LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY deridetenebras)

A truly pathetic site maintained by dominionists.

It covers a variety of issues, including:

1. The False Green Gospel: Environmentalists are all pagans.

2. The Feminist Movement: Feminists are all pagans, lesbians, or "unstable women who are quilt ridden because of their sins, torn by lust".

3. The Impact of Feminism on the Family: Feminists are to blame for "Rampant illegitimacy and sexual disease, widespread divorce, and a generation of unloved, undisciplined, and uncared-for kids."

4. The Clinton Legacy: Bill Clinton is to blame for "The demise of morality, the loss of our freedom, the crime in our streets, the poverty in the inner-cities, the war zones in our homes and the violence of our children"

5. War on Christianity: Compares the brutal persecution of Christians in countries like Egypt, Pakistan, and China to the "persecution" of Christians in America

6. Christians in Politics: "Led by the ACLU, new agers, one-worlders, feminists, homosexuals, liberal churches, and godless politicians, an all out War on Christianity has been declared."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY deridetenebras)

"Chris Matthews filled a room with about 1,500 Evangelical Christians, two Jews and a Muslim. Next, he asked them questions about the separation of church and state, abortion, and morality. [...] We learned that Christians in this country are the victims of widespread discrimination so extreme that the moral foundation of our nation is at risk. [...] Here's a few quick questions I would have posed in the course of this "discussion" if I were Chris Matthews:

Can anyone think of a day in our national calendar when Federal and State offices are closed because of a Christian Holiday?
Can anyone think of one President or Vice President, or any member of the President's cabinet who was a church-going Christian?
Can anyone think of any Christian symbols that are mounted and celebrated in our nation's capital on an annual basis?
Can anyone think of a single town in America where it is safe to attend a Christian church?
Can anyone think of a bookstore in America that sells the Christian Bible or other Christian texts?
Can anyone name a musician--alive or dead--who was allowed to sing songs in public or sell music based on Christian themes?
Can anyone name a single movie in America, popular or unpopular, that was based on a Christian topic and that more than a few people have actually heard of?
Can anyone think of any museum in America that has been courageous enough to display a painting or sculpture that contained Christian imagery?
Can anyone think of a U.S. airline that has not had at least one incident where a passenger was removed from a flight for looking too Christan?
Can anyone name one corporation in America that does not actively prevent its managers from hiring Christian employees?
Can anyone think of any place in America where citizens feel safe enough to wear jewelry that contains Christian symbols?
Can anyone think of a hotel or motel in America that allows Christians to place so much as one Christian Bible in one bedside drawer in one of their rooms?
Can anyone name one part of America where being outwardly Christian is looked upon as a good thing?"

Full Set of Questions Here

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Here we go again- when the bullies can't win, they holler about being persecuted. Anyone see a pattern?

Indiana Republican says Democrats demonize Christians

By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman accused Democrats on Monday of "denigrating and demonizing Christians" by concluding there was religious intolerance at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

During debate on a proposal by Democrats that would put Congress on record against "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the academy, Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., criticized Reps. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., and David Obey, D-Wis.

"Like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians," Hostettler said.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

In this post, ginmar talks about the Christian persecution complex, and how it is becoming a bludgeon to spread the beliefs of a minority into the majority mainstream. Warning- Ginmar uses pithy and strong language, but she definitely gets the point across.

You know, for everyone who says that Christians are persecuted, I want you to go read crevette's rant on the subject. A Christian judge has decided that he doesn't like what religion a couple are practicing, so he ordered them to stop. Why? It wasn't a bone of contention in the marriage: the couple are pagans, and while they're divorcing, that wasn't a source of discontent. To them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see the arguments now. But they're sending the kid to Catholic school.

Yeah, Catholic school may be the only option, like Catholic hospitals are the only option for a lot of women.

Pay close attention. That is persecution. When somebody you don't even FUCKING KNOW can step into your life and tell you you have to live by their rules, then, yes, class, THEN YOU ARE BEING PERSECUTED. Do I need to spell it out any more?!( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

"US religious right sees Senate compromise on judges as 'betrayal'"

"Religious right vows payback for brokers of filibuster pact"

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I ran into a real treasure trove of links to articles, blogs and opinions on Christianity Today's weblog. It seems that there has been a lot of press- pro and con- about the push towards theocracy. A quote:

It's Will that offers perhaps one of the best prescriptions of the week:

Some Christians should practice the magnanimity of the strong rather than cultivate the grievances of the weak. But many Christians are joining today's scramble for the status of victims. There is much lamentation about various "assaults" on "people of faith." Christians are indeed experiencing some petty insults and indignities concerning things such as restrictions on school Christmas observances. But their persecution complex is unbecoming because it is unrealistic.

In his autobiography, Billy Graham notes just how much things have changed for the movement he sparked: "Evangelicals are no longer an ignored minority. In fact, our greatest danger may come from our public visibility and influence."

For the last 50 years, evangelicals have been complaining that they want "a seat at the table." They received not only a seat, but a seat of power. To continue claiming that Christianity is in immediate danger of being made illegal in this country (as says a new book from a respected Christian publishing house) is childish and wildly inaccurate, not to mention wrong-headed (would a persecuted church be less a church than a complacent church?).( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

These are some initial thoughts culled from my personal journal. I will be writing about more in-depth things in the next few days.

Oh, yeah- the conference... folks, it's making history. No one has ever gathered together such a comprehensive group of influential thinkers, writers, researchers or ministers, and the Open Center is taping the whole thing and editing it down to make available for PBS affiliates to pick up. I am on the list to get a copy of this disk (and the unedited version) when they produce it. I will personally see that our PBS station picks it up- I know one of the program directors personally. And I have a DVD from Theology Watch for the public access channel, which I plan to get shown when I get home.

Here's some of what I learned while there:

Dialogue is more important than name calling when dealing with the Dominionists. They expect being called freaks and extremists (they are pretty extreme), they tend to play such name calling to their advantage- after all, the Bible, which they hold more important than Jesus himself, says that they'll be persecuted.

So, we have to step beyond the wild claims of their leaders, and engage the followers. They're good people going down a bad road- and some of them don't know how bad it is because of the tactics of deliberate deception, stealth and doublespeak practiced by their leaders. I know that most of them would be loath to execute people who might be their own kin- sons, daughters, siblings- just for being gay. And there are men who are not poisoned by the extreme patriarchy preached to them, who see the women in their lives as equals, not helpmeets.

One speaker said that this movement isn't 'Christianity' at all- it's the wolf of fascism and totaltarianism in Christian sheep's clothing. I think he had a very good point. It isn't about religion, no matter how much they want to claim it is. It's about power and greed.

This whole Dominionist thing has only just breached the surface and touched the minds of those who should be alarmed by now. The 'blue states' are very insular, and have for so long looked at the Dominionist movement as a Southern and Midwestern thing that it hasn't registered how far they've gotten until people started putting the puzzle together in the mainstream media recently. The Dominionists crow that the Schiavo case was a 'godsend' to them. In a way, it was also a godsend to us, as it cracked the facade of the Dominionists and showed us their true colors and chilling ideas for the future of this country. That is, if we don't meet them head on and put an end to it. When Mennonites, gentle, pacific Christian people, start muttering about how awful the president is and want to give him the boot, then there's something afoot. If the ugliness of the extremist Dominionists has trickled into their insular and serene community, that's the canary in the coal shaft.

The conference was sold out. They had an overflow auditorium. People from all over the country came. I met kalibex and Katherine Yurica and several of the major speakers. Fredrick Clarkson and Chip Berlet have gotten together and created a website devoted to dialogue about the Christian Right. It's called Talk2Action. It looks like it is going to be a major nexus of ideas and dialogue.

For this community, I have some ideas and plans for it that I will share with you over the following days. I want to take it to the next level- make it a paid account, and then tweak the interface so that you the readers can have access to an ever growing number of excellent blogs. Blogging is the new media- the mainstream are pretty much rubberstamps of each other.

So, that's my entry for tonight. I am worn out, I have a wrenched arm from a sharp subway braking, and I have a notebook full of goodies to share. Stay tuned!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Tom Paine talks about the Right's 'siege mentality'.

To hear them tell it, conservatives are always the underdog, besieged and kept down by those with the real power. The act of hanging an American flag on their porch could bring a Molotov cocktail thrown through their front window by roving gangs of thought police; a cross worn on a necklace sure to bring arrest; the ordering of a Budweiser greeted with withering contempt from the microbrew cognoscenti. The triumph of liberal totalitarianism, with the abolishment of the family and religion and free speech that all honest people hold dear, is forever around the next corner, at the bottom of a slippery slope down which we find ourselves eternally tumbling. Like end-timers assuring us that though they were wrong last year and the year before, this New Year’s Eve will surely bring Armageddon—they are slowed not a bit by being proved wrong again and again—the coming American Sodom always a result of next year’s wedge issue.

Look at some of the titles offered by Regnery, the right’s premier publishing house: Invasion Within: Overcoming the Elitists' Attack on Moral Values and the American Way; Epidemic: How Teen Sex is Killing Our Kids; Mugged by the State: Outrageous Government Assaults on Ordinary People and Their Property; Outrage: How Gay Activists and Liberal Judges Are Trashing Democracy to Redefine Marriage; Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity; Power Grab: How the National Education Association is Betraying Our Children; Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security .

The message of each is the same: Sinister, powerful liberals are attacking you, your children and everything you believe in. While good Americans lie slumbering in their complacency, the mighty liberals continue their assault, and if we don’t wake up soon it’ll be too late, as our nation tumbles into a moral abyss and the streets run red with the blood of innocents. The end is near.

( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

A Christian legal defense group is threatening to sue a Michigan school superintendent who made teachers quit teaching alternatives to evolution.

(cross-posted)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This New York Times article talks about the upcoming battle between the Dominionist owned Republicans and the "persecuting" Democrats over religion and judges:

As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees.

Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April 24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants, but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads: "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith."

Organizers say they hope to reach more than a million people by distributing the telecast to churches around the country, over the Internet and over Christian television and radio networks and stations.

Dr. Frist's spokesman said the senator's speech in the telecast would reflect his previous remarks on judicial appointments. In the past he has consistently balanced a determination "not to yield" on the president's nominees with appeals to the Democrats for compromise. He has distanced himself from the statements of others like the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, who have attacked the courts, saying they are too liberal, "run amok" or are hostile to Christianity.

The telecast, however, will put Dr. Frist in a very different context. Asked about Dr. Frist's participation in an event describing the filibuster "as against people of faith," his spokesman, Bob Stevenson, did not answer the question directly.

"Senator Frist is doing everything he can to ensure judicial nominees are treated fairly and that every senator has the opportunity to give the president their advice and consent through an up or down vote," Mr. Stevenson said, adding, "He has spoken to groups all across the nation to press that point, and as long as a minority of Democrats continue to block a vote, he will continue to do so."

Some of the nation's most influential evangelical Protestants are participating in the teleconference in Louisville, including Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Chuck Colson, the born-again Watergate figure and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; and Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The event is taking place as Democrats and Republicans alike are escalating their public relations campaigns in anticipation of an imminent confrontation. The Democratic minority has blocked confirmation of 10 of President Bush's judicial nominees by preventing Republicans from gaining the 60 votes needed to close debate, using the filibuster tactic often used by political minorities and most notoriously employed by opponents of civil rights.

"Filibuster against people of faith". This is a prime example of classic Dominionist tactics at work: pretend to be persecuted and play the 'victim' card to the hilt, and make anyone who questions their bullying tactics look like some oppressor or worse. People like this love to play the martyr card, and anyone who questions them is seen as an attacker, who must be defamed and destroyed. Unfortunately, the 'lay' people who do not know how the Dominionists work take their cries of "victim" at face value, worsening the situtation. Keep a close eye on this- it will get worse.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY anarchys_savior)

Watching the CBN is like stepping into an alternate dimension. It's freaky at first, then a little funny, but at the end it's just really disturbing.

They were talking about the eeeeeeeeeevil 'homosexual agenda' again. One minute, good lil Christians were the persecuted minority, the next minute CBN portrayed them the triumphate majority that will overcome all evil in America.

So which is it? Are the majority or the minority? They need to make up thier minds.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY anarchys_savior)

I wish that Fundamentalists could live a life like mine for one day. I wish that for one day, they would see what it's like to actually be a minority that's discriminated against. Maybe then things would change for the good.

Thoughts?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Media Transparency, who watches, among other things, 'faith-based movements' published a very interesting article about Christian broadcasting and its players. 'Christian persecution' was the main theme.

An excerpt:

...Plummer wasn't opposed to having religious extremists subvert a greater society. His critique of Islam, couched in the language of spiritual warfare, was only meant to cast it as Christianity's most dangerous competitor. The Christian Right's dominionist intentions, a theme of the convention, were particularly in evidence at a seminar called, "Taking Over Cities For Christ: The Thousand Day Plan."

The seminar was led by Raul Justiniano, the Bolivian president of the Confederation of Ibero-American Communicators (COICOM), NRB's Latin American counterpart. Like a counter-revolutionary version of Che Guevara, the goateed Justiniano laid out his three-year plan to "invade" Latin American cities one by one by establishing cells in local churches and spreading outwards to "take possession of all parts of the city."

In the past decade, Justiniano has plastered Latin American cities with apparently non-religious billboard advertisements soliciting people to evangelization centers, saturated local media with Christian-themed commercials and films, and hosted stadium-sized revivals across the sub-continent. All in all, he claims to have won millions of souls through 61 "invasions" in six countries.

"Christian media is the air force and the church gives us people on the ground to mobilize our troops," Justiniano explained. "People will take notice and those are your targets. Everyone will be networked in eventually."

Like Justiniano, Olivia Gans was fluent in the language of cultural counter-revolution. A chipper, middle-aged woman leaning against an orthopedic cane, Gans manned the booth of America's oldest and largest anti-abortion group, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC - website). While the much of the Christian Right's leadership uncompromisingly demands a reversal of Roe v. Wade, NRLC has quietly shifted its focus from overturning Roe to what Gans calls, "changing the culture."

It's also called 'swarming'. It's really scary to see 'swarming' in action. Read the entire article- it's quite interesting.