Politics & Power Quote by Richard King

Lump Christianity in with Roman gods, Native American folklore, and “unsubstantiated government conspiracies,” and you’ve essentially thrown a match into the culture-war kindling. Richard King’s intent reads less like a theology argument and more like a creative jurisdiction claim: for him, Christianity is a story system, not a protected category. Put it on the same shelf as other mythologies and modern paranoia, and you signal to audiences and gatekeepers alike that sacredness doesn’t buy narrative immunity.

The line works because it’s doing two jobs at once. On the surface, it’s a defense of artistic license: directors scavenge meaning wherever it lives. Underneath, it’s a provocation aimed at the expectation that Christianity should be treated as uniquely “real” in public life, while other belief systems get filed under legend. By pairing it with Native American folklore, King also risks a secondary subtext: a flattening of traditions with radically different relationships to colonial power. For some listeners, that’s the point; for others, it’s the problem.

The conspiracies kicker is the sharpest blade. It doesn’t just demote Christianity to mythology; it groups it with beliefs framed as epistemically flimsy. That’s where the temperature spikes: it’s not merely comparative religion, it’s a comment on what counts as evidence and who gets to set that standard.

Contextually, it fits a media landscape where creators are constantly negotiating outrage economies, faith-based markets, and the politics of “representation” versus “reverence.” King isn’t asking permission; he’s daring you to argue about the premises.