State legislator Mickey Dollens, a Democrat serving in the GOP-dominated state of Oklahoma, has issued a public condemnation of far-right, GOP fantasies of “religious indoctrination” as exemplified in a new proposal for the display of the Biblical text the Ten Commandments in state classrooms.
The bill originates with fellow Oklahoma lawmaker Jim Olsen, a Republican. “State-endorsed religious indoctrination is unconstitutional, idolatrous, violates parents’ rights, and contradicts the teachings of the deity he claims to worship,” Dollens said, referring there to Olsen. “Christian Nationalist politicians believe they have divine authority to enact laws based on their interpretation of the Bible, forcing their religious beliefs on society. This is unconstitutional, exclusionary, and dangerous.”
These criticisms apply clearly to the current Speaker of the House all the way in Washington, D.C. — Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. Johnson is known for harboring ideologies similar to the target of Dollens’ condemnations. The Louisianan has been connected to right-wing pseudo-historian David Barton, who promotes claims that the founding of the United States was fundamentally a conservative, Christian endeavor, and Johnson’s personal statements get as extreme as comparing himself to Moses, the Biblical figure.
Johnson has also argued that the U.S. is lined up for Biblically extensive punishment by God, having cited supposed signs of societal decay like… the rate at which young people identify as LGBTQ+. “The only question is: Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins?… Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?” Johnson said in a discussion with religiously like-minded individuals. For now, any ambitions from Johnson’s corner in national politics are significantly restrained by the Democratic majority in the Senate.
Christian Nationalist politicians believe they have divine authority to enact laws based on their interpretation of the Bible, forcing their religious beliefs on society. This is unconstitutional, exclusionary, and dangerous. By endorsing a state-sanctioned religion, they…
— Rep. Mickey Dollens (@MickeyDollens) December 29, 2023
