“So, if we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion, one, one, one nation under God and one religion under God. Right? All of us together. Working together.”
These are the words of Michael Flynn spoken in an address at the ReAwaken America tour which stopped at John Hagee’s church in San Antonio, Texas the weekend of November 14-15.
“One religion” is not a surprising concept to me. Michael Flynn is not the first person I’ve heard give voice to that view. I heard it in the 70s and 80s from the Moral Majority and preachers who were sucked into that movement – I was one of them.
I heard it from myself.
I don’t talk that way anymore. I don’t think that way anymore.
Why?
History. The Constitution. My evolving understanding of Jesus. The Handmaid’s Tale (The US is not Gilead).
What religion is Flynn proposing the US should officially adopt or enforce? I think we know the answer.
Now, imagine if a Muslim or Jewish American leader made the same comment that the United States should have one faith, and that it should be Islam or Judaism. The outrage from the religious right would be deafening. But, strangely, I haven’t heard a peep of criticism from the religious right for these comments.
Here’s where I am today.
The Dalai Lama describes his religion in this way: “My religion is kindness.”
Ok, if that were the religion referred to by Flynn, that might be ok. One religion of kindness. All of us together. Working together toward kindness.
That’s golden. In fact, it’s the golden rule we’ve all learned: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Yeah, we must have that religion.
Phillip Wright 
Hard to say without asking Flynn to clarify and answer specific questions about what one religion he envisions, but in the context of his speech, I looked up and listened to him speak those words, rather than only reading them in print or merely reading biased articles that declare his tone and meaning. It sounds to me like his religion is: “all of us working together, right?” That might be Christianity for him, and Judeaism for another, and so on with all the standard labels of church and formal religions…even atheism and agnosticism can agree that we must work together as a nation to promote peace and caring for one another as individuals as well as coexist as a unified body (for me, that would be not only the “church” body who follows the Christ, by name, but also anyone who abides by the qualities and principles of love as described throughout the “religion” of Christ. Just look at the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, where the religion of politics causes a division, a threat of more violence, a vindictive pride that would rather see a boy go to prison for life to pay for the past and future sins of those who have beliefs that may offend. Having no common religion of truth, compassion, courage, wisdom and loving justice leads to a lack of serenity (justice is not synonymous with angry, hostile, vindictive demand for equality in dishing out vengeful punishment. Justice is one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and grace, golden spirits and hearts, for ALL).
I love your ability to see all sides of an issue and your passion for restorative justice.