LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Ever wondered how the heck the Republican Party became so populated by Dominionists? Here's a peek at their 'marching orders' from Pat Robertson, circa 1986:

How to Participate in a Political Party

Rule the world for God.
Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology.
Hide your strength.
Don't flaunt your Christianity.
Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions, God willing.

There it is- in a nutshell. Let's break it down, shall we?

"Rule the world for God." Pretty much what the Dominionists want to do, to hasten the Second Coming.

"Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology." This is the top level of their stealth and deception: pretending to be just your regular party worker, not some flaming religious zealot out to rule the world for God.

"Hide your strength." "Don't flaunt your Christianity." I expect that this was probably the hardest for these sheepskin-wearing Christians to do. Pretend to be just another citizen, while fooling people into thinking that you don't have ulterior motives until...

"Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions, God willing." The coup. Take over the school board, the town, county, and state governments. Take over mainline congregations. Take over the media airwaves. Take over the Republican party. Take over the country. Take over the world.

They've gotten to the White House using these tactics, folks, but it seems that their stealth is no longer serving them because folks like us are pulling off their sheepskin, revealing the wolves beneath. They're still formidible adversaries- listen to them creating the artificial "We're being persecuted!" dust storm when someone says, "Happy Holidays" or questions having a creche without other secular items on government property.

We have to keep uncovering them. We have to make it impossible for them to do anything without revealing their true intentions. They make it impossible for anyone to run for a public office without being some kind of churchgoer. We have to make it impossible for them to pretend to be something other than the deceptive people that they are.