Freedom Writer - June 1995

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Militia madness

By Skipp Porteous

An hour and a half after the April 19 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah 
Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Institute for First Amendment 
Studies received a fax identifying the perpetrators as members of 
the "Christian Identity" movement. Skeptical at first, because the 
investigation then focused on overseas terrorist groups, we took a 
"wait and see" attitude.

Soon it was evident that the terrorists were indeed U.S. citizens. 
Now it is known that the alleged perpetrators, Timothy McVeigh and 
Terry Nichols, have connections with the Christian Identity movement, 
sometimes known as Christian Patriots.

Christian Identity adherents share the idea that white Christians 
are direct descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel, which they 
believe ended up in northern Europe. A closely related group calls 
itself British Israelites. Numbering about 40,000 in the United States, 
the majority of these groups are racist and anti-Jewish. Except for 
the "identity" aspect, most Christian Identity believers embrace classic 
fundamentalism and a growing number are Pentecostal. The main difference 
between fundamentalists and Pentecostals is that Pentecostals believe 
in "spiritual gifts," such as speaking in tongues and faith healing. 
(It should be noted, however, that most Christian fundamentalists 
and Pentecostals do not espouse the Identity message.)

Christian Identity proponents also hold to various conspiracy theories 
concerning a New World Order in which the United Nations will take 
over the world. Behind the scenes, they believe, are certain "European 
bankers" (long recognized as a code referring to Jews) who hold the 
purse strings to bring this about.

Pastor Pete Peters, a well-known Identity minister, has written and 
spoken much about this alleged plot. But it was the Christian Coalition's 
Pat Robertson who broadened the appeal of this conspiracy in his 1991 
bestselling book, _The_New_World_Order_. With sales of more than 500,000 
copies, _The_New_World_Order_ introduced these ideas to mainstream 
Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians.
	
Because they believe the government plans to impose draconian measures, 
taking away religious freedom, Patriots appeal to their "right to 
keep and bear arms" as the only way to defend religious freedom. Patriots 
seldom mention participation in democracy as a way to change the system.
	
A day after the Oklahoma City bombing, Christian Patriots gathered 
at the International Coalition of Covenant Congregations Conference 
held at the Lodge of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri. The conference 
featured leading figures in the Identity movement, including Pete 
Peters and Larry Pratt. Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of 
America, spoke on the "Biblical Mandate to Arm."
	
One of the 550 attendees told _The_Freedom_Writer_, "I mingled with 
a lot of people there, and there was not a shred of sympathy for what 
happened in Oklahoma." "This is just the beginning," another person 
added.
	
Asked about the innocent children killed in the blast, many of the 
participants echoed the same response: "What about all the unborn 
babies killed at abortion clinics?"

Because of the Oklahoma City bombing, the media has placed a lot of 
focus on the militia movement. Militias, or paramilitary groups, are 
private armies training to fight the "tyrannical" United States government. 
Most of the active militias today were formed after the April 19, 
1993 tragedy at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Patriots 
view the government's role in that situation as an armed assault against 
religious freedom, and think that their church or group may be next.
	
With as many as 50,000 members, approximately 85% of the militias 
are comprised of Christian Patriots. Most Christians, of course, abhor 
violence, and very few would attempt to justify what happened in Oklahoma 
City. Still, it is a fact that the militia movement is largely a movement 
of those calling themselves Christians.

Widely circulated among militia groups is the field manual of the 
Free Militia. The first chapter of the manual goes to great lengths 
to prove that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. After making 
that assertion, it makes the claim that Jesus not only authorized 
Christians to arm themselves, but that it is a Christian's duty to 
take up arms.
 
The field manual, like the National Rifle Association (NRA), appeals 
to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to justify an armed 
citizenry. This plays well in NRA fundraising letters, but the NRA 
never uses this argument in court. The courts have never interpreted 
the Second Amendment as granting ordinary citizens the right to bear 
arms. There may be legitimate reasons for citizens to possess firearms, 
but the Second Amendment is not one of them.

The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary 
to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and 
bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It is important to read every 
word of this amendment in context.

The militias of the colonies - where able-bodied men kept arms in 
their homes, to be ready at moment's notice to defend their village 
or farm - no longer exist. Today, the closest manifestation of the 
early militias are state National Guards, overseen by our governors. 
Thus, a "well-regulated militia" is a function of individual states, 
not self-appointed commanders and generals running a private army. 


Private armies, or paramilitary groups, are not only unnecessary, 
but dangerous. However, because the First Amendment of the Constitution 
upholds "the right of the people peaceably to assemble," most militias 
enjoy protected status. They step over the line as soon as they advocate 
or commit illegal acts.

The militia movement is connected to the radical Religious Right in 
many ways. Militias count Christian Coalition constituents, John Birchers, 
Traditional Values Coalition members, and other mainstream Religious 
Right people among its ranks. If attempts to take over America through 
the democratic process fail, the Religious Right is prepared to resort 
to more drastic methods.

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Copyright 1995 IFAS
The Freedom Writer / ifas@crocker.com

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