Senior MAGA figures who believe Christians are being labeled extremist are speaking out, after Elon Musk highlighted the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s 2017 classification of a specific movement called “Christian Identity.”
“Christian Identity” is a known “loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity” where adherents believe “Jews to be the satanic offspring of Eve and the Serpent, while non-whites are ‘mud peoples’ created before Adam and Eve,” according to the ADL, a major organization which combats antisemitism.
An anti-immigration account posted a screengrab of the ADL’s classification of the movement as “extremism, hate or terrorism” on Sunday and Musk commented on it: “The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is a hate group.”
Others, including Republican U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna and former U.S Representative Matt Gaetz have spoken out about the classification since.
The ADL has since stressed that “Christian Identity” is a known “loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity” in a post on X.
Why It Matters
The online argument comes amid a heightened sense of violence against religious communities across the United States.
Over the weekend, at least four people died in an attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints place of worship in Michigan, when a gunman rammed his vehicle into the church and then opened fire on congregants before setting the building on fire.
On September 10, conservative activist and outspoken Christian Charlie Kirk was shot said while speaking at an event in Utah and, last month, a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis killed two children and injured 17 others.
It also comes amid multiple feuds between the ADL and several Christian conservatives, including podcasters Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and concerns over the rise in antisemitism and whether free speech is being stifled in the name of combating it.
What People Are Saying
An X account called “@iamyesyouareno,” which often posts anti-immigration content, posted a screengrab of the ADL’s 2017 “backgrounder” on “Christian Identity” on Sunday, with the caption: “The ADL considers Christianity a hateful terrorist extremist belief. You don’t hate the ADL enough.”
Musk then commented: “The ADL hates Christians, therefore it is a hate group.”
Florida’s Republican Representative Luna posted a similar screengrab with the message: “This is wrong, ADL. You are intentionally creating a targeted hate campaign against Christians.”
Gaetz, also from Florida shared Luna’s post with the caption: “Christian Identity isn’t hatred.”
The ADL then shared the link to the backgrounder being screengrabbed and urged people to read “this extremist movement.”
“Christian Identity is a virulently antisemitic and loosely organized movement that has nothing to do with mainstream Christianity,” it said in a post on X on Monday. “The screenshot being shared by some is completely and purposely misleading. The FBI and other experts have all been tracking this movement for years because it has inspired people to violence.”
When Newsweek went to the ADL for comment, it was referred to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt’s post, which says: “The idea that ADL is anti-Christian is offensive and wrong. Many of our staff members are Christian. Many of our supporters are Christian. We are blessed to work with many Christian brothers and sisters in the shared fight against antisemitism and all forms of hate.
“In contrast, the Christian Identity movement is an antisemitic, racist, and unambiguously poisonous ideology. Its values bear no resemblance to those of any mainstream Christian denomination.”
Newsweek has contacted Luna’s office as well as Gaetz’ Florida Firebrand Political Action Committee, via email, for comment.
What To Know
The ADL, founded in 1913, says its mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”
Its backgrounder on “Christian Identity” says “adherents believe that whites of European descent can be traced back to the ‘Lost Tribes of Israel’.”
“Many consider Jews to be the satanic offspring of Eve and the Serpent, while non-whites are ‘mud peoples’ created before Adam and Eve,” the ADL says. “Its virulent racist and antisemitic beliefs are usually accompanied by extreme anti-government sentiments.”
“Despite its small size, Christian Identity influences virtually all white supremacist and extreme anti-government movements,” it says. “It has also informed criminal behavior ranging from hate crimes to acts of terrorism.”
It estimates that the ideology, originating from the mid-20th century, has an outreach of been 25,000 to 50,000 people.
A 1989 FBI report on “Christian Identity” describes it as a “religious doctrine that is a major factor within the ultra right movement in the United States.”
“The proponents of Identity often quote and provide explanations for biblical passages; however, these explanations have a racist slant, and they differ significantly from the interpretations of more mainstream religions and religious organizations,” the FBI says. “The advocates of Identity often cite the Bible to support (or legitimize their antiblack and antisemitic beliefs.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the MAGA figures who have spoken out against the ADL will be swayed by its differentiation of “Christian Identity” and mainstream Christianity.
