Jason Rapert

[[File:Jason Rapert.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Rapert's Arkansas senate portrait.]]
[[File:Ten Commandments Monument (Little Rock, Arkansas).jpg|thumb|right|195px|A strange little monument in Little Rock that is really important to one strange little man.]]
{{uspolitics}}
'''Stanley Jason Rapert''' (1972–) is a [[Christian]] [[fundamentalist]] former state senator in [[Arkansas]] and an [[The United States as a Christian nation|advocate for Christian theocracy]], who is notable for his conflicts with [[The Satanic Temple]]. He has tried to outlaw abortion in Arkansas a<ref>[https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/11/18/bill-to-outlaw-abortion-filed-with-hopes-of-reaching-the-trump-supreme-court Bill to outlaw abortion filed with hopes of reaching the Trump Supreme Court] ''Arkansas Times'' 18 November 2020</ref> couple<ref>[https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/01/23/what-raperts-abortion-bill-doesnt-say-means-trouble-for-women What Rapert’s abortion bill doesn’t say means trouble for women] ''Arkansas Times'' 23 January 2019</ref> times<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/us/arkansas-senator-jason-raperts-abortion-ban.html Arkansas’s Abortion Ban and One Man’s Strong Will] ''The New York Times'' 11 March 2013</ref> in the hope of overturning ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' and punishing sexually active women with "vaginal probes."

As of 2024, Rapert is the head of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers. In this role he gives dorky little awards to [[Mike Johnson]], as Mike claims to be the new [[Moses]].<ref>[https://onlysky.media/jpearce/jesus-was-not-the-new-moses-that-would-be-mike-johnson/ Jesus was not the new Moses. That would be Mike Johnson] ''OnlySky'' 2 January 2024</ref>


== Achievements ==
=== Jason defeats Satan ===
In 2015, Rapert sponsored a bill that placed a stone tablet of the [[Ten Commandments]] on the lawn of the Arkansas capitol building. The Satanic Temple, in response, sought to put up a similarly-sized statue of [[Baphomet]], a colorful man-woman-goat-bat icon of [[Satanism]]. Rapert considered the statue's placement as an offensive, disgusting "war on the Ten Commandments" being forced upon the good people of Arkansas.
<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639726472/satanic-temple-protests-ten-commandments-monument-with-goat-headed-statue Satanic Temple Protests Ten Commandments Monument With Goat-Headed Statue] ''NPR'' 17 August 2018</ref>

Some people, at this point, might have wanted to avoid the obvious, glaring hypocrisy of forcing one's own religion down the throats of others in exactly the same way as the evil, nasty Satanists one is complaining about. Senator Rapert, unfortunately, is not one of those people.

Instead, Rapert has zealously promoted his teensy little monument ever since, fervently defending it in court and quickly re-erecting it when it was toppled by vandals. When he's not protecting the Ten Commandments from Satan and atheism, he likes to focus on putting conservative, fundamentalist Christianity into law. He is a member of a club for theocratic lawmakers.<ref>[https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/feb/12/july-trial-set-over-removal-of-statue-2-1/ July trial set over removal of Ten Commandments monument at Arkansas Capitol] ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' 12 February 2020</ref> Additionally, he's been fighting against the proposed Satanic monument ever since its conception, accusing his nemeses of craving exactly what he, a loon with a pet religious monument, actually does.

On the side, he spends quite a lot of time personally insulting Satanists on Twitter, as one would expect of a man of God.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/jasonrapert/status/1225126188051550209|Jason Rapert on Twitter}} 5 February 2020</ref> He also uses Twitter to beg Wal-Mart not to sell Satanic-themed merchandise. Even though he loves the free market and loves religious freedom and really, really loves Wal-Mart he somehow can't stand these things when Satanism gets involved.<ref>{{a|https://twitter.com/jasonrapert/status/1354910299120406536|Jason Rapert on Twitter}} 28 January 2021</ref>

=== Medical quackery===
In 2013 Rapert proposed a law mandating that a vaginal probe be used on (i.e., used against) anyone seeking an abortion. When this medically unnecessary and extremely creepy requirement was criticized loudly enough, it was dropped from the bill as though it were creepy and unnecessary.<ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/arkansas-senator-now-ok-just-msna206931 Arkansas senator now OK with just listening through your belly] ''MSNBC'' 6 February 2013</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] Rapert insisted the virus [[Denialism|was fake]] and fought hard against all efforts to contain it or halt it spreading. He refused to wear a mask, claimed the virus was a hoax, promoted fake treatments,<ref>[https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/09/28/dead-horse-flogging-at-the-legislature-hydroxychloroquine Dead horse flogging at the legislature: Hydroxychloroquine!] ''Arkansas Times'' 28 September 2020</ref> etc., until the fake virus sent him to the hospital.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jason-rapert-coronavirus-hoax-face-mask-arkansas-asa-hutchinson-a9640156.html Anti-mask US state senator who called coronavirus a hoax tests positive for Covid-19] ''The Independent'' 31 July 2020</ref> After that, for some reason, he seemed to miraculously realize that COVID is real.<ref>[https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/26/pandemic-hoax-anti-lgbt-republican-test-positive-covid-19-coronavirus-jason-rapert-arkansas/ Anti-LGBT+ Republican who thinks the pandemic is a ‘hoax’ tests positive for COVID-19] ''PinkNews'' 26 July 2020</ref>

=== Living on hate-money ===
Jason Rapert appears to live entirely on donations from gullible fundamentalist Christians. He claims he will use the money to train more Christian nationalist politicians just like himself. This is a service for which he presumably pays himself handsomely — Rapert says his ministry "is believing God for" at least 1,000 Covenant Partners and 500 Kingdom Ambassadors: 

{| class="wikitable"
! Partnership level !! "Seed" !! Benefits
|-
| Prayer Partner || FREE! || The least you can do to support Christian nationalism!
|-
| Gospel Partner || $30 per month || Tithe to Jason Rapert instead of your actual church! Hoorah!
|-
| Covenant Partner || $100 per month || Sow even more seed while God watches!
|-
| Kingdom Ambassador || $500 per month || "accomplish all seven areas of ministry emphasis"!
|}
<small>Source: Holy Ghost Ministries, Conway, AR<ref>[https://www.bluehogreport.com/2017/02/11/3200/ The Legend of Brother Rapert: Career Change A-comin’!] ''Blue Hog Report'' 11 February 2017</ref></small>

If Rapert actually reached the donation levels he "believes for" he'd be raking in over 4 million dollars a year. However, he might not get to keep it all. [[Liberty Counsel]], the [[lobbying]] organization and [[Southern Poverty Law Center|SPLC]]-recognized hate group that he partners with probably gets a significant cut.

=== Getting made fun of ===
Rapert really does not like being criticized on Twitter, and has a habit of blocking constituents when they disagree with him, which is illegal for politicians, and for which he tends to get sued.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/a6a853eecf6f4d278ea45b97b1ec22c2 Atheist free speech suit against Arkansas official proceeds] ''Associated Press News'' 1 October 2019</ref> Rapert opposed a hate crimes law because the law, while protecting actual minorities from actual crimes, did not protect Republicans on Twitter. Which is ''outrageous'', because it is well known that Republicans are an oppressed minority.<ref>[https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/08/22/arkansas-lawmaker-opposes-hate-crime-bill-because-it-doesnt-protect-republicans/ Arkansas Lawmaker Opposes Hate-Crime Bill Because It Doesn’t Protect Republicans] ''Friendly Atheist'' 22 August 2020</ref>

==See also==
* [[Satanic Panic]]
* [[American Taliban]]
* [[Kim Davis]]

==References==
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[[Category:United States politicians]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Satanism]]
[[Category:Shysters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: United States politicians, Christians, Satanism, Shysters, Living people