This blog posts comes out of a discussion of Christian Domination, as posted by a friend of mine on Facebook. It has provoked a lot of thought, and since facebook only allows a person to post 8k characters, I thought I'd do it this way and continue the discussion.
The article cited is written by Chris Hedges on the Christian Left Blog. The URL can be found at http://www.thechristianleftblog.org/1/post/2011/10/the-christian-right-and-the-rise-of-american-fascism.html.
Instead of posting the entire article, which I urge you to read, I've taken sections out and attempted to give my thoughts. I hope it helps.
The Institutes of Biblical Law called for a Christian society that was harsh, unforgiving and violent. Offenses such as adultery, witchcraft, blasphemy and homosexuality, merited the death penalty.
In my opinion, these aren't crimes. Freedom of Religion gives each person the right to worship, or not, as he sees fit. By seeing these as crimes, does this dismiss the more violent crimes, like rape, murder, and beatings?
the standard textbook used in many Christian schools and a staple of the Christian home schooling movement. It sites Genesis 26, which calls for mankind to “ .have dominnion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” as evidence that the Bible callls for “Bible believing Christians” to take dominion of America.
A more accurate translation would be "Have Stewardship over the fish of the seas, etc." It doesn't mean that we get to take complete control, it just means that we have to take care of the world we live in.
Christ himself said that we are to live according to the laws of the land we reside in, but to be answerable to God. He said that we were to love our neighbors as ourselves, help the orphans and widows and see to our families. He said, "Render to ceaser what is Ceasers, and to God what is Gods."
So let's 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.
This is truly scary, because the First Amendment calls for a freedom of Religion. If we become as bad as Iran or Islam in General, then we are no better than they are. There needs to be religious neutrality, neutrality in law and neutrality in civil government. This is because Unless we are allowed to grow as a species, then we will devolve into 7th century thinking.
Don't flaunt your Christianity.
Really? The savior himself said not to hide your light under a basket. If people don't know you are christian, then they won't know God.
You don't really flaunt your Chrisianity, you let the light of the creator shine through your every day actions.
The cult of masculinity pervades the ideology. Feminism and homosexuality are social forces, believers are told, that have rendered the American male physically and spiritually impotent.
In a way, I can almost agree with this: I have watched young men turned into whimpering and simpering babies that are afraid to talk to a women, lest they be attacked and called neanderthals. I have seen it be made a crime to look at a beautiful woman, and I've seen feminists attack another woman, who just wants to stay at home. I've watched some women go from being creatures of beauty to being creatures of hate and destruction, and TV shows that as an image of what's right. I've seen women go from being decent to being sluts. However, that's only a function of what society shows should be acceptable.
The loss of manufacturing jobs, lack of affordable health care, negligible opportunities for education and poor job security has left many millions of Americans locked out. This ideology is attractive because it offers them the hope of power and revenge.
I posted an article the other day about how manufacturing jobs are in demand, but people don't want them. If you are focused on revenge, then you aren't focused on the things of God. The creator isn't about revenge, he's about life, liberty, and happiness, and the relationship between created and creator.
In my opinion, these aren't crimes. Freedom of Religion gives each person the right to worship, or not, as he sees fit. By seeing these as crimes, does this dismiss the more violent crimes, like rape, murder, and beatings?
the standard textbook used in many Christian schools and a staple of the Christian home schooling movement. It sites Genesis 26, which calls for mankind to “ .have dominnion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” as evidence that the Bible callls for “Bible believing Christians” to take dominion of America.
A more accurate translation would be "Have Stewardship over the fish of the seas, etc." It doesn't mean that we get to take complete control, it just means that we have to take care of the world we live in.
Christ himself said that we are to live according to the laws of the land we reside in, but to be answerable to God. He said that we were to love our neighbors as ourselves, help the orphans and widows and see to our families. He said, "Render to ceaser what is Ceasers, and to God what is Gods."
So let's 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.
This is truly scary, because the First Amendment calls for a freedom of Religion. If we become as bad as Iran or Islam in General, then we are no better than they are. There needs to be religious neutrality, neutrality in law and neutrality in civil government. This is because Unless we are allowed to grow as a species, then we will devolve into 7th century thinking.
Don't flaunt your Christianity.
Really? The savior himself said not to hide your light under a basket. If people don't know you are christian, then they won't know God.
You don't really flaunt your Chrisianity, you let the light of the creator shine through your every day actions.
The cult of masculinity pervades the ideology. Feminism and homosexuality are social forces, believers are told, that have rendered the American male physically and spiritually impotent.
In a way, I can almost agree with this: I have watched young men turned into whimpering and simpering babies that are afraid to talk to a women, lest they be attacked and called neanderthals. I have seen it be made a crime to look at a beautiful woman, and I've seen feminists attack another woman, who just wants to stay at home. I've watched some women go from being creatures of beauty to being creatures of hate and destruction, and TV shows that as an image of what's right. I've seen women go from being decent to being sluts. However, that's only a function of what society shows should be acceptable.
The loss of manufacturing jobs, lack of affordable health care, negligible opportunities for education and poor job security has left many millions of Americans locked out. This ideology is attractive because it offers them the hope of power and revenge.
I posted an article the other day about how manufacturing jobs are in demand, but people don't want them. If you are focused on revenge, then you aren't focused on the things of God. The creator isn't about revenge, he's about life, liberty, and happiness, and the relationship between created and creator.
The book is a xenophobic rant that includes vicious attacks against the United Nations and numerous other international organizations
In a way, this mirrors my thoughts on the United Nations. What started out as an organization to help foster peace in the world, has turned into, (At least in my eyes,) an anti- Israel, anti American, Anti-Freedom organization. The committees set up to promote freedom of women, of children, and religion, are chaired by Islamic fanatics that suppress women, children, and religion in their own countries.
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, instability in Israel and even the fighting of Iraq are seen as signposts.
But then, they always have been seen as signs and symbols. However, the creator said, “Nobody will know the time or date of when I will return.”
The movement seeks the imprint of law and science. It must discredit the rational disciplines that are the pillars of the Enlightenment to abolish the liberal polity of the Enlightenment. This corruption of science and law is vital in promoting the doctrine.
This is frightening, because this is not unlike Islamic thought, in which anything that's not of god is suspect. As a lover of science, I believe in evolution of the species. Mankind has been evolving since Homo Habiblis created tools, and that evolution continues as we work to unlock the genetic structure and restore longevity to the human race. Science has brought us communication, flight, and better ways to defend ourselves, as well as better living conditions.
The ban on same sex marriages, passed by eleven states in the election, was part of this march towards our door. A 1996 federal law already defines marriage as between a man and a woman. All of the states with ballot measures, with the exception of Oregon , had outlawed same sex marriages, as do 27 other states. The bans, however, had to be passed, believers were told, to thwart “activist judges” who wanted to overturn them.
I can understand this march to make laws that protect the family. I have watched as people in California have voted by over 70% to protect Marriage, only to have activist judges overturn the will of the people. I have to admit that the extreme powers that judges have is frightening, since at a whim, they can undo what the people want done.
This movement will not stop until we are ruled by Biblical Law, an authoritarian church intrudes in every aspect of our life, women stay at home and rear children, gays agree to be cured, abortion is considered murder, the press and the schools promote “positive” Christian values, the federal government is gutted,
In my opinion, this could be very destructive to our country, and would overturn the Constitution. However, I can see certain parts of this as being truth. Abortion should be considered murder, since it ends a life. I tend to think that if our schools were fair in teaching some Christian Values, there wouldn't be any bullying, and kids wouldn't be bringing guns to school out of fear.
Who would be defining those values? What translation would you use? What would happen if one of the chosen leaders fell from grace? These are questions that really should be asked, since nobody is perfect.
Who would be defining those values? What translation would you use? What would happen if one of the chosen leaders fell from grace? These are questions that really should be asked, since nobody is perfect.
As for gutting the Federal Government, I personally believe it could use a lot of trimming down. The Federal government is spending more money than they take in, and seem to be working to keep people enslaved to those in power.
Let me end this by posing a question: “Is Christian Domination fascist?” Yes, it is, and it is in direct contradiction to the will of the creator, that we should love each other, help the poor and widows, and take care of the orphans.
I believe each person should do these things out of personal responsibility, and not because Government forces us to at the threat of the IRS.
