Editing Christian Identity (section)

==Beliefs==
Christian Identity theology promotes a [[racialist]] interpretation of [[Christianity]].{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|pp=x–xi, 75, 158}} In his book, ''[[Gods of the Blood]]'', Swedish historian and scholar of comparative religion [[Mattias Gardell]] has noted that "Christian Identity is best understood as an umbrella concept under which a variety of different theologies are found".{{Sfn|Gardell|2003|p=118}}  He points out that there are considerable differences in dogma and religious practice between various ministries and groups.{{Sfn|Gardell|2003|p=118}} Some Christian Identity churches preach with more violent rhetoric than others, but all of them believe that [[Celt]]ic and [[Germanic peoples]], such as the [[Anglo-Saxon]], [[Nordic race|Nordic]] nations, or the [[Aryan race]] and kindred peoples are the true Israelites and that modern Jews have dispossessed them of their identity as [[God in Christianity|God]]'s [[chosen people|chosen race]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Balleck|1y=2018|1p=68|2a1=Kaplan|2y=2000|2pp=50–51, 53|3a1=Barkun|3y=2014|3pp=127, 171}} Identity beliefs are conspiratorial, believing that all of history represents a great cosmic war between the forces of good and evil. It is all part of a Satanic plot to take control of creation.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=88}}

Christian Identity beliefs were primarily developed and promoted by two authors who considered Europeans to be the chosen people and considered [[Jews]] to be the cursed offspring of Cain, the [[serpent seed]], a belief which is known as the dual-seedline or two-seedline doctrine. Wesley Swift formulated the doctrine which states that non-Caucasian<!-- Do not wikilink this. It is already linked elsewhere (see WP:DUPLINK), and links to "Caucasian race" is the opposite of what it meant (i.e. "non-"). See MOS:LINKCLARITY. --> peoples have no [[Soul (spirit)|souls]] and therefore they can never earn God's favor or be [[Salvation in Christianity|saved]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Quarles|1y=2004|1p=68|2a1=Mason|2y=2002}}

No single document expresses the Christian Identity belief system; there is much disagreement over the doctrines which are taught by those who ascribe to Identity beliefs, since there is no central organization or headquarters for the Identity sect. However, all Identity adherents believe that Adam and his offspring were exclusively White and they also believe that all [[Person of color|non-white races]] are [[pre-Adamite]] races because they belong to separate [[species]], a doctrinal position which implies that they cannot be equated with or derived from the [[Adamites]].{{Sfn|James|2012}}<!--this source is only used for this one statement, which is fairly general; it is likely one of the other sources such as Barkun, Kaplan, or possibly Gardell would state this --> Identity adherents cite passages from the [[Old Testament]], including {{bibleverse|Ezra|9:2|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|Ezra|9:12|KJV}}, and {{bibleverse|Nehemiah|13:27|KJV}}, which they claim contain [[Yahweh]]'s injunctions against [[interracial marriage]]s.

Christian Identity adherents assert that the white people of Europe in particular or [[Caucasian race|Caucasians]] in general are God's servant people, according to the promises that were given to [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]]. It further asserts that the early European tribes were really the [[Ten Lost Tribes]] of Israel and therefore the rightful heirs to God's promises, and God's chosen people. [[Colin Kidd]] wrote that in the United States, Christian Identity exploited "the puzzle of the Ten Lost Tribes to justify an openly anti-Semitic and virulently racist agenda."{{Sfn|Kidd|2006|p=44}} According to Michael McFarland and Glenn Gottfried, Indentitarians developed their racist interpretation of Christianity because of its status as a [[Christianity in the United States|traditional religion of the United States]], which allowed them to advocate the belief that [[white Americans]] have a common identity, and because of the variety of possible [[Biblical hermeneutics|interpretations of the Bible]] in the field of [[hermeneutics]].{{Sfn|McFarland|Gottfried|2002|pp=129–130}}

While they seek to introduce a state of [[Racial hygiene|racial purity]] in the US, Christian Identitarians do not trust the [[United States Congress|Congress]] or the [[Federal government of the United States|government]], [[Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory|allegedly controlled by Jews]], to support their agenda. In their view, this means that political changes can only be made through the use of force. However, the failed experience of the terrorist group The Order has forced them to acknowledge the fact that they are currently unable to overthrow the government by staging an armed insurrection against it. Thus, the Christian Identity movement seeks an alternative to violence and government change with the creation of a "White Aryan Bastion" or a [[White ethnostate]], such as the [[Northwest Territorial Imperative]].{{Sfn|McFarland|Gottfried|2002|p=129}}

Being decentralized with no center of orthodoxy, individual pastors each have their own approach to [[biblical hermeneutics]].  However, the teacher-student relationship is how training and ordination occur, and is very important to an Identity congregation.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2016|p=120}}

===Adamites and pre-Adamites===
{{main|Pre-Adamite}}

Much of the racism in Christian Identity is the result of the pre-Adamite hypothesis, which is a cornerstone of Identity theology.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kaplan|1y=1997|1p=2|2a1=Kaplan|2y=2000|2pp=51–52}} Christian Identity adherents believe that [[Adam and Eve]] were only the ancestors of [[white people]].{{Sfn|Balleck|2018|p=68}} In this view, Adam and Eve were preceded by [[Untermensch|lesser]], non-Caucasian races which are often (although not always) identified as "beasts of the field" ({{Bibleverse|Genesis|1:25|KJV}}, {{Bibleverse|Genesis|2:19–20|KJV}}) who took human form as a result of mating with Adamites.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kaplan|1y=1997|1p=2|2a1=Kaplan|2pp=51–52|2y=2000}}

To support their theory on the racial identity of Adam, Christian Identity proponents point out that the Hebrew etymology of the word "Adam" (''Aw-Dam'') translates as "to show blood in the face, flush or turn rosey. Be dyed, made red (ruddy)", often quoting from [[James Strong (theologian)|James Strong]]'s ''Exhaustive Concordance'', and concluding that proves Adam as the ancestor of the Caucasian race.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=97}}

An influence on the Christian Identity movement's views on pre-Adamism was Charles Carroll's 1900 book ''The Negro a Beast or In the Image of God?''{{Sfnm|1a1=Barkun|1y=2014|1p=194|2a1=Balleck|2y=2018|2p=68}} In his book, Carroll sought to revive the ideas which were previously presented by [[Buckner H. Payne]], he described the Negro as a literal ape rather than a human being.{{Sfn|Kim|2015|pp=39-43}} He claimed the pre-Adamite races such as blacks did not have souls and that race mixing was an insult to God because it spoiled his racial plan of creation. According to Carroll, the mixing of races had also led to the errors of [[atheism]] and [[evolutionary biology|evolutionism]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Kidd|1y=2006|1p=150|2a1=Balleck|2y=2018|2p=68}}

===Serpent seed===
{{main|Serpent seed}}

Dual Seedline Christian Identity proponents –those who believe that Eve bore children with Satan as well as with Adam – believe that Eve was seduced by the Serpent (Satan), shared her fallen state with Adam by having sex with him, and gave birth to [[Superfecundation|twins with different fathers]]: Satan's son Cain and Adam's son Abel. This belief is referred to as the serpent seed doctrine. According to the "dual seedline" form of Christian Identity, Cain then became the progenitor of the Jews in his subsequent matings with members of the non-Adamic races.{{Sfn|ADL|2017}}

Seedline theology in Identity circles can take different forms.  The most racist form of this belief that modern Jews are literal descendants of Satan.  Other groups consider themselves to be authentic Jews and do not proclaim a hatred of Jews, although they are suspicious of them.{{Sfn|Kidd|2006|p=222}}

===Scientific racism===
{{see also|Curse of Ham|Curse and mark of Cain}}

[[Scientific racism]], sometimes termed biological racism or racialism, the [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific belief]] that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism, is the core tenet of Christian Identity, and most CI adherents are white nationalists who advocate [[racial segregation]] and the imposition of [[anti-miscegenation laws]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} Some CI adherents also believe that Jews are genetically compelled to carry on a [[White genocide conspiracy theory|conspiracy against the Adamic seedline]] by their Satanic or Edomite ancestry and they also believe that the Jews of today have achieved almost complete control of the Earth through their claim to hold the white race's status as God's chosen people.<ref>{{cite web|last=Comparet|first=Bertrand|title=Who are the Jews?|url=http://www.churchoftrueisrael.com/comparet/who-are-jews.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225125047/http://www.churchoftrueisrael.com/comparet/who-are-jews.html|archive-date=February 25, 2007|access-date=February 1, 2021|website=Church of True Israel}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=July 2024}}

Identity adherents also assert that [[disease]], [[addiction]], [[cancer]], and [[sexually transmitted infection]]s ([[herpes]] and [[HIV/AIDS]]) are spread by human "rodents" via contact with "unclean" persons, such as "race-mixers". The [[apocrypha]], particularly [[Book of Enoch|the first book of Enoch]], is used to justify these social theories; the fallen angels of Heaven sexually desired Earth maidens and took them as wives, resulting in the birth of [[Abomination (Bible)|abominations]], which God ordered [[Michael the Archangel]] to destroy, thus beginning a cosmic war between Light and Darkness. The mixing of separate things (e.g., [[Race (human categorization)|people of different races]]) is seen as defiling all of them, and it is also considered a violation of God's law.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|pp=85–86}}

=== Two House theology ===
{{Main|Two House theology}}

Like British Israelites, Christian Identity adherents believe in Two House theology, which makes a distinction between the Tribe of Judah and the [[Ten Lost Tribes]]. "Israel" was the name given to Jacob after he [[Jacob wrestling with the angel|wrestled with the angel]] at [[Penuel]] as described in Genesis 32:26–32. Israel then had twelve sons which began the [[Twelve Tribes of Israel]]. Around 931 BC the unified kingdom was split into the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] in the north and the [[Kingdom of Judah]] in the south. After northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by [[Assyria]] at {{circa|721&nbsp;BC}}, the ten tribes disappeared from the Biblical record.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=101}}

According to British-Israel doctrine, [http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=2+esdras+13:39-13:46&version=nrsvae 2 Esdras 13:39–46] then records the history of the nation of Israel journeying over the [[Caucasus Mountains]], along the [[Black Sea]], to the [[Siret River|Ar Sereth]] tributary of the [[Danube]] in [[Romania]] ("But they formed this plan for themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the nations and go to a more distant region, where no human beings had ever lived. ... Through that region there was a long way to go, a journey of a year and a half; and that country is called Arzareth"). The tribes prospered, and eventually colonised other European countries. Israel's leading tribe, the [[Tribe of Dan]], is attributed with settling and naming many areas which are today distinguished by place names derived from its name – written ancient Hebrew contains no vowels, and hence "Dan" would be written as DN, but would be pronounced with an intermediate vowel dependent on the local dialect, meaning that ''Dan'', ''Den'', ''Din'', ''Don'', and ''Dun'' all have the same meaning. Various modern place names are said to derive from the name of this tribe:{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=101}}
* [[Macedonia (terminology)|Macedonia]] – Mace''don''ia – derived from Moeshe-don-ia (Moeshe being "the land of Moses")
* [[Danube]] – ''Dan''-ube, [[Dniester]] – ''Dn''-{{not a typo|iester}}, [[Dnieper]] – ''Dn''-ieper, [[Donetz]] – ''Don''-etz, [[Danzig]] – ''Dan''-zig, [[Don River (Russia)|Don]] – ''Don''

The following peoples and their analogous tribes are believed to be as follows:{{Sfn|Jessup|2006|p=170}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]] – Denmark
* [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]] – Italy
* [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]] – Sweden
* [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]] – Finland
* [[Tribe of Simeon|Simeon]] – Spain
* [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]] – France
* [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]] – Norway
* [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]] – Iceland
* [[Tribe of Reuben|Reuben]] – Netherlands
* [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] – Germany
* [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraim]] – Great Britain
* [[Tribe of Manasseh|Manasseh]] – United States
}}

While British Israelites believe that modern Jews are descended from the tribe of Judah, Christian Identitarians believe that the true lineal descendants of Judah are ''not'' contemporary Jews, but are instead the modern-day Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Germanic, Nordic, and kindred peoples.{{Sfn|Balleck|2018|p=68}}

Some followers claim that the Identity genealogy of the [[Davidic line]] can be traced to the royal rulers of Britain and [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]].{{Sfn|Aho|1990|pp=102–104}} Thus, Anglo-Saxons are the true [[Israelites]], God's chosen people who were given the divine right to rule the world until the [[Second Coming of Christ]].{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=101}}

Identity adherents reject the label "antisemitic" by stating that they cannot be antisemitic because the true [[Semitic people|Semites]] "today are the great White Christian nations of the [[western world]]", with modern Jews being considered the descendants of the [[Canaan#Canaanites|Canaanites]].{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=100}}

===Views on homosexuality===
{{see also|Christianity and homosexuality}}
Identity preachers proclaim that, according to the Bible, "the penalties for race-mixing, [[Homosexuality|homo-sexuality]], and [[usury]] are [[Capital punishment|death]]."{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=86}}

===Views on racial politics and economics===
The first documents which advocated Christian Identity's views on [[Identity politics|racial politics]] and [[economics]] were written by Howard Rand and [[William J. Cameron]] after the [[Great Depression]]. In 1943, Rand published the article "Digest of the Divine Law" which discussed the political and economic challenges which existed at that time. An excerpt from the article states: "We shall not be able to continue in accord with the old order. Certain groups are already planning an economy of regimentation for our nation; but it will only intensify the suffering and want of the past and bring to our peoples all the evils that will result from such planning by a group of men who are failing to take into consideration the fundamental principles underlying the law of the Lord."{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|p=202}}

While Rand never formally named the groups which he was specifically referring to, his hatred of Jews, [[racial integration]], and the country's economic state at that time made the direction of his comments obvious. Identifying specific economic problems was not the only goal which Rand had in mind. He began to analyze how these changes could be made to happen through legal changes; thus, making strategic plans to integrate the Bible into [[Law of the United States|American law]] and [[Economy of the United States|economics]]. The first goal was to denounce all man-made laws and replace them with [[Biblical law|laws from the Bible]]. The second goal was to create an economic state which would reflect the teachings of the Bible.{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|p=203}}

While William Cameron agreed with Rand's initial argument, he specifically focused his writings on changing American economics. One of Cameron's articles, "Divine System of Taxation", spoke of the Bible supporting [[individualism]] and [[social justice]] with regard to economics. He also believed that the government had no right to tax land or other forms of property. In accordance with this doctrine, tax refunds should be applied to family vacation trips or they should be applied to national festivals which are observed by adherents of Christian Identity. Also, for the betterment of the United States' economic future, no interest should be charged on debts which are paid with credit, and no taxes should be collected during the traveling time of goods from a manufacturer to a consumer.{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|pp=205–206}}

The mutual point which Rand and Cameron both agreed upon, was that while they may have disagreed with how the government was operating, neither of them resisted the government's current tax policies. Gordon Kahl was the first CI believer to study the founding principles of Rand and Cameron, and apply them in order to take action against the government. Kahl believed that they were on the right track with regard to what needed to be accomplished in order to change public policies. However, he felt that if no actions were taken against violators, no real changes would be made. In 1967, he stopped paying taxes because he felt he was paying "[[tithe]]s to the [[Synagogue of Satan]]". Kahl killed two federal marshals in 1983. Before he was caught for the murders, Kahl wrote a note in which he said "our nation has fallen into the hands of alien people. ... These enemies of Christ have taken their Jewish [[Communist Manifesto]] and incorporated it into the Statutory Laws of our country and thrown our [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]] and our [[Common law|Christian Common Law]] into the garbage can."{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|p=206}}

===Opposition to the banking system===
{{main|Economic antisemitism}}
Identity doctrine asserts that the "root of all evil" is [[Fiat money|paper money]] (particularly [[Federal Reserve Note]]s), and that both usury and [[Bank|banking systems]] are controlled by Jews.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=87}} Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:35–37 and [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]] explicitly condemn usury.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=92}} Ezekiel 18:13 states "He who hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him" and it is quoted as a justification for killing Jews.

Christian Identity advocates the belief that the creation of the [[Federal Reserve System]] in 1913 shifted the control of money from Congress to private institutions and violated the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] and the monetary system encourages the Federal Reserve to take out loans, creating trillions of dollars in government debt, and allowing international bankers to control the United States. Credit/debit cards and computerised bills are seen as the fulfillment of the Biblical scripture which warns against "[[The Beast (Revelation)|the beast]]" (i.e., banking) as quoted in Revelation 13:15–18.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=91}}

Identity preacher Sheldon Emry stated that "Most of the owners of the largest banks in America are of [[Eastern Europe]]an (Jewish) ancestry and connected with the (Jewish) [[N M Rothschild & Sons|Rothschild European banks]]", thus, according to Identity doctrine, the global banking conspiracy is led and controlled by Jewish interests.{{Sfn|Aho|1990|p=91}} Emry used the radio airwaves to promote his Christian Identity message and his book ''Billions for the Bankers, Debts for the People''. Emry promoted abolishing the banks, which he suggested would solve most of society's ills, including unemployment, divorce, and women working outside the home.{{Sfn|Levitas|2002|p=181}}

===Millenarianism and eschatology===
{{Further|Millenarianism|Christian eschatology}}

Christian Identity is described as millenarian.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kaplan|1y=2016|2a1=Barkun|2y=2014|2pp=103-119|1pp=117-146}}

Sociology professor James Aho describes Christian Identity eschatology as [[Dispensational premillennialism|dispensational premillennialist]], which includes a [[Second Coming|physical return of Christ to earth]] at the final battle of [[Armageddon]].{{Sfn|Aho|1990|pp=53–54}} However, in contrast with dispensationalism and some other [[Millennialism|millennialist]] forms of [[fundamentalist Christianity]], Christian Identity adherents reject the notion of a [[rapture]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Aho|1y=1990|1p=272|2a1=Kaplan|2y=1997|2p=4}} Identity preacher [[Sheldon Emry]] taught that the idea of a rapture is a [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] doctrine and [[John Nelson Darby]], who initially formalized this eschatological concept, was an agent of the Jesuits.{{Sfn|Barkun|2014|p=106}} In addition to rejecting rapture beliefs, [[Michael Barkun]] notes that Identity also breaks significantly from the dispensational eschatology of fundamentalism which is centered around Israel, which Christian Identity rejects.{{Sfn|Barkun|1990|p=104}} For Identitarians who view Jews as the offspring of Satan, this leads them to view proponents of dispensational eschatology as agents of Satan.{{Sfn|Barkun|1990}} 

Identity predictions vary, and some include a [[Ethnic conflict|race war]] or a Jewish-backed [[United Nations]] takeover of the US, and that they should wage a physical struggle against individuals and groups which serve the forces of evil.{{Sfn|Kaplan|2002|p=38}} While the [[Soviet Union]] has disappeared as a vital threat in their rhetoric, many Christian Identity adherents believe that [[Communism|Communists]] are secretly involved in international organizations like the United Nations, or the so-called "[[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]]", in order to destroy the United States.{{Sfn|McFarland|Gottfried|2002|p=129}}

Along with teaching that America is the true Israel, some Identity preachers teach that America is the Zion of Bible prophecy and will be the seat of Christ's earthly, millennial kingdom.{{Sfn|McFarland|Gottfried|2002|p=140}}

Modern Identity proponents such as Mark Downey and William Finck teach a [[Historicism (Christianity)|historicist]] view of eschatology.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Downey |first=Mark |date=October 14, 2013 |title=The Perfect Sermon (Part 3) |url=https://kinsmanredeemer.com/articles/perfect-sermon-part-3 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=kinsmanredeemer.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Finck |first=William |date=November 20, 2020 |title=The "Little Horn" of Daniel chapter 7, a review of a paper by Clifton Emahiser |url=https://christogenea.org/podcasts/community/critics-and-criticisms/%E2%80%9Clittle-horn%E2%80%9D-daniel-chapter-7-review-paper-clifton-emahiser |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=christogenea.org}}</ref>