This Isn’t a Culture War. It’s a Theocratic Takeover.
When faith writes the laws, freedom becomes a privilege—and you’re next
I’ve heard it shouted at protests.
Printed on t-shirts.
Scribbled on cardboard signs with black Sharpie.
“Hands off our bodies.”
It started as a rallying cry around abortion rights, but it’s evolved into something far larger. More encompassing. More urgent.
Because what we’re witnessing isn’t just one issue. It’s not about a single law or isolated policy. It’s a coordinated, well-funded, theologically-justified push to reshape American society into one that reflects the beliefs of a narrow, conservative religious minority.
And “Hands Off” is how we draw the line.
This isn’t a slogan.
It’s a boundary.
And in 2025, we need that boundary more than ever.
Hands off our bodies.
This should be obvious. But apparently it’s not.
When a government starts legislating wombs—dictating who can access reproductive healthcare, when, and under what conditions—we’re not talking about democracy anymore. We’re talking about control.
The phrase “my body, my choice” has been ridiculed, co-opted, and dismissed. But its meaning has never changed: No one—no church, no state, no scripture—gets to override a person’s bodily autonomy.
And yet, here we are. Watching states roll back abortion rights, criminalize providers, and float laws that force women to carry pregnancies against their will.
Let’s be honest about what this is:
It’s not about life.
It’s about obedience.
Because the same groups that push these laws are the ones gutting maternal care, rejecting childcare support, and voting against healthcare access.
This isn’t pro-life.
It’s pro-control.
And it’s rooted in theology—not evidence. Not ethics. Not public health.
If your god requires you to control another person’s body, that’s not religion. It’s authoritarianism with a halo.
Hands off our children.
Here’s where it gets especially dark.
Under the guise of “parental rights” and “protecting kids,” the religious right has launched a full-scale assault on public education. Not to improve it—but to purify it. To censor it. To control it.
Books are being banned—many by LGBTQ+ authors, Black authors, and anyone who dares challenge the preferred narrative.
Teachers are being silenced—warned not to discuss gender, race, or history beyond a sanitized version that flatters white Christian identity.
LGBTQ+ students are being targeted—erased from classrooms, denied resources, and vilified simply for existing.
They claim this is about shielding children from harm.
But censorship doesn’t protect kids.
It programs them.
This is the same logic used by cults: restrict access to information, isolate members, and reframe the world in binary terms—us vs. them, good vs. evil, godly vs. dangerous.
Children deserve education—not indoctrination.
They deserve representation—not erasure.
They deserve to grow up knowing it’s okay to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and become who they truly are.
If we don’t fight for their right to think freely, someone else will fight to make sure they never do.
Hands off our minds.
This may be the most invisible battle—but it’s also the most important.
Because once you’ve accepted that someone else’s god should determine your laws, your education, and your healthcare… the next step is believing that questioning those ideas is wrong.
And that’s how democracy dies—not with a gunshot, but with a hymn.
Not with tanks in the streets, but with pulpits in the legislature.
We’re told we must “respect all beliefs.” But let me ask you this:
Do we respect the belief that the Earth is flat?
Do we respect the belief that vaccines contain demons?
Do we respect the belief that women are subservient by divine design?
No. We can respect a person’s right to believe something without respecting the belief itself.
Because beliefs don’t deserve protection.
People do.
And when belief becomes law, reason becomes treason.
Truth becomes negotiable.
And the people asking questions become the enemy.
We’ve been here before.
And we know how it ends.
Hands off our democracy.
This is the endgame.
The rise of Christian nationalism isn’t just a cultural phenomenon. It’s a political strategy. One that’s been in motion for decades, but has rapidly accelerated in the past few years.
Its goal? Simple.
To merge religious authority with political power.
To remake America not as a pluralistic democracy, but as a “Christian nation” where laws are rooted in scripture, not consent. Where rights are granted based on conformity, not citizenship.
They’re not hiding it anymore.
Lawmakers openly say they want to “reclaim America for Christ.”
Candidates vow to “restore biblical values.”
And school boards are pushing for prayer in classrooms and creationism in science texts.
Let’s be very clear:
This is not about religious freedom.
This is about religious dominance.
And history tells us exactly what happens when the church gains control of the state:
Dissent becomes blasphemy.
Inquiry becomes rebellion.
And power stops serving the people—and starts speaking for God.
This is not a culture war. It’s a theocratic takeover.
Don’t let the language fool you.
This isn’t “both sides.”
This isn’t disagreement over values.
This is one side trying to make sure the other has no right to exist.
And if you think staying quiet will keep you safe, I promise—it won’t.
Because silence is the soil where control grows deepest.
The moment we stop pushing back, they push further.
The moment we give ground, they take more.
And the moment we stop saying “hands off,” we give them permission to take it all.
So say it again. Louder this time.
Hands off our bodies.
Because reproductive freedom isn’t up for negotiation.
Hands off our children.
Because education should empower minds, not condition them.
Hands off our minds.
Because belief is personal—but truth belongs to everyone.
Hands off our democracy.
Because once power wears a cross, justice loses its scales.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you.
This post, and everything I’m building—Reasoned Reality, upcoming long-form content, the Theocracy Rising documentary—exists to fight back against the erosion of secular freedom.
I’m doing this alongside a full-time job, a family, and whatever time I can carve out to keep this movement growing.
If you believe in this work and want to help fuel it, you can support it for $6.66/month—yes, on purpose.
Let’s keep the line drawn.
Let’s make it brighter.
And let’s make damn sure they know exactly where it is.
🔒 Behind the Curtain: Personal Reflections from Reasoned Reality
Most of what I write here is for everyone—fact-based posts, cultural analysis, historical context, and sharp critiques of religious control. That work is public because I believe people need access to clear, challenging ideas—especially in a time when Christian nationalism is on the rise.
But behind every argument I make, every essay I write, there’s a story.
There’s a kid who memorized Bible verses out of fear.
A teenager convinced the Rapture could happen any second.
A young man who spent years preaching certainty—only to unravel it, thread by thread.
These reflections are about that journey.
They’re not polished. They’re not performative.
They’re personal. Sometimes raw. Sometimes even a little funny in hindsight.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll get access to this layer of Reasoned Reality:
Not just what I believe now—but what I used to believe, how I escaped it, and the messy process in between.
Because understanding the system is powerful.
But understanding the human cost? That’s what makes the fight real.
🔒 Behind the Curtain: The Night I Almost Confessed to a Sin I Didn’t Commit
(Subscriber-only reflection)