Two recent expressions of “state religion” that had an especially outsized impact were the 2018 funeral of John McCain, held at the aptly-named National Cathedral, as well as the exuberant displays of civil religiosity associated with the George Floyd protests and riots
Merching her husband’s image at a memorial service without Charlie’s parents or sister present, you call that normal? Erika Frantzve Kirk’s speech was reviewed so highly on all sides that her name is being floated as a well-spoken VP for rizz-free JD Vance. That and her instant worldwide fame must please this atypical MAGA wife, five years older than her husband, educated, knows business. Her husband traveled college campuses to urge girls, don’t come here to study, but just for entertainment. Don’t do what my own wife did.
What finished me was how she finished, that prolonged onstage cuddling with another veteran of pageants and of child sex trafficking. To be fair to the dry-eyed widow—no Tammy Faye, Erika’s Kleenex only neatened her mascara—Trump was both a buyer and a seller of young girls. Her premarital exploits are trending today on Substack and Instagram. If she didn’t want all of that, she could have chosen to act more like a widow of twelve days, more like every widow I’ve ever known. Act as I will, come the hateful day.
My husband and cousin had to physically support me to approach my gran’s grave, I’m so heartless. MAGA touts Charlie as a martyr, a newer better whiter MLK Jr., who also left fatherless children and a heartbroken wife. If you can read those arguments, followed by what Charlie said about Martin and shrug, you must be MAGA.
-Take the focus off/move forward away from Charlie’s murder itself with all its inconsistencies and implausibilities to the spiritual revival…
Likely anyone who questions the official government FBI-version will be labeled a conspiracy theorist…..
Ironic that Charlie would mention fear of Israel and then end up dead. Although nothing ties Israel to the murder they are professionals at their craft. Direct links are not probable. It may take years to unravel the mystery and then zero consequences for anyone.
-Attempt to introduce censorship, Pam Bondi among others, for wrong think/hate speech. Something Charlie was dead against.
Ironic that the government/UniParty would use Charlie’s death to promote censorship. They are Opportunists first. What Charlie represented means nothing to them. They never miss an opportunity to prosecute the real agenda. Now we know censorship is not just a Democratic agenda but a UniParty agenda. If censorship laws are ever implemented every comment potentially will become hate speech to silence people or comments. Orwell’s 1984
Agree, but it should be noted that many of those blasting Blondie the loudest on social media over her stupid "Hate Speech" remarks were also on the right.
This side does not share a hive mind, and doesn't hesitate to call out its "leaders" when they do dumb stuff.
I'm a Christian and this ASSEMBLY was extremely offensive. Thankfully I found MTs vlog on YT which helped me see that I wasn't going nuts.. The 1st red flag was the memorial announcement that included Bobby Kennedy as a speaker. A fraud & a predator with blood on his hands. He systematically murdered (Mary Richardson) the 2nd of 3 wives.
The gathering for Charlie Kirk was a political event scaled into the likeness of an xtra large maga pep rally. We were treated to 3 hours of beautiful singing by the most popular American Christian singers which afforded rally attendees ample time to enter 1 of the 2 facilities. No one received a printed programme with family photos, the obituary, or an order of service. Instead, each stadium section held Turning Point signs which attendees held up and perhaps carried home as souvenirs. Attendees could be seen returning to their seats with food which I guess was understandable considering the length of time they waited outside of the facilities. TPUSA was interviewed by the Washington Examiner who filed employees registering attendees to vote.
Viewers never heard from anyone unaffiliated with TPUSA or the Trump Administration. The jumbo screens only shared photos of Charlie and his wife. I find that to be odd because a mother and father lost their son and a sister lost her brother but they were never seen, and barely acknowledged. No one even read his obituary, and his wife Erika never acknowledged his relatives or her relatives. No parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, childhood friends, teachers...nothing.
Erika referred to Kirk as "my charlie." It was almost as if Charlie's life began at age 21 when he founded TPUSA. Throughout the event, Erika was referred to by her new job title: CEO and Board Chair of TPUSA. It seemed like a TPUSA
Coronation for the former Miss Arizona who only a few months ago, (alongside her husband) told girls not to attend university or only attend in search of an MRS degree.
Kirk's political action committee was front and center like an event sponsor. The branding was over the top. Viewers were instructed on how to become involved, and offered "we are charlie" wristbands in exchange for donations. They even offered a tacky text number for "merch" purchases. 😳 Charlie Kirk by profession and passion was a political activist and while I hope his (invisible) friends and family felt this rally atmosphere was the most appropriate way to honor his memory, it reminded me of the DNC's principle: "never let a crisis go to waste.☆"
I'm a conservative who switched off the POTUS who began rambling about his administration's achievements and the crowd size. I think he paid for the event and plans to exploit the assassination as a kickoff for the midterms. In the past, Trump complained that Christians are not a loyal voting block. After Kirk’s death, I noticed a comment from a former RNC employee who blamed the 30% of Christians are not registered to vote.
The word REVIVAL was repeatedly mentioned. Erika said Charlie's death sparked a revival. POTUS Trump (who was absent for the singing which was the only portion of the event made to resemble a "service") compared the event to an "old time revival." That disingenuous & scripted statement (along with the pyrotechnics) made me feel as though we were being played/manipulated. I sincerely hope that church leaders will resist the temptation to conflate the maga movement (or the new 'we are charlie'/tpusa movement) with a spiritual revival bc nothing could be further from the truth.
The left is accused of using emotionalism to garner votes but apparently the right is guilty of the same tactics. TPUSA students were registering attendees to vote as they waited to enter the stadium. Trump's "pastor," Paula White, is IMO a leader of a religious cult called the NAR: New Apostolic Reformation. They created a heretical "7 mountains" theory about Christian leaders in every major sphere of influence and often speak of a "revival" before Christ's return which is unbiblical.
Will the RNC use this tragedy to conflate maga with the NAR?
Last week Glenn Beck said that Charlie Kirk is the 2nd American faith leader to be martyred in the USA---2nd only to Joseph Smith. Benny Johnson compared Kirk's assassination to the stoning of the disciple Stephen. Kirk's wife said Charlie is standing beside Jesus & wearing a martyr's crown. Vice President JD Vance declared Kirk, "a martyr for the Christian faith." Frank Turek compared Kirk's death to the beheading of John the Baptist, and another preacher labeled him 'America's youth pastor.'
Charlie Kirk was a professing Christian who was tragically murdered (assassinated) for his political activism, however the scriptures teach that our heavenly crowns will be laid at the feet of Jesus not worn on our heads in heaven. There was no benediction and not even a closing prayer offered up for the families. While I cannot speak about Joseph Smith and Mormonism, a CHRISTIAN martyr is a person who when threatened with death, s/he refused to deny their allegiance to Jesus as the Christ. This is not what happened to Charlie Kirk.
The left made George Floyd their martyr and built Act Blue. The right now has Charlie Kirk/We Are Charlie & TPUSA. Is it a mere coincidence that George Floyd & Charlie Kirk share the same date of birth? Kirk October 14th 1993 and Floyd 9ctober 14th 1973...?
I have to acknowledge the brilliance of our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Although he is a politician, Secretary Rubio's words at least met the sacredness of the moment. IMO Rubio actually eulogized Charlie Kirk and I would encourage everyone to view his 8 minute message. May Charlie Kirk's memory be a blessing.
Rubio is an idiot, a violent-minded stooge, recently in Israel to kiss the ass of Yahoo, and then howl for more genocide. Why on Earth would I want to watch that jackass eulogize the racist liar Kirk? Kirk's "memory" should be a blessing? Maybe for you, but I don't have any use for dog-whistling racists with third-rate minds who got his fortune from the right-wing fascist billionaires who supported his reactionary bullshit. Kirk found out who was boss when, after chafing a bit under Yahoo's demands, he was abandoned by at least one of his billionaire supporters. Ah well. The obsession with Kirk will roll on for a while yet, but war approaches, and that will overshadow our latest distraction.
No, it is dead as a political entity, which is what will eventually happen to Charlie Kirk and his "movement." Reduce to a memory, and not even a nostalgic one at that, which is where blm is today.
We have built an electronic machine that is not made for humanizing people but dehumanizing them. It is easier for you to gaze upon their grief like you are looking at insects in a jar. The hundreds of thousands of likes on tweets that mock Erika Kirk or say they were all racists and deserved what they got or that it was a Nazi rally -- that's the story Michael. Not this. This was a group of people who were brought together because of Charlie's faith. That was the whole point of his mission and Turning Point. So what would you have them do, back off to avoid a sneering condemnation? They honored him the way they knew he wanted to be honored and they spoke the language of the faithful. I can understand why people would need faith at a time like this. It's better than burning down cities and transing the kids.
Yeah, have faith. The faithful can't afford to live, or go see a doctor, or pay the rent. By all means get down on your knees, and keep praying. That actually was Kirk's message. I enjoy seeing the "I am Charlie Kirk" signs held aloft by people who clearly dont have a pot to piss in or who are, to be polite, "struggling." No, my little Christian naifs, you aint Charlie; you're missing the one thing he and Trump and the rest of those soulless grifters possessed--millions of dollars.
Nah, to me it was just another political event, because Charlie Kirk was a political entity who used the tools in his political toolbox, including Christianity, to achieve his political ambitions, which was to become president someday. Everybody who knew Charlie Kirk said he would be president one day and Charlie Kirk never denied his ambitions.
"That’s why the McCain Holy Week goodbye tour had an ineffable feeling of finality about it, even if it was hard to pinpoint exactly why."
I also thought it was strange that McCain had 3 funerals. I don't recall that ever happening before. It seemed like his funerals went on for a week, and they were careful to mention that he had specifically demanded that Trump be barred from attending any of them. Imagine being so consumed with hate that, in the midst of planning your 3 funerals, you take care to exclude certain people.
You do realize that European states have “state” religions, e.g., the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, right? How exactly is that being implemented in the USA?
The juxtaposition of the two "movements" in your essay is interesting. my own observation of Mr. Kirk has been that he had two categories of message; spiritual and secular, with a percentage of overlap between the two. The "faith and family" category was an example.
Perhaps counterintuitively, "country and conversation" was another overlap.
I fully agree that the"Church of Saint George" is religiously structured, but it has more of Stalin than saintliness about it, and I mean that quite literally.
Charlie Kirk, if we have made him a martyr, will be remembered for having that categorical overlap, even in the manner of his dying at the hand of an assassin. He died for his faith, but he died mainly for his effectiveness as a counterrevolutionary. Whatever his arguments may have been, his "signature" line was "think about it." He meant "think for yourself."
Yes, the religious aspect was central to what he preached, but his opposition are modern Jacobins, censorious to a murderous degree. Mr. Kirk trespassed on their ideological purity enforcement; a grave sin indeed.
I do not know if the sociopolitical pendulum will swing all the way over once again, Mr. Tracey, but if the Liberal and Conservative consensus that I encounter IRL, regarding Charlie's assassination is any indication, I don't think we're heading for the putsch that the Jacobins have been clamoring for.
Rest in peace, Charlie; you did what you set out to do, and it was a job well done.
I hope you keep reflecting on this subject, and in the fullness of time, write on it again. You’re on to something important here, but this one was too inchoate, too off the cuff. The knee-jerk contrarianism gets the better of you sometimes.
What is the distinction between the religious and the political? What are the sacred rites of the American civic religion, Thanksgiving for example? How is the Bill of Rights a sacred text, and the assassination of a free speech advocate a blasphemy against it? Where is the rift such that Floyd is sacramental to one sect, and Kirk to another?
I’m not really here to be critical of this post, although I thought it was not that great. I want to urge you to try harder, dig deeper into the topic, and come up with something more thoughtful, and perhaps beautiful. Start by dropping the contempt.
I've been writing on the subject of "state religion" for years, as evidenced my extensive use in this article of two prior examples that I covered contemporaneously. I've also written about, studied, and reported on American Christianity -- particularly its political manifestations -- for many years. I even formally studied religion in college, with a concentration on American Christianity. And yet you still call me "knee-jerk contrarian," as though I'm just cynically spouting off for no reason other than to troll or antagonize people on the internet. Thus, I have to disregard your smug, reflexive, and dismissive comment. Sorry.
The long and short of it, from a Christian point of view is, you can't be a Christian if you are a member of the republican&democrat PARTY, because they work directly for Satan, duh! Look at the destruction the democrat&republican PARTY has wrought on the world, on America, and on the American People, who die horrible&shocking ways everyday in an America the republican&democrat PARTY created, own, and operate. Where is their government sponsored memorial?
If you are a Christian and are voting for the republican&democrat PARTY you need to remove that plank from your eye, because you can't see the sin you are committing when you vote the Satanist republican&democrat PARTY.
One more thing, "on a foundation of idol worshiping, nothing will grow, says the sower."
My name is ~ Lebo Von Lo~Debar ~ and I approve of this comment.
Okay Lebo. Couldn't agree more about the two Parties, but Kirk was deeply tied to Republican Party money and their right-wing racist justifications for their crimes. That's why anybody even knows who is. I'm okay with you not approving these unfortunate facts.
It is still ALL ABOUT the democrat&republican PARTY, singular not plural, hence the One more thing,
"on a foundation of idol worshiping, nothing will grow, says the sower."
If you know your Christian Bible, Tim N, then you will know what I think of Charlie Kirk and those who worship him as is represented in the above quote.
“To be critical… is an affront to the dead”. That’s all you were. It’s all you ever are- critical. You must live a miserable life. Try watching a few more full 3 hr campus videos and you may just see the human Charlie was to everyone. His kindness. His compassion. His defense of all races and ideologies against haters. He made a positive impact - even on heads of state (pearls clutched). When a person is already of faith, it isn’t difficult to get more energized by Charlie’s charisma. By his effortless ability to love his fellow human. When you are searching for faith, he has the ability to make you search just that much harder within yourself. I’ve lived a mostly secular life after being raised Catholic. I have been numb when it comes to religion. Our govt and the media have made certain of that. Charlie helped me revisit my faith. To rethink it. Particularly important In light of the sheer corruption proven to have existed in the Obama and Biden admins, which caused my faith to feel more unattainable. The hatred being spewed by the left demonstrates how little they do any research or alternatively how much they gaslight the millions of Americans who are lazy and / or low IQ. Objective reporting means to understand the facts and report in that light. God forbid you try to stand in the shoes of conservatives - of Charlie- and write from that perspective. Maybe spend a day at TPUSA. How about talking to Andrew Colvet, Mikey McCoy, Tyler Bowyer or even Young Turks founder, Cenk Uygur, about his experience with Charlie and the AmFest he attended where he said everyone was “universally wonderful”. I suspect you’d leave a different person. I remain actively in search of my faith but feel more spirited and optimistic bc of the wave of love and revival spreading now across the country. All because of the humanity Charlie embodied. A person with more agency than anyone else I’ve ever seen and who used that to change minds and hearts of millions of young and old (me) people alike.
Michael, take the time to really listen to Charlie. To those who love him. Understand who Charlie was-a devout Christian and conservative-whose goal was to give young people a voice. He wanted to persuade them but if he didn’t, he remained satisfied his goal was met: the youth had the mic, had his ear and had the time to be heard. If they chose, they also had a new community and a sense of belonging, regardless of race, religion or ideology. TPUSA would welcome you too, despite your “glass almost empty” perspective on all things.
I was baffled, as well, but the fact is, he did somehow inspire thousands of South Koreans to march in his honor. There were also vigils from Thailand to Australia, throughout Europe, Canada, and the US. He clearly meant a great deal to many people.
If sin is to miss the mark, there is no sin here in that regard. Michael hits a bullseye.
As Christians, we worship The Way, The Fruth, and The Life. And Jesus was hung on a cross for His anticlericalism. Michael calls it like he sees it. In an essay of this length, there is very little that I would dispute.
To wit: I would add Paul Wellstone's funeral to the list. Nothing else comes to mind.
The state will come after us as Christians. It can look at this event as precedent when the shoe is back on the other foot.
At the same time, America better crank up the revival. "Know Jesus, know peace; no Jesus, no peace" may be trite but it is not wrong.
Finally: Michael you are fearless, dogged, and willing to suffer in your pursuit of the truth. The gospels have spellbinding, mind-bending truth.
Mark is in the telegraphed language of a fisherman. Matthew takes that and adds historical context. Luke is largely a legal thriller (with the added bonus of Jesus calling a man a fool for storing up a large retirement fund). John takes the telegraphed stories of Mark and then layers on whole other dimensions.
They are profound, great, and life-changing. i think that you would appreciate them. I am not presuming that you don't know them; I am just saying that Jesus of the gospels is your type of guy (based on your writings).
Jesus Christ, save your tears for the tens of thousands of murdered children in Gaza, which Kirk and both political Parties support. Gonna be an easy call for our Lord when these genocidaires come before Him.
Yes Tim, we get it, "From the Borders of Gaza to the Sea." Yeah, we hear you Jew haters say that all the time. You sound like one of those who hate God's Chosen People? Is that true Tim N? Then just say it, don't pretend you're something else.
You are obviously a dupe of the “Gaza Health Ministry”, the biggest lying propaganda machine since Joseph Goebbels.
The GHM grossly exaggerates casualty figures. Hamas has been repeatedly caught faking videos of supposed dead children who are miraculously resurrected when somebody forgets to turn the camera off. This has happened to the extent that the pejorative moniker for the amateurish propaganda videos that have fooled many gullible dupes is “Pallywood”.
Many of the “children” GHM claims as civilian casualties are actually military-aged terrorists in their teens.
To the extent that there are civilian child casualties, blame Hamas. They started this senseless war. They use their woolen and children as human shields while they cower like cowards in bunkers hoarding food or reselling free aid to the people they purport to represent at exorbitant markups to enrich their billionaire fat cat rulers who sit like modern-day pashas in Qatar, safe from bombs and getting fatter on the finest food.
Hamas and its Iranian puppetmasters, their Russian masterminds, and the rest of the so-called “ring of fire” are evil incarnate.
They have made Jew hating fools out of you and billions of other victims of their hateful bigotry.
You will reject everything I say because you have been enslaved by their diabolical scheme. I will pray for your deliverance from evil.
And the international doctors, surgeons and nurses who have witnessed and reported on children being murdered by snipers is...? Fiction? You are another Zionist war criminal spreading lies and propaganda. Vile.
They're all liars doing the diabolical work of Russia, Ifan, and Hamas. The blood of all casualties on both sides is on their murderous hands. They are playing you and the billions of newly minted Jew haters like so many fiddles while Rome (the Western world burns). I will pray that someday I to see what is being done to us. Meanwhile, I forgive you because you know not what you do.
The sooner you wake up and see how badly you are being played by these demons, the better.
You don't see it do you? Maybe you just don't know the history.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s founding charter was not a purely local creation—it was drafted in Moscow, under Soviet supervision. Yasser Arafat himself was groomed by the KGB and then dispatched to the Middle East as their chosen instrument, tasked with building a militant movement that served both Moscow’s Cold War aims and the broader project of destabilizing the West’s position in the region.
"Jew haters"... Antisemitism? Who cares. 80 years of lies, apartheid, murder, land theft, propaganda, corruption and now a genocide. Reap what you sow. AIPAC controls the USA and you are just another vile zionist war criminal with no knowledge of history or reality.
It is difficult to discern the spark of divinity in you, but nonetheless I will pray that your heart, mind, and soul be exorcised of the Jew hatred that has demonically possessed you and blinded you to the fact that the Israelis are the persecuted, not the persecutors, that Russia, Iran, and its cat’s paws are evil incarnate, and you are being played by the oldest devilish trick in the world, divide and rule fueled by hate.
You are unable to see the truth because you have been duped by propaganda. I will pray that you are liberated from your enslavement by the forces of evil.
You are a coward. You are conceding defeat because you have no credible argument. I have prayed for you. Hopefully, your character, or I should say lack of same, and your soul will be healed.
You share nothing but Hamas propaganda. You have been played badly by them. You're their tool. I forgive them for you know not what ykundo, but the blood of thousands of victims is on your keyboard. You'll never be able to wash it off until you renounce the evil that has possessed your heart, mind, and soul. You are doing the devil's work and aiding and abetting a second Shoah.
In your heart, you know it, which is why you tendentiously persist in your hopeless argument with me.
Merching her husband at his so-called memorial service: Erika Frantzve Kirk works through the third stage of the Five Stages of Grift.
I don't get this - the need to demonize a woman who just lost her husband. You must be on the Left. Only people like you can be this ugly inside.
Merching her husband’s image at a memorial service without Charlie’s parents or sister present, you call that normal? Erika Frantzve Kirk’s speech was reviewed so highly on all sides that her name is being floated as a well-spoken VP for rizz-free JD Vance. That and her instant worldwide fame must please this atypical MAGA wife, five years older than her husband, educated, knows business. Her husband traveled college campuses to urge girls, don’t come here to study, but just for entertainment. Don’t do what my own wife did.
What finished me was how she finished, that prolonged onstage cuddling with another veteran of pageants and of child sex trafficking. To be fair to the dry-eyed widow—no Tammy Faye, Erika’s Kleenex only neatened her mascara—Trump was both a buyer and a seller of young girls. Her premarital exploits are trending today on Substack and Instagram. If she didn’t want all of that, she could have chosen to act more like a widow of twelve days, more like every widow I’ve ever known. Act as I will, come the hateful day.
My husband and cousin had to physically support me to approach my gran’s grave, I’m so heartless. MAGA touts Charlie as a martyr, a newer better whiter MLK Jr., who also left fatherless children and a heartbroken wife. If you can read those arguments, followed by what Charlie said about Martin and shrug, you must be MAGA.
What?
I must have missed that, because I was so surprised to hear her say that she forgave her husband's killer.
Other possible components
-Take the focus off/move forward away from Charlie’s murder itself with all its inconsistencies and implausibilities to the spiritual revival…
Likely anyone who questions the official government FBI-version will be labeled a conspiracy theorist…..
Ironic that Charlie would mention fear of Israel and then end up dead. Although nothing ties Israel to the murder they are professionals at their craft. Direct links are not probable. It may take years to unravel the mystery and then zero consequences for anyone.
-Attempt to introduce censorship, Pam Bondi among others, for wrong think/hate speech. Something Charlie was dead against.
Ironic that the government/UniParty would use Charlie’s death to promote censorship. They are Opportunists first. What Charlie represented means nothing to them. They never miss an opportunity to prosecute the real agenda. Now we know censorship is not just a Democratic agenda but a UniParty agenda. If censorship laws are ever implemented every comment potentially will become hate speech to silence people or comments. Orwell’s 1984
Agree, but it should be noted that many of those blasting Blondie the loudest on social media over her stupid "Hate Speech" remarks were also on the right.
This side does not share a hive mind, and doesn't hesitate to call out its "leaders" when they do dumb stuff.
I'm a Christian and this ASSEMBLY was extremely offensive. Thankfully I found MTs vlog on YT which helped me see that I wasn't going nuts.. The 1st red flag was the memorial announcement that included Bobby Kennedy as a speaker. A fraud & a predator with blood on his hands. He systematically murdered (Mary Richardson) the 2nd of 3 wives.
The gathering for Charlie Kirk was a political event scaled into the likeness of an xtra large maga pep rally. We were treated to 3 hours of beautiful singing by the most popular American Christian singers which afforded rally attendees ample time to enter 1 of the 2 facilities. No one received a printed programme with family photos, the obituary, or an order of service. Instead, each stadium section held Turning Point signs which attendees held up and perhaps carried home as souvenirs. Attendees could be seen returning to their seats with food which I guess was understandable considering the length of time they waited outside of the facilities. TPUSA was interviewed by the Washington Examiner who filed employees registering attendees to vote.
Viewers never heard from anyone unaffiliated with TPUSA or the Trump Administration. The jumbo screens only shared photos of Charlie and his wife. I find that to be odd because a mother and father lost their son and a sister lost her brother but they were never seen, and barely acknowledged. No one even read his obituary, and his wife Erika never acknowledged his relatives or her relatives. No parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, childhood friends, teachers...nothing.
Erika referred to Kirk as "my charlie." It was almost as if Charlie's life began at age 21 when he founded TPUSA. Throughout the event, Erika was referred to by her new job title: CEO and Board Chair of TPUSA. It seemed like a TPUSA
Coronation for the former Miss Arizona who only a few months ago, (alongside her husband) told girls not to attend university or only attend in search of an MRS degree.
Kirk's political action committee was front and center like an event sponsor. The branding was over the top. Viewers were instructed on how to become involved, and offered "we are charlie" wristbands in exchange for donations. They even offered a tacky text number for "merch" purchases. 😳 Charlie Kirk by profession and passion was a political activist and while I hope his (invisible) friends and family felt this rally atmosphere was the most appropriate way to honor his memory, it reminded me of the DNC's principle: "never let a crisis go to waste.☆"
I'm a conservative who switched off the POTUS who began rambling about his administration's achievements and the crowd size. I think he paid for the event and plans to exploit the assassination as a kickoff for the midterms. In the past, Trump complained that Christians are not a loyal voting block. After Kirk’s death, I noticed a comment from a former RNC employee who blamed the 30% of Christians are not registered to vote.
The word REVIVAL was repeatedly mentioned. Erika said Charlie's death sparked a revival. POTUS Trump (who was absent for the singing which was the only portion of the event made to resemble a "service") compared the event to an "old time revival." That disingenuous & scripted statement (along with the pyrotechnics) made me feel as though we were being played/manipulated. I sincerely hope that church leaders will resist the temptation to conflate the maga movement (or the new 'we are charlie'/tpusa movement) with a spiritual revival bc nothing could be further from the truth.
The left is accused of using emotionalism to garner votes but apparently the right is guilty of the same tactics. TPUSA students were registering attendees to vote as they waited to enter the stadium. Trump's "pastor," Paula White, is IMO a leader of a religious cult called the NAR: New Apostolic Reformation. They created a heretical "7 mountains" theory about Christian leaders in every major sphere of influence and often speak of a "revival" before Christ's return which is unbiblical.
Will the RNC use this tragedy to conflate maga with the NAR?
Last week Glenn Beck said that Charlie Kirk is the 2nd American faith leader to be martyred in the USA---2nd only to Joseph Smith. Benny Johnson compared Kirk's assassination to the stoning of the disciple Stephen. Kirk's wife said Charlie is standing beside Jesus & wearing a martyr's crown. Vice President JD Vance declared Kirk, "a martyr for the Christian faith." Frank Turek compared Kirk's death to the beheading of John the Baptist, and another preacher labeled him 'America's youth pastor.'
Charlie Kirk was a professing Christian who was tragically murdered (assassinated) for his political activism, however the scriptures teach that our heavenly crowns will be laid at the feet of Jesus not worn on our heads in heaven. There was no benediction and not even a closing prayer offered up for the families. While I cannot speak about Joseph Smith and Mormonism, a CHRISTIAN martyr is a person who when threatened with death, s/he refused to deny their allegiance to Jesus as the Christ. This is not what happened to Charlie Kirk.
The left made George Floyd their martyr and built Act Blue. The right now has Charlie Kirk/We Are Charlie & TPUSA. Is it a mere coincidence that George Floyd & Charlie Kirk share the same date of birth? Kirk October 14th 1993 and Floyd 9ctober 14th 1973...?
I have to acknowledge the brilliance of our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Although he is a politician, Secretary Rubio's words at least met the sacredness of the moment. IMO Rubio actually eulogized Charlie Kirk and I would encourage everyone to view his 8 minute message. May Charlie Kirk's memory be a blessing.
Rubio is an idiot, a violent-minded stooge, recently in Israel to kiss the ass of Yahoo, and then howl for more genocide. Why on Earth would I want to watch that jackass eulogize the racist liar Kirk? Kirk's "memory" should be a blessing? Maybe for you, but I don't have any use for dog-whistling racists with third-rate minds who got his fortune from the right-wing fascist billionaires who supported his reactionary bullshit. Kirk found out who was boss when, after chafing a bit under Yahoo's demands, he was abandoned by at least one of his billionaire supporters. Ah well. The obsession with Kirk will roll on for a while yet, but war approaches, and that will overshadow our latest distraction.
It wasn't a memorial service. It was a political pep rally.
Charlie Kirk's Birthday: October 14, 1993
George Floyd's Birthday: October 14, 1973
Can the Republican Party safely channel this "revival" and co-opt it like the Dem Party did with George Floyd? We'll see.
...and where are BLM and George Floyd now, same answer, both are dead, that's where they are now.
BLM isn't dead, but rather completely co-opted.
No, it is dead as a political entity, which is what will eventually happen to Charlie Kirk and his "movement." Reduce to a memory, and not even a nostalgic one at that, which is where blm is today.
We have built an electronic machine that is not made for humanizing people but dehumanizing them. It is easier for you to gaze upon their grief like you are looking at insects in a jar. The hundreds of thousands of likes on tweets that mock Erika Kirk or say they were all racists and deserved what they got or that it was a Nazi rally -- that's the story Michael. Not this. This was a group of people who were brought together because of Charlie's faith. That was the whole point of his mission and Turning Point. So what would you have them do, back off to avoid a sneering condemnation? They honored him the way they knew he wanted to be honored and they spoke the language of the faithful. I can understand why people would need faith at a time like this. It's better than burning down cities and transing the kids.
If you think "that's the story" then feel free to write about it. Don't tell me what I should be writing.
Yeah, have faith. The faithful can't afford to live, or go see a doctor, or pay the rent. By all means get down on your knees, and keep praying. That actually was Kirk's message. I enjoy seeing the "I am Charlie Kirk" signs held aloft by people who clearly dont have a pot to piss in or who are, to be polite, "struggling." No, my little Christian naifs, you aint Charlie; you're missing the one thing he and Trump and the rest of those soulless grifters possessed--millions of dollars.
"Transing the kids"... Says it all...
Nah, to me it was just another political event, because Charlie Kirk was a political entity who used the tools in his political toolbox, including Christianity, to achieve his political ambitions, which was to become president someday. Everybody who knew Charlie Kirk said he would be president one day and Charlie Kirk never denied his ambitions.
https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/09/the-pre-trib-rapture-is-today-september-25th-a-supernatural-revelation-in-south-africa/. This article has some updates from Geopolitics Prime on the Memorial Circus.
This is a really good line:
"That’s why the McCain Holy Week goodbye tour had an ineffable feeling of finality about it, even if it was hard to pinpoint exactly why."
I also thought it was strange that McCain had 3 funerals. I don't recall that ever happening before. It seemed like his funerals went on for a week, and they were careful to mention that he had specifically demanded that Trump be barred from attending any of them. Imagine being so consumed with hate that, in the midst of planning your 3 funerals, you take care to exclude certain people.
You do realize that European states have “state” religions, e.g., the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, right? How exactly is that being implemented in the USA?
Charlie Kirk died for our sins, there are reports of his grave is now empty, he is risen!
I heard F-News is going to change their name to "The Charlie Kirk Memorial Network." Their new motto is "You can't spell Charlie without a lie!"
The juxtaposition of the two "movements" in your essay is interesting. my own observation of Mr. Kirk has been that he had two categories of message; spiritual and secular, with a percentage of overlap between the two. The "faith and family" category was an example.
Perhaps counterintuitively, "country and conversation" was another overlap.
I fully agree that the"Church of Saint George" is religiously structured, but it has more of Stalin than saintliness about it, and I mean that quite literally.
Charlie Kirk, if we have made him a martyr, will be remembered for having that categorical overlap, even in the manner of his dying at the hand of an assassin. He died for his faith, but he died mainly for his effectiveness as a counterrevolutionary. Whatever his arguments may have been, his "signature" line was "think about it." He meant "think for yourself."
Yes, the religious aspect was central to what he preached, but his opposition are modern Jacobins, censorious to a murderous degree. Mr. Kirk trespassed on their ideological purity enforcement; a grave sin indeed.
I do not know if the sociopolitical pendulum will swing all the way over once again, Mr. Tracey, but if the Liberal and Conservative consensus that I encounter IRL, regarding Charlie's assassination is any indication, I don't think we're heading for the putsch that the Jacobins have been clamoring for.
Rest in peace, Charlie; you did what you set out to do, and it was a job well done.
I hope you keep reflecting on this subject, and in the fullness of time, write on it again. You’re on to something important here, but this one was too inchoate, too off the cuff. The knee-jerk contrarianism gets the better of you sometimes.
What is the distinction between the religious and the political? What are the sacred rites of the American civic religion, Thanksgiving for example? How is the Bill of Rights a sacred text, and the assassination of a free speech advocate a blasphemy against it? Where is the rift such that Floyd is sacramental to one sect, and Kirk to another?
I’m not really here to be critical of this post, although I thought it was not that great. I want to urge you to try harder, dig deeper into the topic, and come up with something more thoughtful, and perhaps beautiful. Start by dropping the contempt.
I've been writing on the subject of "state religion" for years, as evidenced my extensive use in this article of two prior examples that I covered contemporaneously. I've also written about, studied, and reported on American Christianity -- particularly its political manifestations -- for many years. I even formally studied religion in college, with a concentration on American Christianity. And yet you still call me "knee-jerk contrarian," as though I'm just cynically spouting off for no reason other than to troll or antagonize people on the internet. Thus, I have to disregard your smug, reflexive, and dismissive comment. Sorry.
Your treatment of this subject is excellent and I thank you. Few would touch it the way you did.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Paul Wellstone memorial.
The long and short of it, from a Christian point of view is, you can't be a Christian if you are a member of the republican&democrat PARTY, because they work directly for Satan, duh! Look at the destruction the democrat&republican PARTY has wrought on the world, on America, and on the American People, who die horrible&shocking ways everyday in an America the republican&democrat PARTY created, own, and operate. Where is their government sponsored memorial?
If you are a Christian and are voting for the republican&democrat PARTY you need to remove that plank from your eye, because you can't see the sin you are committing when you vote the Satanist republican&democrat PARTY.
One more thing, "on a foundation of idol worshiping, nothing will grow, says the sower."
My name is ~ Lebo Von Lo~Debar ~ and I approve of this comment.
Okay Lebo. Couldn't agree more about the two Parties, but Kirk was deeply tied to Republican Party money and their right-wing racist justifications for their crimes. That's why anybody even knows who is. I'm okay with you not approving these unfortunate facts.
Chuckling at "right-wing racist justifications for their crimes."
Hello BookWench, and how is the left-wing of the republican&democrat PARTY doing today?
Left wing?
Honey, I'm not on the "left wing" of anything. I'm a right-leaning libertarian, who is registered Independent.
I did too much research on communism to ever be left wing.
Doing just fine, thanks for asking. Hope you are well.
My bad, please forgive me for the faux pas, BookWench.
I am doing much better after reading your reply, thank you very much, and may you have a wonderful day, and life, BookWench, as all American should.
It is still ALL ABOUT the democrat&republican PARTY, singular not plural, hence the One more thing,
"on a foundation of idol worshiping, nothing will grow, says the sower."
If you know your Christian Bible, Tim N, then you will know what I think of Charlie Kirk and those who worship him as is represented in the above quote.
“To be critical… is an affront to the dead”. That’s all you were. It’s all you ever are- critical. You must live a miserable life. Try watching a few more full 3 hr campus videos and you may just see the human Charlie was to everyone. His kindness. His compassion. His defense of all races and ideologies against haters. He made a positive impact - even on heads of state (pearls clutched). When a person is already of faith, it isn’t difficult to get more energized by Charlie’s charisma. By his effortless ability to love his fellow human. When you are searching for faith, he has the ability to make you search just that much harder within yourself. I’ve lived a mostly secular life after being raised Catholic. I have been numb when it comes to religion. Our govt and the media have made certain of that. Charlie helped me revisit my faith. To rethink it. Particularly important In light of the sheer corruption proven to have existed in the Obama and Biden admins, which caused my faith to feel more unattainable. The hatred being spewed by the left demonstrates how little they do any research or alternatively how much they gaslight the millions of Americans who are lazy and / or low IQ. Objective reporting means to understand the facts and report in that light. God forbid you try to stand in the shoes of conservatives - of Charlie- and write from that perspective. Maybe spend a day at TPUSA. How about talking to Andrew Colvet, Mikey McCoy, Tyler Bowyer or even Young Turks founder, Cenk Uygur, about his experience with Charlie and the AmFest he attended where he said everyone was “universally wonderful”. I suspect you’d leave a different person. I remain actively in search of my faith but feel more spirited and optimistic bc of the wave of love and revival spreading now across the country. All because of the humanity Charlie embodied. A person with more agency than anyone else I’ve ever seen and who used that to change minds and hearts of millions of young and old (me) people alike.
Michael, take the time to really listen to Charlie. To those who love him. Understand who Charlie was-a devout Christian and conservative-whose goal was to give young people a voice. He wanted to persuade them but if he didn’t, he remained satisfied his goal was met: the youth had the mic, had his ear and had the time to be heard. If they chose, they also had a new community and a sense of belonging, regardless of race, religion or ideology. TPUSA would welcome you too, despite your “glass almost empty” perspective on all things.
genuinely, shut up. The guy was a podcaster. A PODCASTER.It is baffling to see the idolatry and obsession of Charlie as if he were a god.
I was baffled, as well, but the fact is, he did somehow inspire thousands of South Koreans to march in his honor. There were also vigils from Thailand to Australia, throughout Europe, Canada, and the US. He clearly meant a great deal to many people.
Kathy you are absolutely RIGHT! Now here...have some kool-aid it's red and delicious or do you prefer the blue kool-aid?
Lol
Kathy...I am glad you have a sense of humor...God Bless you.
If sin is to miss the mark, there is no sin here in that regard. Michael hits a bullseye.
As Christians, we worship The Way, The Fruth, and The Life. And Jesus was hung on a cross for His anticlericalism. Michael calls it like he sees it. In an essay of this length, there is very little that I would dispute.
To wit: I would add Paul Wellstone's funeral to the list. Nothing else comes to mind.
The state will come after us as Christians. It can look at this event as precedent when the shoe is back on the other foot.
At the same time, America better crank up the revival. "Know Jesus, know peace; no Jesus, no peace" may be trite but it is not wrong.
Finally: Michael you are fearless, dogged, and willing to suffer in your pursuit of the truth. The gospels have spellbinding, mind-bending truth.
Mark is in the telegraphed language of a fisherman. Matthew takes that and adds historical context. Luke is largely a legal thriller (with the added bonus of Jesus calling a man a fool for storing up a large retirement fund). John takes the telegraphed stories of Mark and then layers on whole other dimensions.
They are profound, great, and life-changing. i think that you would appreciate them. I am not presuming that you don't know them; I am just saying that Jesus of the gospels is your type of guy (based on your writings).
Jesus Christ, save your tears for the tens of thousands of murdered children in Gaza, which Kirk and both political Parties support. Gonna be an easy call for our Lord when these genocidaires come before Him.
Yes Tim, we get it, "From the Borders of Gaza to the Sea." Yeah, we hear you Jew haters say that all the time. You sound like one of those who hate God's Chosen People? Is that true Tim N? Then just say it, don't pretend you're something else.
You are obviously a dupe of the “Gaza Health Ministry”, the biggest lying propaganda machine since Joseph Goebbels.
The GHM grossly exaggerates casualty figures. Hamas has been repeatedly caught faking videos of supposed dead children who are miraculously resurrected when somebody forgets to turn the camera off. This has happened to the extent that the pejorative moniker for the amateurish propaganda videos that have fooled many gullible dupes is “Pallywood”.
Many of the “children” GHM claims as civilian casualties are actually military-aged terrorists in their teens.
To the extent that there are civilian child casualties, blame Hamas. They started this senseless war. They use their woolen and children as human shields while they cower like cowards in bunkers hoarding food or reselling free aid to the people they purport to represent at exorbitant markups to enrich their billionaire fat cat rulers who sit like modern-day pashas in Qatar, safe from bombs and getting fatter on the finest food.
Hamas and its Iranian puppetmasters, their Russian masterminds, and the rest of the so-called “ring of fire” are evil incarnate.
They have made Jew hating fools out of you and billions of other victims of their hateful bigotry.
You will reject everything I say because you have been enslaved by their diabolical scheme. I will pray for your deliverance from evil.
And the international doctors, surgeons and nurses who have witnessed and reported on children being murdered by snipers is...? Fiction? You are another Zionist war criminal spreading lies and propaganda. Vile.
They're all liars doing the diabolical work of Russia, Ifan, and Hamas. The blood of all casualties on both sides is on their murderous hands. They are playing you and the billions of newly minted Jew haters like so many fiddles while Rome (the Western world burns). I will pray that someday I to see what is being done to us. Meanwhile, I forgive you because you know not what you do.
The sooner you wake up and see how badly you are being played by these demons, the better.
Russia?
What?
You don't see it do you? Maybe you just don't know the history.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s founding charter was not a purely local creation—it was drafted in Moscow, under Soviet supervision. Yasser Arafat himself was groomed by the KGB and then dispatched to the Middle East as their chosen instrument, tasked with building a militant movement that served both Moscow’s Cold War aims and the broader project of destabilizing the West’s position in the region.
"Jew haters"... Antisemitism? Who cares. 80 years of lies, apartheid, murder, land theft, propaganda, corruption and now a genocide. Reap what you sow. AIPAC controls the USA and you are just another vile zionist war criminal with no knowledge of history or reality.
It is difficult to discern the spark of divinity in you, but nonetheless I will pray that your heart, mind, and soul be exorcised of the Jew hatred that has demonically possessed you and blinded you to the fact that the Israelis are the persecuted, not the persecutors, that Russia, Iran, and its cat’s paws are evil incarnate, and you are being played by the oldest devilish trick in the world, divide and rule fueled by hate.
You are unable to see the truth because you have been duped by propaganda. I will pray that you are liberated from your enslavement by the forces of evil.
You say nothing... just more foul polluted air. Ciao.
You are a coward. You are conceding defeat because you have no credible argument. I have prayed for you. Hopefully, your character, or I should say lack of same, and your soul will be healed.
Blah blah blah... I've given actual historical truths... you... nothing. It is you who is the defeated coward. There is no god and you are proof.
You share nothing but Hamas propaganda. You have been played badly by them. You're their tool. I forgive them for you know not what ykundo, but the blood of thousands of victims is on your keyboard. You'll never be able to wash it off until you renounce the evil that has possessed your heart, mind, and soul. You are doing the devil's work and aiding and abetting a second Shoah.
In your heart, you know it, which is why you tendentiously persist in your hopeless argument with me.