Confronting Hate
The Rev. Neelley Hicks talks with a neo-Nazi demonstrator outside Nashville Together, a rally in Nashville, Tenn., on July 21. Hicks attended the rally to support a friend who was the subject of anti-Semitic attacks. The neo-Nazi was part of a group holding a counter-demonstration. (Photo by Ray di Pietro)
Dec. 6, 2024 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News)
Key points:
- Engaging with a group of neo-Nazis showed how fear, the need for belonging and misinformation about Christianity had forged a dangerous bond.
- The neo-Nazis’ fear of others is driven in part by the belief that white people are targeted for extinction.
- Guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus helps us respond to hate appropriately and de-escalate tense situations.
“How does it feel to have so much anger in your heart?” I asked a young man, who told me that his name was Joey.
His tall, dark mohawk and red sleeveless T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika stood out among the group of neo-Nazis outside the gates of a Nashville Together rally in Nashville on July 21.
I attended the rally, in particular, to support my friend Pat Halper, who had recently received anti-Semitic hate mail in her driveway and was verbally attacked by one of the neo-Nazis at a city council meeting. Joey came to Nashville from Colorado as part of the neo-Nazi group.
I was wearing my clergy collar and waiting inside the gate when I saw the gang of neo-Nazis approaching on the other side. I didn’t hesitate to go to them. It is my nature to go into difficult places. Through my years of ministry abroad and with homeless people in Nashville, I’ve found that getting close to situations and people gives me insight that I could learn no other way. So I returned through security to the other side of the gate and approached the first person whose eyes met mine.
Joey responded to my question. “I don’t always feel this way,” he said.
His guard was down, and he was open to having an earnest conversation. As we were speaking, some of the other neo-Nazis tried to bait me with their pamphlets and putdowns, but I was focused on the conversation I was having with Joey.
My spirit of curiosity to engage him remained open, and through it, I learned how fear, the need for belonging and misinformation about Christianity had forged a dangerous bond.
Distortions about Christianity
The group of neo-Nazis became very angry at me when I asked about their faith tradition and whether they knew that Jesus was Jewish.
One older man, whose face was covered in a skeleton mask, shouted, “No, he wasn’t, and neither was Abraham or Isaac.”
I asked him about his Bible knowledge. He said that he learned from a Bible published around the time of the American Civil War. I believe that he was referring to the “Slave Bible,” which redacted large portions of the Old and New Testaments to keep enslaved people submissive. This Bible version was published to use with slaves in 1807, following a successful revolt of slaves in Haiti. He had no understanding of Christianity’s Jewish heritage.
Fear of others
Joey told me that people of color are trying to replace the white race. I asked him if he was married and raising white children, but he wouldn't answer, saying that was too personal. It seemed to me that if he was fearful of being replaced, he would respond by procreating rather than spending his time in Nashville with neo-Nazis.
The Great Replacement Theory by French nationalists was first noted in the early 1900s but reignited in 2011 through French writer and conspiracy theorist Renaud Camus. “Camus believes that native white Europeans are being replaced in their countries by non-white immigrants from Africa and the Middle East, and the end result will be the extinction of the White race,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Right-wing media personalities and various organized groups such as neo-Nazis spread the theory. This belief is wreaking havoc in the lives of others. The Great Replacement Theory was heard at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and has incited mass murders within the U.S.
This conspiracy theory drives Joey and others to live in deep fear, which stokes hate — “an intense dislike that encourages the elimination of others, involves dehumanization, or the denial of human qualities to others,” according to Dr. Mario F. Mendez in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. It has become easy to dehumanize anyone who is not white or heterosexual. People of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ (although the conspiracy theory's author is openly gay), or clergywomen (which I learned firsthand) are targets.
Anti-Semitism
Pat Halper (right) and the Rev. Neelley Hicks attend a July 21 Unity Rally in Nashville, Tenn. Halper had received anti-Semitic hate mail and was verbally attacked by a neo-Nazi at a city council meeting. (Photo courtesy of the author)
A need to belong
Humans are made for connection and bonding through many things (sports, religion, etc.). These men bonded over an intense dislike or fear of the “other.” This gang mentality provides a sense of belonging among those who may feel like societal outcasts or do not have a more profound sense of inner belonging. It shapes an “us versus them” force that provides connection.
These men were of different ages and from different places, yet they were together because of the same spirit of hate.
“Gangs normally project an arrogant and defiant attitude in an attempt to intimidate others, especially in a public place and while in the presence of other gang members,” according to Network of Care — Tarrant Cares. This aptly describes how they acted before and during the Nashville Together rally.
When the leader saw Joey and me moving away from the group’s talking points, he approached us with literature to steer the conversation. I noticed Joey’s focus shifting back to the pamphlets, also reflecting intimidation and coercion within the group.
Love over hate
There was a stark contrast between the hate outside the gate and the love within the gate of the Nashville Together rally. Music, dancing and speeches from Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the Rev. Dr. Stephen Handy and others put the focus on human dignity, respect and God’s love.
“Love is the central connector to any form of unity,” Handy said. “Regardless of our earthly divisions, especially the persistence of racial hatred, the love of Christ is the countercultural bridge that we are invited to build together, daily. Hatred is antithetical to the gospel. As representatives of Christ, we respond with compassion by offering love.”
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While some have said that I should have ignored the neo-Nazis, I’m glad I didn’t. Seeing hate up close allowed me to see its fragility and frightened nature. I may never know if the questions I asked Joey and the others helped them think more deeply about what they’re committing their lives to. But, if he can regain a sense of inner curiosity about his thoughts and actions, perhaps he can awaken to a greater reality.
Whenever we are challenged, we can either become more solidified in our beliefs or question them and their sources. In a spirit of curiosity, we can challenge ourselves to consider how our thoughts, beliefs and actions align with the way of Christ.
Hate is like a cockroach. It can creep into our lives through any small, dark crevice and quickly multiply. It gets in through the consumption of hateful rhetoric expressed through media or our human networks. If we bond with others over hateful rhetoric, we can suddenly find hate multiplying in our hearts. Division has been with us since the beginning of humankind. Instinctually, we have tribal mindsets. Christianity challenges us to move beyond tribes and to look upon one another as God sees us, not as humans do.
My work with Triumph Over Trauma informed how I approached the group. Triumph Over Trauma helps people recognize their triggers and how to de-escalate an emotionally wrought mind. We can learn to live out of a wise mind that honors our emotions and rational thinking.
Practicing the methods helps us notice when hate enters our thoughts through what we consume (media, conversations, political rhetoric, etc.) and how hate feels in our bodies. We can step away and practice de-escalation techniques that lower the hormonal increases (cortisol and adrenaline) that course through our bodies from anger and hate.
Guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus becomes more physically possible and prepares us when confronted with hate groups.
I wore my clergy collar to show who I am: a pastor committed to the love of Christ. Joey wore a swastika. These contrasting outer garments expressed parts of who we were that day, but I'm glad I looked past his clothing to talk with him. Our faith ancestors’ encounters with God changed their lives, so I must continue to hold hope for others. Each person is still a child of God, and we are connected through the web of human life.
As you go out into the world, wear Christ. He may just show up in unexpected ways.
Rev. Neelley Hicks
The Rev. Neelley Hicks. Photo courtesy of the author.
The Rev. Neeley Hicks is a United Methodist deacon and executive director and founder of Harper Hill Global, a non-profit specializing in mental and physical health resources.