0:00
This is going to make a lot of
0:01
Christians uncomfortable, but it needs
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to be said. Terrorist groups and
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Christian nationalists use the same
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psychological tactics. Let me explain.
0:09
Terrorist groups don't rely on theology
0:11
to recruit new members. They rely on
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identity, group loyalty, a strong
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in-group, and dehumanizing the outroup
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to justify violence. Because once you
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see people as outsiders and outsiders as
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a threat, empathy shuts down. This is
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backed by neuroscience, and this is what
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justifies their violence. The same
0:27
psychological dynamic is happening in
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parts of American evangelicalism. It's
0:32
not about theology. It's about cultural
0:34
identity. It's us versus them. And this
0:36
is dangerous because we are watching
0:38
Christian organizations funnel resources
0:40
into anti-LGBTQ plus violence in Uganda,
0:44
in Romania, and increasingly here in the
0:46
United States. And we're seeing the
0:48
dehumanization of Palestinians living in
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Gaza. Research shows that the antidote
0:53
to this is human connection. Real
0:55
relationships across group lines which
0:58
increase empathy. If you are a
1:00
Christian, ask yourself, is your
1:01
community helping you love your
1:03
neighbor, or fear them? Jesus didn't say
1:05
protect your group. He said, love your
1:07
neighbor as yourself, even if they don't
1:08
look like you, think like you, share the
1:10
same beliefs as you. This is dangerous,
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and it honestly leaves me devastated.
