Anti-blasphemy laws in America?
America’s previous longtime consensus for universal religious freedom is fraying. Policies that targeted traditional Christian merchants who would not cater to same-sex nuptials or shuttered Catholic adoption agencies for similar reasons foreshadowed the end of the consensus.
TL;DR
- America's consensus on universal religious freedom is weakening.
- Catholic integralism and Protestant confessional statism, sometimes labeled Christian nationalism, seek to establish Christianity's primacy in civil law.
- These movements argue for restricting non-Christians and punishing blasphemers and heretics.
- Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has publicly aligned with these views, advocating for the state's acknowledgment of Christian structure and punishment for blasphemy.
- These arguments are gaining prominence, with publications and conferences dedicated to Christian nationalism.
- Some major denominations and religious leaders, like Richard Land, are pushing back against these ideas, citing historical Baptist principles and the potential exclusion of non-Christians from office.
- Despite pushback, the push for legally privileging Christianity is entering mainstream discourse.