#NoKings Protest Exposes Christian Nationalism’s Theocratic Agenda

No Kings, No Masters—Just Loud, Righteous Resistance

Christian Nationalism Is the Story—Not the Victim

Let’s drop the sanctimonious act: Christian nationalism in America isn’t some misunderstood movement—it’s a calculated power grab dressed in a choir robe. Scholars define it as the unholy fusion of Christian identity and American civic religion, weaponized to gatekeep who gets to be a "real American." Spoiler: It’s not you if you’re brown, queer, atheist, or have the audacity to think science is real.

It’s not about coexistence. It’s about control—of policy, education, healthcare, and the public narrative.

White evangelicals have their fingers in everything: corporate newsrooms, political PACs, school boards, and the megachurch-to-streaming pipeline pumping out purity culture and "family values" like it’s salvation in a bottle. And yet, the second someone calls it out, we get the persecution pity party. When power cloaks itself in victimhood, that’s not irony—it’s strategy.

Related: Defund & Dissent: How Christian Nationalists Are Gutting Public Media

The #NoKings Protest Is Exactly What Christian Nationalists Fear

Tomorrow, people will flood the streets, yelling “No Kings!”—and not in the Shakespearean, historical cosplay kind of way. They mean it. No kings. No pastors pretending to be kings. No Jesus-on-a-throne nonsense legislating what people can do with their bodies, books, or damn birth certificates.

And guess who’s already having a meltdown? The usual suspects. The ones who think “freedom” means forcing everyone else to live inside their version of a 1950s sitcom wrapped in a sermon. The ones who genuinely believe the Constitution is just the Ten Commandments with an American flag slapped on it.

They’re not afraid of protests. Hell, they love a good riot—so long as it’s wrapped in red, white, and religious fervor. What scares them is losing control. What scares them is equality—actual, uncomfortable, messy, nobody-gets-special-treatment equality.

Because deep down, they know the deal. Their entire movement only works if the rest of us stay quiet while they stack school boards with zealots and funnel public money into “faith-based” scams disguised as charity. They want obedience, not democracy. And when regular people start showing up in the streets saying “We see you,” it rattles the gilded pulpit they’ve been standing on for decades.

They’re not used to being challenged, not like this. They’re used to critics playing nice. Writing editorials. Filing lawsuits. But this? This is loud. This is sweaty. This doesn’t ask permission.

And it’s spreading.

Make no mistake—this protest doesn’t just piss them off. It shakes them. Because it reminds them they’re not the majority they pretend to be. It reminds them that their version of America, a Bible-wrapped boot on your neck, is not the only one people are willing to fight for.

So if you hear sirens tomorrow and wonder why every white man in a suit is suddenly quoting Romans 13 again? That’s fear. Not of violence. Not of chaos. But of a future where they’re just another opinion. No louder, no holier, no more entitled to power than the rest of us.

And honestly? That’s the most biblical justice I can imagine.

Christian Nationalists Don’t Want Freedom—They Want a Throne

You know what gets under my skin? When someone wraps their power grab in a prayer and calls it liberty. That’s Christian nationalism in a nutshell. They don’t want freedom. They want to rule—full stop. No compromise, no sharing the sandbox. Just Jesus on a throne and them holding the scepter, barking out laws like it’s divine right or bust.

The whole “No Kings” thing? They hate it. Of course they do. It blows up the fantasy. Because deep down, they’re not trying to live side by side with anyone. They’re not interested in pluralism or democracy or any of that real freedom stuff. What they want is a throne; high, gold, ordained by God, and surrounded by sycophants who look suspiciously like themselves.

And when you don’t fall in line? When you say, “Hey, I don’t want your religion running my kid’s classroom or my doctor’s office or my bedroom”? That’s when the mask slips.

You’re suddenly not just someone with a different opinion. You’re dangerous. A “groomer.” A “degenerate.” A “radical leftist atheist baby-murderer.” It doesn’t even have to make sense. They just throw darts and see what sticks. And the sad part? It does stick. Enough people hear that noise and start backing away from you like you’re radioactive.

I remember last year, small town protest, nothing wild. A dozen of us with signs. Homemade stuff. One guy had a cardboard poster with “Separation of Church and State” scrawled in red Sharpie. Within ten minutes, someone drove by and yelled “terrorist.” Not even a joke. Just rage and ignorance in a drive-thru package.

That’s what this whole thing is. It’s not about religion. It’s about control. Always has been.

Also read: When You Leave Religion, You Shouldn’t Have to Lose Community

Government Is Bad—Unless It’s God-Approved

Funny how government’s the enemy… right up until it starts quoting Scripture.

Christian nationalists only scream about tyranny when the laws don’t go their way. If the government is helping poor people get healthcare or making sure someone’s AR-15 isn’t stashed in a kid’s backpack, suddenly it’s overreach. Socialism. Satanic communism. Whatever the hell Tucker called it that week. But the second a bill bans abortion or sneaks a Bible verse into a classroom? Now it’s God’s will. Now it’s “moral leadership.”

Take Texas. That state has turned into a theocratic Pinterest board. They’re not even subtle anymore—they literally tried to force every classroom to display the Ten Commandments. Like Moses is the new school board president. Florida’s racing them to the bottom, gutting secular education so fast that even librarians are scared to sneeze near a banned book.

And this isn’t some backwoods school board passing weird local policies—this is state-sponsored Christianity, inching its way into actual law. The kind of law that sticks. The kind that ends up in front of a Supreme Court that’s basically a prayer circle in robes.

I mean, come on. The Court just ruled that religious orgs don’t have to follow the same labor laws as the rest of us. You run a nonprofit? Gotta pay unemployment. You run a “faith-based” nonprofit? Hallelujah, you’re exempt. It’s like divine favoritism with a tax break.

And the people they want in charge? Forget scholars. Forget people who can spell “legislation” without a teleprompter. They want prophets. Not metaphorical ones; actual messianic cosplay with guns, cowboy boots, and MAGA hats. Guys who read one verse from Corinthians and think it gives them the right to rewrite the Bill of Rights.

These aren’t public servants. These are pulpit bullies who think democracy is fine as long as it votes Jesus into office. And when it doesn’t? Out comes the conspiracy soup. Soros. Satan. Antifa librarians. It’d be laughable if it weren’t getting people elected.

Because underneath all the "God and country" rhetoric is a real strategy: weaponize religion, hollow out the government, and rebuild it in the image of a Sunday sermon.

Also see: Supreme Court's Religious Exemption for Unemployment

#NoKings Isn’t Just About Monarchs—It’s About Theocrats, Too

Let’s get something straight right off the bat: no one at these protests thinks Donald Trump is secretly wearing a crown under that Toupee. Seriously. No one’s out here waving signs because they think the Orange Cheeto is plotting to build a palace. That’s not what #NoKings is about.

“No Kings” isn’t about monarchs. It’s about the people who do want a king—just not the kind wearing a crown. They want one wearing a MAGA hat, clutching a Bible, and flanked by hand-picked judges who think the Constitution came second to Leviticus.

These folks aren’t dreaming of monarchy; they’re gunning for theocracy. A system where laws aren’t written by people we elect but by pastors with power fetishes. Where rights aren’t universal, they’re conditional. Based on faith. Their faith. Or you’re out.

They want:

• Books banned because they mention racism, queerness, or anything “too real”

• Control over women’s bodies dressed up in “pro-life” PR

• Public schools stripped of actual education and stuffed with Bible study

• Free speech? Sure—their speech. Yours? Not so much

And if you’re not onboard? If you question, doubt, exist outside the lines? You’re not just wrong. You’re evil. You’re part of the “woke mob,” the “anti-God agenda,” the “deep state.” Take your pick—they’ve got a label for everyone who doesn’t kneel.

It’s not enough for them to win a seat; they want the whole system to reflect only their values. They don’t want a democracy; they want a church with voting booths. One where dissent is sin, science is suspect, and your rights come with a Bible verse attached.

And no, this isn’t a drill. This is happening. In courtrooms. In classrooms. In city councils and statehouses and school libraries from coast to coast. Look at the legislation. Look at the sermons that double as campaign rallies. Look at who’s cheering when trans kids are targeted and AP history gets whitewashed.

That’s why we chant “No Kings.” Not because we’re anti-leader. Because we’re anti-holy ruler who thinks their god makes your rights optional.

So when someone asks, “What’s #NoKings really about?”—tell them this:

It’s about making damn sure nobody gets to run the country like it’s a church potluck where everyone else has to eat what they brought.

Performative Patriotism Is Their Favorite Church Hymn

You know the ones. The guys in $9 flag t-shirts barking about freedom while clutching a cross like it’s a weapon. The women with “God, Guns, and Country” bumper stickers who cry about persecution anytime someone says “Happy Holidays.” They’ve got Bibles in their glove compartments, Gadsden flags on their lawns, and the unwavering belief that America was founded by Jesus himself at a prayer breakfast with George Washington.

This is Christian nationalism in 2025: less church, more stadium rally. Less theology, more cosplay. Patriotism has become their favorite hymn—and they don’t even care if they’re off-key.

They’ll drape themselves in the Constitution like it’s a weighted blanket, but only the parts they like. Free speech? Sure, as long as it’s their sermon. Freedom of religion? Totally—just not yours. They want the First Amendment the way they want their Starbucks orders: customized, Christian-flavored, and served with smug superiority.

Try disagreeing with them publicly. Say you support #NoKings, or hell, just question why the Ten Commandments are suddenly in your kid’s math class. Watch how fast their “love of liberty” turns into a full-blown meltdown. Suddenly, you’re a Marxist. A communist. A Satanist. A demon in yoga pants who’s “destroying America from within.”

Their version of patriotism isn’t about loving this country. It’s about controlling it. They don’t want equality—they want dominance, gift-wrapped in red, white, and blue, and blessed by their pastor. And if you’re not clapping loud enough? They notice. Oh, they always notice.

Ever been to a city council meeting where a guy with a cross necklace and a pocket Constitution demands prayer before budget discussions? I have. He didn’t want “unity.” He wanted a stage—a space to pretend that Jesus wrote the zoning laws and everyone else just needs to get saved or get out of the way.

That’s what this really is. It’s not faith. It’s performance. A nationalistic religious pageant where the script never changes and the audience is expected to applaud or else.

So yeah, they’ll show up in “Jesus is King” shirts while foaming at the mouth over people chanting “No Kings.” Irony isn’t just lost on them—it’s crucified, buried, and risen again as a Fox News segment.

They love liberty... as long as they’re the ones writing the rules. They’ll wave flags, thump Bibles, and quote the Founding Fathers in the same breath they try to legislate your existence out of public life.

But we see it for what it is: a church service disguised as a revolution. One that demands your silence, your obedience, and your tax dollars.

And that’s why we say it louder: No kings. No crowns. No theocracy draped in stars and stripes.

Related: Ohio’s ID Bill Wants to Lock in Your Biological Sex

Rage Against Their Machine

So why does #NoKings matter—really matter—to people who don’t live by a holy book?

Because we’ve already seen the movie. We know how it ends when religion isn’t kept in its damn lane. We’ve watched the slow drift—from “live and let live” to “believe or else.” We’ve seen church and state start hooking up like they’re back in college—flirting at fundraisers, sneaking around behind closed doors, waking up in each other’s beds and pretending it’s all legal.

And who gets screwed? Not the ones writing Scripture into law. Not the preachers running Super PACs. It’s the rest of us. The nonbelievers. The ones who didn’t sign up for a religious purity test just to get healthcare or a library card.

This protest; it’s not about overthrowing a monarch. We’re not reenacting the Boston Tea Party with better slogans. It’s about stopping a theocracy that’s already halfway through the door, muddy boots on your welcome mat, asking what church you went to before they decide if your rights count.

It’s about the slow, choking creep of “Jesus saves” turning into “Jesus legislates”—where the only acceptable answer to injustice is prayer, and the solution to oppression is “well, it’s in the Bible.”

It’s about calling bullshit on the whole idea that religion gets to be above the law while still writing it.

Because this Christian nationalist machine? It’s not subtle. It’s loud. It’s proud. And it’s aiming for total control—one banned book, one Bible bill, one sermon-laced court ruling at a time.

So yeah, we’re mad.

We’re mad that our tax dollars are funding religious schools that teach girls to submit and boys to dominate. We’re mad that people with uteruses are being forced into birth because a pastor in a suit said “life begins at conception” into a microphone. We’re mad that public policy is being shaped by people who think science is suspicious and empathy is weakness.

And tomorrow? We show up.

We show up for every kid forced to pray in school. For every teacher silenced for being queer. For every person told their body doesn’t belong to them. We show up because we’ve seen the machine and we’re not climbing inside it.

We carry signs. We raise our voices. We chant, we walk, we scream, we don’t go quietly. Because we are not subjects in their holy empire. We are citizens in a democracy.

And we’re not kneeling anymore.

Not to their Bible. Not to their God. Not to their fake morality dressed up as freedom.

We’re standing. And we’re not backing down.

Want to organize in your area? Check out Recovering from Religion and American Atheists' Activist Hub