Christian Patriot
Encyclopedia
The Christian Patriot movement is a movement of American
political commentators and activists. They promote various interpretations of history and law with the common theme that the federal government has turned against the ideas of liberty and individual rights behind the American Revolution
, and America's Christian
heritage.
to deprive Americans of their rights as "sovereign citizens
." This conspiracy can, however, be undermined through various legal pleadings from English common law and other sources, such as a motion to require a court to address a defendant in a particular way.
The ideology persists despite numerous court rulings that have declared its theories frivolous
.
incident and the Waco Siege
appeared to confirm the suspicions of Christian Patriots. The movement maintained ties with the militia movement
of the same period. A highly publicized federal confrontation with Christian Patriots occurred in 1996, when Federal marshals arrested the Montana Freemen
. After 2000, the original movement became defunct and the term Christian Patriot was increasingly adopted by conservative Christians self-identifying themselves as patriots. Conservative Radio Talk Show hosts like Jon Arthur and Alex Jones have taken the movement to the next level via radio broadcasting vowing to "Take America Back"!
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political commentators and activists. They promote various interpretations of history and law with the common theme that the federal government has turned against the ideas of liberty and individual rights behind the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and America's Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
heritage.
Ideology
The movement promotes various interpretations of history and law with the common theme that the federal government has turned against the ideas of liberty and individual rights behind the American Revolution, and America's Christian heritage. This ideology holds that state and federal governments are agents of an arcane conspiracyConspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
to deprive Americans of their rights as "sovereign citizens
Sovereign citizen movement
The sovereign citizen movement is a loose network of American litigants, commentators and financial scheme promoters, classified as an "extremist anti-government group" by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation....
." This conspiracy can, however, be undermined through various legal pleadings from English common law and other sources, such as a motion to require a court to address a defendant in a particular way.
The ideology persists despite numerous court rulings that have declared its theories frivolous
Frivolous litigation
In law, frivolous litigation is the practice of starting or carrying on law suits that, due to their lack of legal merit, have little to no chance of being won. The term does not include cases that may be lost due to other matters not related to legal merit...
.
Growth and decline
The movement grew during the 1990s after the Ruby RidgeRuby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of a violent confrontation and siege in northern Idaho in 1992. It involved Randy Weaver, his family, Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and agents of the United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation...
incident and the Waco Siege
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
appeared to confirm the suspicions of Christian Patriots. The movement maintained ties with the militia movement
Militia movement (United States)
The militia movement is a political movement of paramilitary groups in the United States. Members of the movement typically refer to themselves as militia, "unorganized militia", and "constitutional militia"...
of the same period. A highly publicized federal confrontation with Christian Patriots occurred in 1996, when Federal marshals arrested the Montana Freemen
Montana Freemen
The Montana Freemen were a Christian Patriot movement based outside the town of Jordan, Montana. The members of the group referred to their land as "Justus Township" and had declared themselves no longer under the authority of any outside government...
. After 2000, the original movement became defunct and the term Christian Patriot was increasingly adopted by conservative Christians self-identifying themselves as patriots. Conservative Radio Talk Show hosts like Jon Arthur and Alex Jones have taken the movement to the next level via radio broadcasting vowing to "Take America Back"!
See also
- Patriot movementPatriot movementThe Patriot Movement is a loose collection of independent minarchist social movements in the United States beginning in the latter half of the 20th century...
- Militia movement (United States)Militia movement (United States)The militia movement is a political movement of paramilitary groups in the United States. Members of the movement typically refer to themselves as militia, "unorganized militia", and "constitutional militia"...
- Constitutional militia movementConstitutional militia movementThe modern constitutional militia movement, the constitutionalist wing of the "militia movement" in the United States, became active in the mid 1990s in response to outrage about the violent confrontation at Ruby Ridge, the Waco Siege and gun control legislation...
- Mark DiceMark DiceMark Dice is an author, pop culture critic, and political activist based in San Diego, California.Dice and his supporters have been reported to "flood the airwaves of call-in radio and television shows," a practice called phone mobbing, to promote these ideas. His first book, a 450-page manifesto...
- Bo GritzBo GritzJames Gordon "Bo" Gritz is a former United States Army Special Forces officer who served in the Vietnam War. His post-war activities notably attempted POW rescues in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue have proven controversial. Gritz lives near Sandy Valley, Nevada with his wife...
- Alex Jones
- Gordon KahlGordon KahlGordon Wendell Kahl is best known for his involvement in two fatal shootouts with law enforcement officers in the United States in 1983....
- James Wesley RawlesJames Wesley RawlesJames Wesley, Rawles is a New York Times best-selling survivalist-fiction author, blogger, and survival retreat consultant. Rawles is a Christian conservative. He is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a blog on survival and preparedness topics...
- Christian IdentityChristian IdentityChristian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
- HutareeHutareeHutaree is a militia movement group adhering to the ideology of the Christian Patriot movement, based in Adrian, Michigan, in the United States.The group was formed in early 2008...
- Jon Arthur (radio host)