Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano Could Have Dressed as Anyone at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2014. Instead, He Choose a Confederate Soldier

/ wonderingeagle

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Douglas Mastriano is the darling of charismatic and Christian nationalist evangelicals in the 2022 race. Mastriano who allegedly has affection for the Confederacy was found to have dressed up as a Confederate solider in 2014. There are some evangelicals who have a deep affection for the Confederacy and hostility to Lincoln and the north. This blogger has seen it first hand.

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”

Abraham Lincoln

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 ESV

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Doug Mastriano

When it comes to American evangelicalism, Christian nationalism is a hot issue right now. The goal of this blog is to write about many different topics and bounce around. Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is the darling of charismatics, and some evangelicals in Pennsylvania. He kicked off his campaign with a prayer rally and evangelical praise and worship. If you would have attended it you would not have known the difference between a campaign and Sunday morning worship. This blog wants to do a couple of posts on Mastriano. This blog touched on Mastriano when it wrote about Jenna Ellis and Liberty in the following post, “How Liberty University Poisons… A Closer Look at Standing for Freedom “Fellow” Jenna Ellis and the Evangelical Culture Wars.” So in another upcoming post expect a deep dive biography about Doug Mastriano.

Some American Evangelicals Have Affection for the Confederacy

The affection that some American evangelicals have for the Confederacy is striking and different. Here in the Washington. D.C. area I have encountered some Southern Baptists and other evangelicals that have hatred for Lincoln or veneer for the Confederacy. And its not hard to look for, I encountered it at Fairfax Community Church when I moved down to D.C. from Wisconsin in 2005. I was at a social and a guy in the church pulls out a five dollar bill which has Lincoln. He puts it face down on the table and says that he liked to do that, mentions his disdain of Lincoln and said that he got what he deserved. I sat there just stunned to hear this…especially at a church I was getting involved with.

Some of the roots of the issue go back to even how the Southern Baptists were founded. The Southern Baptists split from the Baptists of the North over the topic of slavery. Slavery was Biblical, it was in God’s word and scripture is inerrant. The Confederacy itself claimed to be a Christian nation. One of the issues it had with the United States Constitution is that God was not mentioned. Leaders and Christians in the South believed that God called up the Confederacy, blessed its institutions and that God was a core part of their “nation.” This belief was so supported by the Confederacy that its motto became Deo Vindice (“With God as our defender”). To counter the United States Constitution the Confederate Constitution expressly mentions God. Read the preamble below.

We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent and federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity—invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God—do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America.

Some Christian ministers in the South extolled the claim that those in the Confederacy were “God’s chosen people.” It was almost as if it was a new Israel. If you would like to read about how some other ministers in the South regarded the Confederacy and God you can read more about that here.

Enter Doug Mastriano and a Reuters Expose

On August 26, 2022 Reuters released a picture of Doug Mastriano dressed up in a Confederate uniform. In 2014 at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for a staff photo. Mastriano who was a colonel retired in 2017. The war college told professors that they could dress as a historical figure if they wanted to. With Mastriano’s affection for the Confederacy who chose to dress as a Confederate. After this came to light the Army War College removed the photo. You can see the picture below in the Reuters Tweet. Mastriano who is a State Senator of Pennsylvania has Gettysburg in his district. Mastriano allegedly wished that the Confederacy would have beaten the Union at Gettysburg.

A Few Thoughts to This Issue

This blogger is appalled that there are a number of evangelicals who support the Confederacy. In my own personal life, I actually know a Southern Baptist who puts pictures of Confederate leaders on his social media. Its disturbing. But he speaks of his faith in God, being born again, and Robert E Lee and how Abraham Lincoln is a tyrant. Those evangelicals who are into this cause this blog would state are lost.  I can not understand the charismatic crowd who cheers on Doug Mastriano. It baffles me, in working on this post I have noticed that Mastriano pops up in charismatic churches. And on top of that I would even question if they are actually American and know what it means.

I love Pennsylvania and have spent a lot of time there and have been to Gettysburg often. I do not understand why 15 to 20 minutes away from the site of one of the bloodiest battlefields in the Civil War, some are flying Confederate flags. Pennsylvania lost 33,000 soldiers in the Civil War. Hanging a Confederate flag in the commonwealth is perverse and sick. Its dishonoring those 33,000 from Pennsylvania who died. To fly a Confederate flag near Gettysburg would be like flying the flag of the Empire of Japan over the USS Arizona. Or flying that flag of ISIS or Al Qaeda over the World Trade Center memorial. It has no place at all. Honestly I can’t believe I am writing about this issue at all, but this is evangelicalism and sadly this is an issue. And to have this come from Doug Mastriano who showed up at the Stop the Steal rally and incited people into the Capitol is far more sickening.

43 thoughts on “Christian Nationalist Doug Mastriano Could Have Dressed as Anyone at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2014. Instead, He Choose a Confederate Soldier”

  1. Hi Eagle,

    There’s a lot more to Doug Mastriano than meets the eye. Will Bunch, a longtime columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer, published an article today about the people Mastriano surrounds himself with. Basically, it’s NAR types, prophets, people who went to J6, Jenna Ellis, members of a kinda scary church that provides security for Mastriano, SEAN FEUCHT, Mike Flynn and more.

    https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/doug-mastriano-campaign-inner-circle-20220901.html

    It’s kind of astonishing. Just thought you might be interested.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yup…that is true. I plan on doing a deep dive. I did a deep article about Jenna Ellis and wrote about him there. But there is a lot with Mastriano. Jan 6, NAR, Q Anon, Gab and anti Semitic views, etc….

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    • NAR as in Pagan Temple Screamers and Operation Ice Castle, with Prophetic Visions Direct From GOD every few minutes? Bragged about killing SATANIST Mother Teresa with their Imprecatory Prayers/Death Hexes? Taking Back neighborhoods from DEMONS by setting Holy Wards around the perimeters?

      These guys are either Holy Sorcerers or LARPing High-Level Magic-Users and Clerics without admitting to it.

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      • “Operation Ice Castle” is still one of the most bizarre incidents I have ever read about and really deserves an investigation as part of the larger C. Peter Wagner locus of crazy.

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      • I think it is the latter. Never was much into LARPing though. Preferred pencil, paper, dice, and tabletop RPGs. Usually played fighter types, though once I played a Van Helsing-like specialist necromancer wizard (learned the arts to destroy the undead). Played the Van Helsing obsession and zeal to a T.

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      • For those not familiar with the Apostles and Prophets of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation), “Operation Ice Castle” was an NAR attempt at a bootleg climb of Mt Everest to Do Spiritual Combat with a Demon called “Queen of Heaven”. (The first time I’d heard the title “Queen of Heaven” applied to someone other than St Mary.)

        “Pagan Temple Screamers” refers to an alleged NAR event in the city/ruins of Ephesus (the one in the Bible) to engage in some sort of flash-mob Spiritual Combat with the DEMONS infesting Ephesus (site of the Temple of Artemis some 2000 years ago), Emceed by that Mighty ManaGAWD, Ted Haggard.

        And about their “Imprecatory Prayers” — where I come from, that’s called Casting a Death Hex; in New Orleans it’s called Gris-Gris, in PA Dutch country, Hexerai, in this one Fifties Bible Epic (“Story of Ruth”?) calling upon Baal-Chemosh to “send death and destruction down upon these my enemies”.

        Move over, Kat Kerr and her mighty wizard’s staff; you have been topped.
        “I have a mighty wizard’s staff,
        I think it’s really swell —
        Whatever tries to get in my way
        I blow it straight to hell!”
        — early D&D filksong

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      • Regarding Prophecies and Miracles direct from God every few minutes, I consider Visions and Miracles a subset of paranormal phenomena, and paranormal phenomena seem to be rare and erratic events in general, analogous to rare natural phenomena.

        I have had two definite and one possible paranormal experiences in my life, about the same number of times I’ve witnessed a sundog (a known natural phenomenon that is extremely rare where I live). That comes out to around one definite every THIRTY years (twenty if you count my adult life. All three were highly subjective.

        One definite was a simple ghost encounter a couple years ago; SOMETHING walked past the door too quick to even make out a shape, in an old church that I later found out was haunted by nuisance-level poltergeist activity.

        The other definite (The Fullerton Freakout, circa 1980) actually fit the description of a demonic encounter (with spiritual warfare aftermath), but otherwise did NOT follow any of the standard Christianese tropes. At all.

        The possible (Thirty Seconds Over Narnia, some time in the 1990s) could be construed as a “vision”, but also did not fit the conventional description of a Vision, just an incredibly vivid mental image that came out of nowhere, lasted less than a minute, and faded away leaving some emotional healing.

        (As Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World put it under the classication “Enigmas” — “Something impossible was reported by credible witnesses, left no physical evidence it had happened, and was never repeated”, so what do you do?)

        So I am very skeptical of these Visionaries who claim to be channeling God and getting Dreams, Visions, and Marching Orders every few minutes. Plus I belong to a church where “Mary Channeling” is the characteristic way to flake out.

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      • He has also been called a complete and total catastrophe by a former GOP congressman.

        But he’s Doug Mastriano, CHRISTIAN, so Whose Side Are You On?
        GAWD OR SATAN?????

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    • Before playing the persecution card, why don’t you go and preach the gospel in a true theocracy like Iran & Saudi Arabia?

      If it wasn’t allowed, he wouldn’t be doing it.

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    • I see you’ve gotten your marching orders. Put a sock in it, Biden only spoke the truth about the fascist threat to the USA from the former president and his followers, some of whom worship Trump as a god.

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      • HUG, the rest of them see Trump as “God’s Cyrus,” or “God’s chosen one” or “God’s man for the hour” or “God’s anointed.” Which is not quite worshiping Trump as a god, but approaching it.

        I mean, I respect Joe Biden, but I also don’t forget my first memory of him, which was when he was caught plagiarizing a speech given by Neil Kinnock (MP, Labour) way back in 1987. This torpedoed Biden’s presidential campaign, which is kind of funny and quaint to think about in light of FPOTUS. My point is that while I voted for Joe Biden, I sure as hell don’t worship him, I’ve thought he’s pulled his punches, but I was damn proud he finally just said what we’ve all been saying and thinking about regarding the Trump GOP.

        “There is no GOP, there is only Fascism.”

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  3. Eagle,

    Remember a number of evangelicals, Christian nationalists, and the usual Trump crowd that went ballistic in Charlottesville and elsewhere when the statues of Confederate leaders were removed or planned to be removed.

    Being the history buff, I am sure you are well aware that most of the statues were erected to propel and reinforce the Myth of the Lost Cause, especially during the height of Jim Crow. Honoring the soldiers and leaders was a small component (to get the Confederate widows and kids to donate to help build them).

    Now before Seneca comments about this (and to watch the all the neo-Rebs heads’ explode), I just need to ask this question:

    If all these statues and memorials of Confederate leaders are built just to honor their service, sacrifice, and leadership, then why are there only 3 memorials to James Longstreet? Why are there more honors to Leonidas Polk and Braxton Bragg than to Longstreet?

    Wondering Eagle, I am sure you know the answer to that question.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I am sure you are well aware that most of the statues were erected to propel and reinforce the Myth of the Lost Cause, especially during the height of Jim Crow.

      Regarding the Myth of the Lost Cause, I figure it was the best of a lot of bad alternatives. Better than a continuing guerilla/terrorist rebellion by hardcore diehards (literally) with equally (if not more) brutal counterguerilla/counterterrorism campaigns to put it down. (After Appomatox, General Lee had to quash demands for that from his subordinates, using force of personality and his troops’ respect for him.)

      Like a later President having to decide between Operation Olympic and The Bomb, sometimes there are NO good solutions and the best you can do is the least bad of the bad ones.

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  4. I deliberately mentioned Bragg and Polk as being honored and not Longstreet in regards to the supposed reason for the statues and memorials recognizing the leadership of Confederate generals as a way of disproving that reason.

    Braxton Bragg and Leonidas Polk were 2 of the most incompetent generals of EITHER side in the Civil War. If was a member of the US Army Special Forces or the 82nd Airborne, I would want the base that I am stationed to be named for someone other than Braxton Bragg.

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    • Braxton Bragg and Leonidas Polk were 2 of the most incompetent generals of EITHER side in the Civil War.

      And considering the fierce competition for that title among Union generals, that’s saying something.

      A little checking found that Bragg was North Carolinan, so being a local boy probably had something to do with naming Fort Bragg in NC. (i.e. “He was an incompetent, but he was a NORTH CAROLINAN INCOMPETENT!”) Besides the usual “CHECKMATE, LINCOLNITE!” of the early 20th in the Former Confederate States.

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  5. Evangelicals will vote as a bloc and are loath to criticize their co-religionists. They sow fear among a sheltered and ignorant audience – that they are losing their primacy, that they are persecuted.

    It’s all part of the great white temper tantrum – so they go back to the “golden age” of the Confederacy.

    Just like how the Islamic State looks back to imaginary perfection of “the Caliphate”.

    To neutralize the threat, Americans need to get out and vote.

    Keep in mind though, these folks are anti democratic and militant. I don’t see an American Theocracy a la Handmaids Tale – but I do see an increase in domestic terrorism.

    I think the true battlefield is at the civic level. The mega-church madrassas are where the foot soldiers of the insurgency are going to come from – that’s where radicalization will grow.

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    • It’s all part of the great white temper tantrum – so they go back to the “golden age” of the Confederacy.

      Just like how the Islamic State looks back to imaginary perfection of “the Caliphate”.

      Or Evangelicals to the imaginary perfection of the New Testament Church of 33 AD.

      Or the other Godly Golden Ages of Evangelical Mythic History:
      1) The Godly Golden Age of the 1950s – not the REAL 1950s, but the Nifty Fifties mythologized through the beer goggles of Ozzie, Harriet, and Donna Reed.
      2) The Godly Golden Age of the First Coming of Trump, 2016-2020. Looking forward to His Second Coming in 2022 or 2024, when His Kingdom Shall Have No End.

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      • Though I understand Pleasantville also had its problems, summarized as “Nineties Good! Fifties BAAAAAAAAAAD!”

        I would have done it a little deeper, contrasting the Fifties of Pleasantville with the Nineties of the movie’s making. Not in the sense of “FIFTIES BAAAAAD! FIFTIES BAAAAAD!” but more like “Then and Now. We gained a lot, we lost things in the process. Maybe some of those Fifties things should have been kept; shouldn’t we have kept the best parts into the future?”

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    • Evangelicals will vote as a bloc and are loath to criticize their co-religionists.

      Didn’t a lot of Muslims act the same in the aftermath of 9/11?

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  6. Its disturbing. But he speaks of his faith in God, being born again, and Robert E Lee

    Does he ever speak of how after the war (when in his own words “the matter has been settled”), Marse Robert spoke for reconciliation? And said directly how he did not want statues of himself erected? And that at his funeral there should be NO displays of the Confederacy, only civilian attire?

    Though these days (just like a certain John Kennedy), Robert E Lee the Myth bears little resemblance to Robert E Lee the man.

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  7. Most personally influential history book I’ve read about the War of Northern Aggression:

    AN UNBIASED LOOK AT THE CIVIL WAR FROM THE SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW.

    It’s the most insightful book I’ve read about the War.

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    • “AN UNBIASED LOOK AT THE CIVIL WAR FROM THE SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW.”

      “Unbiased…” – what an ironic title!

      Who was it written by? The Real McCain and Smitty?

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      • I once heard the Civil War from the Southern POV and it was FAR different than the usual. What stuck in my mind was the corruption of the Federal occupation governors and forces during Reconstruction, how they were pretty much Carpetbaggers of the worst kind getting rich under cover of Authority. That must also have been a factor in how the South viewed the war. And they took it out on the local blacks.

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      • Ok, but it’s interesting that had the south abolished slavery then Britain would have recognized them. That would have changed things immensely.

        It was always about that peculiar institution.

        Yes, there was corruption in the north but lesser of two evils.

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      • Ok, but it’s interesting that had the south abolished slavery then Britain would have recognized them. That would have changed things immensely.

        But that Peculiar Institution had become the South’s self-identity. They had become It and It had become Them. Like a Core Article of Faith, to be held onto at any cost or Lose Your Eternal Salvation.

        Plantation Cash-Crop Economy. And ONLY Plantation Cash Crop Economy. Like The Curse of Oil. Or the Roman Province of Asia at the time of the Book of Revelation – “but don’t touch the Olive Oil and Wine!” (plantation cash crops that further enriched Roman absentee landlords at the expense of agricultural land to feed the locals)..

        If the “Second American Revolution” had succeeded and they stayed the way they were, the CSA would have been Left Behind as a Third World Plantation Cash Crop Economy. With a Planter aristocracy; that was also a beef of the North, that the South was replicating the Lord-and-Serf System of Europe.

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    • “AN UNBIASED LOOK AT THE CIVIL WAR FROM THE SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW.”

      That anything like REVEREND Doug Wilson’s “Southern Slavery as it Really Was”? You know, the CHRISTIAN defense of that Peculiar Institution and its Animate Property?

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      • I wish these guys who think about the “Southern point of view” would consider that included owning other human beings as property. They never do.

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      • They always see themselves as Massa in the Big House, with their 200-year Quiverfull Dynastic plan and “House Servants”. See how GAWD Blesses His Faithful?

        Just like that neo-Nazi I encountered during my college years, when you divide humanity into Herrenvolk und Ubermenschen, guess which category you always put yourself into.

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