The Atlantic: The Alt-Right’s Intellectual Darling Hated Christianity

February 22, 2017 Hunter Wallace Alternative Right, Christianity, History, Italy, Philosophy 55

The Atlantic is attempting to push the Steve Bannon-Alt-Right-Julius Evola narrative:

“In the summer of 2014, years before he became the White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon gave a lecture via Skype at a conference held inside the Vatican. He spoke about the need to defend the values of the “Judeo-Christian West”—a term he used 11 times—against crony capitalism and libertarian capitalism, secularization, and Islam. He also mentioned the late Julius Evola, a far-right Italian philosopher popular with the American alt-right movement. What he did not mention is that Evola hated not only Jews, but Christianity, too.

References to Evola abounded on websites such as Breitbart News, The Daily Stormer, and AltRight.com well before The New York Times noted the Bannon-Evola connection earlier this month. But few have discussed the fundamental oddity of Evola serving as an intellectual inspiration for the alt-right. …”

As we saw a few weeks ago, The New York Times took the first stab at this anti-Trump conspiracy. This is a giant nothingburger of a story.

1.) First, Steve Bannon is guilty of making a passing reference to Julius Evola in a single speech. He is probably familiar with who Evola was which by itself proves nothing. I’m familiar with Karl Marx and Ayn Rand, but that doesn’t make me a communist or an Objectivist.

2.) Second, Julius Evola has a lot of fans in Alt-Right circles, particularly among those who are non-Christians. The Alt-Right, however, isn’t a religious movement. You will find people who identify as Alt-Right across the religious spectrum. There are atheists and agnostics who are Alt-Right. There are Odinists. There are traditional Catholics, Orthodox Christians, evangelical Protestants, etc.

3.) Third, I’m not terribly familiar with Julius Evola. My colleagues at AltRight.com and RADIX Journal are much more familiar with his work. No one who is really Alt-Right uses the term “Judeo-Christian West” to describe our civilization, Christian or otherwise, and I say this as a Christian.

4.) Fourth, as I understand it and as the article suggests, a Radical Traditionalist can be a Christian. I’m only vaguely familiar with this subject, but I know several people who identify as such.

5.) Finally, there is no conflict between being Anglo-Saxon and “Far Right.” Indeed, it is possible to arrive at Alt-Right conclusions from a totally different set of influences, as my own story indicates. I’ve never even read Julius Evola and yet here I am responding to this story.

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55 Comments

  1. There are many traditionalist, Bible-believing Christians who have the maturity to not throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater. The assumption that all Christians or all race-realists only read those who agree with them is patently false.

    Evola may have had strong opinions against Christianity, but that doesn’t detract from the many good things he had to say on other subjects. Any discerning reader, whether religious or not, recognizes that one doesn’t have to necessarily agree with every opinion an author gives in order to appreciate what he or she has published.

    Unlike many Leftists who demand a rigid political orthodoxy among their ranks, we who are racially-conscious are able to appreciate and wade through a wide diversity of social and political opinions, even among those who don’t agree with all that we believe. I have valued the insight of liberals at times (though rare), including Libertarians, atheists and a host of writers who would never identify with my racial views. This should never cause us to disavow all that they may say. We simply need to be discerning and throw out the garbage when we see it and appreciate certain insights when they are valid. It’s really quite simple.

    • Good one. I hope thats what Barron is thinking.

      If they think the enemy is young white men, they’re still not paying attention. Those Trump rallies were always mostly in their 30s, and middle aged and older. You’d see it in the photos of people on line to get in. You have to be paying attention for awhile to get really sick and tired of Democrats-media race-baiting and general dishonesty.

  3. There is also a peculiar Italian strain of anti-church sentiment that wraps up into anti-Christian sentiment. These people often had to deal with the Catholic Church as a hegemon within their own nation in their capital city. It’s a unique problem.

  4. Evola’s influence on the alt right is hugely overrated. I’ve tried to get him into a number of times, mainly to understand what his promoter’s are so excited about, but I find excruciatingly dull. I can safely say the topical activist alt right has no use for this sort of trad nonsense whatsoever.

    • A commentator on Steve Sailer (I forget whom) said Evola was pretty much like English occultist Aleister Crowley. Essentially he’s a mystic.

      Truthfully, that stuff doesn’t work for me so I’ve pretty much avoided him but if it works for others, more power to them.

        • Haven’t read Evola, just reporting on the opinion of someone who had. Truthfully I think all mystics are charlatans — the stuff’s wasted on me.

  5. So, they are feigning concern for Christianity, feigning concern for the working class and think that it will stick. Good luck with that!

  6. “But few have discussed the fundamental oddity of Evola serving as an intellectual inspiration for the alt-right.”

    Few in the mainstream media have discussed this oddity. It has been discussed to death on actual Alt-Right platforms.

  7. As a strong WN critic of Evola and radical traditionalist occultism, I always wondered if this would come back to bite us once nationalism started to have real world success. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

  8. When the Atlantic Magazine and the New York Times (Jewish Liberal Left Democrats) start foaming at the mouth and accuse the ruling Conservative GOP folks of “being against Christianity” all rules of logic, reason and fairness are off. The Lugenpresse is taking the gloves off, it’s vicious.

    Any American Christian or the CINO Catholic in Name Only Pope who goes along with this team of liars is a traitor.

    C’mon – the Atlantic Magazine and the New York Times are supposedly the defenders of Westerner Christianity.

    • Its like what Steve Sailer says about “noticing.” You’re not supposed to notice. Chuck Todd, Jewish himself, puts on a panel of 3 Jews (Brooks, Marcus, Mitchell etc) who all hate Trump like he does, and you’re not supposed to notice that its Jews who are pushing hatred of Trump. (Sometimes he’ll add a black panelist . . . who also hates Trump.)

      After 8 yrs of Obama and his wife and the media all pushing racism, racism, racism, a substantial percentage of Americans moved into “I don’t care” opinion about racism.
      Same is going to happen with antisemitism. There are plenty of laws to prosecute bad acts. The scolding about what you can think is unAmerican.

      • That three million majority says, nah,you’re whistling in the dark and the judges, and town hall meetings say your Cheeto is a fool. He sold you a crock and you’re still chugging thinking it’s a chocolate smoothie

  9. This is why you can’t show any kind of tolerance towards the sheenies. They will perceive it as weakness and attack. Only a Himmler-like ruthlessness will do.

  10. So the New York Times (Jew York Times) and the Atlantic Magazine are now this day attacking Steve Bannon and Trump supporters of attacking Christianity and secretly reading and promoting Evola and Neo Paganism.

    That’s a bit like members of the Gambino Crime Family of accusing others of being “Criminals” or folks in the National Council of LaRaza (translates as THE RACE) accusing others of being Racists.

    It’s just the anti White, mostly Jewish Liberal Left press – the Lugenpresse just shouting insults, shouting names, any names.

    • That’s what the Jews have always screeched before the mob took them out.
      I personally am opposed to the Jewish saturnalia cults of judeo-Christianity or all abrahamic cults, which are also pagan in my opinion.

    • They’re not attacking Bannon,just pointing out that he is a pseudo philosopher. His views are a mishmash of twisted bits and pieces wrapped in hate and fear and filtered through much whiskey

      • And your views are twisted bits and pieces wrapped in laziness and ignorance and filtered through much tequila.

        Back to Mexico you go, Pedro.

        • So I’m Mexican because I use the name Pedro? No I’m not,but you are another dim wingnut.
          You just proved it. Now back to your Mammy’s porch for another scratch of your shrivelled nuts. Dufus

          • Gosh, I appear to have hit a wetback’s nerve!

            Your pidgin English gave you away, Pedro — ¡vete!

            Back to Mexico you go! Adios!

          • I think you’re the one who’s scratching, given the number of fleas you people carry. Back to Mexico you go, Pedro, and take your parasites with you.

          • Oo,look whose upset.What are you,ten years old? Do you ever read your childish responses. You’ve just proved my point. Twit
            PS: By the way I told you I’m not Mexican hours ago,that’s how dumb you are. Lie when you aren’t ignoring facts.

          • I’m not a wetback and you aren’t white. Celts originated in the Middle East and north Africa before migrating to the UK and Ireland. Watch out for ICE you may get deported. Gotta love it!LOL

  11. Reminds of how they pushed Rand Paul being a devotee of Ayn Rand. You’d hear it from TV panelists and I still see Democrats saying repeating it on twitter or comment boards once in a whiile.

  12. I too have heard of Julius Evola, but never read any of his works. As Steve Bannon is not an advocate of the Alt-Right, Alt-South, Amerikaner concept , or a White Nationalist, I fail to see why who he quoted (once, several years ago at the Vatican) matters to the Alt-Right. Yawn. Mr. Wallace’s article has covered it enough that I feel no need to pursue it further. I totally agree with Mr. Wallace that one can be Anglo-Saxon and “Far Right”.
    https://putnamlibertynotes.wordpress.com/2016/11/27/i-am-an-amerikaner/

  13. Judeo-Christianity is more Judeo than Christian and used as an anti-White weapon. Pope Francis is the ultimate Catholic fulfillment.

    • “Your civilization was created by christianity and since christianity comes from judaism, you owe your entire civilization and everything good about it to us, goyims!”

      • I must disagree, it was Roman catholicism that gave Christ the mosaic fulfilment and Christian law, once the Roman Catholic social structure was destroyed Christianity became completely judeized under mosaic law and the white man became parasitical.

          • Yes, very Judaized. The fact is the term “judeo-Christianity” is an oxymoron.

            Many churches teach that jews are still God’s chosen, when Jesus said they were cut off from the kingdom of God. Jesus also said we could be cut off as well, so we really should be getting our church leaders and society in line before that happens as it is our duty as men to protect.

    • So-called Francis is in actuality Peter the Roman.

      Rejoice, the Faithful of God, for the End of the Kali Yuga is at hand.

    • True, but now it is a useful and derogatory term to classify Anti-Christian activity within our faith. Judeo-Christian is synonymous with land and race worship. It defines a faith which puts race before salvation. It has morphed into a double minded cult.

      From what I can surmise, our faith will be saved from the ranks of our fellow eastern European brothers.

  16. The Atlantic publishes a lot of rash. But let’s be honest, whether managed by Jews or Yankees, whether they’re publishing Henry Charles Lea accusing the Spanish of believing they live in the 16th Century, or this guy making the ridiculous suggestion that the Alt-Right follows Evola, it’s the same systematic lying at work.

  18. Given the problem with gypsies that Europe has been having forever, you’d think they’d wise up and realize it’s not good to have large numbers of roaming peoples.

    But maybe Europeans figure the NEW ones will be better and replace the old ones. Or, maybe the new non-Europeans will be so wonderful that they will serve as inspiration for old non-Europeans(who arrived earlier) who’ve proven to be disappointing.

    It’s the NOVELTY that is appealing to Europeans. It’s like a woman who is never happy with the things she buys and are clogging up her closet.. but thinks she will be happy if she buys something NEW. Or a woman whose string of boyfriends she’s picked up at sleazy bars turned out to be all worthless… so she thinks the solution is to get a New one(the same way).

    So, when Europeans feel they’re stuck with an old problem, the solution is to get something NEW. Can’t fix the problems with Gypsies? How about trying Muslims and Africans?

    In a way, maybe it is related to European spirit of discovery. Looking for new lands and places than dealing with problems at home.

    Since the whole world has been discovered and claimed already, Europeans seek novelty by just taking in new peoples. Reverse-discovery. Have non-Europeans ‘discover’ Europe and empathetically share in their wide-eyed wonder.

    Soon, the new peoples become old peoples whose own problems only compound the mess.

    But then, the solution is more novelty with more new people.

    Noveltism is based on hope that something new, different, and exotic will be the fix. But the Noveltism renders everything new instantly into something old. Noveltism calls for more and more new stuff since it is addicted to the thrill of the New without any long-term consideration of its full value or real danger.

    We see in the US too. US still has problems with blacks. Lot of it. But hey, maybe if we bring exotic Somalis to America, that will be something new and wonderful. But Somalis are now an ‘old’ part of US landscape, and it’s not pretty.

    Maybe pgymies should be next.

    ===================

  21. Anti-whites “embrace” Christianity like they claim to embrace Free Speech and the Constitution (document) when it suits them. Plenty of hot air, very little substance—and by the way, I care not for Free Speech nor the Constitution (document), only using them as examples.

    J.P.

  22. Bannon is not an idiot. I am sure he is familiar with many strains of political theory on the left and right. That doesn’t mean Bannon is a disciple of Evola.

    But this is great news because it pushes Evola into the mainstream. Evola will now be to Trump what Leo Strauss and the Frankfurt School were to the Bush years. Bannon’s comments on Evola will spark renewed interest in Evola’s work.

    Evola is an important philosopher of the right, perhaps the only postwar theoretician to effectively critique liberalism and modernity.

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