalism should be at the top of that list, and for the sake of our democracy, it’s time to call it what it is.”
“By recognizing the connection between this movement and the broad-ranging attacks on nearly everything Democrats are fighting for, this resolution puts those of us who believe in democracy, freedom and religious pluralism in a stronger position to join forces.”
