Blood Right: Racial Protectionism and the Problem of Christianity in American White Nationalism
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: As Betty Dobratz and others have noticed, Christian Identity, a racist and anti-Semitic form of Christian theology that argues that the European peoples are the true Israelites, is no longer the only religious influence in American white nationalism.New religious movements such as Creativity, Cosmotheism, racialized Norse paganism, or Odinism, racialized esotericism and Satanism, and even racist articulations of atheism have become more influential in the white nationalist milieu in the last thirty years.Since the 1970s an increasing number of those involved in white racist activism have rejected Christianity in favor of non-Christian, and often virulently anti-Christian, religious alternatives.I discuss this phenomenon and offer a theory to explain why this shift in religious outlook among American white nationalists has occurred by discussing the most influential persons within the movement.In an engagement with Bergson's Two Sources of Morality and Religion and Appadurai's Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger I argue that though the individual expressions differ, a growing number of white nationalists have come to see Christianity as a problem because they regard it as inhibitive of white racial survival because of its "alien," Jewish origins, and because of its message, from their point of view, of universal love and brotherhood rather than exclusive love of one's race.iii Dedication To my loving and supportive partner: Le prix d'Amour, c'est seulement Amour.And to our children: Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst.you.To Dr. Barkun who was most gracious to agree to help me with this dissertation, thank you for your considerable input and wisdom, for allowing me to benefit from your experience.Your work continues to inspire.To Ruby Tapia, thank you for keeping me as your student through your move to Michigan and many changes in your life.Your kindness and good lessons will never be forgotten.
Author: Damon T. Berry
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W882780850