European populists co-opt Christian symbols to cloak political aims in religious morality.

Evidence

Widening our gaze to the countries of the world makes clear that the rise of religious nationalism and the desire to closely align national identity with religion—be it Christianity or Hinduism or Islam—is not unique to the United States of America. Indeed, this work is already being done. Political scientists J. Christopher Soper and Joel Fetzer examine religious nationalism in a comparative project and outline various distinct models of church–state arrangements. Various other work highlights how populist movements in Europe similarly co-opt Christian symbols and language in order to cloak their political aims in moral and religious symbolism. — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 537

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the strategic-Catholicism framing questions already in the reader’s knowledge base about how religious identity is weaponized politically across contexts. — connects to: Secular Muslim rulers co-opted Islamic symbols to counter Islamist challengers. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 315; Passion commemorations across faiths can be weaponized against political enemies — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and…, 471; Europe’s identity is a theological project of racial and religious conviction — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 950 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalism functions as a power grab disguised in religious language, not genuine piety #corroborates (0.90) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 455
• Secular Muslim rulers co-opted Islamic symbols to counter Islamist challengers. #corroborates (0.85) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 315
• Passion commemorations across faiths can be weaponized against political enemies #corroborates (0.80) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 471
• Christianity functions for some voters as ethnicity rather than belief system #expands (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 661
• Religious condemnations can be timed for domestic political gain #corroborates (0.78) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1689
• Europe’s identity is a theological project of racial and religious conviction #expands (0.75) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 950
• European secularism remains normatively Christian in framing outsiders. #expands (0.75)
• Political movements must engage the religious terrain where religion is the dominant ideological domain. #expands (0.75)