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Let Death Seize Upon Them: Populism in Political Prayers of Imprecation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2020

Cynthia Burack Open the ORCID record for Cynthia Burack [Opens in a new window]
Cynthia Burack*
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Cynthia Burack, Ohio State University, 286 University Hall, 230 North Oval Mall, Columbus, OH43210-1311. E-mail: burack.1@osu.edu
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Abstract

In the United States, religious elites routinely use prayer to set and communicate political agendas, shape the opinions of Christian publics, and mobilize political activism. Among political prayers distributed to believers, imprecation is rare. In this paper, I examine a set of cases of imprecatory political prayers publicized since the turn of millennium that have undeniable U.S. political subtexts and objects. Using the work of James Scott and Jan-Werner Müller, I argue that most political prayers of imprecation can fruitfully be read as manifestations of right-wing populism. These prayers reveal a hidden transcript of rage aimed not only at mainstream political arrangements and political elites but also at the comparatively polite discourse characteristic of mainstream U.S. Christian traditions, including much Christian conservatism.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , September 2020 , pp. 492 - 516
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2020

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