Dominionism, The Other Autocratic Regime
Dominionism: ~ Dominionism is a trend in Protestant Christian evangelicalism and fundamentalism, primarily, though not exclusively, in the United States, that seeks to establish specific political policies based on religious beliefs.The dominionist interpretation sees adherents as heeding a command from God to all mankind to subject the world to the rule of the Word of God.
The terminology of dominionism, and the broad concept of the trend described by critics, has been taken from the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis 1:26. Some influences on the Christian Right acknowledge looking to the New Testament to justify theocracy. In Matthew 28:18, for example, Jesus is reported to have said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. This verse is seen as an announcement by Jesus that he has assumed authority over all earthly authority.
In that light, some theologians interpret the Great Commission as a command to exercise that authority in his name, bringing all things (including societies and cultures) into subjection under his commands.
What differentiates Christian Dominionism from Islamic Dominionism? Not much in my opinion. Both strive for the absolute authority of a theocratic government. Both may reserve the right to punish "evil doers"according to the repressive dogma of their "holy books". Both seek the destruction of secularism in favour of an autocratic religious state.
Whereas secularism protects the right of citizens to be of any religion of their choosing, or no religion at all, theocratic governments demand civilian adherence to the scriptures of ONE religion. That religion and the beliefs of that religion, would be enshrined in all law.
Both of these religions seek to oppress and deny individual rights in favour of the tenets of their religion. Both religions are imperialistic by nature. They each seek to be a religious monopoly. They do NOT ascribe to a pluralistic society. They each prescribe a monotheistic society. In their identical mantras, "There can be only one."
LINKS: ~
- Articles On the Rise of Dominionism in America
- Dominionism is a trend in Protestant Christian evangelicalism
- "Are We Becoming a Theocracy?"
'Theocracy' has always been the synonym for a bleak and narrow, if not a fierce and blood-stained tyranny. - William Archer
dominionism , autocratic , evangelical , fundamentalist , theocracy , christian , muslim
posted by beepbeepitsme | 5:05 pm
16 Comments:
Jeez Beep, that's a rather scary video. Christian Taliban indeed!
There really is bugger all difference and I think you can probably extend it to just about every religion in the world.
What riles me about this though is the indoctrination of the kids. Hit 'em hard and hit 'em young seems to be what the woman was saying...
and how about;
I was saved when I was 5 because I wanted more of life
What the? How can you possibly make that sort of decision at that age? Then we get to see him evangelise. Whoa... There's a benny Hinn in the making if ever I saw one...
RE progressive christian:
I hope you're right.
RE ted:
We think alike on this issue.
Hi,
Somebody under your name pointed me here.
Dominionism is a fringe movement, useful for scaring the gullible left and justifying the four-decades-old secularist revolution in the Democratic party.
Check out Ross Douthat's Theocracy, Theocracy, Theocracy for a fun debunking of anti-dominionist hysterics.
RE kevin: yeah, that was probably me :)
I guess you see the left as gullible and I see the right as gullible. Either way, religious fundamentalism is on the increase, and I am not just pointing at muslims.
Andrew Sullivan calls it Christianism, specifically to draw the parallel with Islamism. He's written an awful lot about it, and quite intelligently. He's a Catholic himself, but he draws a line between faith and faith-based government. Wish more people would do that.
pjb: I agree, more or less. And that is why I suggest that a secular society offers the most protection for all citizens.
Hi again,
The only really dangerous sector of the fundagelicals is the Christian Zionist movement, which has a whacked-out theology of Israel that leads them to support uncritically the most militant of the Israeli political parties. They're probably more influential than the pro-lifers.
I think Andrew Sullivan is an ass, Catholic only so far as it promotes his career and doesn't interfere with his unnatural sex life.
Finally, I don't understand the general antipathy towards US fundies. At worst, they'd reinstate prohibition. At second worst, they'd screw up science education in a school system that already isn't working that well. At best, they'd help rein in the excesses of atheistic capitalism and shore up a republic growing incapable of self-rule.
As an American Catholic, and despite the severe errors of fundie theology, I prefer them to the secularists who kicked my kind out of the Democratic party.
Dominionists are a growing fringe movement, and that is truly scary. For a group so small they have lots of influence and money.
A plague on both their houses, I say. It amazes me how children can work out the myth of Santa but adults can't work out the myth of religion.
Must be a genetic flaw somewhere!
RE steve,
I agree basically with what you have said.
Except to say, that people do not seem concerned about the growing number of fundamnetalist, evangelical christians who basically demand the same thing as their "islamic cousins". That is a religious state whose laws are based on the "inerrancy of the bible".
I support secularism because it is a method of government which supports laws based on reason, rather than laws based on belief.
RE kevin:
"As an American Catholic, and despite the severe errors of fundie theology, I prefer them to the secularists who kicked my kind out of the Democratic party."
I am not too sure what you mean by "kicked out"?
Do you mean you were forcibly removed from the party, or that the party no longer represented your interests?
re daniel:
I am not sure about the "genetic flaw" bit, but I know that most people seem to require a belief in a god or gods and because I believe in the right to choose in these issues, I respect people's right to a religion.
This does not automatically mean that I respect the tenets or beliefs of that religion. And it does mean that I would want the beliefs or dogma of that religion imposed upon me by law.
I want laws formulated by reason and logic, not by faith.
EDIT ABOVE COMMENT:
" And it does mean that I wouldn't want the beliefs or dogma of that religion imposed upon me by law.
Kevin,
atheistic capitalism
Is that meant to imply theistic non-capitalism? I ask because I'm fairly sure that the Catholic church can be counted amoung the richest and best invested organisations in world...
I disagree that Dominionism is a benign talking point or a crude way to motivate secular humanists.
As a life-long Baptist, I can assure you that the messages of Dominionism are real, highly articulated. These messages are being communicated freely in our churches. I wrote an article on this at http://www.newtestamentdemocrat.com.
James Madison, author of the U.S. Constitution, was both a believer that God-fearing people were necessary for self-government, and that state-run churches were a bad idea.
Nevertheless, Dominionism is alive and well in the U.S., if a bit knocked back by the mid-term elections. No one should get comfy, thinking that this is a movement will go away. Humans the world over seem to want simplistic answers for life's problems and need to divide this world into Us and Them. May God protect us from this evil movement.
Jud.
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