Study: Americans with Christian nationalist views more likely to flout COVID-19 precautions:

[Caliban]

This article is from The Christian Post cites this study. It claims that “Christian nationalist ideology tends to make people really distrustful of scientists and science generally...” and that such people are much more likely than other demographics to ignore the scientific recommendations surrounding COVID-19 precautions.

Why do you think this is?

Are there any self identified Christian Nationalists on this forum who would like to explain or refute this claim?

 

[ArmenianJohn]

As a Christian who is not a Nationalist I'll venture to say that it's the "nationalist" part of that label that causes them to have that mindset.

 

[Occams Barber]

This article is from The Christian Post cites this study. It claims that “Christian nationalist ideology tends to make people really distrustful of scientists and science generally...” and that such people are much more likely than other demographics to ignore the scientific recommendations surrounding COVID-19 precautions.

Why do you think this is?

Are there any self identified Christian Nationalists on this forum who would like to explain or refute this claim?

I also found this (from the article - my bolding) a little scary:

In an interview with The Christian Post, Perry defined Christian nationalist ideology as one in which adherents want to “institutionalize our religious beliefs and values” and “view religion more as something that is like a cultural marker of identity.”

“Christian nationalist ideology is associated with a whole lot of really negative views and values,” he said.

“Christian nationalism tends to make Americans more racially prejudiced, more fearful of immigrants to an irrational degree, and hold views that are unequivocally xenophobic or racist."
​

They may be Nationalists but they are also Christians. Once again (some) Christian behaviour appears to contradict Christian principles.
OB

 

[JackRT]

Christian Nationalists also seem to me to be mostly Christian fundamentalists as well. One of the several factors that led to the rise of fundamentalism was a powerful rejection of the Theory of Evolution and what followed was a growing suspicion of science in general and a lurking distrust of modernism as well. Nationalism seems to be an easy sell in the USA and when you marry that to fundamentalism you have a powerful but largely irrational movement that can easily be led by the nose by a charismatic personality. Some think that this is a very good thing. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I think this is likely due to some incidental correlations...

Those with Christian Nationalists views are more likely to support the party that's been in favor of flouting Covid precautions...I don't think there's anything about a Christian Nationalist viewpoint, in and of itself, that would cause one to be more or less hesitant about a particular virus.

...but I'm a heathen so what do I know lol.

I think the two main factors that are driving this are:
1) how "pro-" or "anti-" Trump one is
2) how authoritarian or anti-authoritarian one is.

Most of the people who I hear writing it off as a hoax certainly aren't Christian Nationalists, it's an-cap libertarians (many of whom are atheist, and certainly not nationalists)


That's the draw back of a society where everyone feels the need to virtue signal at the expense of literally everything else and common sense.

When you have a president as divisive as Trump in "the big chair", that's bound to happen.

I have no doubts that if Trump had "taken it seriously", and used it as an excuse for why he should be able to push through his various agendas, we'd see a 180 and we'd have his supporters wanting mask enforcement, and his opposition fighting against lockdowns, masking, etc...

"Trump said he's not going to wear a mask...so I'm not gonna wear one either! Murica"
vs.
"Trump said he's not going to wear a mask...so I'm going to post selfies of myself wearing one alone in my car to show how much I care #DoingMyPart #SaveLives #Wear

The

Mask"


There are people on both sides of this acting equally ridiculous...

 

[Occams Barber]

I think the two main factors that are driving this are:
1) how "pro-" or "anti-" Trump one is
2) how authoritarian or anti-authoritarian one is.

Perry would agree with you when you point to the Trump factor. He would also add media distrust plus a view that the virus is a punishment for moral backsliding - with repentance as a possible cure. This last point places it firmly under the Christian (as opposed to Nationalist specific) banner

According to Perry, the ideology of Christian nationalism has a profound impact on how people view the coronavirus. Perry argues that, because “Christian nationalism seems to make people inclined to Donald Trump” and “Donald Trump, wasn’t really encouraging a lot of precautions regarding coronavirus early on,” it should not come as a surprise those identified as having a Christian nationalist ideology are less likely to take precautions during the pandemic.

Perry also cited a reluctance to “trust the media” among reasons for their reluctance to follow recommended coronavirus precautions. He also said that there is a belief that the United States has a “protective relationship” with God and that “if God punishes us with this disease,” “it’s not because we’re not social distancing, it’s because … we’ve slid morally.”

The professor said that some believe “the solution to coronavirus is not necessarily to wash your hands more or use hand sanitizer, or wear masks or social distance." Rather, he said, they think the solution is to "repent … of our … immorality publicly.”
​

Most of the people who I hear writing it off as a hoax certainly aren't Christian Nationalists, it's an-cap libertarians (many of whom are atheist, and certainly not nationalists)

Are you aware of anything substantiating your anecdotal opinion?
OB

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Are you aware of anything substantiating your anecdotal opinion?
OB

I identify as Libertarian, and participate in many libertarian social media groups, and the people who I see writing it off as some sort of conspiracy seem to be anti-authoritarian "big pharma" conspiracy types.

A lot of people who run in those circles are usually an-cap atheists...but it could be just my limited exposure to other types of people, that's quite possible.

...but I haven't observed anything that's indicated that Christianity or Nationalism are the main culprits for people not taking this thing seriously...it's either people trying to show their "Trump allegiance", or it's anti-authoritarian types who understand that it's a risk, but just don't like any form (or level) of government telling them what to do.

 

[Speedwell]

I think this is likely due to some incidental correlations...

Those with Christian Nationalists views are more likely to support the party that's been in favor of flouting Covid precautions...I don't think there's anything about a Christian Nationalist viewpoint, in and of itself, that would cause one to be more or less hesitant about a particular virus.

...but I'm a heathen so what do I know lol.

I think the two main factors that are driving this are:
1) how "pro-" or "anti-" Trump one is
2) how authoritarian or anti-authoritarian one is.

Most of the people who I hear writing it off as a hoax certainly aren't Christian Nationalists, it's an-cap libertarians (many of whom are atheist, and certainly not nationalists)


That's the draw back of a society where everyone feels the need to virtue signal at the expense of literally everything else and common sense.

When you have a president as divisive as Trump in "the big chair", that's bound to happen.

I have no doubts that if Trump had "taken it seriously", and used it as an excuse for why he should be able to push through his various agendas, we'd see a 180 and we'd have his supporters wanting mask enforcement, and his opposition fighting against lockdowns, masking, etc...

"Trump said he's not going to wear a mask...so I'm not gonna wear one either! Murica"
vs.
"Trump said he's not going to wear a mask...so I'm going to post selfies of myself wearing one alone in my car to show how much I care #DoingMyPart #SaveLives #WearView attachment 282364TheView attachment 282365Mask"


There are people on both sides of this acting equally ridiculous...

There's a third point, that the Christian Nationalist movement is profoundly anti-intellectual and suspicious of "experts" who have been casting doubt on their interpretation of Scripture for the last century or more.

 

[JackRT]

Visit the Freedom Cafe. For those of you who choose not to wear masks, please visit the Freedom Cafe! We trust you to make your own choices if you want to wear a face mask. And, in the same spirit of individual liberty, we allow our staff to make their own choices about the safety procedures they prefer to follow as they prepare and serve your food. We encourage employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom, but understand that some people may be allergic to certain soaps or may simply prefer not to wash their hands. It is not our place to tell them what to do. We understand that you may be used to chicken that has been cooked to 165 degrees. We do have to respect that some of our cooks may have seen a meme or a YouTube video saying that 100 degrees is sufficient, and we do not want to encroach on their beliefs." Some of our cooks may prefer to use the same utensils for multiple ingredients, including ingredients some customers are allergic to. That is a cook’s right to do so. Some servers may wish to touch your food as they serve it. There is no reason that a healthy person with clean hands can’t touch your food. We will take their word for it that they are healthy and clean. Water temperature and detergent are highly personal choices, and we allow our dishwashing team to decide how they’d prefer to wash the silverware you will put in your mouth. Some of you may get sick, but almost everyone survives food poisoning. We think you’ll agree that it’s a small price to pay for the sweet freedom of no one ever being told what to do - and especially not for the silly reason of keeping strangers healthy.

 

[Occams Barber]

..but I haven't observed anything that's indicated that Christianity or Nationalism are the main culprits for people not taking this thing seriously...it's either people trying to show their "Trump allegiance", or it's anti-authoritarian types who understand that it's a risk, but just don't like any form (or level) of government telling them what to do.

I don't think this study suggests that Christian Nationalists are the 'main culprits'. It does conclude that the behaviour is associated with Christian nationalism. That doesn't mean there aren't other groups acting in a similar way.

The authors conclude that “at the bivariate level, Christian nationalism ideology is positively associated with Americans’ frequency of engaging in incautious behaviors” and “negatively associated with engaging in precautionary behaviors.”
​

OB

 

[disciple Clint]

This article is from The Christian Post cites this study. It claims that “Christian nationalist ideology tends to make people really distrustful of scientists and science generally...” and that such people are much more likely than other demographics to ignore the scientific recommendations surrounding COVID-19 precautions.

Why do you think this is?

Are there any self identified Christian Nationalists on this forum who would like to explain or refute this claim?

seems like a real broad brush.

 

[Nithavela]

This article is from The Christian Post cites this study. It claims that “Christian nationalist ideology tends to make people really distrustful of scientists and science generally...” and that such people are much more likely than other demographics to ignore the scientific recommendations surrounding COVID-19 precautions.

Why do you think this is?

The answer starts with a T.

 

[MIDutch]

My thought: more power to them.

Winning the Darwin Award doesn't prevent the rest of humanity from continuing on it's evolutionary course.

 

[Albion]

This article is from The Christian Post cites this study. It claims that “Christian nationalist ideology tends to make people really distrustful of scientists and science generally...” and that such people are much more likely than other demographics to ignore the scientific recommendations surrounding COVID-19 precautions.

Why do you think this is?

Are there any self identified Christian Nationalists on this forum who would like to explain or refute this claim?

Or we might ask:

What is a Christian Nationalist?

What does Christian Nationalism in particular have to do with either liking or denying science?

Why did we not hear about Christian Nationalism (or White Nationalism or White Supremacy, etc.) until "getting Trump out of the White House" became a "thing" in certain political circles...and now they're supposedly lurking under every bed?

 

[TLK Valentine]

Everyone knows that when you mix religion and politics, you get... politics.

"Christianity," in this context, is a useful tool for getting what one wants... And politics is all about using every tool you can find.

 

[Albion]

Everyone knows that when you mix religion and politics, you get... politics.

"Christianity," in this context, is a useful tool for getting what one wants... And politics is all about using every tool you can find.

Okay, and who are the people who have organized to fight "Christian Nationalism?" Oh, it's a bunch of ultra-liberal Christian leaders determined to affect the coming election with a gobbledy-gook definition and a phony poll.

In other words, I agree with you.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Why did we not hear about Christian Nationalism (or White Nationalism or White Supremacy, etc.) until "getting Trump out of the White House" became a "thing" in certain political circles...and now they're supposedly lurking under every bed?

We heard about it; we know it existed... ( well, perhaps you didn't, but the rest of us did) but they were on the fringes of the Uberright.

Now they're far more Mainstream. Some people might hold Donald responsible; but they don't know history very well. Christian Nationalism has never been under the bed... It's been a vital part of the GOP's platform for the last half century.

 

[Albion]

We heard about it; we know it existed... ( well, perhaps you didn't, but the rest of us did) but they were on the fringes of the Uberright.

Let's be clear about this. All of those alleged groups "existed" prior to the last couple of years but no one was worried about them.

And that's because they are (to the extent that anyone can say who "they" is), as threatening to our way of life as is the Flat Earth Society or the people who are determined to re-establish Prohibition!

Now, of course, we are supposed to worry daily for the survival of our democracy.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Okay, and who are the people who have organized to fight "Christian Nationalism?"

Well, it should be Christians of all ideological opinions united by a desire to not see their faith turned into a political tool...

It should be Christians who have decided that Thirty Pieces from Uncle Sam isn't worth selling out for...

It should be Christians willing to take Paul's message a step further and say that In Christ, there is no Gentile or Jew, no Free or Slave, no Liberal or Conservative, that all are one...

But as you must know, there aren't nearly enough of those sort of Christians... so I guess "a bunch of ultra-liberal Christian leaders determined to affect the coming election with a gobbledy-gook definition and a phony poll" are going to have to do all the heavy lifting until the rest of you get on board.

In other words, talk is cheap.

 

[Albion]

But as you must know, there aren't nearly enough of those sort of Christians... so I guess "a bunch of ultra-liberal Christian leaders determined to affect the coming election with a gobbledy-gook definition and a phony poll" are going to have to do all the heavy lifting until the rest of you get on board.

Assuming, of course, that the goals you identified, step by step, are what those people actually are working towards.

An examination of the matter will show you that it isn't.