January 8, 2016::End of the day round-up

Pondering

In concluding his 5-part presentation on the Arrogance of Creationism, KC highlights a point I will be making in Pt-2 concerning the Junkyard analogy when I discuss the "apologistic agenda"

What many people, religionists and non-believers, don't fully grasp is the importance of the Theory of Evolution and why some Creationists or IDers cling so tightly to their refusal to accept science.

Simply put, eliminate the Creation mythos you eliminate the authority of the "church".  As I have noted before, "It's all about manipulation and control.  Without Genesis, the creation narrative, there is no Christ and he becomes just another myth."  But there is a deeper level to the controversy.

In an article titled "Were There Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?", Jeffrey Goldberg writing for The Atlantic spoke with Ken Ham and Terry Mortenson of AIG.  The gist of both men can be summarized by the following.

When Ham was asked, "Why it is important to convince individuals that Genesis is a book of history?"  He replied, "There’s a slippery slope in regard to authority. If you say that the history in Genesis is not true, then you can just take man’s ideas as true. When you go outside of Scripture, why shouldn’t you just reinterpret what marriage means? So our emphasis is on the slippery slope regarding authority.”

KC in part 3 talks about how Creationists love to use vague and misleading terminology which leads to equivocation and moving the goal posts.  This equivocation, as KC explains is due to that same view concerning authority that both Ham and Mortenson both have, "in the case of most creationists it is because of a dogmatic adherence to a literal interpretation of their sacred texts,,,.  Discourses in science are not centered around learning but to rationalize that which they adhere to as unquestionable." [paraphrased]

In other words, we have one big circle-jerk: 1] the Bible is inerrant and authoritative in all things (science included); 2] this leads to equivocation and shifting the goal-posts; 3] in order to rationalize their dogmatic adherence the the Bible.

What people need to keep in mind is what creationists (ie. Ham) mean by "authority" and how and where it is applied.  In the Christian theocratic mind-set, that authority is their particular simplistic interpretation of what the Bible states devoid of any actual hermeneutical principles.  They are biblical "letteralists" and nothing, including irrefutable scientific evidence, will change their mind. (KC highlighted this point by including a clip of the Ham-Nye debate where Ken  basically said "I have this book you see.")

An interesting discussion arose concerning the following, centered around the whole of the notion that many of us interpret the Bible as stating "to respect your leaders" or "render unto Caesar."  But an apt reader noted:

Actually, one of the central themes of the old testament is the stealing of land.  The bible was the main excuse for what my Native European ancestors did to my Native American ancestors.

Still thinking along the lines of a "manifest destiny" theme, my reader responded,

Realizing that Abrahamic religions were another from of Imperialism is one of the many facts that helped me to become an atheist.   You can't be a good Christian, biblical speaking, unless you are actively working to spread the word of god.  The way I read the bible, it's more than their destiny. The bible demands that Christians subjugate the world.

In other words, dominionist and theocratic ideology taken to its logical conclusion

Ammon Bundy: Bible Supports Militia's Seizure Of Federal Land

He explained that the federal government is wrongly prohibiting economic development on the property he seized, insisting that God would rather have the land be developed: “We read in Genesis where God gives the earth to man, he did not give it to government, he gave it to man to care and to cultivate, and that means to take care of it and to use it. That is necessary and that is what the Lord has done.”
 
Bundy went on to say that the government is violating “scriptural” precepts by controlling land, before arguing that his militia needed to use “shock and awe” to “remove the chains of tyranny and the chains of oppression so the people can regain a hope.”

This Georgia School Wants To Be A Safe Space For LGBT Students

A new private school in Georgia that wants to provide a safe space for LGBT students, Pride School Atlanta, will open this fall. It will be the first school of its kind in the state and models itself after the Harvey Milk school in New York, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The K-12 school — founded by Christian Zsilavetz, a trans teacher with 25 years of experience in the classroom — will serve both LGBT students and cis straight students who may feel out of place. It’s an especially important resource given its location, according to some LGBT advocates, because LGBT youth living in the South and the Midwest often feel like they won’t be able to find support in their hometowns.

As a former member of the Texas BoE this woman assisted in determining the content of the textbooks used throughout Texas schools and by default the textbooks available throughout the nation's public schools. This is the battshittery that AronRa fights against.

Cruz Virginia Campaign Leader Rails Against 'Socialized Education System' And Homosexuality's 'Prevention Of The Seed'

“I believe it’s a crucial issue for several reasons,” she said. “One, it’s what I call the seed policy, if you think about it, every major social issue you’re encountering as legislators actually directs back to what it talks about it in Genesis, ‘if I would put enmity between you and the seed of the woman.’ Because what happens, what is abortion? Abortion is the destruction of the seed. What is homosexuality? It is the prevention of the seed. And what is education? It is potential deception of the seed.”

“And so when we have 88 to 90 percent, which is approximately the number of the students that are being educated within our socialized education system, effectively indoctrinating our children with our own tax dollars, guess what?” she asked. “We lose every other issue. We lose life, we lose marriage, we lose all of it. So I think this is the linchpin issue.”

Creationists and Academic Freedom

As Matzke and others have pointed out, creationists strategies have evolved. Their first strategy was to ban the teaching of evolution. This was eventually declared unconstitutional. Next they argued for equal time for creationism and evolution, and this too was struck down. Then they tried to rebrand creationism as Intelligent Design, but this failed 10 year ago at Dover.

Now their strategy is to make the same tired and refuted creationist arguments under the guise of academic freedom. They cannot mandate the teaching of creationism in public schools, so instead they write laws saying that teachers can use supplemental material. The DiscoTute then helpfully provides supplemental material that consists of the same anti-evolution arguments and lies that creationists have been peddling for a century.

Swords and sophistry: Questionable archaeology to the hilt

The problems with this claim are many and various. Once certain knowledgeable people started looking at it, the story turned odder and odder. Let’s unpack why this hyped Boston Standard story is doubtful.

The problems with this claim are many and various. Once certain knowledgeable people started looking at it, the story turned odder and odder. Let’s unpack why this hyped Boston Standard story is doubtful.

First, note that Pulitzer is not a professional archaeologist. He called himself “a leading visionary in the world of marketing, product development, and entrepreneurship”. Jason Colavito looks more closely into Pulitzer’s claims that he is a “Smithsonian Laureat”. Colavito finds that the claim made about the Smithsonian is not quite right. That is, the truth looks to have been a bit extended to supply him more personal accolades. His reputation is… hmm, what is the opposite of “stellar”? He likes to threaten legal action against people who are critical of his stuff – a common tactic for those who can’t back up their claims with evidence, so they go the intimidation route we’ve seen lots of times before. Not cool.

Many who tout “extraordinary” discoveries in archaeology aren’t qualified themselves to make the claims but they sometimes recruit others with credentials to help. The news story said that a report was forthcoming with more information about the sword.
,,,
Such finds, whether they be shocking artifacts, fossils, lost cities, or remains of Amelia Earhart, are the rightful domain of experts who have studied the literature, the body of work, and proper methods of retrieval. Not treasure hunters or TV crews. It’s not that someone COULDN’T stumble on a fantastic find but this should only be trusted (and publicized) when it’s been examined and investigated by people who can determine how it fits into the story of the world.

How a Fringe Theocratic Movement Helped Shape the Religious Right As We Know It | Religion Dispatches

Christian Reconstructionism is a twentieth-century theo-political movement whose influence—on the contemporary religious right, in particular—is little understood. Moreover, when Reconstructionism does come up in public conversation it is often in the context of some of its most extreme (and alarming) tenets: think biblical defense of slavery, the stoning of homosexuals.

Julie Ingersoll‘s new book, Building God’s Kingdom, is a meticulous account of this movement’s history and its aims. Founded by Rousas John Rushdoony in the early 1970s, Reconstructionism asserts the primacy of the Bible from the home to local government to national political life. While Rushdoony’s views were as alienating to the right as to the left in some aspects, many of his ideas did find traction among Christian conservatives.

I began my conversation with Ingersoll last week by asking her to elaborate on the history of that influence.

Some of the topics touched upon:

• Spheres of government

• Dominionism "seek to bring the civil government under biblical authority. In fact, they seek the complete transformation of every aspect of culture to bring it into alignment with what they believe the Bible teaches."

• Reconstructionists "see a fundamental and inevitable conflict between a “biblical worldview” and “secular humanism” and this animated the battles over tax exemptions in the 1980s,,, these battles continue today—especially in the fights over marriage equality"

• Cornelius Van Til, who developed an idea known as presuppositionalism. For Reconstructionists there are only two possible foundations for knowledge: the revealed word of God or the (false) claim of the autonomy of human rationality.

• Operation Rescue and the rise of Quiverfull

How a Fringe Theocratic Movement Helped Shape the Religious Right As We Know It | Religion Dispatches

See also:
 
Secrets of the extreme religious right: Inside the frightening world of Christian Reconstructionism 

Perhaps the most radical definition of such freedom comes out of the relatively obscure tradition of Christian Reconstructionism, the subject of a new book by religious studies scholar Julie Ingersoll, “Building God’s Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstructionism.”  As Ingersoll explains, Reconstructionists basically reject the entire framework of secular political thought in which individual rights have meaning, so “freedom” as most Americans understand the term is not the issue at all. Indeed, they argue that such “freedom” is actually slavery—slavery to sin, that is.

Watch Megachurch Pastor’s Creepy ‘Pray the Gay Away’ Event: ‘Somebody Fondled You, Somebody Raped You’ | Alternet

The pastor of popular megachurch in South Carolina told his congregation on Wednesday that homosexuality was caused by demons and ended his sermon by calling gay people to the stage so Jesus could “straighten things out.”

During his monthly “Unite” sermon, Redemption church pastor Ron Carpenter, Jr. addressed the issue of homosexuality for the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marriage.

“It is aligning yourself with the same sin as the father of rebellion, it is an abomination,” Carpenter explained, adding gay people lived shorter lives as a “due penalty” for their sexual orientation.

According to the pastor, adultery and even murder were natural sins of the flesh. But homosexuality was caused by demons in the “spiritual realm.”

What I find extremely dangerous,

“I think with homosexuality, something got planted that wasn’t supposed to be there, somewhere in your bloodline or your family, something got planted,” he insisted. “Something God didn’t want there, something God didn’t intend. And the twist began. And every generation commits the sins greater than their father committed it. For the reason you can dance in the street is because your father had to hide in a closet.”

Why?

Something I wrote back in 2013 concerning my delving into the Genesis 6 giants mythos and its impact:

This demonic angle seems to be the a rally point in common for all proponents of Nephilim Scripted as well as the Dominionist movement; the "us versus them" mentality being woven into the broader subject of spiritual warfare, transhumanism and corrupted DNA.  

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.   For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,,,(Matt 24:37-38 KJV)

This is a favorite of all Nephilim proponents.  In their minds, Satan is building an army!  We will see hybrids openly manifest in front of us in the coming days ahead, just like, as in the Days of Noah.  What is perverse about the theology is its basis in what is commonly known as the "Serpent Seed Doctrine" or "Demon Seed."  Although not all proponents openly espouse this view, the underlying message is there.

The foundation of this view begins with altering the interpretation of Genesis 6 from man's personal sin to demonic DNA being introduced into the human genome.  Step two, perverting Christ's prophecy in Matthew to fit the Nephilim scenario.  The final step, reinterpreting Genesis 3:14-15 which sets up the battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of Satan.

Watch Megachurch Pastor’s Creepy ‘Pray the Gay Away’ Event: ‘Somebody Fondled You, Somebody Raped You’ | Alternet

David Barton’s War on Christian Colleges: Claims Disputed by Focus on the Family Researcher and His Own Book

Can this man ever get his facts correct?  The short answer would be no, as long as more people come to Christ, what's truth got to do with it?   Integrity never seems to be an issue.

This isn’t the first time he has said this. As he did this time, he often couples his claim with criticism of Christian college professors. As with many of his other claims, he offers no evidence. Ultimately, in my opinion, this war on Christian colleges has more to do with self-defense than objective truth. Barton’s strongest critiques have come from Christian academics. He cannot claim we are on the left so he has to make up a cover story — in the case of this claim, he apparently thinks it helps him look better if he can convince audiences that Christian college professors only teach what their pagan graduate school professors taught them.

When I researched this claim before, I found nothing to support it. If anything, Christian schools are showing less erosion of faith commitments among their students.

A new wrinkle in Barton’s war on Christian colleges is the fact that the footnotes in his most recent book with George Barna (U-Turn) actually contradict his claim. In that book, Barna and Barton write about loss of faith for people under 30,,,

David Barton’s War on Christian Colleges: Claims Disputed by Focus on the Family Researcher and His Own Book

Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Chaplain Officer of the Year | MRFF

A major war is being viciously waged against the United States of America, a war that’s global in scope and poses a terrifying threat to our national security interests. The ruthless attacks, which this conflict has generated, have inflicted grievous damage to nothing less than the U.S. Constitution itself, as well as the foundational core values of the United States armed forces. While the mainstream media has been woefully asleep regarding this raging conflict, the Pentagon has verified through its own official publications that the war has already led to vast transformations within the armed forces. Religious fanatics are spearheading this pernicious worldwide campaign and, no, I’m NOT referring to Shia or Sunni Islamic jihadists…. but “jihadist” was a good guess. I’m referring, of course, to our very own fire & brimstone fundamentalist Christian crusaders, both within uniform and without, who have seemingly infiltrated every echelon of the United States armed forces. These religious extremists are bolstered by legions of civilian zealots, parachurch organizations, legislators, and persons of influence who are carrying out their own grievous massacre of bedrock civil rights under the banner of “religious freedom.”

You want the latest proof? Witness the appalling appellation and homage recently given to USAF Chaplain (Capt.) Sonny Hernandez, 445th Airlift Wing Chaplain Corps: freshly crowned as the “Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Individual Mobilization Accession Company Grade Officer of the Year” at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio. The official statement regarding this newly benighted Company Grade Officer of the Year sounds wonderfully amazing and ecumenical. Well, don’t cue the U.S. Air Force band rendition of Kumbaya yet, folks – the plot’s about to thicken with bountiful bile and phlegm.

[,,,]
So, my friends, the next time some fanatical Jesus freak from the “Family” Research Council, the American “Family” Association or the “Liberty” Institute (or some other Orwellian-named fundamentalist Christian hate-group) comes along and tries to sell you the unadulterated crap that the U.S. military under President Obama has become a “hostile environment for Christians”, in general, and hideously hostile to those poor, oppressed, pious military chaplains (like “Officer of the Year” Chaplain Hernandez) in particular, inquire about whether they also have some magic beans or love potions to sell you. You may then inform them with the cold, hard, irrefutable facts of the uber-dominating, Dominionist Christian influence pervading our armed forces, and the war on real religious liberty that is being waged.

Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Chaplain Officer of the Year | MRFF

Rubio Accepted Endorsement From Dominionist Who Claims Constitution Based on Bible | TWO Care

And in 2010 Barton helped to rally the dominionist Christian right behind Marco Rubio and to lift Rubio to the United States Senate, from which perch Rubio has now launched a presidential bid.

In 2010, A febrile, Koch brothers-financed, Christian right activist-led political spasm known as the “Tea Party” swept the land.

And, Christian right presidential hopefuls such as former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee began to maneuver in advance of the 2012 election. In March 2010 at the annual, arch-conservative CPAC convention in Washington D.C., Huckabee quipped that all Americans should be forced to listen to David Barton’s version of American history – at gunpoint if necessary.

The ensuing controversy failed to deter Marco Rubio. Quite the contrary. Up onstage at a September 15,  2010 Longwood, Florida political rally, candidate Marco Rubio appeared for a heartfelt endorsement from former Vice Chair of the Texas GOP and pseudo-historian David Barton (pictured). To hammer home the point Barton then posted a special 5 minute, 52 second video endorsement of Rubio.

Barton and Rubio were the main attractions at the September 15th rally according to advance publicity, with Barton billed as a “constitutional scholar”.


Little more than a month later Barton’s close friend, New Apostolic Reformation prophet Cindy Jacobs, would release a prophecy forecasting the rise of a church-based third major political party led by “righteous” politicians such as Marco Rubio. Jacobs teaches that dominionist Christians have the God-given mandate to “subdue”, “make subservient”, and “bring into bondage” all unbelievers.

The dual September 15th appearance by Rubio and Barton was almost unnoticed* by media, except for, most prominently, coverage from Talking Points Memo reporter Brian Beutler – who noted that Barton had just helped orchestrate a wildly controversial religious right campaign to revise Texas textbook standards.

Less than a year later, Barton began publicly promoting the New Apostolic Reformation’s “7 Mountains” dominionist program, which advocates that charismatic Christians should, as NAR apostle Thomas Muthee outlined shortly before blessing and anointing Sarah Palin in a 2005 ceremony, “invade… infiltrate” seven key sectors of society: government, business, media, education, arts and entertainment, religion, and the family.

[,,,]
David Barton enjoys a close working relationship with the Christian supremacist apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation, whose dominionist agenda, that calls on believers to “rule as kings”, finally gained some mainstream media notice in 2011 after a prayer rally, dominated by NAR apostles and prophets, that kicked off Texas governor Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential bid.

Rubio Accepted Endorsement From Dominionist Who Claims Constitution Based on Bible | TWO Care

Extremism: The Key to Launching a Spiritual Revolution

Beside attributing false statements to both Hitler and Stalin the author conflates the Hitler Youth movement to the Brown-shirts (which was the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party). That aside, just how dangerous are these cranks in the Reich? Farias is having a wet dream about his own band of mini-mes,,,

In 1933 Hitler said, "If I can separate the youth of Germany from their parents I will conquer this nation." He started a movement called "The Brown Shirts" in which 100,000 youth stood in Berlin with their right hand raised and screaming. "Hitler, we are yours!" Imagine our youth pledging that kind of allegiance to King Jesus!

It is rumored that, around that same time period, the Communist leader Joseph Stalin made the following statement concerning youth: "If we can effectively kill the national pride and patriotism of just one generation, we will have won that country. Therefore, there must be continued propaganda abroad to undermine the loyalty of the citizens in general and the teenagers in particular. By making readily available drugs of various kinds, by giving a teenager alcohol, by praising his wildness, by strangling him with sex literature and by advertising to his and her psycho-political preparation, create the necessary attitude of chaos, idleness and worthlessness." If demonically inspired men can affect our youth this way, imagine what divine inspiration will do!
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In revolutionary countries youth are trained in combat and weapons. They are taught principles of Communism and the tenets of militant Islam. They give themselves wholeheartedly to the goal of world domination. Someone once said that Satan is preparing his army, but the church is entertaining her children. We need a radical departure from the standard method of training young men and women for ministry. We need a touch of wholesome extremism to launch a counterculture JESUS revolution!

Extremism: The Key to Launching a Spiritual Revolution

Ted Cruz Proposes Bill To Strip 5th And 6th Amendment Out Of US Constitution

Cruz has proposed a new bill, the Expatriate Terrorist Act (Senate Bill 247), which strips away the rights of any American citizen who runs off to join or in support of any terrorist organization. It would immediately strip the citizenship of anyone in support of an organization that the United States deems a “terrorist organization.”

There is a problem here, however…

This is in violation of the US Constitution, which Cruz has often referred to himself as a fan and follower of. His bill, which was originally written by the ineffable jingoistic idiot Michelle Bachmann (who also happens to be a Dominionist) violates these particular Amendments:

Amendment V:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger;

Amendment VI:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Ted Cruz Proposes Bill To Strip 5th And 6th Amendment Out Of US Constitution

‘Warrior for God’ | Southern Poverty Law Center

“In fact, the Republicans tried to get me to run for Senate this year. I said, ‘I can’t run [on the GOP ticket] because I’m an independent. And until you become the conservatives I expect you to be, until you start standing for my values, I’m not going to call myself a Republican.’”

__

Retired three-star general William “Jerry” Boykin is the executive vice president of the anti-LGBT, archconservative Family Research Council, the FRC. He isby in charge of its day-to-day operations, but he is no desk jockey.

White-haired and 66, Boykin is an old soldier who refuses to fade away. A popular speaker on the conservative Christian speaking circuit, Boykin is constantly on the road, crisscrossing the country from pulpit to pulpit, recruiting a Christian army to battle the forces of Satan, hell-bent, he says, on destroying America with such weapons as same-sex marriage, radical Islamists, gun control, abortion, and a “Marxist model” for world conquest.

“You wonder why there’s so much religious persecution in America today,” he asked a Texas church audience two years ago. “It’s because we’re becoming a Marxist nation.”

[,,,]
“I’ve been outspoken about my concerns about radical Islam and I’ve been hammered for it,” he said in the Christian Summit Church sanctuary. “The interesting thing is there are more and more Americans who are beginning to wake up and realize there really is a threat from the Muslim Brotherhood inside America. Don’t think they aren’t here. They are here.

“I’m not talking about every Muslim,” he quickly added. “But I’ve been outspoken about the fact that we’ve got to stand up to the Muslim Brotherhood in America.”

Somewhere, Sen. Joe McCarthy is smiling.

When it comes to gay issues, Boykin’s is a softer, gentler, hate-the-sin, love-the-sinner form of bigotry. “I believe homosexuality is wrong biblically, but it’s no greater than my sins,” he told a Texas audience two years ago. “I’ve sinned, too. It’s just a sin like the sins I’ve committed.”

‘Warrior for God’ | Southern Poverty Law Center

Demonic Spirits Attack TV Evangelicals. Demonic Vortex? | Ring of Fire

Besides the obvious mention of demons, notice the "emphasis" on media (~1:05 mark): ",,,Generals was destroyed,,,except for the media portion". If y'all remember from my previous postings concerning the "7 Mountains Mandate" the media is one of the "pillars" of society that needs to be dominated

Bare in mind that Jacobs considers herself to be a modern day prophetess with emphasis on spiritual warfare and influenced by C. Peter Wagner. She is a Dominionist, a dangerous one at that.

As one comment states, "There are demons about. The only way to save the world is to send up money!!"

Demonic Spirits Attack TV Evangelicals. Demonic Vortex? | Ring of Fire

The Governing Party - NYTimes.com

As I was reading though this Op, two things stood out in the authors "praise" for the success of the GOP/T:

Republicans didn’t establish this dominant position because they are unrepresentative outsiders. They did it because they have deep roots in four of the dominant institutions of American society: the business community, the military, the church and civic organizations.

[,,,]
Let’s pause over some of the institutions mentioned in these mini-bios: IBM, Reebok, the Red Cross, McKinsey and the Army. These are not fringe organizations. These are the pillars of American society.

Republicans won this election in part because they re-established their party’s traditional personality. The beau ideal of American Republicanism is the prudent business leader who is active in the community, active at church and fervently devoted to national defense.

Let's put a bit of context to this statement shall we,,,

Dominionism exist, there is no denying it regardless  of what some in the Reich may say.  Its "modern" roots can be traced primarily to Francis Schaefer, Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ fame and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission; the time frame was the mid 70s.  Each were give a message:

That message was that if we are to impact any nation for Jesus Christ, then we would have to affect the seven spheres, or mountains of society that are the pillars of any society.

These seven mountains are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. There are many subgroups under these main categories,,, In essence, God was telling these three change agents where the battlefield was. It was here where culture would be won or lost. Their assignment was to raise up change agents to scale the mountains and to help a new generation of change agents understand the larger story.

Now consider this,,,

1]  Government:: numerous politicians are injecting religious beliefs into their policy making and believe that this nation was founded on “Christian” principles.

2]  Family::Religious ideology is behind what constitutes a marriage.

3]  Religion::A government controlled by people who believe this nation is a “Christian” nation.

4]  Education::The rise of the "voucher program" to fund private schooling and the increased push in the home school movement; both precipitated by funding cuts for public education.  "Teach the controversy" as well as Steve Green's initiative for a 4-year Bible-based curriculum also fall into this category.

5]  Media::Fox news is the only news.  And as bizarre as this may appear,

It turns out that control over the media isn't just to broadcast purely Christian entertainment and news.  In August 2010, [Patricia] King [a NAR “apostle” and “prophet” associated with XPmedia],  sat down with apostolic preacher Randy Demain who explained that demonic giants from Noah’s day have taken over the media mountain, which is why Christians need to “retake” the mountain.

6]  Business::Heavy backing by radical right-wing billionaires, many of whom advocate for open discrimination in the workplace based on religious beliefs - Steve Green; Jon Cargill, CFO of Hobby Lobby; the Koch brothers and   John Schnatter of Papa John fame, to name a few.

7]  Arts & Entertainment::Think of the recent spat of "Christian" themed movies of late, as well as the dreck that is playing on the History Channel and H2.  No accident there.

Make no mistake, this is not an unbiased opinion,  David Brooks was a keynote speaker at the recent conference entitled  "The Gathering" held in  Orlando, Florida this past September.

The Gathering is a conference of hard-right Christian organizations and, perhaps more important, funders. Most of them are not household names, at least if your household isn’t evangelical. But that’s the point: The Gathering is a hub of Christian Right organizing, and the people in attendance have led the campaigns to privatize public schools, redefine “religious liberty” (as in the Hobby Lobby case), fight same-sex marriage, fight evolution, and, well, you know the rest. They’re probably behind that, too.

Featured speakers have included many of the usual suspects: Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Alan Sears (2013), Focus on the Family President Jim Daly (2011), and Family Research Council head Tony Perkins (2006). This year, however, they are joined by David Brooks of The New York Times and Michael Gerson of The Washington Post. What’s going on? Has The Gathering gone mainstream?

So yes, Brooks should know that this was no "accident."

U.S. Pro-Coup Evangelicals Ally With Putin Inner Circle | TWO Care

This is quite interesting and I am still trying to digest it all but it seems to boil down to this. A group of evangelical leaders (extreme Dominionists and NAR devotees) in the United States have formed an alliance with none other than Vladimir Putin.

A quick overview shows that this palls in comparison to harmless religious rhetoric and the meddling of the Reich in Russian anti-gay laws. Militancy and armed insurrection are constant themes.

I'm going to need serious time to take this all in as there are some huge names in all this,,,

U.S. Pro-Coup Evangelicals Ally With Putin Inner Circle | TWO Care

The $1-Billion-a-Year Right-Wing Conspiracy You Haven’t Heard Of - The Daily Beast

Although the speakers list was not that over-the-top as far as names go, this "group" will bare watching.  As there is much to digest, I may have to revisit both articles for all the information to sink in.

Have you heard of the $1,750-per-person “Gathering,” which starts Thursday in Orlando, Florida?

Probably not. But if you’re female, gay, non-Christian, or otherwise interested in the separation of church and state, your life has been affected by it.

The Gathering is a conference of hard-right Christian organizations and, perhaps more important, funders. Most of them are not household names, at least if your household isn’t evangelical. But that’s the point: The Gathering is a hub of Christian Right organizing, and the people in attendance have led the campaigns to privatize public schools, redefine “religious liberty” (as in the Hobby Lobby case), fight same-sex marriage, fight evolution, and, well, you know the rest. They’re probably behind that, too.

Featured speakers have included many of the usual suspects: Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Alan Sears (2013), Focus on the Family President Jim Daly (2011), and Family Research Council head Tony Perkins (2006). This year, however, they are joined by David Brooks of The New York Times and Michael Gerson of The Washington Post. What’s going on? Has The Gathering gone mainstream?

Hardly, says Bruce Wilson, director of the advocacy group Truth Wins Out’s Center Against Religious Extremism and a leading researcher on The Gathering. The selection of this year’s speakers, he says, is just the latest in a long line of misdirections and canards.

To be sure, untangling webs of funders, organizations, and campaigns can often feel like conspiracy-mongering. Your brain begins to resemble one of those bulletin boards from A Beautiful Mind or Se7en, full of paranoid-seeming Post-Its and strings. Wilson has been untangling these webs for years, and sometimes it shows. His many publications and his emails to me are long-winded, occasionally exaggerated, and sometimes hard to follow.

But often he’s dead on. And beneath the hyperbole, The Gathering is as close to a “vast right-wing conspiracy” as you’re likely to find. So with this year’s conference about to get under way, Wilson gave The Daily Beast an exclusive interview over email—heavily redacted here—about this shadowy, powerful network of hard-right funders.

The $1-Billion-a-Year Right-Wing Conspiracy You Haven’t Heard Of - The Daily Beast

See also:

The Gathering: The Religious Right’s Cash Cow

ADDENDUM::So, I just had to do a we bit more digging

So the initial posting mentions Michele Bachmann whom we all know and love (unless you been living in a cave) and Bradlee Dean, whom I have posted about before. 

My "history" with Dean goes back to the mid-90s when he broke into the Christian "spreechting" circuit after founding the non-profit Christian organization "You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide International," a highly controversial youth speaking organization.  Again unless you have purposefully been avoiding the news, you are at least aware of his antics.  He is pails with Bachmann (or was, that seems to have cooled off some) but his most famous brainfart, being the dumb ass who attempted and failed miserably at suing Rachel Maddow, PhD. Political Science and Rhodes Scholar, for quoting him directly. He currently has a writing gig with WorldNuttersDialy.

There is enough information out there on the interwebs about both Bachmann and Dean to make re-hashing a tedious and boring job.  What I want to focus on, or maybe I should say, what  I'm being compelled to focus on, is Bob Frey and his unusual connections and source of his stupidity.

The following is culled from New Bluestem Prairie, a progressive site out of Minnesota.

Some background,,,

Long an associate of anti-sodomy crusader Representative Glenn Gruenhagen, Frey serves as Gruenhagen's campaign committee chair.  Gruenhagen and Frey led Citizens For Academic Excellence, a group that fretted about historical documents being altered and the evils of school-to-work, multiculturalism, diversity and violence prevention.

His son Mike Frey, pastor of the Northern Light Baptist Church, serves as Frey's campaign committee chair; the pastor testified against marriage equality last year in testimony called "outrageously inaccurate" by the Huffington Post.

,,,He believes in God-given inalienable rights to individuals, freedom with the responsibility to protect it, a Constitutional Republic form of government, the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Minnesota, and the Republican Platform.

“There are assaults taking place on our children, families, and businesses, by the progressive left that needs to stop. It’s time for me to elevate the fight and do my part for Carver County and my family,” said Frey,,,

Here's the interesting crazy stuff,,,

Bluestem has been sent a video file of "Sodomy, Health, Money, and HF826" created by the Pro-Marriage Amendment Forum. The PMA Forum is a group created in 2012 by representative Gruenhagen and his "ex-gay" gay friend Kevin Petersen.

According to our source, who lives in the district, candidate Bob Frey is distributing a PMA Forum DVD that repeats much of the same content against "sodomy" from Mike Frey's [testimony on marriage equality] . 

An excerpt and the full video is available at Bluestem.  I would suggest the excerpt as the full version may destroy any remaining functioning brain cells you may have.  Yes it is that bad, think the Regnerus Study (which by the way is in the news again!!)]

The video,,,

In the forty-minute video, the speaker repeats many claims from Mike Frey's 2013 testimony to the (see below) about the messy mechanics of "sodomy" and the menace he perceived stemming from it, then moves to accusations that the anti-bullying bill is part of a plot on the part of "elites" to promote infect children with AIDS for the profit of doctors and the drug industry.

Where does Frey's pastor son fit into this crazy mix? [Not so crazy if you look at it through the lens of dominionism; convoluted may be a better term.]

Ignoring the younger Frey's inane testimony for the moment, consider this, "City Pages linked the younger Frey to a Carver County Church in Waconia,,, and Bluestem connected the church that PLANTED  Frey [First Baptist Church in Rosemount via the Baptist Church Planting Ministry],,, to anti-marriage equality campaigns [the Minnesota Family Council's Marriage Protection Fund] in "Church that planted Mike Frey in Waconia gave $5,000 to MFC Marriage Protection Fund in 2012.""

 What my conspiratorial, dominionist obsessed, mind is thinking,,,

"Planted" or "church planting" is an interesting term/concept.  Now not knowing the full background of Frey's church, "a young church," according to their website.  I am hesitant of comparing it to the dominionist idea of "steeplejacking".  The attacking or the literal hijacking of mainstream churches in order to eliminate progressive voices in mainline denominations.  But it does make me wonder.

If you look at the biblical rationale behind the "planting" ministry, the Great Commission and Paul's example at Ephesus, you may see a similarity.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20, NIV)

"Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.  But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.  This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (Acts 19:8-10, NIV)

One of the foundations of dominionist ideology is Mathew 28:18, “Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ,,, [t]hat’s what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less…"

What is interesting to note, Earl Jessup, the founder of Baptist Church Planting Ministry, "chose to resign and expand his ministry in church planting.  In August of 1993, Dr. Jessup founded Baptist Church Planting Ministry and is currently the General Director."   According to Theocracy Watch, 1991-1993 were pivotal years in the Reich's takeover of the GOP.

Remember this, ",,,[w]hat the Christian right spends a lot of time doing," says Marc Wolin, a moderate Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress from San Francisco last year, "is going after obscure party posts. They try to control the party apparatus in each county. We have a lot to fear from these people. They want to set up a theocracy in America."

Sounds a lot like what "church planting" is all about.

For those of you who say apathetically that both parties are the same, I beg to differ

"When one provokes in a child a fear of the dark, one awakens in him a feeling of atavistic dread. Thus this child will be ruled all his life by this dread, whereas another child, who has been intelligently brought up, will be free of it."

Adolf Hitler,  "Table Talk" discussions on the night of July 11-12, 1941, p. 12

__

I've been thinking about what I wrote above concerning the SCOTUS decision - regarding Hobby Lobby - being a Reich wet dream and the possibility that their grand scheme may backfire.  I really didn't pull those ideas out of my ass, others have been pondering this thought as well.  Just maybe not in the same colorful language.

When one looks at the decision rendered by SCOTUS it has to be through the lens of the Reich's overall agenda -  starting with a "reformed" interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause or an outright repeal of the First Amendment,  continuing with the abolition of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending with the implementation of dominionist ideology in order to govern by theocratic control.  With the ruling in Hobby Lobby, the Reich will "now" be able to exempt themselves from any laws that they don’t like; that they find “religiously objectionable.” 

Now here's where it gets a bit tricky.  I have more or less insinuated on various occasions that nothing done within the ranks of the Reich are individually motivated. Green's personally held religious convictions no matter how "sincere" they may be, have an agenda attached.  That agenda, "Hobby Lobby-related entities are some of the biggest sources of funding to the National Christian Charitable Foundation." 

According to Eli Clifton, the National Christian Charitable Foundation then funds "a range of causes including climate science denial, charter schools, free market and pro-life advocacy."  One of their biggest grant recipients,  Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the bulwarks behind Arizona's failed SB 1062 legislation. And their mission, "'[making] certain that governmental laws cannot force people to violate their faith unless it has a compelling governmental interest–a balancing of interests that has been in federal law since 1993.'”

So what does this have to do with Hobby Lobby and the Reich's agenda.  First Steve Green has a personal agenda.  One I have highlighted before.

That’s our goal, so that we can reintroduce this book to this nation. This nation is in danger because of its ignorance of what God has taught,,, Someday, I would argue, it should be mandated.  (Starting about the 4:28 mark)

Book? Mandate?  WTF you talking 'bout?

For those unaware, one of the goals of Mr. Steve "Hobby Lobby" Green,  is to have a 4 year Bible curriculum, that they (the Green Scholars Initiative) write, be mandated in all public schools.  Currently, the Mustang School Board (OK) approved Green's curriculum although it is still in draft.

I won't harp too much on the obvious (besides the legalities) but is this the "re-education" that Richard Mourdock, Tony Perkins, Austin Miles  and Rick Santorum are talking about?  In my mind, this curriculum is the gateway to theocratic rule with "its primary intent the conquest of the land — of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ.”

Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ — to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness. But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence. It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest.

As Leah Burton explains, "This notion of having to 'reclaim' something that they truly believe they lost is pervasive. In order to understand that they must convince you that we always were a Christian Nation and now it must be reclaimed by them in order to save our country from moral decline."

And what better way to indoctrinate the notion of Christian Nation ideology, "Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world."  Sound familiar?  It should, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Steve Green said that, "We're working on 4 year public school bible curriculum.  The first year will be a summary of all three of those section. It's history, it's impact and it's story.  Then the next 3 years is going in depth in each of those -- a year for the history, a year for the impact and a year for the story -- in some order,,,."

“We're working on 4 year public school bible curriculum.  The first year will be a summary of all three of those section. It's history, it's impact and it's story.  Then the next 3 years is going in depth in each of those - a year for the history, a year for the impact and a year for the story - in some order,,, The nation is in danger because of its ignorance of what God has taught,,, If we don’t know it, our future is going to be very scary,,, we really want to get,,, be into the,,, high school level because we want to reach as many as possible.  Someday, I would argue, it should be mandated.  Here's a book that's impacted our world, unlike any other, and you're not gonna teach it? There's,,, something wrong with that."

We all are well aware that there is a slippery-slope in regards to the decision in favor of Hobby Lobby's demands.  Many writers are taking the high road of optimism.  I on the other hand, I see things getting more tumultuous  before they get better.  And this is where the Reich's agenda comes into play (keeping in mind Green's Bible curriculum takes care of the implementation of the dominionist/theocratic ideology) . From Clifton's article cited above,

'Individuals and entities with religious objections to certain laws that protect others are seeking to use their religion to trump others,' Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project, told Salon.
,,,
Center for Arizona Policy president Cathi Herrod heralded the Hobby Lobby lawsuit as a rare example of a 'business willing to step out in faith and literally risk it all to hold fast to their faith,,,'

Clifton then goes on to discuss how Green/Hobby Lobby is the poster child of the Reich by outlining some recent cases.  Cases that where funded by or through the National Christian Charitable Foundation:  McCullen v. Coakley, Elane Photography v. Willock, and the various "religious liberty" bills similar to SB 1062 that appeared in 13 other states.

Think of that as our starting point, testing the water of the SCOTUS if you will.

Remember what I said about the First Amendment?  Here is what the Hobby Lobby ruling has done by placing too much emphasis on the phrase "closely held."

The corporate plaintiffs' argument that they enjoy free exercise rights under the First Amendment and RFRA is in conflict with the text, history, and purpose of the First Amendment's free exercise guarantee. Amicus submits this brief to demonstrate that throughout our nation's history, corporations have been treated differently than individuals when it comes to fundamental, personal rights of conscience and human dignity. The First Amendment's free exercise guarantee has always been viewed as a purely personal liberty, guaranteeing the right of individuals to worship and exercise religion consistent with the dictates of their conscience. It has never been considered a right possessed by secular, for-profit corporations. Indeed, in the more than 200 years since the First Amendment's ratification, this Court has never held that secular, for-profit corporations may assert rights under the Free Exercise Clause. 
,,,
The Hobby Lobby case, of course, deals in part with the question whether the federal [Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)] was or is intended to benefit the owners of large, for-profit, nonreligious corporations. Hobby Lobby's interpretation that it does would open the floodgates to exempt every business owner in the United States from the anti-discrimination laws, because there is no real middle ground. The forces behind Hobby Lobby have tried to argue that the Court should hold for Hobby Lobby because it is "closely held," but that would not limit the holding to a few instances, because over 90% of corporations are "closely held." If the Court sides with Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, it will open the Pandora's box of corporate law.

As for civil right, please consider this in regards to the LGBTI community:

The Associated Press reported this weekend that social conservatives believe they have an opening to bring the state's religious freedom bill back in 2015. The legislation failed this spring; it passed the House, but stalled in the Senate after significant backlash from business groups. It would have prevented businesses from being sued if they refused to serve LGBT people for religious reasons.

"We are not going to let it die. We are very committed," Rev. Terry Fox, a leading Southern Baptist minister, told the AP. "The Body of Christ is a powerful movement when it comes together."

Gay rights advocates and social conservatives alike had watched the Hobby Lobby case to see how it might influence their cause. The Court's decision was decidedly narrow in its language, and some legal experts pointed TPM to Justice Anthony Kennedy's concurring opinion in the case as evidence that he would not support discrimination against LGBT people on religious freedom grounds.

But others warned on the day of the ruling that conservatives would likely take Hobby Lobby's win as their chance to resuscitate religious freedom legislation.

"The opinion really doesn't really resolve the question of whether for-profit businesses can seek religious exemptions from anti-discrimination law," Douglas NeJaime, a law professor at the University of California-Irvine, told TPM. "If I'm one of those groups, I'm going to pursue this."

Or this in regards to women:

At a time when women make up more than half of the workforce, the ruling also further denies women equal rights in the workplace. “By setting women’s reproductive health care apart from all other forms of health care the Roberts’ Court has legally enshrined a new kind of gender-based inequality where only women are specifically subject to interference from their employer when it comes to personal medical choices,” continued Cotler. “We hope that the President will explore ways to ensure that women who will otherwise be denied reproductive health care by their employers are not left without coverage.” 

And what about an individual employee's religious beliefs:

The First Amendment's establishment clause prevents the government from requiring people to bear the burden of religions to which they do not belong and whose teachings they do not practice. To be sure, the U.S. government should accommodate religious beliefs and practices but only when doing so does not impose significant burdens on others. We accommodate, for example, those who object for religious reasons to sending their children to public school; no one is hurt if these families opt for a private school or home-schooling.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court consistently has condemned government accommodations that shift the cost of practicing a religion from those who believe it to others who don't. For example, the court struck down a state law that gave employees an absolute right not to work on their chosen Sabbath because of the burden it imposed on others. If most employees were Christian and took Sunday off, the statute would have forced the remaining, non-Christian employees to work every Sunday. This, the court said, violated the establishment clause: "The First Amendment ... gives no one the right to insist that in pursuit of their own interests, others must conform their conduct to his own religious necessities."

If the court grants these businesses the religious exemption they seek, it essentially would be directing the women who work for these businesses to bear the cost of the owners' anti-contraception religion.

And for shits-and-giggles, consider this bizarre case that is pending in regards to individual employee's religious beliefs:

To explain, the Supreme Court’s decision in Hobby Lobby did more than simply allow religious business owners to ignore a federal rule requiring them to include contraception coverage in their employees’ health plans. It tore down decades of law protecting workers from bosses who, in the words of one Supreme Court decision, would “impose the employer’s religious faith on the employees.” Prior to Hobby Lobby, that same Court decision held that “[w]hen followers of a particular sect enter into commercial activity as a matter of choice, the limits they accept on their own conduct as a matter of conscience and faith are not to be superimposed on the statutory schemes which are binding on others in that activity.” Today, that is no longer the case.
,,,
Should Eden Foods prevail, however, it could shatter what may be the most fundamental assumption of any law protecting the free exercise of religion — religious exercise laws protect religious exercise, they don’t protect the right of an anti-government CEO to make a federal case out of every single thing the government does that he disagrees with.

Don't be lulled into believing that this "concern" for your religious liberty is mere coincidence.  This is a well thought out and implemented plan beginning with the take-over of the GOP in the 1990s by the Religious Right:

The formula they've concocted has been called the "15 per cent solution" by the Christian Coalition. Even in a well attended presidential election, only 15 per cent of eligible voters determine the outcome,,, "We don't have to worry about convincing a majority of Americans to agree with us," Guy Rodgers, the Christian Coalition's national field director declared at the 1991 Road to Victory conference. Most of them are staying home and watching Falcon Crest."

,,, "What the Christian right spends a lot of time doing," says Marc Wolin, a moderate Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Congress from San Francisco last year, "is going after obscure party posts. They try to control the party apparatus in each county. We have a lot to fear from these people. They want to set up a theocracy in America."

"They have acquired a very detailed and accurate understanding of how political parties are organized," says Craig Berkman, former chairman of the Republican Party in Oregon:

Parties are very susceptible to being taken over by ideologues because lower party offices have no appeal to the vast majority of our citizenry. Many precincts are represented by no one. If you decide all of a sudden because it's your Christian duty to become a precinct representative, you only need a few votes to get elected. Increasingly, they have the key say so on who will be a delegate at the national convention, and who will write the party platform and nominate the presidential candidate,,,

And if that candidate wins, guess what?  We have a SCOTUS filled with the likes of Kennedy, Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Roberts.

Not a single justice appointed by either President Bill Clinton or President Barack Obama sided with Hobby Lobby. It was indeed only the justices appointed by socially conservative presidents who voted to keep women trapped in a bygone era. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, because both sides of the aisle have been saying for the last few election cycles how important it is with our aging Supremes to have someone in the position to nominate justices of an ideological bent they agree with, and the proof of that concept is in Citizens United, McCutcheon v. FEC, and now the Hobby Lobby case. These narrow decisions will have a lasting impact on American society, and they are decisions made by men who have not been in power for decades in some cases, a half decade in one case.

So for those of you who say apathetically that both parties are the same, I beg to differ.  For those that say your vote doesn't count, yes it does; even if it is not for your ideal candidate.

Pondering this thought/question::

Wondering if the "rise" of the use of presuppositionalism in apologetics is related to the increased influence of dominionist theology as both have a common "modern" core in one man Rousas John Rushdoony:

All issues are religious in nature, he posited, and people don’t have the right or the ability to define for themselves what’s true; for that they must turn to a literal reading of the Bible. His defining tome, the 800-page Institutes of Biblical Law, was published in 1973,,, At the heart of Rushdoony’s argument were two biblical passages. Genesis 1:28 commands men to have “dominion” over “every living thing.” And in Matthew 28:18-20, the “Great Commission,” Jesus commands his followers to proselytize to the world. Thus was born dominion theology,,, In this worldview, the mandate for Christians is not just to live right or to help their neighbors: They are called upon to take over or eliminate the institutions of secular government.

Focusing on Rushdoony does not take away the earlier influence Van Til on the dominionist movement but it is the difference between the two that may highlight the growth in both dominionism and presup "logic."

Van Til held true knowledge came from God, whereas Rushdoony asserted that "all non-Christian knowledge is sinful, invalid nonsense. The only valid knowledge that non-Christians possess is 'stolen' from 'Christian-theistic' sources."

Yea this is gonna be a long night,,,roflmao!!

Rafael Cruz Preaches Seven Mountains Theology, Tells Activists To 'Stop Electing The Village Idiot' | Right Wing Watch

And God blessed [Adam and Eve ] and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over EVERY living thing that moveth upon the earth." —Genesis 1:28 (KJV)

[This response is adapted from a two-part radio program I did two years ago.  Not much has changed in that time.]

Who would have thought that this one little verse, tucked away in an ancient text could cause so many issues. This is the crux of what Cruz preaches, although many theologians do not agree as to what is meant by the word DOMINION many within the extreme interpret this verse as meaning that God gave humankind responsibility over ALL the Earth (the lady folk included).

Let's look at the broader concept of Dominionism and try and avoid the confusion of Dominion Theology and Reconstructionism which are subsets of the of the broader whole. Let's focus on the belief that many adherents are pushing, "that Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns".

Altho there are adherents on both side of the political spectrum this ideology has become sort of the rallying point for the Right. This notion became very apparent in 2001 when Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore installed a granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama state courthouse in Montgomery:

"When Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court, installed a two-and-one-half-ton granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama state courthouse in Montgomery in June of 2001, he knew it was a deeply symbolic act. He was saying that God's laws are the foundation of the nation; and of all our laws. Or at least, they ought to be.1 The monument (wags call it "Roy's rock") was installed under cover of night – but Moore had a camera crew from Rev. D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries on hand to record the historic event. Kennedy then sold videos of the installation as a fundraiser for Moore's legal defense. They knew he would need it."

The story of Roy's rock epitomizes the rise of what many are calling "dominionism." It is a story of how notions of "Biblical law" as an alternative to traditional, secular ideas of constitutional law are edging into mainstream American politics.

According to Clarkson's article, which by the way is one of many as he has been following the Dominionist trend for 15+ years, the following characteristics are shared by all forms of dominionism:

1. Dominionists celebrate Christian nationalism, in that they believe that the United States once was, and should once again be, a Christian nation. In this way, they deny the Enlightenment roots of American democracy.

2. Dominionists promote religious supremacy, insofar as they generally do not respect the equality of other religions, or even other versions of Christianity. [The Us vs. Them.]

3. Dominionists endorse theocratic visions, insofar as they believe that the Ten Commandments, or "biblical law," should be the foundation of American law, and that the U.S. Constitution should be seen as a vehicle for implementing Biblical principles.

Dominionism is very simple yet also very complex. Leah Burton of "Gods Own Party" explains the basics and sums up what Dominionism is very well in her blog piece "What IS Dominionism?" [Regretfully Leah's site is not available, I am hoping this is only temporary. I will have to find an alternative citation at some point.]

From Evangelical Preacher George Grant:

It is a growing movement supported by political Christians who teach that America is a nation built on a singular religion, Christianity – and all citizens are to be subject to laws and rules that are in accordance with their Dominionist version of reality.

“Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ — to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness. But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence. It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest.

That’s what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less…

Thus, Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land — of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ.” (From The Changing of the Guard: Biblical Principles for Political Action by George Grant, published in 1987 by Dominion Press.)

This notion of having to “reclaim” something that they truly believe they lost is pervasive. In order to understand that they must convince you that we always were a Christian Nation and now it must be reclaimed by them in order to save our country from moral decline.

From Gary North…

“So let us be blunt about it: We must use the doctrine of religious liberty to gain independence for Christian schools until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will be get busy in constructing a Bible-based social, political and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God.”

NOW do you see why public prayer/invocations at governmental meetings, or school sponsored prayer are an issue. Now do you see why "10 Commandment" monuments are and issue. What many fail to see is this ideology is also at the heart of many of the current social issues in the news: Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, Turn the Gays Away legislation (mRFRAs), abortion, minimum wage, poverty issues, the teaching of creationism or the "war on women." These are all RELIGIOUS LIBERTY issues in the minds of the dominionists (why I call them the Reich) and fall under the purview of SOCAS.

As John Suggs notes, dominionism is not only a theology but also an ideology and has its "modern" foundational roots in the works of Francis Schaeffer, specifically his 1981 book A Christian Manifesto.  This was a concerted and well developed counterattack to the growth of "humanist secularism." [Some attribute the growth of the Christian Right to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, others say McCarthyism of the 50s and some go back further to the 1925 Scopes trial.]

Christians needed to take bold action to restore biblical principles and erase divisions between religion and civic life. To ignite the movement, Schaeffer mapped out a battle campaign—a crusade against abortion, which, he said, “would be worth spending much of our lifetimes to fight against.”

The cause was later taken up by presuppositionalist Rousas John Rushdoony:

All issues are religious in nature, he posited, and people don’t have the right or the ability to define for themselves what’s true; for that they must turn to a literal reading of the Bible. His defining tome, the 800-page Institutes of Biblical Law, was published in 1973,,, At the heart of Rushdoony’s argument were two biblical passages. Genesis 1:28 commands men to have “dominion” over “every living thing.” And in Matthew 28:18-20, the “Great Commission,” Jesus commands his followers to proselytize to the world. Thus was born dominion theology,,, In this worldview, the mandate for Christians is not just to live right or to help their neighbors: They are called upon to take over or eliminate the institutions of secular government.

This is not some fly-by-night, fringe "movement" only supported by extremists.  The dominionist movement is actively trying (and in some case suceeding - Citizens United comes to mind) to destroy not only the long standing structure of government, but the capacity of the federal courts to protect the rights of all citizens. They are seeking to "restore" the Constitution "to the original intent of the founders". Their views are anti-democratic and not based on the rights of the individual.  It is a worldview based on their notion and their interpretation of biblical law.

And just to be very clear, are you the "right" kind of Christian? I can guarantee you are not!!

Rafael Cruz Preaches Seven Mountains Theology, Tells Activists To 'Stop Electing The Village Idiot' | Right Wing Watch

Hagee: It Is Not Climate Change; It's The Imminent Return Of Jesus Christ | Right Wing Watch

The other day when I posted concerning Barney Frank and his decision to stay closeted concerning his atheism, I hypothesized concerning the Reich's anti-science stance:  Dominionists deny Climate Change because they want the "world to end" so they can all go to heaven.

Now I know some of my dear readers are thinking I have lost my marble or I was sensationalizing.  To wit I present to you Matthew Hagee.

As Hagee explained, the views put forth by scientists and experts on any subject are not to be believed if those views are at odds with what the Bible teaches. As such, the extreme weather events that the climate has been experiencing are not the result of climate change but are rather signs of the End Times and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.

,,,So we have a decision to make: do we believe what an environmentalist group says and choose to live in a world where we're attempting to make everything as clean in the air as possible, or do we believe what the Bible says, that these things were going to happen and that rather than try to clean up all of the air and solve all of the problems of the world by eliminating factories, we should start to tell people about Jesus Christ who is to return?":

A prime example of the (why of the) Reich's anti-science stance in regards to Climate Change which is grounded in their interpretation of Matthew 24:37: "And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man." (ASV)

A favorite passage when discussing not only unadulterated End-Times bullshit but also heavily relied upon in regards to Nephilim eschatology as well (which falls under what I call Nephilim Scripted and it ties directly into the Dominionist ideology and the 7 Mountains Mandate.)


Hagee: It Is Not Climate Change; It's The Imminent Return Of Jesus Christ | Right Wing Watch

Parents Beware – The Dominionists want to take over the world using your children

Parents Beware – The Dominionists want to take over the world using your children (via http://worldcultwatch.org)

Make no mistake. If the Christian Right have their way, creationism will be taught as science in every school in America. The wedge strategy is a political and social action plan authored by the Discovery Institute, the hub of the intelligent design…

---

Maddow Blog says it so much better than I

Ok so I'm tooling around the vastness of the cyber-world, reading bits and pieces from the right, left, center and a few, well, all I can say are not from this planet (they can't be or at least they are not members of humanity).  It's the totally clueless I want to focus on here, those that don't understand that the government debacle we are currently witnessing was intelligently designed with one goal in mind, and the "needs" of the people, is not it.

• This is not just about Obamacare anymore. ~ Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. 

Oh, please do enlighten us as to why you have "slimmed down" the government?

• We’re not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is. ~ Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind

You don't know what that "even" is??  WTF!  Might want to look into how your party is attempting to dismantle the government.

Scratch that,,,

Damn, I was off to a good start, when I ran across this gem of insight, How Congress reached this point from Steve Benen of "The Maddow Blog;"  he say it so much better than I possibly could:

This is critically important to understanding what's happening on Capitol Hill right now. If the House and Senate had gone to a conference committee back in the spring to work out their budget differences, Republicans would have been expected to compromise to reach a broader agreement -- but Republicans don't want to compromise.

So they decided to abandon the budget process they themselves had asked for so they could do precisely what they're doing now -- use extortion instead of compromise to try to get what they want.

The government may shut down in 15 hours, but it's not an accident. Indeed, it could have been easily avoided if Congress had just done what Congresses are supposed to do when the House and Senate disagree on the budget. But Republicans insisted on this confrontation, hoping that if they just threatened enough harm, maybe Democrats would put aside the election results and meet some or all of the GOP's demands. 

As Benen points out, this started back in May (I actually believe it started long before that, 40 years ago with Nixon's Southern Strategy among others, but that may be another post) the debacle didn't just appear over night.  By all appearances it's not going to end any time soon, referring to what Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) offered Democrats.  

Collins, along with GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), worked with Democrats to draw up a 23-page draft that would have ended the shutdown and funded federal agencies for six months at current spending levels. It would have left intact the sequestration cuts scheduled to hit Jan. 15 but would have given agency officials flexibility to decide where the reductions should occur.

In addition, the proposal would raise the debt limit through Jan. 31, setting up a path for the two sides to have broad budget talks to try to tackle the issues of taxes and entitlement reform.

In exchange, Republicans sought tweaks to Obama’s Affordable Care Act, including a two-year delay of a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices that is unpopular in both parties.

Ignoring for the moment that it was a one-sided deal, there is another problem (child), even if Senate Democrats took Collins’ deal, it wouldn’t have made a difference since House Republicans said they’d refuse to even bring the bill to the floor. And why’s that? Because House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is thinking ahead.

The leaders, however, began the meeting trying to prepare their troops for the likelihood that they would have to adopt a deal cut in the Senate. Both leaders explained that the White House is no longer willing to negotiate with the House, that McConnell and Reid were talking, and that a bipartisan agreement is likely to emerge that will need the House’s approval.

But instead of absorbing this painful reality, some rank-and-file Republicans grew visibly excited about the prospect of opposing such a deal, said one person in the room. This defiance was fed by Ryan, who stood up and railed against the Collins proposal, saying the House could not accept either a debt-limit bill or a government-funding measure that would delay the next fight until the new year.

According to two Republicans familiar with the exchange, Ryan argued that the House would need those deadlines as “leverage” for delaying the health-care law’s individual mandate and adding a “conscience clause” — allowing employers and insurers to opt out of birth-control coverage if they find it objectionable on moral or religious grounds — and mentioned tax and entitlement goals Ryan had focused on in a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

So let me get this straight.  Paul Ryan, the man who believes rape is a form of conception, is pre-planning another crises at which point he’ll demand restrictions on access to contraception?  Wake up people!!  This is what happens when religious dogma becomes a political ideology:

The willingness of Republicans to take the debt ceiling and the federal budget hostage in order to try to extract concessions from Democrats is probably the most lasting gift that the Tea Party has granted the country. More reasonable Republican politicians fear being primaried by Tea Party candidates. A handful of wide-eyed fanatics in Congress have hijacked the party. The Tea Party base and the hard right politicians driving this entire thing seem oblivious to the consequences. It’s no wonder, since so many of them—particularly those in leadership—are fundamentalist Christians whose religions have distorted their worldview until they cannot actually see what they’re doing and what kind of damage it would cause.

[,,,]
Under the circumstances, it’s no surprise that it’s easy for Christian conservatives to worry more about imaginary threats from Obamacare than it is for them to worry about the very real threat to worldwide economic stability if the go along with their harebrained scheme of forcing the government into default. To make it worse, many have convinced themselves that it’s their opponents who are deluded.

IMHO what people are failing to see is the underlying mechanism that is driving the Reich - control; and control is the mainstay of Dominionism.  Hence the deep seated need and repeated efforts to control women (the consciousness clause and numerous attempts to ban abortion).  Chris Hedges sums it up quite well:

The cult of masculinity, as in all fascist movements, pervades the ideology of the Christian right. The movement uses religion to sanctify military and heroic “virtues,” glorify blind obedience and order over reason and conscience, and pander to the euphoria of collective emotions. Feminism and homosexuality, believers are told, have rendered the American male physically and spiritually impotent,,,

Dominionists believe they are engaged in an epic battle against the forces of Satan. They live in a binary world of black and white. They feel they are victims, surrounded by sinister groups bent on their destruction. They have anointed themselves as agents of God who alone know God’s will. They sanctify their rage. This rage lies at the center of the ideology,,,

Think about it people, this debacle has nothing to do with money.  In the minds of the Reich, it never was about money.  It is about "a world dominated by Christianity. Not just under the control of Christianity but completely and utterly dominated by it. According to Dominionists, every aspect of our lives is subject to the strictures of the Bible. Our personal lives and social lives must be lived in accordance with the word of God. Economics, politics, science, the arts and the law are all to be placed under the auspices of Christianity."

All ideological, theological and political debates with the radical Christian right are useless. It cares nothing for rational thought and discussion. Its adherents are using the space within the open society to destroy the open society itself. Our naive attempts to placate a movement bent on our destruction, to prove to it that we too have “values,” only strengthen its supposed legitimacy and increase our own weakness ~ Chris Hedges