January 6th
January 6th came and went and we didn’t know what happened.
I may have seen something on Twitter, but honestly, I was totally 100% consumed with our one-day-old baby. Once we were home, I had a chance to look at what everyone was talking about:
“Starting at 11:58, from behind a bulletproof shield, President Trump gave a speech, declaring that he would “never concede” the election, criticized the media, and called for Pence to overturn the election results, something outside Pence’s constitutional power.[83][210] His speech contained many falsehoods and misrepresentations that inflamed the crowd.[211] Trump did not overtly call on his supporters to use violence or enter the Capitol,[212] but his speech was filled with violent imagery[213] and Trump suggested that his supporters had the power to prevent Biden from taking office.[212] The same afternoon, Pence released a letter to Congress in which he said he could not challenge Biden’s victory.[83][214]
Trump called for his supporters to “walk down to the Capitol” to “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them.” He told the crowd that he would be with them, but he ultimately did not go to the Capitol. As to counting Biden’s electoral votes, Trump said, “We can’t let that happen” and suggested Biden would be an “illegitimate president”.[212][213] Referring to the day of the elections, Trump said, “most people would stand there at 9:00 in the evening and say, ‘I want to thank you very much,’ and they go off to some other life, but I said, ‘Something’s wrong here. Something’s really wrong. [It] can’t have happened.’ And we fight. We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore”.[41]: 01:11:44 He said the protesters would be “going to the Capitol and we’re going to try and give [Republicans] the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country”.[215] Trump also said, “you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated”.[212][213]
Trump denounced Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), saying, “We’ve got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren’t any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world”.[216] He called upon his supporters to “fight much harder” against “bad people”; told the crowd that “you are allowed to go by very different rules,” said that his supporters were “not going to take it any longer”; framed the moment as the last stand, suggested that Pence and other Republican officials put themselves in danger by accepting Biden’s victory; and told the crowd he would march with them to the Capitol (although he did not do so).[212][213] In addition to the twenty times he used the term “fight,” Trump once used the term “peacefully,” saying, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard”.[213]
During Trump’s speech, his supporters chanted “Take the Capitol,” “Taking the Capitol right now,” “Invade the Capitol,” “Storm the Capitol” and “Fight for Trump”.[217][218] The New York Times placed the fall of the first barriers at 1:03 p.m.[219] Before Trump had finished speaking at 1:12 p.m., an estimated eight thousand supporters had already begun moving up the National Mall, with some shouting that they were storming the Capitol.[44] After completing his speech, Trump went back to the White House on the presidential motorcade, arriving at 1:19 p.m.[220] At some point afterward, Trump went to the Oval Office and started watching news coverage of the attack.[220]
During his January 6 speech, President Trump called upon supporters to walk to the Capitol. Just before the attack, pipe bombs were discovered near the complex.[224] Attackers besieged and ultimately breached the Capitol. Members of Congress barricaded themselves in the chamber, and one attacker was fatally shot by police while attempting to breach a barricade.[225]
After officials at the Pentagon delayed deployment of the National Guard citing concerns about optics, D.C. Mayor Bowser requested assistance from the Governor of Virginia. By 3:15, Virginia state police began arriving in D.C.[226] After Vice President Pence and Congress were evacuated to secure locations, law enforcement cleared and secured the Capitol.
So what exactly was the outcome?
| Resulted in | Delay of counting electoral votes by several hours;[15]Extensive physical damage;[6][16][17] offices and chambers vandalized and ransacked; property stolen;[18] more than $30 million for repairs and security measures[19] |
| Death(s) | 5 deaths during the attack (1 from gunshot, 1 from drug overdose, 3 from natural causes);[20][21] 4 officers deaths by suicide in the aftermath of the attack[22] |
|---|---|
| Injuries | An unknown number of rioters, including at least five hospitalized[23]At least 138 police officers (73 Capitol Police officers, 65 Metropolitan Police Department officers),[24] including at least 15 hospitalized[25] |
| Charged | 910 or more[26] (see also: Criminal charges) |
In a video published by The New Yorker, mobs of Trump supporters are seen storming the Capitol building in defiance of police officers. As a reporter follows the mob into the building, some of them head for the Senate chamber. The video captures the riotous group bowing their heads and lifting their hands as the man dressed as a QAnon mascot (later arrested) leads them in prayer.
Many observers have noted what appears to have been an overwhelming Christian presence during the January 6 insurrection attempt and deadly riot at the Capitol.
In addition to praying during the siege, some rioters were seen erecting a wooden cross, waving a “Jesus is my savior / Trump is my president” flag, carrying a Christian flag, holding a Bible aloft, and identifying their religious affiliation with other ways. This reality has led some Christians to denounce what they see as Christian nationalism and reject rioters’ actions as symbolic of their religion.
Numerous rioters have openly said that they were at the Capitol at the “invitation” of President Trump.
Some evangelicals continue to stand by Trump despite evidence that he encouraged Capitol rioters.
The rowdy group captured by The New Yorker illegally occupying the Senate chamber begins their prayer about eight minutes into the video—right after a man at the Vice President’s seat yells, “Jesus Christ, we invoke your name, amen!” (see video below)
It is interesting and sickening. I’ve been saying this for a while now.
One study found that 73 percent of those who adhere most strongly to Christian Nationalist ideas believe in the QAnon conspiracy.
Part of the web of specious QAnon beliefs is the lie that the November 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from former president Donald Trump and handed to president Joe Biden unlawfully.
A report by the Public Religion Research Institute found that “Seven in ten QAnon believers agree with the statement that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump (69%), including just under half (47%) who completely agree with the statement.”
This is an article to read on it.
So, who thinks this is a problem with Christian Nationalism? How could things have ever gotten to this point? Will things get better?
[end quote: “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”~1797 Treaty of Tripoli signed by Founding Father John Adams]
just Pray