Praise Is My Weapon: When Faith Becomes Pacifism in the Face of Fascism
Episode Overview:In this episode of The Family Table, we dig into the phrase “Praise is my weapon” - a beloved declaration in Black churches - and ask what it means in a time when MAGA extremism sanctifies violence, Christian nationalism glorifies death, and both political parties fail to protect our communities. Is praise being used as a tool for survival, or as pacifistic manipulation to keep us out of the fight?
We unpack the hypocrisy of a movement that claims faith in God while venerating death and destruction, and we confront the truth that Christ himself said, “Let the wheat and the tare grow together, and G-d will do the separating.” MAGA has abandoned that teaching, choosing instead to act as judge, jury, and executioner in the name of white supremacy.
Through this conversation, we reflect on the ontological terror of Blackness in a nation built on slavery and sustained by racialized violence. We trace how Dixiecrats crossed into the Republican Party and mutated into MAGA, and we hold establishment Democrats accountable for their spineless centrism. Alongside prophetic words from Audre Lorde, Cole Arthur Riley, and Black Liturgies, we remind ourselves: Our power does not look like theirs. Our dreaming does not have to mirror their death cult.
Finally, in our Mental Health Moment, we address how this violence and hypocrisy affects our nervous systems, our spirituality, and our capacity for hope. We offer grounding practices, community tools, and breath prayers to resist despair. Because praise is still a weapon, but it must fuel protest, policy, and power.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
Why “praise is my weapon” can become pacifistic manipulation.
The hypocrisy of MAGA’s reliance on God while venerating violence.
The ontological terror of Blackness and whiteness as “rightness.”
Dixiecrats, the Republican shift, and MAGA as white supremacy’s latest mask.
How establishment Democrats enable fascism through centrism.
Audre Lorde: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
Cole Arthur Riley: “Co-opting the methods of the oppressor will not get us free.”
Black Liturgies: “Inhale-We are not the same. Exhale-My power has another face.”
Mental health practices for resisting despair: honesty, grounding, ritual + action.
Mental Health Takeaway:We don’t need to mirror MAGA’s violence to resist it. Praise and prayer are not escapes - they are fuel. Pair them with protest, policy, and power. Inhale: We are not the same. Exhale: Our power has another face.
Resources & References:
Audre Lorde – The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House
Cole Arthur Riley – Black Liturgies
Candice Benbow – reflections on veneration of white supremacy
Black Liturgies breath prayers
