“For Him, Religion Is Just a Means to Power”: Mike Johnson’s Legal History Reveals Special Treatment Given To Evangelical Christianity

Michelle HollandNov 24, 2023

Minute Read

An analysis of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) litigation history prior to his election to Congress has revealed a clear pattern. According to Kimberly Wehle, a legal scholar and University of Baltimore School of Law professor, he regularly pushed the boundaries of the Constitution in order to accommodate his far-right evangelical Christian beliefs.

Wehle’s Analysis

Editorial credit: lev radin/Shutterstock.

Wehle analyzed Johnson’s legal filings and published her findings in a column for Politico. She affirmed Johnson’s lack of belief in the separation of church and state and his insistence on incorporating Christianity into public policy. She also noted that he has encouraged the government funding of evangelical Christianity,

Inconsistent Positions

Wehle observed a pattern that illustrates how Johnson “can take different positions on constitutional issues depending on who the parties are. Johnson’s theory, summed up, appears to be what might be dubbed, ‘the First Amendment for me but not for thee.’”

Christian Privileges

She added, “As he has described it in his own words, ‘the founders wanted to protect the church from the encroaching state, not the other way around.’ But only when that church is Christian.”

Johnson’s Views

Image Credit: Consolidated News Photos / Shutterstock.

Johnson was recently chosen to be the new House Speaker following the removal of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). He is known for his extreme position on homosexuality, which he believes should be criminalized, and is staunchly anti-abortion.

A Christian Nation

Johnson believes that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and that it should remain one. He has insisted that “modern Christians are being selectively persecuted by secularist influences in government.”

Prioritizing Evangelicism

Editorial credit: Allen J.M. Smith / Shutterstock.

Wehle explained how Johnson evidently feels that evangelical Christianity should be held to a different standard than other religions. She declared that Johnson “aims to prioritize only a particular religion (Christianity), and in practice, mostly one strain of that religion (evangelicism).”

Other Religions

She continued, “Other faiths (Jews, Muslims, Buddhists) and even other branches of Christianity (Catholics, Orthodox, mainline Protestants) don’t as routinely sue to prioritize the expression of their faith in a government-sponsored forum. But based on his legal cases, it’s clear Johnson’s only concern is for the rights of Christians to exercise their faith in public and access government funding.”

Hostility to Secularism

She also noted that Johnson “has not sought to obtain that privilege for other faiths and has been openly hostile to the idea that the public square should be neutral on religion or secularism.” Separation of church and state is considered necessary by many Americans, whereas others wish for Christian doctrine to underpin the laws of the country.

No Historical Knowledge

Many people online criticized Johnson for his views and biased application of the Constitution, as well as his lack of historical understanding, with one commenter observing: “He, apparently, knows absolutely nothing about the Founding Fathers if he thinks that they weren’t concerned about religion encroaching into the government.”

A Means to Power

Someone replied that Johnson “absolutely does” know this, but that “he just doesn’t care. I suspect Johnson’s faith is skin-deep as well. For him, religion is just a means to power.” Someone else noted that “he owns stock in the company that makes the app he and his son use to share p— and watch each other. He takes every opportunity to sell people on that idea, but it’s clear he just wants to make money.”

The Founding Fathers

Another individual declared, “he knows absolutely nothing. The Founding Fathers put in safeguards to protect a secular state from religion, not the other way around.” In fact, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and one of the Founding Fathers, was the first person to speak of a “wall of separation between church and state.”

Pushing an Agenda

Someone shared, “Johnson has replied to this point, saying that Jefferson’s remarks on separation of church and state don’t matter because they’re in a letter instead of in the constitution. You know, pretty much anything he can come up with to keep pushing his own agenda.”

White Christian Nationalists

One poster was highly disapproving of Johnson’s views, and those of the entire GOP. They wrote: “He, like most Republicans now, is a White Christian Nationalist. Every position they take is to further the fascist White Christian Nationalist takeover of America. Viewed from this obvious reality, every position they take is consistent.”

No Moral Compass

One contributor suggested that “his favoritism of Christianity over other religions or secular religious arguments is a sure sign that he lacks a moral compass and that he is dangerous.” Another felt that Johnson had “beliefs that allow for no discussion, social issues prosecuted like murder. Indifference to all who do not conform. Morality as a convenient choice to be discarded at will.”

Bigoted Beliefs

Another person stated, “Mike Johnson is a racist, homophobe, xenophobe, misogynist, hypocrite, and a financial fraud,” whereas someone else noted that “hypocrisy is a core Republican value.” Another commenter slammed Johnson as a “two-faced, lying hypocrite. Or your typical Republican.”

Lying About Secularism

One commenter called Johnson out for generalizing those who believe in a secular government as atheists. “He calls secularists “atheists”? Aren’t Christians not supposed to lie?” they asked, referring to the fact that many people follow religion and yet still believe policy should be secular.

Invoking The Handmaid’s Tale

“Every Republican would be perfectly happy in Gilead,” one contributor said, referencing the theocratic republic in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, in which women have very few rights and are exploited for their reproductive capabilities. “They are trying to make us into Gilead,” another user concurred.