Fact check: ADL did not classify Christianity as 'terrorist'

Religion can arouse strong feelings. Antisemitism and other forms of group hatred can trigger heated discussions, and a combination of the two is a recipe for clicks. With it, a userwho claimed to be leveraging their X account to earn money ("funded by X payouts") surpassed the 1 million "views" mark within 18 hours of posting.

Claim: "The ADL has listed Christianity as an extremist, terrorist & bigoted group."

As alleged proof, the user posted a screenshot of the ADL website. On it, the words "Christian Identity" can be seen in bold print in an entry filed with the keywords "Terrorism, Extremism and Bigotry."

The post has been shared more than 4,000 times in various languages and countries. It has been particularly successful with accounts that spread antisemitic content.

DW fact check: False

The screenshot does show the actual website of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a US-based nonprofit that was founded to combat antisemitism, bigotry and discrimination. But in this case, "Christian Identity" does not refer to the identity of Christians per se, but rather the Christian Identity movement.

What is Christian Identity?

Christian Identity (CID) is a movement that the ADL has described "as a religious ideology popular in extreme right-wing circles." In a 1989 document, the FBI, the US domestic intelligence and security service, stated that CID was spreading a message of "racial hatred behind the guise of religion." It explained that its ideology derived from a very idiosyncratic interpretation of the biblical creation story.

According to the FBI, in the 1980s in particular, a number of members or associates of CID groups were "investigated for their involvement in criminal activities, including bombings, murders, robberies and weapons violations. All of these activities have been carried out in furtherance of white supremacy, the basis of which is contained in Identity." The FBI concluded, "these people are fanatics about that in which they believe."

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a US legal advocacy organization specialized in civil rights, also classifies CID as "an antisemitic, racist theology ideology." It adds: "'Christian' in name only, it asserts that white people, not Jewish people, are the true Israelites favored by God in the Bible."

Although the movement became less influential after the 1980s and has failed to find new adherents, the SPLC said there were 10 active CID groups in the US in 2023. It argues that those who adhere to Christian Identity are among the most radical of white supremacists who believe that white people are superior to others.

"Despite its small size, Christian Identity influences virtually all white supremacist and extreme anti-government movements," writes the ADL on its website. "It has also informed criminal behavior ranging from hate crimes to acts of terrorism."

What is the ADL?

The Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization based in New York City, was founded in 1913 and describes its "timeless mission" thus: "To stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all."

In recent years, it has become increasingly pro-Israel and critics from across the political spectrum have accused it of too frequently equating criticism of Israel and the Israeli government to antisemitism. According to critics, including J Street, a nonprofit liberal Zionist advocacy group, the ADL has stifled legitimate criticism of Israel.

On its website, the ADL lists "myths and facts" to counter what it calls "false accusations."

"This compilation addresses some of those direct attacks while separating fact from fiction," the ADL says. 

Post triggers debate and goes viral

On its website, the ADL has an explanation for why the X post might have gone viral, even though the article dates back to 2017: "Identity's current influence ranges from Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups to the anti-government militia and sovereign citizen movements — yet most Americans are unaware that it even exists."

It's impossible to say whether the author of the post was actually shocked that the ADL had allegedly classified Christianity as a terrorist ideology, whether they possibly felt targeted as a Christian, or simply wanted to spread antisemitism.

What is clear, however, is that they were using the mechanisms that help generate a wide audience on X and other social media platforms by doing exactly what the account "Funded by X payouts" promises.

The allegation that the ADL rejects Christianity outright touches the core of Christian anti-Judaism, the idea that "the Jews" want to disempower or erase, at the very least, discredit Christianity. Several comments under the post seem to support this conspiracy theory. The author continues by claiming that various institutions have been infiltrated by Mossad, Israel's secret service: "The ADL and SPLC and Wikipedia lol, 3 Mossad-owned companies."

The strong emotions the post seems to have triggered suggests many users didn't question the claims but instead simply felt the need to express their own indignation. Some wrote sarcastically that nothing else was to be expected from the ADL, the supposed representative of Judaism. Others, contradicting the false claims, are only hastening the spread of the post.

The author's comments under the original post indicate that they are deliberately taking advantage of these emotions. They take note of the numerous comments by other X users that Christian Identity does not mean Christianity and acknowledge the error.

However, they have not deleted the post, citing freedom of speech on X. Indeed, they continue to use antisemitic tropes to fuel the debate and to extend the reach of their X posts.

This fact check was originally written in German.