American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America

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American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 1,498 ratings · 210 reviews

Veteran journalist Chris Hedges challenges the Christian Right's religious legitimacy and argues that at its core it is a mass movement fueled by unbridled nationalism and a hatred for the open society. He argues that the movement's yearning for apocalyptic violence and its assault on dispassionate, intellectual inquiry are laying the foundation for a new, frightening Amer...more

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published January 9th 2007 by Free Press (first published January 1st 2007)

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Oct 04, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion-and-sprituality, brain-candy

This is a very alarming portrait of some of the darkest forces at work in America, or anywhere for that matter. Hedges argues that the extreme wing of the contemporary Christian movement in the US shares much with the actions and worldview of other historical fascist movements, movements that often mask the full extent of their drive for totalitarianism and their willingness to make concessions only until they achieved unrivaled power. There is little in here that I was not aware of, as far as t...more

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May 07, 2008 Jami rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: political, non-fiction

So, Ellis and I just finished reading this as Book #1 in our newly-founded 2-person book group, and while it wouldn't have been my first pick, I actually really enjoyed reading it, and it was an excellent book for discussion.

Chris Hedges describes the idealogy of the extreme Christian Right group based here in America, and frankly, I found it to be pretty scary. The idea behind creating an entirely Christian nation (as the Christian Right would like to do) is not only un-democratic, but it is al...more So, Ellis and I just finished reading this as Book #1 in our newly-founded 2-person book group, and while it wouldn't have been my first pick, I actually really enjoyed reading it, and it was an excellent book for discussion.

Chris Hedges describes the idealogy of the extreme Christian Right group based here in America, and frankly, I found it to be pretty scary. The idea behind creating an entirely Christian nation (as the Christian Right would like to do) is not only un-democratic, but it is also completely intolerant of any person's beliefs or religion that is not Christian. Isn't freedom of religion and individual rights what our country was founded upon?

Hedges believes that forcing Christianity upon people or nations will only lead to a fascist state. I loved the quote by Luis Palau, a protege of Billy Graham, who does not conform to the ideas of the Christian Right. He says that "change comes from personal conviction, not by Christianizing a nation. If we become called to Christ, we will build an effective nation through personal ethics. When you lead a life of purity, when you respect your wife and are good to your family, when you don't waste money gambling and womanizing, you begin to work for better schools, for more protection and safety for your community. All change, historically, comes from the bottom up."

The Christian Right, however, feel that violence and intolerance must be used to rid the nation of evil, or those that they see as evil (ie: non-Christians, gays, pro-choice advocates, scientists, etc). Hedges says that, "This rhetoric of depersonalization creates a frightening moral fragmentation, an ability to act with compassion and justice toward those within the closed, Christian circle yet allow others outside the circle to be abused, silenced, and stripped of their rights."

"The radical Christian Right calls for exclusion, cruelty and intolerance in the name of God."

Hedges main idea is that we simply cannot be tolerant of intolerance. He says that, "I do not deny the right of Christian radicals to be, to believe and worship as they choose. But I will not engage in a dialogue with those who deny my right to be, who delegitimize my faith and denounce my struggle before God as worthless."(less)

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Mar 09, 2007 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: bob jones

I initially saw author Chris Hedges speak on BookTV about this book, and was enchanted by the fiery invective and seething passion he had for his subject matter. It was a powerful sermon aimed at the "dominionist" movement in fundamental Christianity, led by people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. On the surface, his argument is obvious at points, as this group is already much maligned by mainstream media and the liberal elite. But his perspective is refreshing, as he not only delves into t...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Laura Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: america

More thoughtful than the title suggests, Chris Hedges lays out an informed analysis of the dominionist movement in the United States and how it has used the sympathies of the Christian Right to further anti-free speech and anti-freedom of religion/freedom from fear/freedom of expression agendas.

While every person's religious belief is protected by the Constitution, a totalitarian agenda is not. What has increasingly happened since the late sixties is a movement within the Christian Right to est...more More thoughtful than the title suggests, Chris Hedges lays out an informed analysis of the dominionist movement in the United States and how it has used the sympathies of the Christian Right to further anti-free speech and anti-freedom of religion/freedom from fear/freedom of expression agendas.

While every person's religious belief is protected by the Constitution, a totalitarian agenda is not. What has increasingly happened since the late sixties is a movement within the Christian Right to establish a theocracy in America, with the rule of law, the planning of the future, and choosing of leadership left up to God. This is dangerous for several reasons:

1) Establishing the ruling power for one religious belief is the death of all other's freedom of religion.

2) The legitimizing of forces in the faith realm with pseudoscience creates individuals that cannot think critically and that think that "facts" are interchangeable statements of belief rather than evidential phenomena.

3) A belief that people who are not "with God" (and in this case, hold a very specific set of religious beliefs) do not have a right to expression. This agenda is extremely hostile to civil liberties and the rule of law.

4) Relying on God for all provision (regulating the market, choosing our leaders, better jobs, better opportunities, better health/healthcare) causes people to withdraw from the civic realm and cease to better society through action (relying solely on prayer and individual acts of kindness). While individual acts of kindness are wonderful, the withdrawal from the civic realm undermines the power of a large collective that is able to provide services for its people (for example, the military is more powerful because it is made up of people from the whole nation, rather than each community having its own militia). Therefore an endemic culture of despair sets in (and already has across much of the country) where there is no hope for better jobs, better healthcare, better wages, a better life. Faced with this situation, many people turn to religious leaders offering hope but no solution for their despair beyond a heavenly reward.

5) Many in the Christian Right believe that ideas counter to their own are "of Satan". While I affirm these people's right to believe what they will, it is imperative that dissidents cease to take such accusations lightly, and demand their own right to disagree. For many in the Christian Right, a discourse is impossible -- only conversion. A liberal appeal to "tolerance" is impotent without recognizing the dangers of a belief system that is fundamentally hostile to reason and free thought.

Lastly, Chris Hedges, who was both a foreign correspondent for the New York Times for 20+ years and a trained theologian at Harvard Divinity School, is able to balance both empathy towards the need for a sacred realm while making a detailed argument against the anti-Constitutional and anti-American sentiments that dominionists and their sympathizers wrap in up in the flag.

The only way to counter this movement is for people that want to maintain free discourse and free speech, the right to dissent and congregate, to become involved in government at the local, regional, and national level. Civic duty is a duty to our neighbors, ALL neighbors (regardless of creed, religion, or race), and the only way to defend this foundation of society is to actively participate in it.

Apathy does nothing but embolden and empower the corrupt.(less)

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Mar 22, 2013 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A cogent analysis of the Christian Far-Right as a group as one bent on turning the US into a totalitarian theocracy. Though this may result from the age of the book (at the time of publication, GWB was president and Massachusetts was the only state that granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples), some of the points Hedges makes seem almost obvious; their fierce resistance to same-sex rights and their political embodiment in the Tea Party, though more-or-less hypothetical in the book, constit...more

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Oct 22, 2007 Douglas McGaw rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

The danger of the "Christian" right wing to our freedom and right to live as we desire is vastly underrated, and Hedges does a brilliant job of exposing this danger. By defining what is right and wrong, by viewing history and even prehistory through the prism of a literal interpretation of the Bible, they seek to impose their worldview on all and to hell - literally - with those who refuse to accept their way. Hedges has solid credentials as a "person of faith", but sees clearly the inherent dan...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Claire S added it

Shelves: a-1-immediacy, fiction-not-at-all, form_complexia, f_interpretations, f_truth-mixt-q, g_imperialism, obama-term-1, pol-historical, politics-learning, pol-paradigm-shift-pssbl, psyche-of, religion-morality, war-mltry-conflt-occ, women, workplace, homophobia

My Dad's Mom was actually cut from cloth very similar to this, except she might not have been quite as much about world domination (she lived in Wisconsin). But her and others I've known give me real life experience - although I'm sure much less scary than the real real extremists shown here.

This part from Will's review:
P 21
Dominionists wait only for a fiscal, social or political crisis, a moment of upheaval in the form of an economic meltdown or another terrorist strike on American soil, to mo...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

American Fascists should be read by people willing to think. Those with closed minds should buy at least three copies, and pass it around their friends [Maybe one of them will start thinking.:] The very beginning of this book is an abstract of an essay by Umberto Eco entitled “Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt.” It is an annotated list of traits found in all forms of authoritarianism (Fascism). By itself this short essay goes a long way toward describing the so-called Chr...more American Fascists should be read by people willing to think. Those with closed minds should buy at least three copies, and pass it around their friends [Maybe one of them will start thinking.:] The very beginning of this book is an abstract of an essay by Umberto Eco entitled “Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt.” It is an annotated list of traits found in all forms of authoritarianism (Fascism). By itself this short essay goes a long way toward describing the so-called Christian Right in America. But this book contains much more.
Hedges calls the current tenet of Christian Rightists –Dominionism- (their Man has dominion over everything) and equates it with fascism. One of their methods is logocide, the killing of words. That is changing the definition of words, hijacking language, and thereby strangling thought. The author argues the Bush administration is diverting funds to faith-based organizations and in effect bankrolling churches and organizations seeking to dismantle American democracy and create a theocratic state. If one takes a world view, one will notice Christian Rightists and radical Islamists share many beliefs. Among the interesting facts Hedges puts forth is: Red States have higher murder, divorce, illegitimacy, and teenage birth rates than the Blue States which have kept evangelicals at bay.
When despair is profound, the desperate seek miracles. It is easer to look for hope and comfort in the mystical hand of God. Christian Rightists abuse this emotion and target the vulnerable. They will ‘love-bomb’ a prospective convert then argue that doubt and questioning are sins. The only proper relationship is submission. Their hyper-masculinity crushes the independence and self-expression of women. A cult of fear is created as they cultivate a sense of persecution.
A war on truth is going on. Christian Rightists argue for creationism and that there is a divine sanction of the free market, of unhindered profit, the God-given American freedom to exploit human beings to make money. Christian Rightists have tenets for people of ‘high character.’ All are told to watch for social and political deviants. The idea that there is only one orthodox truth and all dissent is heresy is broadcast far and wide. This includes especially the idea that those who do not submit and do as they are told are not to be allowed to contaminate the public domain.
The late Dr. James Luther Adams of Harvard Divinity School noted that the mask of religion hides irreligion. The chief goal of totalitarianism is to tell all citizens what to believe, how to behave and how to speak. Hedges argues convincingly that the radical Christian Right calls for exclusion, cruelty and intolerance in the name of God.
This is a good book for anyone who feels that God gave Man a brain to think for himself. If you are one of those willing to let others think for you, you are probably reading this anyway.(less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Entering the mindset of the average homosexual-hating fundamentalist Christian makes for one hell of a trip. Given the subject matter and the stark title, the author clearly knew he had to provide evidence for allegations which strike to the heart of US politics.

Part of the decision to read the book in the first place was in reaction to recent news stories involving a certain hate group thought by many to represent the outer limits of American religious extremism. I was completely unprepared to...more

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Aug 30, 2012 David Stephens rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

As a fervent reader, I understand the desire to derive meaning from stories, especially the stories of one’s own life. It is unpleasant to think of the universe as a vast, meaningless place where people have no real purpose but simply move about and eventually disappear. However, sometimes this desire to elicit meaning from life can cause serious problems. It goes from providing a group of people with a purpose to curtailing the lives of other human beings. This phenomenon is the focus of Chris...more As a fervent reader, I understand the desire to derive meaning from stories, especially the stories of one’s own life. It is unpleasant to think of the universe as a vast, meaningless place where people have no real purpose but simply move about and eventually disappear. However, sometimes this desire to elicit meaning from life can cause serious problems. It goes from providing a group of people with a purpose to curtailing the lives of other human beings. This phenomenon is the focus of Chris Hedges’ book American Fascists, which details the techniques and tactics Christian extremists use to curb the freedoms of open societies and the characteristics they share with fascist movements.

Hedges opens the book with an essay by Umberto Eco, which enumerates some of the tenets of fascism, such as its need for consensus and fear of differences; its adherence to a traditionalism that subscribes to pre-determined and unchangeable values; its dislike for rationalism, individual thought, and dissent; its persecution complex, in which the believers are constantly being threatened; its belief that “life is permanent warfare”; and its likely rise during times of turbulence, especially economic crises.

Hedges makes it clear that the extreme Christians—a group he calls the “Dominionists”—illustrate these same characteristics. They offer an orderly and structured version of life that overrides the “messiness of human existence.” One aspect of this structure is the submission of the followers to God, which takes away men’s masculinity, forcing them to regain it through dominance over wives, children, and independent thinkers. They actively tell believers to eschew reason and feel it in their hearts that God’s will must be followed. They obsess about the “secular humanists” who they believe are constantly trying to destroy them, thus, fueling even more their hatred of outsiders. They take advantage of people undergoing extreme hardships, whether in economic or psychological terms. The belief structure they’ve established allows them to pass off the immorality of their actions to someone else: a higher being who demands they act in accordance with his wishes lest they be punished eternally.

What is, perhaps, most surprising about the book, though, is not Hedges’ crisp, articulate, and well-reasoned arguments but the tone he takes in making them. When discussing a group with such radical views, it would be easy for him to mock and spew vitriol in their direction, yet Hedges maintains his forceful urgency of decrying the intolerance of “Dominionists” without losing his compassion and understanding. He actually takes the advice he himself lays out: that real faith and progress come from uncertainty while a false certainty encourages the moral superiority of one group over another. He and others—most notably, the writers of the Bible—attempt to answer these massive questions of human existence but are still errant. When Hedges depicts real “Dominionists” he has interviewed, it is not as evil adversaries but as frail human beings trying to overcome the incomprehensibility of the universe, which is the same position we all find ourselves in.(less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Sam Dye rated it 4 of 5 stars

Starts with quote from Blaise Pascal: Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it for religious conviction. Forward: Eternal Fascism by Umberto Eco 14 characteristics; Ch 1 Faith: "The dominionist movement is the response of people trapped in a deformed, fragmented and disoriented culture that has become callous and unforgiving, a culture that has too often failed to provide the belonging, care and purpose that make life bearable, a culture that, as many in the movement li...more Starts with quote from Blaise Pascal: Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it for religious conviction. Forward: Eternal Fascism by Umberto Eco 14 characteristics; Ch 1 Faith: "The dominionist movement is the response of people trapped in a deformed, fragmented and disoriented culture that has become callous and unforgiving, a culture that has too often failed to provide the belonging, care and purpose that make life bearable, a culture that, as many in the movement like to say, has become "a culture of death". Ch 2 The Culture of Despair; "This despair ..... is the product of the disconnectedness and loss of direction that comes with living in vast, soulless landscapes filled with strip malls and highways, where centers of existence and meaning have been obliterated. This despair has created....the opening for these utopian visionaries." Ch 3 Conversion; "The goal is not simply conversion but also eventual recruitment into a political movement to create a Christian nation. But this process is riddled with lies and deception." Ch 4 The Cult of Masculinity; "They create a parallel reality, one that allows them to escape from the reality-based world into a world of their own creation." Ch 5 Persecution; "Any relationships outside the rigid, traditional model of male and female threaten the hierarchical male power structure vital to the movement." Ch 6 The War on Truth; "The Creation Museum (50,000 sq ft Petersburg, KY) , standing with its imposing pillars, its sea of parking lots for buses, 52 acres of groomed landscaping, pond, looping nature trails, animatronic dinosaurs and "Christian" paleontologists, presages a society where truth is banished." Ch 7 The New Class;(He went to a National Religious Broadcasters convention) "In this version of the Christian Gospel, the exploitation and abuse of other human beings is a good. Homosexuality is an evil. And this global, heartless system of economic rationalism has morphed in the rhetoric of the Christian Right into a test of faith." Ch 8 The Crusade "Students in Christian schools are being inculcated with the intolerant, heavy-handed political doctrine on display at the rally (Ohio Restoration Project)." Ch 9 God: The Commercial "If you have been healed or blessed through TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network) and have not contributed to (the) station, you are robbing God and will lose your reward in heaven." Ch 10 Apocalyptic Violence; "America must become submissive and heed God's prophets or be destroyed."
He went to the conventions, museum etc and talked to a lot of people and is filled with direct quotes so it appears accurate and is alarming.
(less)

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Jun 24, 2011 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics-economics

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges

"American Fascists" is a hard-hitting book that exposes the religious right's fascist agenda. Award-winning journalist Chris Hedges has written a fascinating book on how the Christian right is politicizing faith into an American theocracy. This 274-page book is composed of the following ten chapters: 1. Faith, 2. The Culture of Despair, 3. Conversion, 4. The Cult of Masculinity, 5. Persecution, 6. The War on Truth, 7....more

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Feb 14, 2011 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-nonfiction

It was meeting a few everyday German people when I was a child that instilled in me a morbid fascination with the history of Nazi Germany. Learning about the horrors that occurred in their country for many years, I wondered how people who seemed so ordinary—so much like us—could have ignored (much less been complicit in) such unimaginable cruelty.

The answer, of course, is that over a period of years, skillful propaganda and cultural manipulation had sold “Aryan” Germans a world view about their...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 1 of 5 stars

I held off on reviewing this book. Anyone who has read many of my reviews and has actually read this book will know I'll disagree with it's conclusions. I got involved in a discussion of it in the comments section of someone else's review that got rather...heated. But I decide I was now "committed", so to speak. So, despite the fact that some may like to have me "committed" I take keyboard in hand so to speak and brave the waves of electrons.

In this case, I not only disagree with the book's conc...more I held off on reviewing this book. Anyone who has read many of my reviews and has actually read this book will know I'll disagree with it's conclusions. I got involved in a discussion of it in the comments section of someone else's review that got rather...heated. But I decide I was now "committed", so to speak. So, despite the fact that some may like to have me "committed" I take keyboard in hand so to speak and brave the waves of electrons.

In this case, I not only disagree with the book's conclusions however, I disagree with it's methods. The book makes use of a variation of the "straw man" strategy (in logic the Straw Man fallacy) in which you set up an argument or an opponent and "state their arguments, points of view, or beliefs" in such a way that they are "easy to knock down". From misinterpreting the Bible to misstating beliefs and actual statements the book runs the gamut. You may not be fond of "religion" in general or Christianity in particular, but don't depend on this volume for your arguments OR your facts.

Among other things, the book attempts to set up a picture of "conservative Christians" (a phrase with multiple meanings, not some kind of monolithic group) as present day "Fascists" (read Nazis). First I'd suggest that the writer learn the definition of Fascist.

YES, there are racist hate groups that try to incorporate the name "Christian" into their group. They do not reflect the teachings of Christ. Yes at least two abortion doctors has been murdered, and other clinic workers have been hurt or killed. Yes there have been at least a dozen abortion clinic bombings or fires. Based on this some would plaster all Christians as killers or arsonists. BUT what is the difference in the Christian community when these things happen? The mass of Christians VOCALLY and LOUDLY renounce these actions. They aren't quiet, they don't sit back and remain on the side lines, they set out to say Christ did not teach hate, Christ brought "Good News" to "ALL PEOPLE".

It's tempting for me to start giving examples of misrepresentations from the book and refuting them, the accounts of Genesis or the use of money by "faith based Charities" and so on. I could make this a multi-page review.

Look, the book sets out to draw a parallel between "Conservative Christians" and Nazis, comparing this by equating "Liberals or Progressives" with the Jews of the camps, yet it's the Christians themselves who are the targets of marginalization here.

What is a "Conservative Christian"? Is it someone who holds "Conservative" political views and is a Christian? Or is it a Christian who holds "Conservative" views about Christianity? Is it a phrase that refers to both, neither, a combination of the two? Why are people who by definition believe in small non-intrusive government being compared to fascists? Why are people who believe in free will and that everyone must be free to decide what they believe and if they believe being compared to Nazis? The bulk of Christians who are conservative believe that ALL must be free to decide if they will be religious at all, if they are then what religion they will be, and ALL must be protected to believe what they will and free to express those beliefs. But NO one can control the use of a name. If a hate group calls itself for example " Westboro Baptist Church" then they have the right to do that and to spout what they will. It doesn't mean that they represent the views of all Baptists. (By the way, I'm not a Baptist of any stripe...just an example).

I suspect that the book has an axe to grind and possibly an agenda from the word go...but that's just me. (less)

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Jun 30, 2010 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be a passionate and well-researched analysis.

He is scrupulous in pointing out that narrow, judgmental, and violent views are not characteristic of Christians; nor are they an aspect of evangelical Christianity, per se. The groups that advocate theocracy are a very particular strain of "Christian." He makes a fascinating point about the dangers of exclusivity in religion by stating, rather poetically, that mystery is one of the key facets of faith. And uncertainty and change are...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

As with another Chris Hedges book I read a few years ago, this book is well researched and the author is right-on in his thinking, but his style is very flat. The introduction and conclusion are wonderful and basically contain all the ideas that he reiterates throughout the rest of the book, which makes one wonder why the rest of it is there. While I think the rest of the book is worth reading for the interviews with people in and out of the fundamentalist movement and the anecdotes about fundam...more

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Jan 14, 2010 Gary Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

At first, I was a little (or maybe a lot?) turned off by the title. After reading the book, I still am. Nevertheless, I understand why he uses this terminology.

Hedges wrote a couple of other books, which I couldn’t get into. Losing Moses on the Freeway about how the Ten Commandments are part of our culture. The other book I tried to read, War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning was about the culture of war in this country. However, this book kept me reading asking for more.

Hedges begins this book w...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The word "brilliant" is not one I often use on a non-fiction book, but it is the exactly correct word for this book. Chris Hedges is a former New York Times journalist, award-winning, who now devotes his talents to investigating current conditions in the world and sharing his analysis with those among us who are concerned for the survival of our democracy.

Hedges' analysis of the Christian Right's rise to power in the U.S. is frightening. It both mirrors the Nazis' rise in Germany, but also adds...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Elliot rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, religion

Despite its title, and Hedges' terrible coinage "Christo-fascism", American Fascists can be remarkably sensitive, and it dedicates an incredible amount of space to the testimony of members across the scope of the American ultraconservative religious right.

In fact, it's his excellent reporting of their stories that make me wish his project was more of an oral history than a polemic -- American Fascists would be just as effective, if not more effective, if Hedges virtually disappeared from his own...more Despite its title, and Hedges' terrible coinage "Christo-fascism", American Fascists can be remarkably sensitive, and it dedicates an incredible amount of space to the testimony of members across the scope of the American ultraconservative religious right.

In fact, it's his excellent reporting of their stories that make me wish his project was more of an oral history than a polemic -- American Fascists would be just as effective, if not more effective, if Hedges virtually disappeared from his own book. In his just and ultimately humanistic attempt to bring our attention to the totalitarian ambitions of America's most extreme Christians, he sacrifices subtlety of analysis for forcefulness of voice. What contributes to the strange bedfellows in today's Republican coalitions, for example, where businesspeople with little interest in social policy and libertarians who either defend religious freedom on principal or oppose national legislation on social issues for the sake of federalism coincide with the mainly poor and rural (or exurban) Evangelicals? What actually is the relationship -- asserted by Hedges but not justified -- between apocalyptic theology and religious violence? How precisely does one (if one can) resolve the paradox that "tolerant" people must not tolerate "intolerance", besides merely a "vigilant tolerance" (not his phrasing)? I also wish he had interrogated his theoretical sources (Eco, Popper, Arendt, Freud, etc.) more; rarely does he contradict or qualify what he cites.

There's a lot missing from this, and it makes we wish that Hedges' work shed its hortatory ambitions. It detracts from underreported stories that are enough in themselves to terrify us and prompt us to action against a growing spectre in our country: the sacred pornoviolence of the Left Behind series, the Creation Museum and the battle over public school textbooks, millionaire television preachers who exploit the poor, American Evangelist support for apartheid in Israel, the war to place women in a permanently subservient status.(less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Mark Reiter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Found my first foray into Chris Hedge's world a bit lacking. Aware of his achievements in journalism and admiring of the stones he displayed in suing the Obama administration for the more alarming bits of the NDAA, I decided to start with what seemed his most explosive work. Had this been my introduction to the Dominionist movement and their twisted and dangerous brand of Christianity, the book may have grabbed me with more force. I'd already done a bit of reading about the movement and its tena...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Susan Olesen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every thinking person should read this book. It is short, easy to read, but is so infuriating and terrifying that you will want to strangle people. It documents how our liberties - including our religious liberties as various Christians - are being undermined and eaten away by a vocal group of controlling money-grubbing freaks who are in no manner Christian in thought or deed, but use the Bible as their shield to destroy our country and our very American Ideals. They are no better than Hitler, a...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book reminds me of how sad I feel around the very committed Christians of whom make up most of my world. I long for them to be progressive, tolerant in the best sense, or at the very least stop demonizing the people who don’t believe the exact brand of belief they adhere to. Figures like Rushdoony and Schaeffer (though not so much the “buffoons” of the TBN empire) influence their theology as much as the Bible. The organized effort to dominate, as Hedges shows, pervades their “worldview,” la...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

American Fascists is about right-wing fundamentalist Christians and their pathetic efforts to gain control of this unruly beast called America. The author, Chris Hedges, is a bit of an alarmist. I know these people and know their BS has no teeth. It’s just a lot of talk, the roar of a dying species of dinosaur desperate to survive.

Maybe it’s because I grew up hearing those same apocalyptic warnings and doomsday predictions repeated so many times that they’ve completely lost their power to scare...more American Fascists is about right-wing fundamentalist Christians and their pathetic efforts to gain control of this unruly beast called America. The author, Chris Hedges, is a bit of an alarmist. I know these people and know their BS has no teeth. It’s just a lot of talk, the roar of a dying species of dinosaur desperate to survive.

Maybe it’s because I grew up hearing those same apocalyptic warnings and doomsday predictions repeated so many times that they’ve completely lost their power to scare me. Every Sunday, these fundamentalist pastors get up in the pulpit and cry wolf and warn us about what will happen to America if we don’t straighten up.

No one listens. No one is going to listen except the other irrational, fearful pious pinheads who inhabit their little echo chamber. Life will go on. Literally. Until something happens that will put an end to the party— a cosmic event, a giant solar flare, comet, or asteroid—and that will be that until life surges forth again in the warm, damp crevices of the planet.

Don't misunderstand me: Hedges gets all of his criticisms of fundamentalist Christianity right, but none of these observations are new, and none of his warnings can be taken seriously. People like that blockhead hypocrite, Pat Robertson, blaming the WTC attacks on legalizing gay marriage and Dr. James Dobson, a confused, pompous, self-important ass, are merely court jesters who exist to entertain anyone who has even half a brain. Certainly their views are the rankest fascism, but their balls are tiny and shrunken. They don't have the stomach to do what the Nazis did to the Jews or what Stalin did to the Ukrainians. They will continune uttering their sad death rattle about America and the world and globalism and homosexuals and everything else they don't approve of until they return to the dust as Falwell has been so good to have done already.

I think this book borders on sensationalism. Writers can be forgiven for that to some extent because they need to sell books, but they also need to tell the truth. I have no doubt that he believes religious fundamentalists are a threat to American society, but that would be true of any society. They are individuals who are dangerously out of touch with reality and some are in positions of power and responsibility outside the Christian Echo Chamber, which certainly gives rational people cause for worry. But Hedges takes it too far, in my opinion.

Although I would never be one to say "it couldn't happen here," still, I'm not the slightest bit worried about jack-booted thugs from Focus on the Family coming to take me away just yet. The progress of this backwards-ass, rabidly anti-intellectual nation is moving along slowly but steadily, and soon people like Pastor Kennedy and the rest of these American Fascists, like the Jesuits of the Inquisition, will be curious anachronisms from a quaint past when we still believed in fairy tales and magic.(less)

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Nov 10, 2009 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this book Hedges attempts to show that the Radical Christian Right is a powerful and dangerous movement, the goals of which are to take over the American gov't and turn it into a theocracy. I think he overstates the evidence somewhat in trying to make a strong case, and I came away thinking that the RCR is probably not quite as powerful or dangerous as he believes. Nevertheless, this is an important book. In researching for it, Hedges went "undercover" inside the Christian Right, and some of...more

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Nov 04, 2009 May-Ling rated it 4 of 5 stars

this book is well-written, interesting and inciteful. chris hedges approaches the topic (the extreme Christian right) as a journalist and it reads like an ethnography. he explores the change of focus from personal salvation towards consolidating political power. most interesting to me was his detail on paul crouch and the appeal/influence of the trinity broadcasting network and also the detailed "trainings" on conversion that happen at church conventions.

his conclusion? that we need to focus on...more

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Sep 27, 2009 Bob Prophet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

A fantastic book I recommend to my friends. Though I'd like to say that what Chris Hedges rightly perceives happening on the "far-right" is also occurring on the "far-left," just implemented in a different manner replacing religious indoctrination with a glorification of all that is scientific, particularly psychology and the convergence of the mental health profession with government programs. But that's beyond the scope of this book. This is specifically about the Christian Right's influence o...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: political, religion, nonfiction, my-fav-authors, my-fav-books

Note: the author is a Christian...bear that in mind when you read this.
Dr. James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told us that when we were his age-(he was then close to 80)-we would all be fighting the "Christian fascists." The warning, given to me nearly 25 years ago, came at the moment Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists began speaking about a new political religion that would direct its efforts at taking control of all institutions, including mainst...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Susan Goodhue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although Hedges can be somewhat abrasive within his, at times, no-holds-barred eloquence, I still award him 5 stars because what he has to say is of supreme importance to us all and to the health & strength of our democracy.

Some years ago I saw a bumper sticker that jolted me out of my something-feels-wrong-but-maybe-it's-just-me denial that stated: "When fascism comes to America, it will be borne on a cross & wrapped in a flag". I felt a chilling constriction within my chest the second...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Virginia rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I love most about this book is that Chris Hedges had the sense to know that this story is far too important to not make it widely accessible to the average reader. He chose not to use the "feels like I'm reading a Newsweek column," language typical of many journalists. He interweaves interesting personal stories in each chapter which keep the reader enthralled and still manages to convey the deeper political implications at hand. You can be a Jr. High School student, with absolutely no inte...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Leif Erickson rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you're expecting an anti-Christian screed, you'll be disappointed. Hedges offers a well-documented, frightening look at the people and organizations that want to make their own moral codes into laws and punish everyone who has a deviant opinion. He calls on people of faith who do _not_ have a Dominionist bent to stand up to those who do before it's too late. It is also free of a whacky conspiratorial tone, which I feared it might have (he acknowedged that the portion of Christian Fascists is...more

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About Chris Hedges

Christopher Lynn Hedges is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and societies.
Hedges is known as the best-selling author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (2002), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction.
Chris Hedges is currently a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York Ci...more

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Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

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“The split in America, rather than simply economic, is between those who embrace reason, who function in the real world of cause and effect, and those who, numbed by isolation and despair, now seek meaning in a mythical world of intuition, a world that is no longer reality-based, a world of magic.” — 31 people liked it

“The triviality of American popular culture, its emptiness and gossip, accelerates this destruction of critical thought. It expands the void, the mindlessness that makes the magic, mythology, and irrationality of the Christian Right palatable. Television, the movement’s primary medium, allows viewers to preoccupy themselves with context-free information. The homogenized empty chatter on the airwaves, the banal amusement and clichés, the bizarre doublespeak endlessly repeated on cable news channels and the huge spectacles in sports stadiums have replaced America’s political, social and moral life, indeed replaced community itself. Television lends itself perfectly to this world of signs and wonders, to the narcissism of national and religious self-exaltation. Television discourages real communication. Its rapid frames and movements, its constant use of emotional images, its sudden shifts from one theme to an unrelated theme, banish logic and reason with dizzying perplexity. It, too, makes us feel good. It, too, promises to protect and serve us. It, too, promises to life us up and thrill us. The televangelists have built their movement on these commercial precepts. The totalitarian creed of the Religious Right has found in television the perfect medium. Its leaders know how television can be used to seduce and encourage us to walk away from dwindling, less exciting collectives that protect and nurture us. They have mastered television’s imperceptible, slowly induced hypnosis. And they understand the enticement of credo quia absurdum—I believe because it is absurb.” — 4 people liked it

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