Profile of Roy Moore: No Compromise

Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, is playing a pivotal role in the modern culture war that has been slowing latching on to American culture. Moore is very much the idol and hero of those who preach Christian Nationalism, a varied group of Christians who fail to acknowledge any substantial difference between their own Christian values or beliefs and the United States as a nation. For them, being a True American Patriot is basically the same as being a True Christian.

One common corollary of this is the idea that American laws must reflect and enforce basic Christian principles. Anything else would be un-Christian and, therefore, also un-American. Therefore it is patriotic American duty for our elected representatives to encourage, support, and even enforce Christianity on any level possible. In this, Moore is an icon for his intransigent stand in defense of a massive monument to the Ten Commandments. For Moore and those who think like him, America is under perpetual attack from the forces of darkness; only a stronger unity between Christianity and America can save society.

Understanding Moore's role can be aided by understanding his background and personal history, something which CNN provides:

"Roy Moore lives in a world where there isn't any gray," says Auburn University history professor J. Wayne Flynt. "And I think he really believes that is true -- which makes him really scary." Flynt says it is understandable that the man waging this battle should have sprung from northeast Alabama's Etowah County, a bastion of religious conservatism that he says exemplifies the "blue collar populism" embodied in the state motto: "We Dare Defend our Rights."

In Vietnam, Moore's bible seemed to be the Army handbook. The men of the 188th Military Police Company derisively called him "Captain America" because of his insistence on regulation haircuts and constant salutes, and some of the men talked seriously about "fragging" him. "His policies damn near got him killed in Vietnam," says Barrey Hall, who served under Moore. "He was a strutter."

Jerry Moore says his brother might never have erected the monument, had others not pushed the issue. "Roy's a fighter," he says. "You don't push him, because he'll fight back. It's like putting kindling on a fire, you know." Moore declined repeated requests by The Associated Press for an interview. But at a rally in Montgomery last weekend, he told a crowd of several thousand supporters that he would be guilty of treason if he didn't fight for the monument. "Let's get this straight," he told the assembly. "It's about the acknowledgment of God."

In a way, he is correct that this is about the acknowledgment of God: is that something which the American government should do? For Christian Nationalists, it is urgent that the government do this because if it doesn't, then our own government will be acting in an un-American way and contrary to basic American principles. America is threatened by secularism and non-Christians who dare to defend their right to equal treatment under the laws - laws which they do not believe should favor Roy Moore's Christianity.

Read More:

• Fundamentalism
• Religious Right
• Christian Extremism
• Religious Intolerance & Bigotry