Joyce Carol Oates: Christianity ‘Virtually Synonymous’ with White Nationalism Across U.S.

Author and prolific Tweeter Joyce Carol Oates openly pondered the state of Christianity in America in a post to her Twitter account Thursday afternoon — and believes Christianity is now indistinguishable from white nationalism in many parts of America.

Those (of us) who could not believe in Christianity as a religion nonetheless believed that its tenets & ideals were noble, profound. But

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) January 13, 2017

what has happened to Christians in recent years! Virtually synonymous w/ white nationalism in many parts of country.

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) January 13, 2017

Of course, many of the 78-year-old author’s 160,000 social media followers (and presumably some Christians) took umbrage at the suggestion that their faith automatically makes them a white nationalist.

so all those Yazidis massacred in Syria. White Nationalists?

— ZendoDeb (@ZendoDeb) January 13, 2017

.@JoyceCarolOates Country is full of black churches & packed every Sunday, they're Christians. Or are you not aware Baptists are Christians?

— Michelle (@1DownFourUp) January 13, 2017

It's only "virtually synonymous" in your own head.
And that's about YOU, not Christianity.
But don't worry, you're forgiven

— The Department of No (@SantasTavern) January 13, 2017

https://twitter.com/ArmyofBlonde/status/819773413292011521

Then again, Oates has a long history of issuing questionable tweets; in June of 2015, the National Book Award-winner expressed her outrage that director Steven Spielberg had posed for a photograph with what appeared to be a dead animal.

So barbaric that this should still be allowed… No conservation laws in effect wherever this is? https://t.co/hgavm9IBaM

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) June 9, 2015

Eagle-eyed viewers, or anyone that has seen the 1993 film Jurassic Park, knew that Spielberg was posing with an animatronic dinosaur prop from the film.

This guy thinks it's cool to kill defenceless animals then take a selfie. Jerk. pic.twitter.com/WbgMklrd9u

— Chris Tilly (@TillyTweets) June 9, 2015

In November, Oates was roundly mocked for issuing a tweet about ISIS. The author wanted to know whether there were any “celebratory or joyous” aspects of the murderous terrorist group, rather than the “puritanical and “punitive” aspects she had heard so much about.

 

Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum