LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

One of the ways to understand the religious supremacists is to dig down to the local level and see where they are influencing government on the state and local level. Talk To Action gives some details on how "Focus on the Family" is doing this.

publican successes are predicated on the idea of "turning out the base" with this "wedge issue." While it is not always clear that this tactic is as successful as some say, there is no question that it is taking place. Anti-gay politics is a staple of American life. So, who exactly is behind this?


Well, there are many actors, of course. But I want to focus on just one, multidimensional player: Focus on the Family headed by Christian radio psycologist James Dobson. And I want to zero in on one aspect in particular -- Focus on the Family political operations in the states.( Read more... )

The ADL has not only confirmed now on their website their condemnation and concern regarding dominionism, but also has written a specific letter to Ha'aretz newspaper clarifying that their concerns are regarding dominionism, not Christianity in general. (Ha'aretz, as you recall, originally broke the story on ADL officially taking a stand against dominionism.)

The ADL is now the second major anti-hate group, and the first Jewish-affiliated anti-hate group, specifically to take a stand regarding the tactics of dominionist organisations; the first group was the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has written an extensive report on dominionist hate speech, is now investigating multiple dominionist groups, and has listed two Christian Reconstructionist groups (as well as the major group spewing nearly all of the pro-"degaying therapy", anti-gay/les/bi/trans spew used by dominionist groups, in particular the AFA, Freedom's Heritage Forum and Repent America) as hate groups equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan or neo-Nazi groups. (In fact, most of the same groups the ADL has listed as being of specific concern are the same groups listed by SPLC as of concern.)

I have been in contact with the ADL giving them some backgrounder info (and also giving them some additional information regarding at least one "Christian Zionist" group associated with dominionist groups that has claimed ADL support, as well as info re the AoG being the *other* major force in targeting Jews for conversion; the latter has been a concern for them for awhile). The ADL will need support from non-dominionist groups in the coming months, as (at least based on the Ha'aretz article comments) dominionists are *already* starting to dead-agent them.

The ADL has given some condemnation of attempts by the Southern Baptist Convention of promotion of "Messianic Jew" (as in "kosher dominionist") groups, but this is the first time they've explicitly come out against dominionism in general.

In another indication of the ADL's new antidominionist stance, they have issued a statement that the "Bible curriculum" promoted by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools is unacceptable due to it being essentially a dominionist indoctrionation program. (Texas Freedom Network, a major antidominionist group, has already reported on how the NCBCPS curricula is heavily skewed towards dominionist viewpoints, and a long list including many Biblical scholars and theologians has joined in the condemnation of that particular program. The same curricula was the target of a court challenge in Florida which led to it being removed from the schools in that state.)

The ADL is also a party in filing an amicus curae brief in a court case involving a public school board in Louisiana opening meetings with dominionist prayers and in fact blatantly refusing to allow nonsectarian prayers; the ADL has also recently issued statements criticising promotion of creationism and "intelligent design" in schools as well as statements criticising the USAFA tolerating dominionist abuse of non-dominionist soldiers.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The battle and controversy continues:

Congressmen urge Bush to protect chaplains’ religious liberty
Nov 8, 2005
By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (BP)--Members of Congress are calling on President Bush to preserve the religious freedom of chaplains in the armed services.

Senators and representatives, led by Rep. Walter Jones, R.-N.C., wrote the president asking him to issue an executive order protecting the “right of military chaplains to pray according to their faith.” The 71 representatives and two senators said in the letter they had learned in all the military branches “it is becoming increasingly difficult for Christian chaplains to use the name of Jesus when praying.”

The lawmakers focused most of their attention on guidelines recently proposed for Air Force chaplains, describing them as restrictive and suppressive. They also expressed concern that the guidelines, if adopted, might be implemented in the other branches of the armed services.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY evil_genius)

Godless America
on This American Life.
Listen

At a time when House Majority Leader Tom Delay calls for enacting a "Biblical world view" in government, when Christians are asserting their ideals in the selection of judges, in public school science classes and elsewhere, This American Life spends an hour trying to remember why anyone liked the separation of church and state in the first place.

Prologue. Two stories about people who suddenly realize they're the only ones around who value the separation of church and state. Paul Williams, a city councilman in Janesville, Wisconsin wants to make sure a Salvation Army built with public money doesn't proselytize. Soon he's getting attacked in the local press ... and by President Bush. And a Georgia teacher finds that by teaching what she's supposed to teach – evolution - she turns her school against her. (9 minutes)

Act One. The Substance of Things Hoped For ... in Government. We hear a quick rundown of all the ways that Christian conservatives are making headway in advancing their values as public policy, why they think total separation of church and state is not what the founding fathers intended. And why they're wrong. On the Christian side of this argument is Pastor Russell Johnson of the Ohio Restoration Project, which is trying to recruit "patriot pastors" to get involved in state politics, and Bill Carrico, a Virgina legislator who's trying to make sure people can express their Christianity in schools and other public places. And then there are the videos and speeches of David Barton, whose group, Wallbuilders, is trying to teach people that the founding fathers meant for America to be a Christian country. On the other side are Rob Boston, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Cornell government professor Isaac Kramnick, co-author of The Godless Constitution. (18 minutes)

Act Two. God Said, Huh? Julia Sweeney, a Catholic, tells the story of how her faith began to crack after reading a most alarming book ... called the Bible. Her story is excerpted from her play, "Letting Go of God," which ran in Los Angeles. Her other one-woman monologues are "God Said, "Ha!" and "In the Family Way." (29 minutes)
Song: "When the President Talks to God," Bright Eyes; also "God Bless America," Connie Francis