Recently, Catholic League president Bill Donahue sounded off on Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner over his attack on Christians in America. Reiner released a film last month titled, “God and Country,” which paints “Christian nationalists” as a “threat to American Democracy.”
Dr. Donahue published a piece for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights titled “Oscar for Religiophobia Warranted,” which denounced the content and portrayal of Christians in Reiner’s film. “Rob Reiner, more commonly known as “Meathead,” released a movie last month that demonstrates the pervasiveness of religiophobia in Hollywood,” Donahue wrote.
The Catholic leader, referring to Reiner as “Meathead,” his nickname on the 1970s TV series “All in the Family,” criticized his film’s implication that “Christian nationalists” are seeking to impose a “theocratic takeover” on society. Donahue claims this a fringe theory that few people take seriously.
‘“God and Country” is about an alleged threat to American democracy posed by so-called Christian nationalists. The Meathead would have the audience believe that we are on the verge of a theocratic takeover, though few outside of Hollywood and other secular subcultures pay any attention to this fable,” his article continued.
Reiner’s film is purportedly based on work from Katherine Stewart, who Donahue claims is an author with a “deep phobia” toward Christianity. He suggests that Stewart is convinced that Christian nationalism is on the verge of “running” America.
“In 2021, she cited as evidence that Christian nationalists are “running the country” a quip by President Trump. He mentioned that the Covid crisis would wane by Easter. Because he didn’t say by “mid-April”—but instead dropped the nefarious “E-word”—this was all the proof this sage needed to declare this a Christian nationalist moment. I’m not making this up,” Donahue wrote.
Donahue further rebuked Reiner, using historical precedent explaining that America’s founding did not call for a Christian nation per se. However, he asserts that America’s Founding Fathers sought to give birth to a “Christian-inspired” nation, citing the historical roots of Christianity in documents such as the Declaration of Independence.
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“As for the Meathead, he says Christian nationalism is out to make us a Christian nation, something the Founders rejected. It is true that the Founders did not want the establishment of a Christian nation, but it is also true that they recognized, and indeed applauded, the founding of a Christian-inspired nation. That is why there are four references to God in the Declaration of Independence,” he said.
Aside from analyzing the film’s content, Donahue commented on the abysmal financial performance of “God and Country” at the box office, where it brought in less than $40,000 in four days. “Here’s the good news. “God and Country” is a bomb. It took in a whopping $38,415 in its first weekend—over four-days—playing in 85 theaters. As one movie critic put it, this means it averaged $451 per theater, a stunning achievement, even for the Meathead. Time for Hollywood to award an Oscar for Best Performance for Religiophobia. Call it reparations to the faithful, especially Christians,” he concluded.