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Money, Lies, and God

Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy

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Money, Lies, and God

By: Katherine Stewart
Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents Money, Lies, and God by Katherine Stewart, read by Patricia Rodriguez.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY FOREIGN AFFAIRS

From the acclaimed author of The Power Worshippers, “an indispensable citizen’s guide to the anti-democratic MAGA Right.” —Congressman Jamie Raskin

“An eerily prescient guide to the phantasmagoria of our political moment.” —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"Meticulously researched, elegantly written, and hard-hitting."–Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Why have so many Americans turned against democracy? In this deeply reported book, Katherine Stewart takes us to conferences of conspiracy-mongers, backroom strategy gatherings, and services at extremist churches, and profiles the people who want to tear it all down. She introduces us to reactionary Catholic activists, atheist billionaires, pseudo-Platonist intellectuals, self-appointed apostles of Jesus, disciples of Ayn Rand, women-hating opponents of “the gynocracy,” pronatalists preoccupied with the dearth of white babies, Covid truthers, militia members masquerading as “concerned moms,” and battalions of spirit warriors who appear to be inventing a new style of religion even as they set about attacking democracy at its foundations.

Along the way, she provides a compelling analysis of the authoritarian reaction in the United States. She demonstrates that the movement relies on several distinct constituencies, with very different and often conflicting agendas. Stewart’s reporting and comprehensive political analysis helps reframe the conversation about the moral collapse of conservatism in America and points the way toward a democratic future.

©2025 Katherine Stewart (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Americas Politics & Government United States Socialism
All stars
Most relevant
In an age of disinformation, it's refreshing to see facts laid out the way they are here. And the general conclusions feel about right. Organise, frame the movement as democratic, and fight from the grass roots.

Well researched

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I was fortunate to hear the (Making sense Podcast ) by Sam Harris with guest Katherine Stewart on her new amazing book.
The interview gave a great insight to an Unbelievable real story …. I downloaded the audiobook immediately…
The depth of Facts between the covers of “Money Lies and God Is breathtaking in all its detail.
But is also breathtaking in what is happening to America as we knew it.

Scary thing is the foundations for the anti democratic movement were poured many decades ago with D.Trump only adding the final layer… then watching the concrete settle gripping every institution of the state rendering impossible to struggle…

The book shines the light on the Funders, Thinkers, Sergeants but also the Wreckers that intend to bring Down… The House of Democracy.. In this tell all book…. our eyes are now opened and our minds informed… Sound the Alarm!! Before it’s too late…


“Stop the steal” OF “Democracy”

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Around 25 years ago I watched a TV series called Louis Theroux‘s Weird Weekends in which he travelled to the USA and met groups with outlandish views including ultra fundamentalist Christians, conspiracy theorists, ultra nationalists etc. I was reminded of this listening to this book but the scary thing is that in the intervening period these groups have gone from being laughable and on the fringe to being behind and driving the policy direction of the current US administration.

The book essentially takes the form of the author outlining her interactions with various organisations at the centre of the Christian Nationalist movement through her attendance at conferences and various interviews albeit for some she fails to get up close. She is totally appalled by the views of these people and unable to hold back her outrage. This results in her presentation of the facts being quite partisan, I suspect (and in a few areas where I had sufficient knowledge to check, so it proved), with the author never missing the opportunity to lapse into hyperbole or to suggest that an individual's motivations may be financial. This detracted from the book from my perspective - the views if the groups she is studying that embellishment is unnecessary.

In the final chapter she talks about how to fight back and prevent an authoritarian takeover of the US democracy. While there were plenty of sensible suggestions in this, I think it also demonstrated why the Democrats were wholly incapable of beating Trump in 2024. Firstly she has a hugely patronising attitude to the economically disadvantaged that support Trump’s vision. Secondly, she all but ignores the mass of people in the middle who voted for Trump as the lesser of two evils being turned off by the perceived capture of the Democrat party by the woke movement. While the right may have exaggerated it very effectively for political gain, if the party continues to deny that there is any case to answer, as she seems to, then I fear it will continue to fail.

Interesting, entertaining and scary but.....

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