Christian petition accusing Florida Republicans of "hijacking" Jesus's name picks up steam
New Haven, Connecticut - A Christian activist group recently launched a petition accusing Republican legislatures in Florida of trying to "bribe" teachers into indoctrinating children with Christian Nationalism.
Last week, the group Faithful America launched their petition, calling out Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state's Department of Education for their Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative, which is "offering middle and high school teachers $3,000 'bonuses' for taking in-person and online courses that wrongly assert the Ten Commandments form the basis for US law."
The organization described the course as being filled with "demonstrable falsehoods" and described the initiative as "a hijacking of Jesus's name with the goal of grabbing power only for a select few."
"Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church today. And forcing religion on students whether they want it or not isn't just an attack on religious freedom – it is also a distortion of our Christian faith and the loving teachings of Jesus Christ," the petition states.
"We demand that you immediately suspend the program, honor the two-way separation of church and state, and expunge Christian nationalism from all Florida Department of Education materials."
As of Monday, the group's effort has gained some traction, garnering nearly 15,000 signatures to date.
Florida activists combat Christian Nationalism promoted by Ron DeSantis
The Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative is a part of DeSantis' ongoing effort to fight "wokeness."
Last year, he defended the initiative, describing it as "the best way to preserve the constitutional foundations that our country was built upon" and "necessary for students to become upstanding citizens."
Since its inception, Faithful America has launched countless battles against the far-right, particularly taking issue with their vitriolic rhetoric regarding social justice issues and the use of religion to justify their positions.
According to their website, the group is made up of Christians of all types of denominations who are "sick of sitting by quietly while Jesus's message of good news is hijacked by the religious right to serve a hateful political agenda."
"We're organizing the faithful to challenge Christian nationalism and white supremacy and to renew the church's prophetic role in building a more free and just society," the group added.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UIG