Date of Award
4-2005
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Comparative Religion
First Advisor
Dr. Brian C. Wilson
Second Advisor
Dr. Lawson
Third Advisor
Dr. Covell
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Falk
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
The Christian Identity Movement is a large, loosely organized, extreme right-wing White Protestant movement that involves hundreds of churches throughout the United States and Canada, Europe and South Africa. This is an umbrella organization that includes several churches under different names. The Christian Identity has no central core of leadership. It does have a central set of beliefs derived from British-Israelism. Identity adherents believe in the one true God, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the superiority of the White race over all others. They consider themselves to be the Chosen people with whom God made a covenant, and they believe that they are descendents of one of the lost tribes of Israel. In order to provide scriptural evidence for this racial mythology, Identity adherents interpret the King James Bible as containing three creation stories: the creation of the Pre-Adamites (non-White people) in Genesis 1, the Adamites (White people) in Genesis 2, and the Jews in Genesis 3 and the first part of Genesis 4. The Christian Identity movement also uses other passages from both the Old and New Testament in the Bible to further prove their case of racial preeminence, as well as works of fiction and a Russian work believed to be a true account of a larger conspiracy. Their use of mythology is examined here.
Recommended Citation
Allen, Nicole, "Mythology and Ethics of the Christian Identity Movement" (2005). Masters Theses. 3618.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3618