LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

Casting Stones: An Army of radical Christian Reconstructionists is preparing a campaign to convert conservative fundamentalist churches. By David Holthouse of the Southern Poverty Law Center

Interesting, if somewhat sarcastic, analysis of Mark Rushdoony and the Chalcedon Foundation.

( Full Text behind the cut )

More about the Chalcedon Foundation, in their own words, can be found here and here.

Be certain to have a few grains of salt ready should you delve into the Chalcedon web site.

x-posted to my personal journal.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY mizliz) An excellent article from Philip Pullman, who has done more to reframe a rational cosmology with his "Dark Materials" books (ostensibly for children) than anyone I know. 

This is worth the reading, I promise.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY amethyst_hunter)

Just stopped by my library tonight (LiveJournal won't work for me at home) and spotted the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine (singer Kanye West is on the cover). Because my time is limited here at the library (I only get a half-hour), I can't search down the online link, if there is one. But I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of the magazine and read the article entitled "God's Senator: Inside The War Room of The Religious Right". It talks about Sam Brownback, a Dominionist who has presidential and theocratic ambitions. Some very, very horrifying reading there, as Brownback happily talks about, among other things, instituting the death penalty for people who disobey a theocratic government.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I found this very insightful Buzzflash interview with Mark Crispin Miller.

He has some very interesting insights:

This is a faith-based movement, which means that we cannot just write off everything they do as mere manipulation by cynics who secretly know better. That some of them are Machiavellian there is no doubt, but there's a pathological component, an apocalyptic drive, that we ignore at our own peril.

What often seems to be mere breath-taking cynicism is, as well, a sort of self-delusion, or self-hypnosis, common to fanatical movements of all kinds, religious and otherwise. These are people who themselves are in the very audience they're always working to arouse. On some level they believe that, if they say something repeatedly and loud enough, it will not just make everybody else believe it, but it will actually make it true. It is that faith-based self-deception that makes the movement deeply frightening - and incomprehensible - to rational observers. There is no arguing with that mentality, which poses a far greater worldly threat than all the humanistic interests on Earth combined.

They respect no worldly powers other than themselves, and so they've set about the reconstruction of our government, to operate it wholly by themselves in their own interests. If it were up to them, there would be no special prosecutors. There would be no independent authorities capable of passing any judgment on them or of enforcing any rules that they would rather not follow. If it were up to them, there would be no parties but their own. It's staggering, but surely less astonishing than the refusal of "the liberal media" to give it the attention it deserves.

Go read the whole interview.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

Christian Coalition's 2006 Agenda

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

Ministers from Philadelphia, New York and Washington today criticized plans by religious conservatives to hold a nationally broadcast rally Sunday at an African American church on North Broad Street on the eve of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito.

The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Washington and a United Church of Christ minister, called the gathering nothing more "a big play" by its conveners "to gain control over the one branch of government they don't now control."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Here's a link to the transcript of a recent NBC Special about evangelicals. I think that you will find it interesting that many of them say that they don't want a theocracy, but yet still endorse one using different words.


NBC's Tom Brokaw goes inside the world of Christian Evangelicals

Read it and learn.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gairid)

I picked this up in the neworleans community, and I thought it deserved a reading over here.

Off the Eric Alterman blog on MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/


Name: Nicholas Pisano
Hometown: Destin, Florida

Hello Eric,
Old Navy guy here writing from Michael Savage's "heartland of Christianity" to offer some local observations on things both religious and secular. On the secular front is the controversy regarding the "rebuilding" of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. As many folks outside of the region may not know (or perhaps just fear) neo-conservatives are trying to use the rebuilding as a beachhead for the widest application of their most radical theories on U.S. soil. Conspiracy theories abound because of the unlikeliest of coincidences, but I think it is simply cynical opportunism in the face of human tragedy. Analogues exist for what is happening here (capably documented in David Harvey's History of Neoliberalism): in the neo-conservative experiments in Chile under Pinoche and the most recent four decrees under Bremer's Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority that violated both Hague and Geneva Conventions through his imposition of a flat tax, the privatization of public enterprises and restrictions on workers' rights to organize, bargain collectively and strike.


( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Former Moore supporter reveals chilling prophesy

The woman who filed suit to reinstate Roy Moore as Alabama’s Supreme Court chief justice now fears his election as governor.

Whether Christian talk show host Kelly McGinley had a falling out with the right wing of the Republican Party or saw a vision of the future, she’s saying some chilling things.

From Mobile, Ms. McGinley said Mr. Moore and his followers want to establish a theocracy, or a government by a person or persons who claims to rule with divine authority.

She said they “wish to bring a government based on Old Testament law, which would administer the death penalty for offenses ranging from homosexuality to talking back to your parents.”

She says his election could trigger a major showdown between state and federal governments that could lead to violence.

She links the Republican Party, the Council for National Policy, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Masons in a web of conspiracy to impose Biblical law.

“It is too extreme for the likes of me,” she said. But it may be a case of her being too extreme for Republicans, also. In 2004, the party blocked her from running for the state school board because of her on-air support for the Constitution Party, even though Mr. Moore appeared with the party’s presidential candidate last year.

Whether she’s got it right or is wrong about Mr. Moore’s supporters, the country’s radical-right element wants to fundamentally change the nation’s government. The Moore wing of the Republican Party is a roiling mass of fearful people who haven’t made the transition to the teachings in the New Testament.

As proof of that, Mr. Moore built his candidacy entirely on defying the constitutional ban on mixing church and state.

Source:http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/opinion/editorials/051214b.shtml

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY navytron89)

With the coming renewal of the Patriot Act (a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11) certain provisions have come to light. The ACLU is stepping up and letting people know about this provision which grants special powers to the Secret Service. 

Here's where the problem is in regarding the dominonists and their quest for a Theocratic America;

If and when a Theocrat get into higher political office, they gain the protection of  Secret Service and here's where than provision is a problem. 

First off, the Religious Reich could/would use this to limit press from monitoring their activities by using the Secret Service as a shield: Any controversial press people can be viewed as a potential disruptor of a political event, so basic freedom of the press would go right out the window, and only selected press representivates would be allowed in.

A nice way to control a room of followers/supporters without having to worry about media interferance.

Additionally this provision would allow the Religious Reich an extra tool against people, protestors could be detained and then listed as a possible domestic threat/suspect which would be used against them. 

After which those people can be monitored by law enforcement, including electronic investigations and warrant-less searches of homes/business, and wasted money and man-hours against the innocent citizens instead of combating real terrorists (like the dominonists themselves). 

Can anyone see the irony here??? 

This whole provision sounds rather Orwellian to me;  in the regards of this little item can be used by the Religious Reich as a tool to control people's right to protest against something unjust and unrealistic (as well as Un-American).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Ohio is the first (but not only) battleground in the orchestrated takedown of conventional government by religious supremacists. It is the home of Pastor Parsley and his "Patriot Pastors", and its legislature is currently deciding on whether or not to pretty much hand the reigns of power over to these people.

Theocracy Watch has some background on what is going on in this state.

Americans must be 'Christocrats" -- citizens of both their country and the Kingdom of God -- the Rev. Rod Parsley told his congregation at the World Harvest Church, located just outside Columbus, Ohio. "And that is not a democracy; that is a theocracy," he said. "That means God is in control, and you are not."

Think about that. These people see the 2006 election as an "apocalyptic clash between a virtuous Christianity and the evildoers who oppose Christianity's values," and they are feeling their oats, and are confident that their side will win.

If you live in Ohio, it's time for you to stand up and start demanding that these people get run out of power. It's time to push back. Because if Ohio goes down, that will embolden these people even more, and the juggernaught will take off, chewing through state legislatures and turning state governments into theocratic governments.

If you live in a state where such people are crawling around in the background and are grasping for power, stand up to them. Do your homework. Find out about your candidates. Write letters to the editor of your local paper. Expose the theocrats for what they are. We are not the 'hordes of hell', as one would-be theocrat would describe us. We are citizens, and by All, we have to stand up for our country, our government, and our rights.

I am. Are you? Will you?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY dark_rekhet)

....or the danger?

"When You Need a Miracle"

For a bit of background, I have been to a few of Rev. Kostelnik's sermons. Long story short, I had relationship with a man who was a member of this church who also thought I needed saving. It was always a confusing situation. "Pastor Joe", as he likes to be called, is by all accounts a nice man, kind to animals, all that. I wanted so much to like the guy. Unfortunately during his sermons he did what I consider to be no-no's if I'm going to like a person. He claimed to have witnessed miracles, he claimed to have performed miracles, and he did the whole usual thing about other religions. Mentioned something about Christians prayers being closest to God, and that only the Christian god is a living one, etc. As a non-Christian I found this offensive, and as a person with a chronic illness as well, my warning bells went off.

I wonder how many people have been suckered into churches because they have been told that is where they have to be for god to hear them, or that's where they need to be to be healed?

And to add to it, the sister site created by the same people has a few articles that I found to show their Dominist attitudes fairly well.

"America's Innocence Lost"

"Is There a Plague on America?"

And a last one that shows their religious intolerance.

"Religions United in World Peace"

Intolerance like that hurts me deeply. *sigh*

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

From BBC News:

Fundamentalism is hampering global efforts to tackle climate change, according to Britain's top scientist.

In his final speech as president of the Royal Society, Lord May of Oxford is to warn that core scientific values are "under serious threat from resurgent fundamentalism, West and East"...

"Ahead of us lie dangerous times... There are serious problems that derive from the realities of the external world: climate change, loss of biological diversity, new and re-emerging diseases, and more. Many of these threats are not yet immediate, yet their non-linear character is such that we need to be acting today. And we have no evolutionary experience of acting on behalf of a distant future; we even lack basic understanding of important aspects of our own institutions and societies. Sadly, for many, the response is to retreat from complexity and difficulty by embracing the darkness of fundamentalist unreason."

Full Story

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jrfrench)

Let others worry about the rapture: For the increasingly powerful Christian Reconstruction movement, the task is to establish the Kingdom of God right now—from the courthouse to the White House.

...

When I last saw Gary DeMar, he was shepherding Roy Moore through a crowd of true believers at the Restore America rally. As they walked by, I asked Moore, “Do you favor a theocracy?” The judge turned and looked at me, shook his head, frowned, and walked away. But DeMar, in our interview, had already answered the question.

“All governments are theocracies,” he said. “We now live in a secular humanist theocracy. I want to change that to a government with God at its head.”

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kittynboi)

One thing in that interview stood out in particular.

"" Fundamentalists aren’t the evil people, they’re the canary in the coal mine. They’re the early warning system that says, something about the liberal vision of this society has lost its center and it’s destabilizing and dangerous. And they’re correct. But fundamentalism and fascism cannot make us humane. They can provide a stable society but not a humane one. To do that you have to have a bigger vision.""

This fascinates me, and I think it's well put. I'd like a discussion on this. Is the current popularity of fundamentalism attributable, even in part, to some kind of failure, or losing-its-way, on the part of liberal society, liberal democracy?

Has out society, as a pluralistic one, failed in some measure, or is it missing something, or is there something wrong with it, that makes fundamentalism and totalitarinism and dominionism appealing?

I think this could be part of it, but there are other factors, such as the loss of power by priveleged classes, ignorance, and a huge number of economic and political factors.

What are everyones thoughts on this?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

"...he points out, religious fundamentalism, which by its nature discourages any questioning of the status quo, has become an ally of corporate greed and political repression. This has resulted in disastrous wars undertaken on false pretenses, a social safety net that is under attack, and laws that increasingly encroach upon people’s right to speak and live in accordance with their own consciences. If Americans are to restore democracy, they must put their faith—whether in the god of profit or in the God of the Bible—to the test, demanding religion that is open, engaged, compassionate and humane..."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This Daily Kos Diary has some interesting points. Here's a short excerpt:

The War against Right-wing Theocrats finally begins for real (updated)
by GlennGreenwald
Thu Nov 17, 2005 at 04:41:27 AM PDT

The first four years of the Bush Administration, particularly after 9/11, were characterized by a highly unusual, and at times downright creepy, uniformity of opinion. It was almost impossible to find a Republican anywhere expressing any criticism of George Bush -- on any issue, ever. And other than a few humiliating attacks launched by the party's most extreme elements against so-called GOP moderates made for the purpose of showing who was Boss in the GOP, Republicans almost never spoke ill of one another either, despite glaring differences in their views on a whole host of critically important issues.

In many ways, over this time period, the GOP more closely resembled a cult than a political party, and the cohesiveness of the cult was centered around Personality -- a glorification of, and blind reverence for, George W. Bush. But all of that is changing now...( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ns_kumiho)

A PUSH is under way to insert a reference to God in Australia's national anthem.
Several god-fearing Federal MPs say it is time that Advance Australia Fair was amended to reflect the nation's Christian values.

Our national song does not mention God, unlike the anthems of New Zealand, the US and the UK.

Queensland Liberal MP Peter Slipper told Parliament the "importance of God" and Australia's Christian foundations deserved to be recognised in the national anthem.

"Most people, whether practising Christians or not, would accept that Australia is a Christian country and that, as a nation, we have our roots in the Christian faith," he said.

Other parliamentarians, including Family First's Steve Fielding and the Nationals' Barnaby Joyce and Bruce Scott, yesterday voiced support.

Any amendment is likely to be hotly debated.

High-profile Christian and Labor MP Kevin Rudd and Queensland Liberal MP Michael Johnson said a God reference was not needed.

"In the 1890s the sons and fathers debated about whether or not to establish religion in the Australian constitution," Mr Rudd said.

"Wisely they decided not to. The same intelligently applies to our national anthem."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17207815-2,00.html

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kittynboi)

This post isn't about "them", the dominionists, but its about "us", those who oppose them.

I've been giving this a lot of thought lately. Is ours one of, if not THE most thankless jobs on the political spectrum? It seems that defending the separation of church and state and promoting a secular society where women and gays are free from persecution and where freedom of speech is intact and secure, is becoming a job fut only for those who can really take the hate that comes with it. The current political climate and the increasingly shrill tone of the dominionist, as well as their continued power grab in the GOP makes our job seemingly insurmountable. So much vitrol is directed at us "secularists", "atheists", or whatever other smear or label they apply to those of us who oppose theocracy.

As I've stated in a response to another post, I also feel growing hatred coming from the left, almost exclusively from the economic/social justice left, and often in the form of wishing the "left" didn't push "divisive" social issues. It seems a considerable part of the left wants people like us, along with feminists, the aclu, etc., out of the left so they can unite bigots to smash the corporations.

I feel increasingly unwelcome in the left, and the right already hates people like me/us. Does anyone else ever feel like what we do, and what groups like AU, the ACLU, etc. do to stop the growing tide of theocracy, is becoming an increasingly rough job, one thats winning universal hatred in the U.S.? Sometimes I just feel despair over this. I'll never stop opposing theocracy, and some issues, those related to this, I will never compromise on for anything.

It seems like the growing influence of the dominionists is simply making our efforts seen in a more and more negative light, and non dominionists groups who may otherwise support us are seeing the opposition of theocracy and the dominionists as political suicide.

I guess my ultimmate fear is that, no matter who wins the political battles, it seems that both sides will eventually bow to the dominionists to some degree, and those of us who don't want a theocracy will be the ultimate losers.

What does everyone think? Does anyone else think the task of opposing dominionists is becoming harder and more politically volatile?


Well, we could always find our own island and start our own society on it. ^o^

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

'ADL's Foxman warns of efforts to 'Christianize America''