Michael Harriot Profile picture
Jul 11, 2024 20 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Whenever there's a national tragedy, a natural disaster or something that affects a lot of white people, right-wing zealots always cite one particular bible

2 Chronicles 7:14

To them, it is a warning from God. But throughout history, it's become a weapon of hate.

A thread Image
If you are an evangelical Christian, a Republican or attend a church where the drummer doesn't use a sweatrag, you've DEFINITELY heard this 2 Chronicles 7:14

They literally believe its a biblical directive for us to Make America Great Again

christianindex.org/stories/2-chro…
To be fair, I've never been to a church whose shouting music doesn't have a bassline. So how do I know?

Well, the Southern Baptist Convention kicked out the president of their political arm because he was critical of pastors who supported Trump.

That wasn't his worst offense. Image
During Trump's original presidential run, right before the GOP primaries, Russell Moore wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post>

In the article he exposed the myth that 2 Chronicles 7:14 had nothing to do with "taking America back"

The article's title?

washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-f…
If you recall, news outlets made a big deal when Mike Pence took the oath of office on Ronald Reagan's old Bible during the Trump inauguration.

Pence insisted on putting his hand on the same PAGE and the SAME scripture as Reagan did when he was inaugurated.

Guess which one: Image
It's so important that one scholar called it "The John 3:16 of American civil religion"

To be fair, it's just white evangelicals' version of a similar scripture in Galatians that Black people love:

"He that shall fucketh around shalt also find out."*

*Real Negus Translation Image
And this is not a new thing. It's been used throughout history.

Dr. Samuel Cartwright used 2 Chronicle 7:14 when he coined the phrase "Drapetomania" to describe the mental illness that made Black people want to be free. It explained why Black people were "eternal knee benders"
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It has been used to explain everything from pandemics was good to why God was a Confederate.
No, seriously:

In 1793, a yellow fever broke out in Philadelphia. Some blamed the pandemic on abolitionists & free Black people

In 1780, Pennsylvania passed a gradual emancipation act Image
Then in 1790, Philly became the US capitol.
Then in 1793, Black Haitians organized the largest slave revolt in the history of the world. Many of those French slave owners brought their slaves to Philly. Plus, the free African society, who joined with Quakers to build schools
When the pandemic broke out, white preachers blamed it on the heinous act of abolition.

One slave-owning Virginian refused to leave his slaves home when he moved to Philly to work for the government. He used 2 Chronicles 7:14 to explain why God visited his wrath on the city.
Some high-level government employee named George Washington

If you think that was bad, 2 Chronicles 7:14, is what happened toAbraham Lincoln and the evil Union army after the Civil War.

As soon as the Confederate Army surrendered on April 9, 1865, Confederate Jesus went OFF
A week later Abraham Lincoln was dead. Now, we know a white supremacist killed him. But to Southerners, it was 2 Chronicles payback.

To send Union prisoners of war home, Confederates loaded 1,800 POWs on a steamship on April 27.

It exploded.

sharetngov.tnsosfiles.com/tsla/exhibits/…
The Sultana disaster is STILL the deadliest maritime disaster in US history, worse than the Titanic. It is one of the deadliest FIRES in history.

Today, we know it was caused by faulty boilers. But back then, it was proof that the Confederates were right.

2 Chronicles.
2 Chronicles is STILL used to open civil war reenactments and explain disasters and mass shootings. It is literally what they mean by "thoughts and prayers"
Segregationists used it.
The pro-life movement cites it ALL the time
So do anti-Trans and anti-LGBTQ groups.

And most of all, Conservative Evangelical Republicans use it to explain why a civil war is coming.


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My favorite use of 2 Chronicles is when a preacher who apparently never read a history book in his life explained by BLM is satanic
And of course, it explains why God cursed America with Joe Biden Image
It has been weaponized for centuries and will be weaponized more in the upcoming election.

And since it is a Bible verse and "America is a Christian nation," many people think there's nothing wrong with it.

But what if one state REALLY leaned in on 2 Chronicles 2:14?

How? Image
How could conservatives use a bible verse to swing an election?

Well, what if the entire election hinged on 1 swing state? And what if conservatives were in charge of that state? And what if they used local governments & a familiar Bible verse to create an army of MAGA voters?
Anyway, this Saturday, every county courthouse in the entire state of Georgia will be open to welcome Jesus-loving Christian citizens in to read the Bible

Why?

According to an article I came across in a local paper today...

2 Chronicles 7:14 explains it all Image

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More from @michaelharriot

Jan 10
Whitewashing the uncomfortable parts of the past doesn't just affect Black stories. For example, you can't fully appreciate how a peanut farmer from Plains, GA became a beloved president unless you know TRUE Black History.

The unwhitewashed history of Jimmy Carter:

A thread.
Jimmy Carter was a simple peanut farmer who grew up in Plains, GA when the deep South was defined by racism. His family taught him not to see color. Instead of asking for handouts, they focused on God, education and...

OK, none of that happened.
First of all, to understand where Jimmy Carter comes from, you have to go back a few generations. Because you probably already know a few of his cousins.

In fact, he might not even be the most famous person in his family. But I'll let you decide.
Read 24 tweets
Jan 9
There's a very interesting connection between Mark Zuckerberg's right-wing turn and the guy who might be the most powerful person in American media. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, so...

A thread.
First of all, let's be clear. Mark Zuckerberg's didn't just announce changes to Meta's content moderation policy. He didn't even announce that Meta's content policy will change.

He announced that his company is willing to help kill people.

How?
First of all, replacing fact-checking with community notes doesn't just mean misinformation and hate will spread, it means people will die because of it.

For instance , Facebook removed MILLIONS of posts containing COVID misinformation.

cbsnews.com/news/mark-zuck…
Read 33 tweets
Jan 4
If anyone knows anything about “wokeness” CRT, the national anthem and being a real American, it’s Brett Favre

A (short) thread
Brett Favre is a descendant of Simon Favre, a famous“interpreter” who could speak multiple native languages.

Simon entered the family business at a young age and owned dozens of slaves and 100s of acres

But that wasn’t the family business.

The Favres stole land Image
The scam worked like this:

The Favres would move near a native tribe, earn their trust and convince native Americans that giving up their land & assimilating was in their best interest.

In exchange, they could keep some of the stolen land

Simon was BORN FOR THIS Image
Image
Read 21 tweets
Dec 2, 2024
For five years, I have been covering what is unquestionably the biggest criminal justice scandal in American history.

Today it ended when the most corrupt cop in history took his life.

But it's not over.

A thread.
For 5 decades, police officer Roger Golubski sexually assaulted Black women and forced to give false testimony that he used to send Black men to prison while he ran a sex trafficking and drug cartel in Kansas City Kansas

theroot.com/a-criminal-inj…
The federal trial against Golubski was supposed to begin today.

He didn't show up

According to sources, Golubski ended his own life

kansascity.com/news/local/art…
Read 18 tweets
Nov 27, 2024
Before everyone leaves this app, I want to make a confession

I'm planning a robbery

I already have a target, a crew & a blueprint, I just need 1 more thing:

Will you help me recreate the greatest Black on Black crime in US history?

A story
An announcement
A (final) thread
On Thursday, May 23, 1861, Frank Baker, James Townsend, and Shepard Mallory orchestrated the greatest heist in American history.

Less than 6 weeks after the start of the Civil War, the enslaved men were essentially donated to the Virginia Confederate Militia to dig ditches
As they worked near the exact same spot where "20& Odd" Africans arrived 1619, the men spotted a boat.

Of course they skedaddled. Scrammed. Vamoosed. They ran like Josh Hawley in an insurrection, crossed the river and presented themselves to Union Gen, George Butler
Read 31 tweets
Nov 5, 2024
People who say this election could be the "end of democracy" are so extra...

Or maybe they know the TRUE history of the election-denying white supremacist who led a violent insurrection, overturned a presidential election and ended democracy in America.

A thread
First, you should know that the US Constitution created a form of govt called a "federal republic" where elected officials represent the citizens (as opposed to a DIRECT DEMOCRACY, where people vote on every decision)

But a representative democracy is just A KIND OF DEMOCRACY Image
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Saying, "America is a constitutional republic, not a democracy," is like saying: "I'm a MAGA Republican, not an American."

BTW, this is your daily reminder that @laurenboebert is a pro-insurrection MAGA Republican HS dropout who failed the GED 3x... NOT an American. Image
Read 30 tweets

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