Muslim Theocracy Bad, Christian Theocracy Good?

Last updated on: April 21, 2017 at 5:28 pm by Libby Anne

Muslim Theocracy Bad, Christian Theocracy Good? 2017-04-21T17:28:34-04:00 Libby Anne

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Several days ago, Tiffany Trump posted the following to Facebook:

Screen Shot 2017-04-18 at 3.07.37 PM

Image description: Jesus, robed in white, is hugging Donald Trump in a protective manner in the Oval Office, surrounded by wisps of cloud.

We pride ourselves on being a secular nation. Where does this fit in? We often compare ourselves to Muslim nations that function as theocracies, and declare ourselves different. We are not like them. Or are we?

Images like the above are typically created by conservatives and by evangelicals—the same individuals who are most vocally critical of association between religion and government in Muslim majority nations. Why is this?

Consider this image, for example:

How would the same evangelicals who find an image like this appealing respond to an image depicting Allah or Mohammed holding the founding governing document of a Muslim majority nation, in a similar style? Praying for a nation’s leaders is one thing, but this sort of imagery is something else entirely.

Consider the content of presidential speeches. Nods to religion—and clearly Christian religion at that—are obligatory. What would we think of speeches sprinkled with references to Allah and his goodness, given by leaders of Muslim majority countries? Would we not find them theocratic and troubling—even evangelicals? Why are we as a society so blasé about the Christianity-emersed rhetoric of our own government?

There is no Christianity exemption to theocracy. The double standards are unhelpful.

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