Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a religious doctrine that is a major factor within the ultra right movement in the United States. It is recognized that many of the ideas espoused by Identity are offensive, but a complete discussion is needed to understand the motivation of the movement. The Christian Identity movement is a religious movement derived from the premise that the white race is the offspring of the lost tribes of Israel and that whites, not Jews, are God's chosen people. The "seedline doctrine," which is taught by Pastor Dan Gayman, a former high school principal, and other preachers of the Christian Identity movement, argues that the Jews are the literal children of Satan.
According to Joe Roy, a chief investigator for the SPLC, there are probably 600,000 to 700,000 adherents to the Christian Identity movement throughout the United States (Eigelbach, 2005, A8). Groups affiliated with the Christian Identity movement are racist and anti-Semitic, espousing the beliefs that Jews are biologically descended from Satan and non-whites are soulless "mud people." In recent years, doctrinal disputes, the lack of a central church structure, and a shift among white supremacists towards agnosticism and racist variations of neo-Paganism have weakened the Identity movement and reduced the number of its adherents.
The proponents of Identity often quote and provide, explanations for Biblical passages; however, these these interpretations lanations have racist slant and differ significantly from more mainstream religions and religious organizations. The advocates of Identity often cite the Bible to their antiblack and anti-Semitic beliefs. The Jews, according to these beliefs, are the enemies of God and natural adversaries of the White race, the chosen race of God; blacks and other non-whites regarded as unequal to whites.
Its racism aside, the views of Identity often prallel traditional Biblical echolarship. Identity is akin to fundamentalism, in a religious connotation, that proponents of each study the Bible extensively and use it as a literal and infallible docuent for their beliefs. Identity is far more reactionary than fundamentalism. There are no ties between the two,despite some similaritiess. There are, indeed, significant differences. Foremost of these is racism.
Most white racist groups subscribe to the Christian Identity philosophy to help make sense of the world. This religion was put forth by Edward Hines in an 1871 book called Identification of the British Nation With Lost Israel.
It goes like this: Adam was the father of Abel; Eve slept with Satan, who fathered Cain. Cain, the first Jew, killed Abel and fled the Garden of Eden. Adam had more children and Yahweh chose one of them, Abraham, to receive the covenant and found the non Jewish Nation of Israel. Abraham's grandson Jacob took two wives and two concubines and fathered 12 sons, the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
In 721 BC the Assyrian leader Sennacheri took the 10 northern tribes captive and they disappeared from biblical stories. Hines contends that these tribes became the settlers in Europe. One tribe eventually crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower where God gave them a new covenant: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights. Meanwhile, in 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar seized the southern tribe of Judah and took them to Babylonia, where Cain fled after killing Abel. It was there he mated with wild animals and created nonwhite races known as "mud people". Nebuchadnezzar converted the tribe of Judah to Satanism, and thus formed the "Jewry" the people who killed Christ, gave birth to communism, and took over the Federal Reserve bank in the United States.
From this perspective, white AngloSaxons are the true Jews God's chosen people. As Satan and his children, the imposter Jews and their children, the mud people, gain power, the world approaches its end. Good Christians must be prepared for both the Apocalypse and to help bring the Apocalypse on through their battles against Satan's secular representatives of the Zionist Occupational Government (ZOG) that runs the United States.
Christian Identity Beliefs
Under Identity, the British Israelism or Anglo Israelism concepts were changed to, the view that the United States is the true Israel. Furthermore, other racist concepts that were based upon Biblical interpretations were added to those of British Israelism by the advocates of Identity. Because these interpretationsre speculative, some factons of Identity may be more racist than others, and individual interpretations of the same Biblical passage may differ.
The fundamental resource of Identity is the Bible. This docuent reveals to the advocates of Identity the spiritual origin and physical history of the white race, as well as the rules and regulations that make life better on earth and which lead to eternal life. The Bible is also used to search out God's words and thoughts in order to understand "The Truth." According to Identity beliefs, this "Truth" is hidden and although it is obvious to those of God's chosen race, the white race, it is not recognizable to all readers.
There is no single document or set of documents which set forth the beliefs of Identity. Because interpretations of the Bible can result in a wide range of viewpoints there are often conflicting interpretations within the Identity movement. For example, some Identity publications are almost exclusively anti-Jewish while others are largely anti-black. One aspect of Identity is its interpretation of the origin of the white race. To the advocates of Identity, the Bible is a history of the white race. It is taught that Adam and Eve were the first white people from whom all other white people descended.
God, it is believed, created Adam "from the dust of the earth," and then, created Eve to be his companion. Adan and Eve were placed directly into the Garden of Eden by God. Identity, therefore, views the Garden as having been an actual site, the location where the white race originated. By using numerous geographic Biblical and linguistic references, Identity places the Garden in Central Asia.
Another Identity teaching is that Adam and Eve were created only after all other races and peoples existed on earth. These other races, the races of color, such as the blacks, Asiatics, and Latinos, were not, according to some interpretations, created directly by God, as were Adam and Eve. Rather, they developed through a lengthy process of evolution, originating from the ashes of the earth, the residue from the earth's creation. Because the white race is God's chosen race, only whites have immortal souls and / or all others are eternally damned and cannot obtain salvation. Other interpretations, however, reflect that the black race was created by God before God created Adam and Eve and that blacks and whites were the only original peoples that existed. The blacks had a specific purpose on earth, that is, to be servants to whites. Furthermore, it s concluded that all other races are the result of inbreeding between blacks and wh tes.
Identity also states that Jews were neither created by God nor did they evolve. According to this view, the Jews are the children of Satan and the enemies of God. During the period before God's creation of Adam, Satan interbred with the races of color to produce the Asiatic Jew and the black Jew. The white Jew was created when Satan interbred with Adam's descendants. The Jews are often referred to as the "children of darkness ," because they are the children of Satan and there exists a battle between them and the white race, the "children of light," for supremacy on earth.
According to Identity, the white race arrived on earth more skilled and sophisticated than any preceding race; it was agricultural, as opposed to the others which were either nomads or hunters. Only after God's creation of thewhite race was civilization begun, writing -- skills developed, and technological progress made.
The followers of Identity believe that sea had intended keep the white race separate from the other races. _ This is and Eve were placed into the Garden of Eden. Each race was made separate and distinct and each had a specific place in God's order on earth . Before the creation of the White race, God's influence was missing on earth and Satan roamed free. God created Adam and Eveto be the forebearers of a race to command all others and to be the instrument through which God would fight Satan on Earth. For this it would be neccessary that the White blood line remain racially pure.
Segregation of the races, therefore, is viewed by Identity as one of God's Divine Laws. Race mixing by whites (or to use Identity's terminology, mongrelizing) is in conflict with these Laws and isf tantamount to murder in the eyes of God. Identity contends that race mixing is a means by which Satan seeks to destroy the White race in the battle between good and evil.
The Articles of Confederation, according to Identity, was a contract between the states; the states represented "the people," who were, in fact, Christian people, that is, the chosen people of God, the white race. This contract is considered by Identity proponents to have been made irrevocable "perpetual" and unchangeable. When the founding fathers saw the need for a more effective governmental organization the Articles, that formed the 13 American colonies into a union, did not provide for sufficient central authority, the Constitution was written.
According to Identity, the principles for the Constitution were taken from the Articles of Confederation since the Articles could not be revoked. Identity teaches, therefore, that because the U.S. Constitution was taken directly from the Articles of Confederation, which was based upon God's Laws through the Bible, the Constitution is a divinely inspired document. And just as Identity views the Articles of Confederation as having been irrvocable and unchangeable, so too does it view the U.S. Constitution.
Since this contract is irrevocable and unchangeable, Identity views any subsequent Amendments as being illegal and unconstitutional. Identity contends that because of the Jewish anti-Christian conspiracy, he U.S. constitution has been illegally and unconstitutionally subverted from its original intent and design. The only portion that is legal is the original text and the Bill of Rights. Any subsequent inclusions to the Constitution that alter the original meaning of the document are not valid and need not be obeyed.
Identity contends that Jews sometimes calld "alien internationalists" have increasingly gained control in the media, industry, and Government in the United States (the Zionist Occupational Government, or ZOG). Moreover, this is part of a Jewish conspiracy to destroy the United States as a white Christian Nation. Because of this increasing influence, Jewish interests have been responsible for the passing and/or supporting of laws specifically designed to subvert the Constitution and change the United States from that which it was originally intended to be. As a result of these acts, wars, debts, and other Jewish-conspired evils have befallen white Christians in the United States. According to Identity, state governors were and remain the chief law enforcement officers in the states. Because the states, through either the governors or state legislatures, have failed to control elements (Jews) within the Federal Government from subverting the Constitution, it falls to the people to do so. This is known as posse comitatus (power of county or more specifically, power of the people of the county). The county is subservient to the state in terms of jurisdictional responsibilities: however, when the state fails to act in accordance with the law (the constitution), it becomes the duty of the county to act. In Christian Identity, "duty of the county" is interpreted as "duty of the people of the county." Under this, the sheriff, the highest law enforcement officer in the county, can use males between 18 and 45, who are under no military obligation, as a posse. The sheriff has no control over the posse's existence, only whether it will be used. A movement largely known for its tax protest activities, known as posse comitatus, has arisen based upon these Principles.
Identity views the events leading up to the Second Coming of Christ as inevitable. It is believed that these are part of a cleansing process that is needed before Christ establishes His Kingdom on earth. During this, the forces of evil (non-whites and Jews) will attempt to destroy the forces of good whites using any means. The result will be a violent and bloody struggle - a war, in effect. The view of what Armageddon will be varies in Identity. Some contend it will be a race war in which millions will die: others see it as an economic or social collapse that will lead to a communist attack or takeover led by the Jews as representatives of the anti-Christ.
Many followers of Identity believe, therefore, that they are among those chosen by God to fight the forces of evil during Armageddon. These people contend that they will be the last line of defense to save the white race and/or Christian America from either - the soon-to-occur race war or communist takeover. To prepare for these events, these idividuals engage in survivalist, paramilitary, and self-defense training: they practice weapons use: and they store foodstuffs, ammunition, and other necessities of survival. They often reside in remote areas on isolated and enclosed compounds.
There were, all totaled, relatively few Identity proponents in the United States. Although exact numbers are not available, there were probably fewere than 2,000 nationwide, and possibly far fewer. Nevertheless, as the acts of terrorism committed by Identity followers attest, these people are fanatics about that which they believe.
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