The seven mountains of the Book of Revelation in the Bible refer to seven heads of a beast in Revelation 17:9, which are interpreted by some as seven hills of Rome or seven ancient world powers. This biblical passage has also inspired the modern “Seven Mountain Mandate,” a movement encouraging Christians to influence and gain dominion over seven societal spheres: family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, business, and religion.

In 2022, The Heritage Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank, and 140 former Trump staffers authored Project 2025 -- a roadmap for how to replace the rule of law with right-wing ideas. Project 2025’s largest publication, “Mandate for Leadership,” is a 900-page manual for reorganizing the entire federal government agency by agency to serve a conservative agenda.

The election of the first Pope from the Americas has set a wide range of expectations of his rule. His election after only one day in the discussions of the Conclave indicate a general support for his papacy. The traditional rituals assured church leaders of continuing sacred traditions and continuity of the church. After only 2½ months into his papacy, he has actively moved into a public posture.

He is from Chicago and followed a traditional academic journey concluding with a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He is a member of the Augustinian Order, with an emphasis on social justice. A significant portion of his career was spent in Peru from 1985 to 2021. He was called to Rome in 2023.

The Constitution provides freedom of religion, that is, the ability to choose your own religious organization. It also promises freedom from religion. You cannot be forced to pay taxes for a state religion. A current version of Christianity tries to impose its belief system on everyone and to exclude people of color. It’s called Christian Nationalism, and its goal is to impose Christianity on everyone in this country.

For thousands of years established religions enforced slavery and then racism after freedom. The Founding Fathers didn’t want to deal with it because they didn’t want to upset the economy. It took a bloody war to change the system. In the 1960s, it took another bloody fight to enforce our civil rights, especially for people of color. Ethnicity also is an issue with anti-Semitics, or hatred of Jewish people. The same fear of others applies to Muslims. When we believe that our mindset is the only one, we are using religion as a club rather than a guide.