The Dangers of 'Christian Nationalism' Arising in the United Kingdom

 My readers will note that I have placed 'Christian Nationalism' in inverted commas, the simple reason being is that this ideology is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, as anyone familiar with the New Testament knows:

                              "There is neither Jew, nor Greek, there is neither bond, nor free,

                                there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ

                                Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, KJV)     

The aforementioned quotation is an echo of sorts of the words of the fictional and mythological construct, 'Jesus':

                                "But he willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who 

                                 is my neighbour?" (Luke 10: 29, KJV)       

                                

After relating the parable of the 'Good Samaritan', 'Jesus' made it clear to the man that all whom he encounters should be viewed as his 'neighbour'. This thinking is at sharp contrast with those who espouse the nonsensical ideology of 'Christian Nationalism', which like all bad ideas is an import from the United States. As an aside, my late mother, a practising spiritualist predicted the rise of 'Christian Nationalism' and its spread from the United States to the United Kingdom. Bearing in mind that she died in 1989, this is an incredible prediction which has since come true.

In recent months, I have seen the rise of new channels and old channels on Youtube dedicated to spreading 'Christian Nationalist' propaganda, always without exception, linked to anti-Islamic sentiment and mass immigration. There is nothing particularly new in this as this drivel began to be spouted by the British National Party in the early 2,000s. Realising that directly attacking mass immigration on racial grounds was legally problematic and not conducive to electoral support, they swiftly began to take up the banner of 'Christian Nationalism', although they did not, as far as I remember, use that expression. They attacked Islam while hiding behind the banner of a fake Christianity. With the demise of the BNP, this strategy was taken up by the Britain First Party, who would often parade on the streets behind a large wooden cross. There is nothing remotely 'Christian' about the politics of these two parties. As we have seen, this became a failed strategy at the time and helped neither party electorally.

With the rise of Reform UK Ltd and its little sister, Advance UK, and bearing in mind the rising popularity of both organisations, it seems pertinent to me to examine their stated stance on the issue of Christianity and its relationship to the United Kingdom. I shall start with Advance UK first as their statement is unambiguous:

                                         "The Party promotes and celebrates the Nation's

                                           Christian constitution, roots, traditions, culture,

                                           and values."  (https://www.advanceuk.org.uk/mission 

                                           accessed on 12/11/25).

Note the use of the verb 'promote'! Interestingly, its current leader is a businessman, Benyamin Naeem Habib, a British citizen of Pakistani Muslim heritage. I am not sure what the relevance of Advance UK is apart from its potential to split the Reform UK Ltd vote! 

The real worry comes from Reform UK Ltd. Very wisely, they have decided not to mention their stance on Christianity in any of their policy documents ( Reform UK Policy Documents ). Therefore, in order to ascertain their position on the subject of religion, we must delve far deeper. One Reform councillor has reportedly told Northumberland County Council 'that children should only be taught Christianity in Religious Education because exposure to other religions might 'brainwash' them.' (Quote taken from the website of Humanists UK https://humanists.uk/2025/09/17/reform-councillor-demands-christian-only-re-to-end-brainwashing/ See also the story reported online in the Northumberland Gazette: https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/politics/council/reform-councillor-in-northumberland-claims-studying-non-christian-religion-could-brainwash-children-5317274

Of course this is only one councillor and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the party to which he belongs. One Reform UK Ltd parliamentary candidate acknowledged on Premier Plus radio that 'many Reform supporters see the party as aligned with Christian principles.' ( https://www.premier.plus/inspirational-breakfast-with-esther-higham/audio-series/clips/audio-items/is-reform-uk-representing-christian-values )

I am not aware that Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK Ltd has made any overt statements on the subject of religion but he has not entirely ignored the subject either. Declaring at a speech in Blackpool in 2024, he reportedly said that 'Judeo-Christian values' are at the root of everything in 'Britain.' Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship this year he reportedly stated: "We've kind of forgotten that what underpins everything is our Judeo-Christian culture and that's where we need to start ." ( https://www.issacharpeople.org/Articles/715854/How_Christian_is.aspx ) It should be remembered that the Chairman of Reform UK Ltd, Zia Yusuf is himself a Muslim. The influence of affluent Muslims in both Advance UK and Reform UK Ltd causes me to question how deep these supposedly 'Christian' sentiments go. To me it sounds like political opportunism, playing to a particular demographic but in politics perception is everything  and there is an increasing perception that the policies of that party align with the hopes and aspirations of Christian voters.

Another rising star to watch is the new leader of the 'one trick pony' UKIP, Nick Marcel Tenconi who is also the Chief Operating Officer of the right-wing Turning Point UK which in itself is an offshoot of Turning Point USA, a conservative students pressure group which advocates capitalism and reactionary politics. According to the website novaramedia.com Tenconi describes himself as a 'Defender of masculinity, Christianity and conservative values.'

One rather unusual character who is starting to make waves in the 'Christian Nationalist' movement is self-styled 'Bishop' Ceirion Dewar, age 49. I can find no public record of his ordination as a priest or his consecration as a bishop in the Anglican church. It is thus unclear as to how and from whom he derives his consecration but he is not recognised by the Church of England.  He is, however, listed on the 'Confessing Anglican Church' website. See https://confessinganglican.church/cac-bishop-cei-dewar-leads-prayer-at-uk-rally/ What is particularly important here is the fact that he opened the 'Tommy Robinson' 'Unite the Kingdom' rally. Mr Dewar does not identify himself as a 'Christian Nationalist' but he is certainly associated with people who are.

 Unlike the United States, up until now, religion has never been an element in British politics but is this about to change? Anti-Islamist campaigner, 'Tommy Robinson', who is an Irish and British citizen of Irish parentage appears to have recently jumped onto the 'Christian Nationalist' bandwagon, whose 'Unite the Kingdom' march in September was marked by his supporters wearing crusader outfits, carrying life-size crosses, banners with biblical verses and Union flags featuring a crucified Jesus. Mixed in with all this fake religiosity were the usual anti-Islam and anti-Starmer pejoratives. Knuckle-dragging civic nationalism has now been given a fake Christian veneer. Last month he went on a much publicised pilgrimage to the 'holy land'. 'Robinson's support for Zionism is a matter of public record and the number of times that he has declared himself a Zionist are too many to mention in this short article. Now he appears to be combining this new found 'love of da lord' with his active support for Israel, his opposition to Islam and making connections between various nationalist groups across Europe. Indeed, he has only just returned from Poland after attending nationalist events to mark Polish Independence Day.

The demographic which all of the aforementioned parties and movements draw active and/or vocal support from (according to my interactions with them) appear to be poorly educated, working class (blue collar worker), middle aged, white men who have an inborn prejudice against the 'other' and a resentment towards all organs of the state, id est the government, (sometimes) the royal family, the police, the judiciary, local authorities and the civil service, with the exception of the military which they appear to unthinkingly worship and whom they regard as being beyond criticism or judicial accountability. This reflects a militaristic attitude among many native English members of the aforesaid demographic. Due to the lack of critical thinking skills and poor education of much of this demographic, they are ripe for reactionary indoctrination.

If this is an indicator of the rise of militant Christianity in the United Kingdom then this is not good news for anyone who resists that religion, regardless of whether they be a humanist, a member of a different Abrahamic religion, a less illiberal form of Christianity or a heathen such as myself. There may be a spiritual thirst among the less cynical English people but that thirst cannot be quenched by an intolerant and alien religion, imposed upon our ancestors by force and deceit and maintained that way for centuries. In summing up, a resurgent and militant Christianity should be as much of a concern to us as militant Islamism!

The Goseck Circle

 There is a surprising amount of ignorance regarding aspects of the Neolithic and Bronze Age material and spiritual cultures of the German-speaking lands in the Anglophone world. I believe that this is largely due to a lack of  knowledge of the German tongue in these lands: most of the relevant literature is only or mainly available in German rather than English.

There is a thematic connection between this article and my previous one The Nebra Sky Disc-Unetice Culture Part 1  : I would encourage my readers to also read that article. The Goseck Circle predates the Nebra Sky Disc by more than 3,300 years, rooting it firmly in the Neolithic culture of central Europe, not the Unetice culture, which belongs to the central European Bronze Age. However, the distance between these two sites (Nebra and Goseck) is only 25 miles and both are situated in the modern German Land (state) of Sachsen-Anhalt.

Constructed around 4,900 BCE, the circle remained in use until 4,700 BCE, making this the oldest known circle in Europe, older than the first phase of Stonehenge by 1,800 years! I would ask the question, how many people in the United Kingdom or other parts of the English-speaking world are aware of that fact? This is one of the reasons why I started this blog and my previous ones 19 years ago, to bring to light that which is hidden. I have been described by one person as a 'spiritual archaeologist' and this term fits my role exactly!

The Goseck circle was discovered in 1991 due to the result of an aerial field survey. This resulted in a major excavation of the site between 2002 and 2005. Following the reconstruction of the wooden palisade, it was opened to the general public in December of 2005. 1,675 oak poles were shaped using hand tools, measuring 8.2 ft in height for each one.

Unlike the better known circles or henges, Goseck was not constructed of stone but of two wooden palisade rings which contain entrances in alignment with the sunrise and sunset of the winter solstice. The southeast gate is aligned with the winter solstice sunrise, the southwest gate with the winter solstice sunset and there is a third gate which points to the true north. Surrounding these wooden palisades was a ditch with the following dimensions: 82 yards in diameter, 2.2 to 3.3 yards in width and a depth of 1.6 to 2.2 yards. It is clear from the dimensions of the ditch that it was ritualistic, not defensive in nature.

It is interesting that while Stonhenge focuses on the summer solstice, the Goseck circle's main focus is that of the winter solstice. However, there are two narrower entrances located between the main gates which are aligned with the summer solstice and these are far less prominent architecturally. Location of the narrower entrances: one between the southeast and northern gates, aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, and one between the southwest and northern gates, aligned to the summer solstice sunset. The two narrower gates appear to have been constructed during the initial building phase. While this neolithic solar observatory marks both solstices, it is interesting why there should be an emphasis on the winter solstice.

The age of the circle as revealed through radiocarbon dating establishes the 4,900 BCE date of the site's construction while the style of the pottery shards establish a presumed last use date of 4,700 BCE. The pottery was the product of the Stroke-ornmented ware culture which flourished between 4,900 to 4,400 BCE or the Danubian Ib culture of V. Gordon Childe which marked the beginning of agrarian society in central Europe. The fact that this was a settled agricultural community explains the emphasis on the winter rather than on the summer solstice. The knowledge of the dating of the winter solstice was a crucial element in the planning of the agricultural cycle. Connected to this scientific knowledge was the religious symbolism of the rebirth of the sun and the rituals associated with that. Winters in that part of the world would have been quite harsh, and thus the expectation of the return of the sun would have held much greater significance spiritually and psychologically than in southern Europe.

There is no evidence of permanent human habitation at the site but human remains have been found there, such as a headless skeleton buried near the southeastern gate, which aligns with the winter solstice sunrise and thus of ritual significance. Other human bones have been found within pits, buried within the circular ditch system. Bovine skulls, dog skulls, goat horns and other animal bones have been found along with multiple burn marks and fire pits, all suggestive of ritual sacrifice. Solar worship was obviously a key element of the Goseck Circle.

It would appear that the abandonment of the Goseck Circle coincided with a transitional phase in neolithic culture, the replacement of the Linear Pottery culture with the Stroke-ornamented ware culture. Whether this change in pottery style was indicative of migration and population replacement, I cannot determine. With a change in material culture there is often a change in that of ritual and belief but it would appear than any such change had been gradual at Goseck and that their beliefs as a continuous population simply evolved.

As with the Nebra Sky Disc, the Goseck Circle is evidence of an advanced central European solar knowledge, and with that knowledge, it is inconceivable to me that there was not a priesthood to safeguard and transmit it!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goseck_Circle_1.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Goseck_Circle_1.jpg

Kenny Arne Lang Antonsen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

[[File:Goseck Circle 1.jpg|thumb|512px|alt=Goseck Circle, Germany, 4900 BC|Goseck Circle, Germany, 4900 BC. Photo by Kenny Arne Lang Antonsen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons]]