“Democracy in Danger: The Evangelicals and the US Election” on April 23rd at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2; then: “A Window to Reason – The Catholic Enlightenment”
Vienna (OTS) – The political agenda of the evangelicals is becoming a danger to the United States, a motherland of modern democracy. In the third part of the three-part documentary “With God to Power” by Thomas Johnson and Philippe Gonzalez (ORF editing: Sabine Aßmann) about the global triumph of evangelical Christians, “kreuz und quer” on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, is dedicated to at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2 the drastic effects of this increasing political seizure of power in the name of God – in the United States itself, but also abroad. The Middle East conflict shows how religious ideas massively influence foreign policy decisions. But there is also resistance within the ranks of the evangelical movement. The film “A Window to Reason – The Catholic Enlightenment” by Martin Betz follows at 11:25 p.m.
“With God in Power” – Part 3: “Democracy in Danger: The Evangelicals and the US Election”
With Donald Trump, the evangelical movement comes to power in the United States. During his presidency, his own evangelical advisory board came and went in the White House. In line with the wishes of his Christian-conservative followers, the US President repeatedly takes foreign policy steps with great symbolic power and potentially explosive power. In March 2019, he formally recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The annexation of the originally Syrian territory has not yet been ratified by the international community. The reasons for this are less of a foreign policy nature and more of a religious nature. “Evangelicals have internalized the need to support Israel,” explains Israeli politician Robert Ilatov in the documentary. “It is a theological commitment based on their commitment to the Old and New Testaments.”
The lawyer Daniel Seidemann also has his say. He has been committed to viable solutions in Israel for decades and is very critical of evangelical support for the country. Religion is becoming an “increasingly dominant weapon,” criticizes Seidemann. But especially in the United States itself, moral and religious questions of identity are causing great tension. In the summer of 2020, the black George Floyd dies while being arrested by white police officers. The Black Lives Matter movement is taking to the streets. There are riots.
The development finally reached its climax in 2021 with the attack on the Capitol, when Donald Trump and his supporters did not want to recognize the election of Joe Biden as the new US President. More than 2,000 protesters stormed the government buildings – many of them praying.
There is also resistance within the evangelical movement in the face of this threat to American democracy. Progressive actors are speaking out, influential evangelicals are breaking new ground and opposing the fundamentally conservative interpretation of their faith. The battle for the identity of modern Western societies seems to be on – also on European soil.
“A Window to Reason – The Catholic Enlightenment”
The Catholic Church is seen as the enemy of the Enlightenment – and often as a brake on all renewal. But the findings of historical developments are surprising: the Enlightenment in the 18th century was largely supported by Catholic men and women. It was only with the French Revolution and its consequences that the Catholic Church declared itself a passionate opponent of Enlightenment ideas in the 19th century. Martin Betz’s film shows this development – and thus also provides a horizon of understanding for today’s trench warfare between Catholic reformers and traditionalists.