Conservative Christianity Has a Thread of Old Communism In It


I've been reading Free; A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi. Ypi grew up in Albania during the last decade of the old Soviet Union. Albania was a satellite of that empire. It was affected by its neighbor, the old Yugoslavia. 

In school Ypi learned Albania's only political party was better than that of communists in Russia. Russia had been contaminated by generations of the pre-communist economic elite. The socialism of her country and its future communism would lead to a society of free people. Every citizen could develop skills, acquire education and grow into their ultimate abilities. If capitalism were allowed in all money and opportunity would be stolen from ordinary people by the rich.

Her parents both came from ancestors two or three generations back who were wealthy. This put them at the bottom of the class structure. Even among relatives were spies who would turn in unfavorable reports.  Adults talked in code about their relatives' time in prisons. Only later, after the fall of the Soviet Empire, did she realize most things adults told her both in school where it was political propaganda and at home where it was family history hiding its true political views, was to be distrusted. 

Taking a break from Ypi's book I opened up the paper where I was in Indiana. There I read about a dozen bills in the Indiana legislature outlawing "Black Lives Matter" material from being taught in public schools or universities. The Indiana legislature is exactly like communists during Ypi's childhood. It believes only the version of history preferred by religious and Republican conservatives should be taught to children. Christian denominations have been infected with politics and some are trying to cleanse history of views they do not like. 

The Texas anti-abortion law makes relatives potential spies against their own kin as in the communism in Albania. I predict there will be legislation to eliminate all references to the fertilized human egg and fetus replaced by "baby." Medical textbooks will be cleansed accordingly. 

Christian nationalism and anti-abortion politics has all the hallmarks of the propaganda we associate with Communism.


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