"If This Goes On—" is a science fiction short novel by Robert A. Heinlein, published as part of the book Revolt in 2100. One of his Future History series, it recounts a future theocratic American society, ruled by the latest in a series of "Prophets." The First Prophet was Nehemiah Scudder, a backwoods preacher turned President, then dictator. (Scudder was previously mentioned in passing in stories such as Logic of Empire and later on in Heinlein's final novel To Sail Beyond the Sunset). Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Heinlein autographing at the 1976 Worldcon Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most influential and controversial authors in the science fiction genre. ... Revolt in 2100 is an anthology of a science fiction short novel and two short stories by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1953. ... A future history is a postulated history of the future that some science fiction authors construct as a common background for some of their stories. ... Theocracy is a form of government in which a religion and the government are allied. ... Logic of Empire is a short science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. ... To Sail Beyond the Sunset is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1987. ...

Not surprisingly for Heinlein, the novel deals with a rebellion, organized by Masons, Mormons and other persecuted minorities, that leads to the eventual re-establishment of democracy. One of the major strengths of the novel is that it is less about action-adventure and derring-do, and more about how the rebellion is organized—Heinlein makes military organization and logistics as fascinating as a swordfight or space battle. the Square and Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name referring to Latter Day Saints, derived in the 1830s from the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures, whose purported Native American author was named Mormon. ...

This story includes the idea that in modern American democracy the hypothetical government endorsement of a particular religion is prevented by the fact that while most religions believe themselves to be the "One True Faith" which everyone should be required to believe, each has to settle on the compromise of religious freedom to prevent somebody else's "One True Faith" from being forced on themselves. If one religion were able to get a voting majority, they very well might simply take over. This concept is also discussed briefly in Stranger in a Strange Land from the other perspective (before any such takeover). Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, which was first published in 1961. ...