Mike Flynn has gone on the record Saturday night saying that this country "must have one religion" thehill.com/…
It's not hard to figure out what he's trying to say, and to whom. Flynn has been, and continues to spout conspiracy theories and lies to his fan base. Which is largely made up of QAnon believing Trump supporters. QAnon believing Trump supporters are in turn very often very, very conservative Christians. What I call Talibangelicals. Flynn stopped short of preaching a new crusade against "the enemies of God" And I have to wonder how his fans might have reacted if he'd gone so far as to actually say something like... Deus vult. It's safe to say that a lot of them are familiar with the phrase. It might be the only Latin they know.
"God wills it"
Way back in 1072 CE a guy called Peter the Hermit started preaching a crusade. To liberate Jerusalem from the Saracens, and defend God from his enemies. Peter was a former soldier, and gained a devoted following among ordinary people, the workers. The poor. Miserable, impoverished, oppressed and abused people who were 100% convinced that their salvation lay in wiping out the enemies of their God. Because Deus vult. www.thoughtco.com/…
Peter eventually got his wish. The pope himself, Urban II, called Peter to be part of a high-level discussion about how to rescue Jerusalem and defend the True Faith. Noblemen and knights got on board. Everyone was fired up to kill themselves some infidels and secure their spot in Heaven forevermore.
The poor of course had no weapons beyond possibly the tools of their trades. They brought along their families, their children. But no food or equipment. They brought their faith and zeal. But no knowledge of how to recognize the supposed enemy when they saw them.
That peasant army starved and sickened and died like flies before even getting a glimpse of the holy land. They also murdered thousands of people in their own countries along the way. Jews were slaughtered. Christians deemed "heretical" too. If you didn't pay your tithes, you were a target. If you looked different, or dressed in unfamiliar ways, you were assumed to be the bad guys. If you spoke a language that Peter's fanatics couldn't understand, you were doomed. But it was okay, because Deus vult. They meant well. And God forgives them.
When organized religion goes wrong it goes very, very wrong. And very quickly. Lots of people end up very dead. And the leaders of the combatants convince themselves that God knows, they did their best. For his glory. For love of him, they ram his religion, his true faith (whichever it may be, I've lost count) down other's throats at the point of a sword. Or with bullets. Or bombs. Because Deus vult, baby.
Yeah, I'm bothered by this. If people like Flynn get their way, people like me will be among the first to be targeted. Along with Muslims, Jews, atheists and others. But once we're gone, it wouldn't be over. Eventually the violence would be directed towards other Christians. Who are the "heretics" this time around. And that means, everyone who doesn't believe the way the Talibangelicals believe, pray the way they do, give money to their approved recipients. Once begun...if it is allowed to go that far...the bloodshed would be endless.
PS- yes I know that the picture is probably a parody. Look at it closely and you'll see all sorts of silliness. I also know that it's been shared unironically by people who actually take it seriously.