A concerted effort is underway to wedge religious values into American life. Devoted lawmakers are making room for more religious education in public schools, have begun requiring the display of sacred religious texts on public property, and have even begun encouraging children to recite a particular prayer. Supporters are hopeful that these efforts will restore and bolster moral values that they believe are lacking in America.
Specifically, we’re talking about the codification of Christianity across Texas. While this effort may not seem that surprising in Texas, the rise of explicitly Christian lawmaking in the state could appear incongruent with another simultaneous and rapidly rising effort in Texas and beyond: the movement to ban “Sharia law.”
What Is Sharia, Anyway?
When someone invokes the word Sharia, it isn't always clear what they mean. In Arabic, Sharia simply means “way” or “path.“ In Islamic belief, it refers to divine guidance for living properly, and draws on both the Quran (Islam’s sacred scripture) and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.
A Muslim fasting during Ramadan, avoiding pork, or making a charitable donation may be following Sharia. So might someone seeking religious advice about marriage or how to conduct business. It reaches into everyday life, including matters that Americans would never think of as government business.
For others, “Sharia” evokes state-enforced interpretations of Islamic law, including severe restrictions on women and punishments such as flogging, stoning, and amputation. These are most likely the interpretations of Sharia law that concern Texas legislators.
It is important to note that Muslims are not alone in following this “way” or “path” of religious observance. Christians also consult scripture when deciding how to marry, raise children, or use their money. Observant Jews follow Halakha, the body of Jewish religious law. For believers in each tradition, religious obligations can govern private choices about family, food, and worship.
Throughout history, religious authorities have used both Islamic and Christian teachings to justify placing women under men’s control. In the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention teaches that wives should submit to their husbands’ leadership and reserves the pastoral office for men. As we've covered, there have also been calls among some Christian leaders to deny women the right to vote. Many Muslim scholars read a Quranic verse as granting husbands similar authority. But, these more patriarchal interpretations remain contested within both faiths.
State enforcement of such religious interpretations is a different matter, and more commonly happens in much more closed and restrictive societies. The Taliban's 2024 morality law, which restricts women's dress, movement, and public speech, drew condemnation from UN human rights officials. LGBTQ people also face punishment under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, including imprisonment and flogging for same-sex relationships.
However, even in the United States, there are some who preach the same intolerance for disfavored minorities. Preacher Dillon Awes of Stedfast Baptist Church invoked the Bible in a June 2022 sermon calling for gay people to be executed. “We need to put these people to death through the proper channels of the government,” he declared. As such, the line between a religious teaching that adherents may choose and a religious rule a government imposes applies to every faith and every society.
What Exactly Are They Trying to Ban?
In Mississippi, Representative Timmy Ladner introduced House Bill 1479 to prohibit the enforcement of foreign law that violates state or federal protections. Its provisions reach into marriage contracts, divorce, child custody, adoption, and inheritance. The bill’s title identifies Sharia as its target, although its operative provisions address foreign law more broadly. However, it died in committee in February.
When he was asked for examples of people actually trying to impose Islamic law on Mississippi, Ladner couldn’t provide any.
“It’s preventative maintenance,” he explained. “We want to stop it before it has a chance.”
Lawmakers like Ladner increasingly describe a country facing an imminent Islamic legal takeover. Texas Representative Brent Money says Sharia “claims supremacy over all man-made law, including the US Constitution,” and accuses it of oppressing women and non-Muslims. In this telling, Muslim religious institutions are the beginnings of a rival government.
Representative Chip Roy, who co-founded the congressional Sharia Free America Caucus, alleges that refugees include “sleeper cells connected to terrorist organizations” seeking to replace America’s legal system. His prescription explicitly invokes another religion: “take charge in the spiritual warfare and defend our Judeo-Christian values.”
So what would a ban actually prohibit? Right-wing lawmakers in Texas adopted 2026 legislative priorities offer a striking answer. Under "Don’t Sharia Our Texas," the party calls for treating Sharia advocacy or implementation as “a seditious criminal act,” with criminal punishment and disqualification from public, military, and law enforcement service. It also wants the federal government to strip citizenship from and deport Sharia advocates, and would even extend so far as to prohibit public schools and taxpayer-funded institutions from providing meals or services that comply with Sharia.
That campaign has also reached airport bathrooms. In August, Governor Greg Abbott threatened grant funding to the DFW and George Bush airports over facilities used by Muslim travelers to wash before prayer. He called the accommodations “special treatment based on religion.” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the washing and prayer facilities were open to everyone, regardless of faith.
In Congress, Representative Chip Roy’s proposed Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act would deny entry and immigration benefits to non-citizens who adhere to Sharia, and require the removal of those already here. Under the current wording, a person legally living in America could lose their visa and be deported because federal officials determined that they followed Sharia—even without trying to impose it on anyone else. The bill would prohibit a court from reviewing that determination.
Florida has already enacted legislation promoted as a Sharia ban. Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in April, it prohibits courts and arbitration panels from applying foreign or religious law in ways that violate constitutional rights.
“Our state must operate under one legal system,” DeSantis said.
Whose Religious Courts Count?
Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded documents from the Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal, accusing it of attempting to replace civil courts.
“This is America, and we will not be governed by sharia law,” he declared.
The tribunal says it provides religious guidance and mediation, “does not issue legally binding judgments,” and refers matters requiring legal enforcement to Texas courts.
Christian institutions also resolve disputes through religious law. The Institute for Christian Conciliation offers biblically based mediation and arbitration, with arbitration decisions that can be enforced in civil court. Catholic tribunals apply church law to questions such as marriage validity.
Religious and civil judgments can indeed collide. Houston resident Hira Azhar learned that her husband had divorced her in Pakistan two years after it happened, through talaq, a husband-initiated divorce. Texas courts initially recognized it and rejected her marital-property claims. On September 25, 2026, the Texas Supreme Court reversed because she hadn’t received adequate notice or an opportunity to respond. Existing due-process protections were enough to reject the judgment.
Orthodox Jewish women in the New York City area can face the reverse problem: husbands who refuse to provide a get, a religious divorce document. Even after a civil divorce, a woman may remain an agunah, or “chained woman,” unable to remarry within her faith.
Azhar needed a civil court to reject a religious divorce. An agunah may need a religious divorce that a civil judgment cannot provide. Both situations expose the power a spouse can wield when religious and civil marital status diverge.
Living Under Suspicion
Across the country, an analysis of legislative records identified at least 39 bills and resolutions targeting Sharia in 2025 and 2026, with six passing. Pew reported in September that 51 percent of American adults now say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, compared with 25 percent six months after September 11.
That suspicion has consequences for where Muslim families can worship and educate their children. The Islamic Academy of Alabama abandoned relocation plans after local officials rejected its application and Senator Tommy Tuberville called for it to leave the state. In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a proposed mosque faced an attorney general’s investigation before city leaders denied its application.
“If the people who govern your state define you like that, what may come next?” Muslim scholar and Cato Institute fellow Mustafa Akyol asked.
Sabeel Ahmed, director of the outreach project GainPeace, has responded by traveling to Texas for mosque open houses.
“People should meet a Muslim, go to the mosque, reach out to us,” he told the Associated Press.
Why Is “Christian Law” Okay?
While Sharia is being described as a threat, Texas has been expanding the place of biblical teachings in public schools. Its 2025 Ten Commandments law requires classroom displays of a government-selected text. Another law allows school boards to establish periods for voluntary prayer and religious readings within local public schools.
Paxton encouraged students to use that time for the Lord’s Prayer. “Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth,” he declared in an official statement.
The ambitions extend beyond classroom walls. The same priorities that demand action against Sharia also instruct lawmakers to “Ban same-sex adoption.” For gay couples hoping to become parents, that would mean the government closing a route to family life.
Southern Baptist delegates likewise called in 2025 for overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision protecting same-sex marriage nationwide, and other laws recognizing those marriages. Their resolution explicitly urges lawmakers to oppose laws that contradict “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.” Gay couples would be subject to that religious standard whether they belonged to the church or not.
For LGBTQ+ Americans, the question of religious law is therefore already concrete: can someone else’s interpretation of scripture determine whom they may marry or whether they may adopt a child?
So how do supporters reconcile restricting rights on religious grounds with their warnings about Sharia? Congressman Keith Self’s explanation rests on Christianity’s place in American history: “Christian values form the foundation of our nation and the constitutional system that governs our daily lives.” He describes Sharia as opposed to those foundations. Christianity is presented as the basis of American government; Islam as a challenge to it.
In that framing, promoting Christianity preserves the country’s identity, while accommodating Islam threatens to change it. But how does a halal school lunch become evidence of a competing government? Or washing before prayer? Proposals targeting those practices reach well beyond preventing religious courts from overriding American rights. They put ordinary Muslim observance under suspicion.
Once the state selects sacred instructions for a classroom wall, students whose families reject those teachings must still attend school beneath them. Muslim Americans watching their own religious practices become a political target might wonder how that distinction works: When does following scripture become a threat, and when does promoting it become a public service?
Christian clergy have also challenged the push to make biblical teachings part of public education. In a March 2025 letter, Texas faith leaders urged lawmakers to reject mandatory Ten Commandments displays.
“The responsibility for religious education belongs to families, houses of worship, and other religious institutions,” they wrote.
Religious Freedom for Whom?
Oklahoma has already tested a restriction that singled out Islam. In 2010, voters approved a constitutional amendment barring state courts from considering Sharia. Muslim plaintiff Muneer Awad challenged it, and in 2012 the Tenth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction blocking implementation.
Officials ultimately acknowledged that they were unaware of any instance in which an Oklahoma court had applied Sharia. As a result, the court found no concrete problem sufficient to justify the amendment’s discriminatory treatment of the religion.
Fourteen years later, Muslim communities are still being asked to defend their religious practices against warnings of a takeover. Ahmed’s response is to invite people inside a mosque. “Islam is not to be feared,” he says.
If religious law is a threat to America, why are so many of the people worried about it trying to write their own beliefs into law?
114 comments
-
Patricia Sydney Solis
Worried about Sharia Law? Matthew 7:3-5 says, "Hypocrite! Take the beam out of your own eye first before your neighbor's." Trump's party demands strict biblical morality, and in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said you can't even look at a woman lustfully, yet Trump brags about grabbing women by the pussy, and his THIRD wife Melania posed naked in bondage gear on their private jet for GQ magazine (REAL classy First Lady.) Jesus said if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. At this point Trump would be a torso! According to the Bible's own standards Exodus 20:14 and Hebrews 13:4 say adultery is forbidden. Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus himself say anything about abortion or gays, but in Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus did say NO to Divorce! Clearly biblical law says Trump should've been stoned to death years ago for his tryst with porn star Stormy Daniels (which happened just after Melania gave birth!). He was convicted on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up the hush money he paid her! Thou shalt not LIE, anyone?! Plus Trump was found liable for sexual battery of E. Jean Carroll, and there's the Karen McDougal affair that was buried with a $150K hush payment. And oh, let's not forget the Epstein files! Those with Trump's name still not released! Will we ever get to see all of them? Who again is afraid of Sharia Law? Maybe master your own biblical law book before panicking about someone else's.
-
Pastor George Day
Patricia Sydney Solis
Where’s Sir Lionheart? Surely he’s the knight best armed to slay the dragon of this anti-Trump campaigning nonsense!
-
-
Billy Coley
Christian nationalist are already instituting their version of Sharia law here
-
Ari Joseph Bertine
Christian law is not okay. No religious law is okay. Freedom of religion means not having someone tell you what religious tenets to follow, and religious laws are not common sense laws. The Ten Commandments are not "just common sense" considering they contain specific religious direction involving worship. Texas is openly theocratic now, and others are following their example. That's not Constitutional and it's not American.
-
Mark P. Bender
Catholics want more Catholics, Baptists more Baptist, Muslim more Muslim, Mormon, Amish, Jehovah, Scientology... All about control. And that's what people fear is being controlled. But they will choose a belief system. Some convert later, others are simply lost sheep. Government steps in. Sounds exactly like Bible times. We have advanced nothing. Choose God over Religion that's what matters.
-
Rev. Kev
I, for one, don't fear being controlled. I am more concerned about who is trying to do the controlling in society. I choose reason, compassion, equal rights under secular laws, and the always advancing search for factual truth.
Not everyone chooses to adhere to a religious belief system.
-
-
James Paul Pero
The funny part of this is the Father to It is Abraham they have the ten commandments also,They are afraid of they practice the laws of religion better than the Christians for a gossiper it means losing their tongue! and we know how christians love to spread Rumor of all sorts Even in their house of Their God!
-
Patricia Mitchell
When people talk about “Sharia law coming to America,” the fear is usually not about actual policy but about unfamiliarity, cultural anxiety, and political messaging. I won’t pretend I don’t have concerns — we all fear what we don’t fully understand. But I also know that a person’s faith or culture does not become dangerous simply because a few individuals misuse it. Every religion has extremists. Every tradition has “bad apples.” That does not define the whole.
What troubles me more is the contradiction at the heart of this debate. Many of the same people warning that religious law is a threat are actively trying to write their own religious beliefs into American law. If we say religious law is dangerous, then it is dangerous no matter whose religion it comes from. If we say faith should guide personal morality, then it should guide personal morality — not be imposed on millions who do not share that belief.
America’s strength is that no single faith governs everyone. Our Constitution protects all of us — Christians, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, atheists, and everyone in between — from having someone else’s theology forced into our lives.
So the real issue isn’t whether Sharia law is coming to America. It’s whether we are willing to apply our principles consistently. If we oppose religious law, we must oppose all religious law. If we value freedom of belief, we must protect that freedom for everyone, not only those who believe as we do.
For me, the moral path is clear: We honor our own faith best when we refuse to weaponize it.
-
Michael Hunt
Well said!
-
William Boelk
Separation of powers , church and state .
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
You are 100% correct. The thing I hated the most as a child in school was having to miss recess because of a few bad actors. I have not seen any indication that our law makers are considering implementing Sharia Law in the U.S., period. Islam is a religion. While it isn't mine, I respect people's right to worship how they choose. Judge not, lest ye be judged seems to get lost in some people's rhetoric. Be peaceful and if you cannot seem to love thy neighbor, find some tolerance in your heart to replace the hate. AMEN!
-
-
David Buck
Islam is not JUST a religion. It is also a political and a legal system. All around the world we see countries with large Islamic populations claiming that they must be allowed to enforce their own Sharia law. There are organizations that promote it like "Sharia for Belgium". They are pushing for it in parts of the UK as well. The Archbishop of Canterbury even spoke in favour of it. Look at Britain. There are areas where police are afraid to go. Gangs of people roam around harassing women they think are too scantily clad. They are harassing British people who eat during Ramadan. This sort of crap has to be stopped. It may be too late for Britain, but hopefully not for the US. What US lawmakers are doing, one suspects, is trying to cut it off before similar campaigns can even start there. I don't blame them a bit.
-
Rev. Kev
David:
US lawmakers don't need to do anything. We already have a legal structure in the US. Congressional bodies at the state and federal levels are the ones who pass the laws. In other words, there is nothing to do at either level to stop something that cannot start unless they write legislation to start it, themselves.
The whole threat of the Sharia is little more than stoking fear to manipulate the gullible citizens. People afraid of shadows with zero substance.
Muslim communities can have whatever laws they please within the bounds of their religious communities. That's freedom of religions. But Christian communities also have their own beliefs and rules. Up to Canon Law (which used to have equal stand to Common Law in Europe and were enforced by Church authorities). The Roman Catholic and Orthodox both have an equivalent to the Chapter of Canons in each diocese, which are still empowered to this day with enforcing the Code of Canon Law within their respective jurisdictions. Jewish, Amish, Mennonite, etc. communities all have their specific laws and practises. The US has a system of secular laws in which the people (supposedly) have a say. Our government derives its power from the citizens. Not a religion. As such, believers have the right to practise their beliefs and abide by their religious laws without spilling over to secular rule of law. If they take actions that break the law, then call the cops.
-
-
Gary. Collins
No. No Sheri law in America period
-
Gary. Collins
America has its own laws and is not in need of outsiders bringing in the laws of other peoples
-
-
Samantha Nichols
we already have Sharia law in the United States... it's called Evangelical White Christian nationalism
-
Pastor George Day
Samantha Nichols, show me a suicide-bombing evangelical nationalist, and I’ll change religion. Go on, then—I’ll wait. Shouldn’t take long if your argument holds up.
-
-
P. Keith Benefiel
Sharia just seems to be Leviticus. ?.
-
Pastor George Day
P. Keith Benefiel
... Absolutely no resemblance whatsoever!
-
-
Rev. Kev
No. Sharia law is not coming. It's dog whistle to get the nonthinking political base to froth at the mouth for purely political ends.
We should not have to worry about ANY religion's particular rules superseding the existing rule of law in the United States. People have the right to follow the rules of their respective beliefs as a matter of religious freedom granted by the law. But those religious beliefs cannot be imposed on anyone else for the same reason of freedom of religion. Which is why secular law regulating the nation of multiple faiths is the best situation. Also why we should refrain from even giving the appearance of a State Religion given power and backing of the government. Once that flood gate is opened it invites things like Sharia to try to replace whatever State Religion with its own. Equal rights and cooperation for all or we have none. Which makes the nation a house divided.
-
Michael Hunt
I totally agree. Fear is a great tool for controlling the masses.
-
-
Steven Ferrell
On America we have a constitution and laws based on that. We need to keep that sharia out of America. If they wish to live under that, go back to the Middle East to their country that lives by that.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
How many Muslims do you know personally? I actually have long time friends so, I can tell you it's dangerous to paint all people or a segment of society with such a broad brush! Where is your treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated??
-
-
Roy S. Thorpe
No one ever accused politicians of being intelligent!
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
LOL!
-
-
Rev. Lindsay
First you have to realize Islam which Sharia law is connected to is a false religion, one of 7,000 false religions on earth. Knowing Sharia laws roots are in fables says a lot. Of course you wouldn't want to approve anything that comes from a false religion that should not be classified as a religion in our country to award it any religious protections never mind helping them follow fake religious customs. If you confronted them in the countries that came from about this they would physically become enraged, mock you and attack you in a severe rage. Is this a religion? Absolutely not. They should be trying to assimilate into our country to begin with not try to force us to accept a fable based fake religious custom not based on the bible.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
There are no false religions just false people!
-
Theresa M Gilroy Nielsen
If we all stood in a circle around God, we would all see him from a slightly different angle. Would this then give us something to fight our neighbor about because his view was different?
-
-
Rent-a-Rev
Who made you the supreme being of the universe to make these claims? I fear I failed to receive the memo on the subject. If anyone has a copy, forward it my way, please and thank you.
-
-
RDS140
Politicians warning us of the boogeyman but they don’t even understand what the term Sharia actually means. They try to ram Christian values down our throats while they continue to violate multiple Commandments.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
I agree
-
-
RDS140
Politicians warning us of the boogeyman but they don’t even understand what the term Sharia actually means. They try to ram Christian values down our throats while they continue to violate multiple Commandments.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
How did this become even a thought in our minds. Our law makers haven't adopted any such laws! America has laws and other countries have theirs. Why are we even considering Sharia Law. Stop this crazy talk. Geez, where did my sensible people go???
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
We have come so far and yet in 2026 we are still arguing over whether we are going to watch a public execution?? I am against the death penalty because it isn't a deterrent to crimes. Haven't we learned anything? Separation of church and state, period. I'm disappointed for the 89 + millions who could have voted but did not feel our country was worth the effort!!
-
Religion as a Weapon is Wrong
We are living in a country where the Secretary of "War" stands in front of a new logo with a Nazi eagle in the center (which the DOD denies.). We are about to have a public execution live streamed. Pete is affiliated with the CREC and imposing his religious beliefs on the troops AND their children in schools around the world. I don't want to fight holy wars, I don't want the 10 Commandments in schools. I don't support laws banning Sharia Law, I want laws that ban any religion from imposing itself on the general population. That does not make me anti-religion. It makes me pro-democracy, where everyone is permitted to worship (or not) as they wish and the laws are for the good and safety of all.
-
Donna Riccardo
This makes the most sense of almost everything I've read here. Probably because I agree. One of the strengths of this country has been (we still have a few left) is to allow everyone to worship or not as they wish, and that the laws are for the good and safety of ALL. I wish people would just STOP and go home (meaning their environment, not their country), mind their own business, mind their own beliefs, take care of their own families and those they love. But wait, that's probably a belief of its own. Sigh.
-
Pastor George Day
Donna Riccardo
... till the Muslims strike you again!
-
-
Patricia Ann Gross
RaWW,
You said it perfectly. Thank you.
-
-
Michelle Ebambi, O.S.C
Most of you wouldn't know the difference if it bit you on the ass between Christianist and muslims or Sharia law or anything else.
I come from a country that is mostly Muslim and they consistently destroy themselves all by themselves. I am a Christian now and I can tell you that most of you people here, with the way you talk in this blog; you're not that either. I don't know what you are but it's embarrassing.
M
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
I apologize for my neighbors on the post who are struggling with their faith. If their faith was as strong as they say, Love would be the answer instead of hate.
-
Barbara Chevalier
than you.
M
-
-
-
Robert James Ruhnke
Sharia Law is already here carrying a bible and an American flag and is known as Christian nationalism. I don’t trust any abrahamic religious zealotry. Especially the christian zealots. I see the Muslim bigots are out crying victim enforce.
-
Chris
No religion belongs in law. Simple as that. Those who rail against "Sharia" Law are wanting to enforce their own version. I've worked with Muslims and Christians many times, and I've had more trouble with Christians than with Muslims. The cry of "Sharia Law is coming!" is nothing more than fear-mongering to distract us from the fact that Christian Nationalists want to institute their own Law of Way. Keep your religion out of my law.
-
Keith Allen Steele Eash
I rhink you need to quit listening to CNN, ETC. All you spit out is the same narrative calling some Christians nationalists. There is nothing wrong with being a nationalist. In fact a nationalist is someone who wants to be loyal to their country. Remember Mister we gave freedom of religion and Islam is not a religion. All Christians want is the politicians to be virtuous in their life. We don't look to create our own laws. Every church has a Canon Law. And none of them forces their laws onto the system. They work with the secular system. You definitely don't have a grasp on world history. I would advise you to get one. Islamic unrest is coming and it's going to be bloody. You kill those who intend to kill you first. That is common sense.
-
Michael Hunt
Nationalism is not wanting to be loyal to your country but believing that your group or religion is superior to others and should be the universal identity of the nation. White nationalists believe in creating a nation where White people specifically hold all the power and, if possible, are the only people allowed in the country. Christian nationalists believe in creating a Christian nation where everyone is subjected to Christian laws and beliefs.
Islam is a religion, just like Christianity, you just disagree with their beliefs and wish to have your Christian beliefs supersede their religious freedom.
"Islamic unrest is coming and it's going to be bloody." It's sad you've been brainwashed into believing this fearmongering of Muslims. I know plenty of Muslims who are kind, peaceful contributors to my community. They have no desire to kill anyone.
"You kill those who intend to kill you first." Violence begets violence. Killing someone based on a belief they want to kill you is how we wind up in forever wars and generations of hatred.
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Keith,
You miss the point. There is a big difference between Nationalism and Christian Nationalism. You are correct in your definition of Nationalism, but when you precede it with "White" (as Michael described above) or "Christian" it is setting that "group" as the ruling class of the nation we are supposed to be so proud of. Being a loyal nationalist is being loyal to and proud of your nation. Being a Christian Nationalists means Christians (and nobody else) should run the country, the Christian laws have to take precidence over everyone else, and that is establishing Christianity as the state religion, which violates the first amendment to our Constitution.
Abolishing Sharia Law would open the door to abolishing or criminalizing other religious "laws," that cover diet, family life, and define criminal activity. Think Kosher laws, Catholic Marriage traditions, etc.
-
Pastor George Day
Patricia Ann Gross
It appears there is a misunderstanding between nationalism and patriotism.
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Pastor Day,
They are basically the same, except Nationalism emphasizes superiority and interests of the country over others. It's basically patriotism on steroids, with "roid rage," which adding the "white" or "Christian" adjective makes it even more dangerous. Nothing wrong with patriotism, even believing that our way of doing things is the best. Nationalism pushes the envelope into forcing it onto others, even those who don't want it, or it isn't consistent with the culture of its people.
-
Pastor George Day
Patricia Ann Gross
That’s an enhanced definition, my cherished beloved.
-
-
-
-
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Well said.
-
Pastor George Day
Chris
So, were those self-proclaimed heroes soaring through skyscrapers on a holy mission Christians, Jews, or Muslims? And what’s the deal with the ongoing religious strikes in the West and Israel in 2023—are they powered by divine coffee breaks with Allah or celestial protest signs from fundamentalist Christians?
-
Michael Hunt
I can't speak for other countries, but here in the US, you're significantly more likely to be killed by a radical Christian than a radical Muslim. You're conflating the extremists, who unfortunately have amassed lots of power in the Middle East, with the entirety of the religion. Why do you focus on Muslim extremism and ignore Christian and even Jewish extremism? Why do you condemn all Muslims for the violence of a few while ignoring, for example, the violence committed by the illegal Israeli settlers in the Palestinian West Bank and the complicity of the Israeli government?
-
Martin S
They were EXREMISTS...They were the EXACT same thing as the followers of Charles Manson....the cultists of Jim Jones...The "Second Klan" (the Protestant led KKK of the 1920's)...the Gunpower Movement of Britain...The Iron Guard in Romania...Salem Witch Trials...ALL of those claimed Christianity as their motivation...and all of them were following parts of Christian Doctrine and The Bible, TO THE LETTER!!
The wars in Isreal are religious based but fueled by historic hate and wrongs committed by both sides of the conflict. Each side would possibly make compromise if their power-hungry leaders would work for peace instead of pushing their own corruption.
Education is a wonderful thing...
-
-
-
Rev. Carol M Anaski-Figurski
Interesting article I am glad the bible goes to school. Kids need to learn a moral compass, right from wrong & divine power. This could be a platform to introduce other religions world religions for greater acceptance of faiths. How do Indian reservations work could sharia law in Islam culture develop like that or Amish communities. Islam is not to fear multi faith based religions could coexist w Christianity. We are all the same when we pray whether is to God or Mohammod or Buddhist Wiccan or Tao. Blest be .Amen. Teach Acceptance & tolerance. It is an ever changing world we live in.
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Rev. Carol,
Isn't teaching the moral compass, right from wrong and divine power the parent's job? If not, what are they there for, except to procreate? Personally, there are "flavors" of Christianity, I wouldn't want my children or grandchildren to learn in school, particularly those that separate us instead of uniting us as a people. Unfortunately, the flavor going into schools are of the extreme: If you don't believe literal interpretation of The Bible and follow every rule therein, you will end up in Hell. If that were actually the case, very few of us would have reached adulthood, because our parents would have stoned us to death for talking back rather than taking away our allowance or grounding us for a week.
-
Pastor George Day
Rev. Carol M Anaski-Figurski
A basic understanding of international law reveals that the so-called Indian reservations are, in fact, sovereign independent nations with their own legal systems. In contrast, the Amish communities remain subject to U.S. law. Visiting several of these communities proved to be a fascinating experience.
-
-
Merlin
Another tool men use to control women. More literal, the more severe.
-
Colleen McAllister
People fear what they don't understand. We all need to step back and really see each other. We are all children of the same God. The one who created everything. Sharia, Mosaic. or any other religious law should not supersede the law of any sovereign country. What we need to do is respect each countries borders and laws. Sharia is not taking over the U.S.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Exactly!
-
-
PKBW
America is NO PLACE for that crap.
-
James Richard Munro
Thankyou O Bama
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Come on, Obama, really? Stop saying Obama. Who is the President since 2024? Biden and Obama are not in control of our branches of government!!
-
James Richard Munro
Obama is the one who sateled Muslims in Mi. He was sworn into office taking the oath on the coran. Jim M
-
Ari Joseph Bertine
That is not true. For his first term, he swore in with his hand on the Lincoln Bible, which is the same one used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. For his second term he swore in on the Robinson family Bible privately, and then for the public ceremony he swore in on a stack of two Bibles, the Lincoln Bible and the Traveling Bible used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oh and for all of these, he actually had his hand placed on the Bibles physically, which is optional.
-
-
-
-
Sir Lionheart
Is Sharia Law coming to America? Hopefully not, and those places attempting to recognize it should be closed down immediately. Most of Islam sees the Constitution of the US as just a piece of paper and those practicing Sharia Law would abolish it in a heartbeat if ever radical Islam took over.
🦁❤️
-
Robert James Ruhnke
Most right wingers wipe their butt with the constitution daily at the behest of billionaires. As always kitten butt your arguments are one sided
-
Sir Lionheart
I’m sorry you see it that way. It sounds as though you might be one of those that possibly has an allegiance to supporting illegal immigrants flaunting our immigration laws, and men being allowed in women's sports, and allowed in women's restrooms. My apologies if I am wrong with that assumption, Robert, in which case, welcome to sense and sensibility.
🦁❤️
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
That is not an issue. There is such a small percentage, it is not mainstream. I spent years in Europe. Restrooms, really, that's the issue for you. Like when Black people had to go to different bathrooms?? You are in the dark ages, my friend. You sound like a MAGA!
-
Sir Lionheart
I’m sorry Clyde, I honestly didn’t know you supported men going into women’s restrooms. Is that really the Dark Ages? Each to their own I guess. 🤷
🦁❤️
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Like I said, It's a non issue.
-
-
Pastor George Day
Rev. Clyde Bowen
What about Lia Thomas? Is she also a relic from the dark ages, or more of a modern champion waving the flag of women’s emancipation in sports?
-
-
-
Jimmy Moon
ruhke are you okay? Your mama's basement leaking?
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
No talking about Mamas. You know that is one of the worst things you can say. Why don't you take a minute to think before you post something so unacceptable. No mama comments. Our mothers are sacred!
-
Michael Hunt
Classy
-
-
-
Douglas Robert Spindler
Too late it’s already here in the US as are other religion’s laws. Jewish law in New York and New Jersey and Mormon law in Utah, Colorado and Nevada
-
Sir Lionheart
All religions have to basically fall within the Constitution of the United States and all of our approved laws. Killing infidels isn’t one of them Douglas. Whipping females for insubordination within the framework of their religion also isn’t, neither is marrying young children.
🦁❤️
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Sir LH,
Thank you, and you are right. If the mass k-lling of Christians or any other religion for that matter, was happening in ANY area of the US, it would be breaking and front-page news. Sharia Law covers more than just the elimination of the Infidels, and 99 percent of it is benign and within the constitutional and legal limits of this country. That little extra percentage is only being considered by an extreme fringe that has, for the most part, been isolated to the degree it is impotent.
-
Pastor George Day
Sir Lionheart
Well said! It's baffling how some so-called normal folks can't see past the tips of their own noses. Next thing you know, they'll be applauding the most absurd and outrageous acts imaginable from these martyrs mass killers!
-
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Good observation!
-
Pastor George Day
Douglas Robert Spindler
For your information, Mormons are Christians, and a percentage of us Jews are as well. Do your homework.
-
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Not going to happen.
-
Pastor George Day
Sir Lionheart
I fully concur. In the United Kingdom, this has already become a persistent issue.
-
-
Melinda Fulk
Evangelical Christian Nationalists are already trying to bring about the legalization of their particular form of Christian beliefs in the US. I'd trust true sharia, like true Christianity, over people wanting to wield religion as a club to control others and get their own way anyday.
-
Keith Allen Steele Eash
Too much narrative of the left in your comment. How about some authentic research and thinking instead of spouting out what the left spits out? Do some research and quit regurgitating what you hear..
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
No, Keith, Melinda is right. Our Christian Nationlists seem different from when I was a Baptist. At 82, I'm more spiritual than religious now. I've learned a lot over the years about religion. Jesus was killed because of politics! We need to find our souls again. Some of us sold out in 2024.
-
Michael Hunt
Here's some research for ya:
https://prri.org/research/mapping-christian-nationalism-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas/
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Keith,
"Too much narrative of the left..." implies that being on "the left" is a bad thing. Rather than throwing out insults, why not try to engage in a reasonable discourse of why she is wrong. "Being on the left" is not a complete or credible argument. What is yours, and why is it complete and credible? It might help to read the article Michael Hunt posted before you respond.
-
-
Pastor George Day
Melinda Fulk
That’s hilariously over-the-top in its politically correct delusion!
-
Michael Hunt
It's actually, unfortunately, not.
https://prri.org/research/mapping-christian-nationalism-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas/
-
Pastor George Day
Mythology!
-
Michael Hunt
Sorry reality doesn't agree with you. Funny how when someone provides evidence that contradicts your beliefs, you simply ignore and dismiss the evidence instead of allowing the evidence to make you more knowledgeable.
Christian Nationalism is on the rise in America and that's an indisputable fact.
-
Pastor George Day
Michael Hunt
Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Anything beyond that comes from the devil.
Matthew 5:37
-
-
-
-
-
-
Nicholas J Page
No Sharia law in any context should be in The USA Or anywhere else globally This law has only surfaced recently I was born CoE And I will die CoE
-
Robert Gagnon
As long as their religious beliefs and customs do not conflict with American laws and individual rights of citizens, you can practice as you like. Harassment and physical harm of others and family members shouldn’t be tolerated.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Amen,!
-
-
Jimmy Moon
If we start dropping enough, maybe they will go back where they are appreciated. But not in the USA.
-
Robert James Ruhnke
What a disgusting and low thing to say, Moon. You first.
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
I have to agree with Robert James. We are a country of immigrants! So, is what you say, "I got mine" so we don't need more? What happened to Christians being tolerant? There is entirely too much hate and I for one, am not participating in the HATE FEST!
-
Jimmy Moon
Thank you. I'm locked and loaded.
-
Michael Hunt
Because conservative media has convinced you to be terribly afraid of all Muslims? All the right does is lie and fearmonger to keep their audience glued to their websites or shows and make their network/business money.
Don't forget, you're statistically more likely to experience violence from far-right Christian nationalists than you are from Islamic extremists. The majority of terrorist actions in the USA are carried out by right-wing perpetrators, not jihadists or left-wingers. Since 1994, there have been only 2 years in which right-wing actors were not the leading perpetrators of terrorist acts: 2010 and 2025.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/ideological-trends-us-terrorism
-
-
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Stop the violence!!
-
Martin S
So, you are using a religious platform to advocate murder?...or are you simply advancing an atrocity, comparable to Nazi Germany?
Either way, you not only need to take it off this page, you need to be reported to your local and to Federal authorities for advancing Domestic Terrorism.
-
-
Keoni Ronald May
Sharia Laws are already within the USA. NYS & NYC has pockets of Muslim populations, who have started to practice Sharia Laws, and it is reinforced by their mosques. Sharia Laws, contained within their Koran, has no room for other religions. Death to Infidels is a part of Sharia Laws.
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Keoni,
If what you are saying is correct, where are the pockets of Muslims mass-murdering the Christians here in the US? Why isn't this all over the news??? The pockets of Muslims I've seen obey their family, dress, and dietary laws. They aren't out murdering all the Christians in the communities.
-
Pastor George Day
Patricia Ann Gross
Since 9/11, you folks seem to have a safety bubble, while we Jews are suddenly on the “most wanted” list. Now it feels like there’s a grand brainwashing scheme aimed at turning you against us, making travel for us an extreme sport where harassment is the warm-up and being shot at is the main event.
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Pastor Day,
Who are the "you folks" you are referring to in this comment and what does this have to do with Sharia Law? I am well aware that the extreme Muslim fringe target Jews as well as Christians and any other religion (they aren't too fond of the Hindus either). My comment was to where are the pockets of "others" (although I did point out Christians, because that was where this thread was going), that are being mass murdered in this country by Muslims.
-
Pastor George Day
Patricia Ann Gross
Apparently, terrorism needs a Town Hall meeting, Sharia Law needs mainstream acceptance, and Israel needs to apologise for fighting back. 🙄
Funny how Israel is expected to negotiate with terrorists while its critics hand out moral lectures from the safety of their own homes.
Patricia, if terrorists were on your doorstep, would you invite them to a community meeting—or suddenly remember that protecting your family comes before political correctness?
-
Patricia Ann Gross
Pastor Day,
This isn't about Israel, it's about what's happening in America, and I have yet to see any terrorists showing up on my doorstep. Where are they? I haven't seen any. The Muslims in my neighborhood are welcome. One of my husband's nurses where he gets treatments three days a week is Muslim, as is several of the drivers that bring the patients in. No terrorists here. In fact, they facilitate healing and making the patients safe and comfortable. Also, regarding a previous comment of yours, how am I (specifically) making travel harder for you? International or domestic? I haven't shot at a Jew, or even witnessed the shooting of a Jew in my lifetime. Perhaps I am isolated and sheltered, but I do watch the news, and I haven't seen anything there that would indicate there is the type of mayhem in the streets of the US that you seem to insinuate. Other parts of the world, yes, I acknowledge there are major clashes between governments, that some people are considering to be strictly religious in nature when the conflict is more about turf than ideology. It isn't happening here though, and that is what this discussion is about.
-
-
-
-
-
Rev. Clyde Bowen
Leave people in peace. Let them worship in their own way. No one is making you do anything. You are in control of your own actions and thoughts!! Stop projecting!! You are exacerbating a non issue!
-
Pastor George Day
Rev. Clyde Bowen
And let the daredevil bombers keep chasing their VIP ticket to the martyrs afterlife, too!
-
-
Robert James Ruhnke
Yeah Christianity has those same clauses and practices, they spent the last 500 years erasing other non Christian cultures. Wake up and get real
-
Jimmy Moon
Wrong answer d a.
-
-
Keith Allen Steele Eash
And that happens to be unconstitutional. Sharia law isn't compatible with our secular system. If you give one inch to these crazed jihadists they will desire more. Learn from history.
-
Here we all are fighting over something that does not even exist and has no bearing on our lives all while trillionaires and billionaires get richer and our groceries, gas, healthcare, and utility bills skyrocket to the point that we are having to choose between food or heat! When are we going to stop fighting one another over the silly, stupid things Trump and his toadies want us to hate one another over and start focusing on what really matters - the rich are getting richer and the rest of us are dying a slow death. STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND START PAYING ATTENTION. Vote! Learn! Get out of the social media madness and corporate media echo chambers and use the brains God gave you to educate yourselves! Listen to the opposition - they have their concerns and they are valid. Learn to disagree without hatred toward those you disagree with. If we keep turning a blind eye to what is actually going on around us and keep our focus on hating each other for our political views and cultural differences, we are toast! I am agnostic but was raised on a church pew for 25 years and the one thing I try to live by that I learned long ago is to Love your neighbor as you do yourself. And if you don't believe anything I have just typed, go listen to Dolly Parton talk about it. We should all live our lives the way she did and stop making idols out of demons that come dressed as politicians.