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Politics of Righteousness: Idaho Christian Patriotism
The Politics Of Righteousness is the first disciplined exploration of the backgrounds and belief systems of the Christian patriots. For the reader who knows these groups only from a selection of inflammatory quotes and violent deeds, James Aho explains the historical and scriptural analysis that underlies their world view. Using information gathered from over two hundred interviews and direct observation of patriot gatherings, Aho replaces the stereotype of solitary crazies from the fringes of society with more complex and disturbing realities.
Hardcover
First published November 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2021
Must read to understand some of the critical distinctions within the Christian Identity movement in the early 90s.
May 5, 2025
The first part of this book is great. A really comprehensive mapping of alt-right organizations within Idaho, their beliefs and doctrines, and their activities. The second part of this book is slightly less great. It focuses on the ways these organizations recruit and ultimately comes up with no definitive answer. Overall though, this book is some of the most thorough research into the subject that I have come across and is definitely a must read for anyone researching religious extremism.
June 7, 2024
AN EXCELLENT STUDY OF ONE SUBGROUP OF THE “CHRISTIAN RIGHT”
Author James A. Aho wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, “The latest enactment of the drama of American political exorcism calls itself, appropriately the NEW Christian Right… The story of the moderate element of the New Right has been largely pieced together. This book tells the tale of their less respectable cousins. They are commonly called ‘kooks’ and ‘crazies,’ but in these pages will be designated by their preferred title, ‘Christian patriots.’” (Pg. 4-5) He continues, “This is a sociology of the Idaho Christian patriot movement, not a psychology of its individual members… I am interested in the movement as a SOCIAL phenomenon… Part I is devoted to sympathetically examining the patriot movement from the ‘inside,’ Part II to studying it casually from the ‘outside.’” (Pg. 11)
He observes, “For decades off and on, sociologists have been interested in the subject of right-wing extremism in America… the profession has traditionally maintained an inordinate distance from the right-wingers it has presumed to research... Few sociologists have gone into the field to speak with right-wingers themselves. This is ironic given their willingness to venture into other regions equally alien to the security of academia.” (Pg. 26)
He explains how Richard Girnt Butler (1918-2004), founder of the Aryan Nations group, “ignored the yapping at the heels of his revolutionary caravan and embarked on an aggressive three-pronged campaign of recruitment. First, Butler would sponsor an international Aryan Congress. This would feature well-known speakers, religious festivities—the highlight being a gigantic cross-burning at night… shooting at human silhouette targets sometimes wearing Stars of David, survivalist workshops, and classes in health, diet, food storage, and nuclear protection. The congresses were to be preceded by paid announcements… At the 1986 Congress more than one quarter of the attendees were representatives of the media. Butler and other leaders expressed contempt at the spectacle of reporters fighting with each other to get their questions acknowledged.” (Pg. 59)
He recounts, “After I had confessed to him my own conversion to Catholicism, a now-imprisoned member of the Order painstakingly pointed out my ‘error’ by reviewing the pagan foundations of the Church: ‘Jesus’ is a corruption of ‘Zeus’; Christmas, December 25th, was originally the pagan god Mithra’s birthday; Easter is derived from a pagan celebration of the fertility goddess Astarte, etc.” (Pg. 89)
He points out differences among ‘Identity’ adherents: ‘Yahweh Believers emphatically deny that they hate Jews; that would be tantamount to self-hatred. However, they are wary of ‘pseudo-Jews’ who attend synagogue services. Likewise, a handful of Identity adherents with norther German ancestry hold the authentic ‘Jew’ to be descendant of an Aryan people today known as the Jutes, themselves presumably derived from a remnant of Judah… Lastly, even assuming the ‘Jews’ are not history’s Jutes, then as members of the House of Judah they may still be considered bonafide sharers in the covenant of Yahweh, although they represent only a 12th or 13th part of the chosen people. This is the traditional position of British Israelism. To British Israelites, Jews are said to be inheritors of the scepter of world rule, and it is from their line that Jesus Christ, the world savior, shall come. It is a grave mistake to uncritically group advocates such as these with the violently anti-Jewish rhetoricians of sects like Aryan Nations.” (Pg. 93)
He notes that “the John Birch Society has attempted to penetrate groups considered amenable to its views. These have included, among others, the Church of Christ Scientist and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. [JBS founder] Robert Welch admitted as much at a news conference … in Spring 1966: ‘If we are looking for conservative, patriotic Americans of good character, humane consciences and religious ideals, where would you go looking for them than among the Latter-day Saints? The Latter-day Saints are as individuals the kind of people we would like to have in the John Birch Society.’” (Pg. 115)
He states, “There is no evidence that Idaho Christian patriots have less formal education than their less radical peers. Indeed, the subjects studied here have on the average spend more years in school than their more conventional neighbors. This is not to say that they have achieved a better education or that they are more intelligent. But there is nothing to support the popularly held reverse contention, that Idaho Christian patriotism can be accounted for by the lack of education of its proponents.” (Pg. 160)
He summarizes, “I have an alternative theoretical interpretation of the periodicity of right-wing resurgences in America… the hypothesis presented here is the theory of projective politics that … religion … as an independent correlate of right-wing extremism. Theology, in this view, is not mere ‘baggage’ acquired after the fact to justify aggression towards groups that threaten people’s worlds. On the contrary, right-wing radicals sense certain events as threats to their worlds because these events are filtered through religiously tinted lenses.” (Pg. 218-219)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying such religious/political movements.
Author James A. Aho wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, “The latest enactment of the drama of American political exorcism calls itself, appropriately the NEW Christian Right… The story of the moderate element of the New Right has been largely pieced together. This book tells the tale of their less respectable cousins. They are commonly called ‘kooks’ and ‘crazies,’ but in these pages will be designated by their preferred title, ‘Christian patriots.’” (Pg. 4-5) He continues, “This is a sociology of the Idaho Christian patriot movement, not a psychology of its individual members… I am interested in the movement as a SOCIAL phenomenon… Part I is devoted to sympathetically examining the patriot movement from the ‘inside,’ Part II to studying it casually from the ‘outside.’” (Pg. 11)
He observes, “For decades off and on, sociologists have been interested in the subject of right-wing extremism in America… the profession has traditionally maintained an inordinate distance from the right-wingers it has presumed to research... Few sociologists have gone into the field to speak with right-wingers themselves. This is ironic given their willingness to venture into other regions equally alien to the security of academia.” (Pg. 26)
He explains how Richard Girnt Butler (1918-2004), founder of the Aryan Nations group, “ignored the yapping at the heels of his revolutionary caravan and embarked on an aggressive three-pronged campaign of recruitment. First, Butler would sponsor an international Aryan Congress. This would feature well-known speakers, religious festivities—the highlight being a gigantic cross-burning at night… shooting at human silhouette targets sometimes wearing Stars of David, survivalist workshops, and classes in health, diet, food storage, and nuclear protection. The congresses were to be preceded by paid announcements… At the 1986 Congress more than one quarter of the attendees were representatives of the media. Butler and other leaders expressed contempt at the spectacle of reporters fighting with each other to get their questions acknowledged.” (Pg. 59)
He recounts, “After I had confessed to him my own conversion to Catholicism, a now-imprisoned member of the Order painstakingly pointed out my ‘error’ by reviewing the pagan foundations of the Church: ‘Jesus’ is a corruption of ‘Zeus’; Christmas, December 25th, was originally the pagan god Mithra’s birthday; Easter is derived from a pagan celebration of the fertility goddess Astarte, etc.” (Pg. 89)
He points out differences among ‘Identity’ adherents: ‘Yahweh Believers emphatically deny that they hate Jews; that would be tantamount to self-hatred. However, they are wary of ‘pseudo-Jews’ who attend synagogue services. Likewise, a handful of Identity adherents with norther German ancestry hold the authentic ‘Jew’ to be descendant of an Aryan people today known as the Jutes, themselves presumably derived from a remnant of Judah… Lastly, even assuming the ‘Jews’ are not history’s Jutes, then as members of the House of Judah they may still be considered bonafide sharers in the covenant of Yahweh, although they represent only a 12th or 13th part of the chosen people. This is the traditional position of British Israelism. To British Israelites, Jews are said to be inheritors of the scepter of world rule, and it is from their line that Jesus Christ, the world savior, shall come. It is a grave mistake to uncritically group advocates such as these with the violently anti-Jewish rhetoricians of sects like Aryan Nations.” (Pg. 93)
He notes that “the John Birch Society has attempted to penetrate groups considered amenable to its views. These have included, among others, the Church of Christ Scientist and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. [JBS founder] Robert Welch admitted as much at a news conference … in Spring 1966: ‘If we are looking for conservative, patriotic Americans of good character, humane consciences and religious ideals, where would you go looking for them than among the Latter-day Saints? The Latter-day Saints are as individuals the kind of people we would like to have in the John Birch Society.’” (Pg. 115)
He states, “There is no evidence that Idaho Christian patriots have less formal education than their less radical peers. Indeed, the subjects studied here have on the average spend more years in school than their more conventional neighbors. This is not to say that they have achieved a better education or that they are more intelligent. But there is nothing to support the popularly held reverse contention, that Idaho Christian patriotism can be accounted for by the lack of education of its proponents.” (Pg. 160)
He summarizes, “I have an alternative theoretical interpretation of the periodicity of right-wing resurgences in America… the hypothesis presented here is the theory of projective politics that … religion … as an independent correlate of right-wing extremism. Theology, in this view, is not mere ‘baggage’ acquired after the fact to justify aggression towards groups that threaten people’s worlds. On the contrary, right-wing radicals sense certain events as threats to their worlds because these events are filtered through religiously tinted lenses.” (Pg. 218-219)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying such religious/political movements.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews