Hat Tip to the Recommended Dairy sounding those "Warning Bells" of the new/old Social Movement, inundating GOP-Land:
Blizter and Cafferty: Never Heard of Dominionism
by Frederick Clarkson -- Aug 19, 2011
And I thought we only had to worry about the Ponzie scheme, otherwise known as the Prosperity Gospel -- which justifies Greed as merely God's Plan for the Faithful -- after a sizable donation to God's Prosperity spokesperson, of course.
Move over Prosperity Gospel -- there's a new/old Religious Dogma, directing all those Televangelist Traffic Lights, off in GOP-Land: "Dominion Reconstructonists"
Geesh, What's happen to the Teachings of the Sermon on the Mount
-- those iconic Love-your-Neighbor teachings must be 'too Low-Rent', for today's esteem-hungry followers Dominionists ...
Move over Poverty Gospel -- where's the Fun in hanging around with Poor People, anyways?
There's a new "godly", Game in town ...
In case you too, like me, have heard next to nothing about the "Dominionism" Movement,
here's a brief in-depth recap, following some of the Links in the referenced Diary (plus a few I found on my own):
A Christian Plot for Domination?
Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry aren't just devout—both have deep ties to a fringe fundamentalist movement known as Dominionism, which says Christians should rule the world.
Michelle Goldberg, theDailyBeast.com -- Aug 14, 2011
[...]
Of the three most plausible candidates for the Republican nomination, two are deeply associated with a theocratic strain of Christian fundamentalism known as Dominionism. If you want to understand Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, understanding Dominionism isn’t optional.
Put simply, Dominionism means that Christians have a God-given right to rule all earthly institutions. Originating among some of America’s most radical theocrats, it’s long had an influence on religious-right education and political organizing. [...]
It may have influence, but in most conventional religious circles, Dominionism Theology doesn't have much 'cred' ... this site says Watch Out for it ...
What are "Dominion Theology" and "Kingdom Now" Theology?
Why Christians Should Reject Such Theological Concepts
UK Apologetics
Dominion 'Reconstructonist' Theology
"Dominion Theology" may be said to be originally derived from Genesis 1:28-30, where God grants Mankind dominion over the Earth.
Genesis 1:28: 'And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens, and all animals that move upon the earth.'
29: 'And God said, Behold! I have given you every herb seeding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree seeding seed; to you it shall be for food.'
30: 'And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to every creeper on the earth which has in it a living soul every green plant is for food; and it was so.' (MKJ).
While Christians have typically interpreted this passage as meaning that God gave Mankind responsibility over the Earth, 'Dominion Theology,' mainly from the early 1970s, started to teach that these verses offer a mandate for Christian stewardship right across human civil affairs -- without restriction.
[...]
Reformed (or, Calvinist) Dominionism largely originated from the teachings of R.J. Rushdoony in the 1970s. Rushdoony's theology focused on a proposed theonomy (that is, the rule of the Law of God), and upheld the belief that all of society should be ordered according to the laws that governed the Israelites in the Old Testament. Being Calvinistic, the sovereignty of God [predestination] is emphasized and applied to the entirety of human behaviour, culture and society.
[...]
So 'Reconstructionists' believe that the laws of the Old Testament, even the more apparently minor ones, are by no means obsolete, and should be adhered to today. Such writers have designed entire political, economic, financial and legal agendas solely on the basis of Mosaic law, although allowing for certain modifications in the light of the New Testament.
According to Rushdoony's own teaching in 'The Institutes of Biblical Law,' in the "reconstructed society," there would be no democracy (most reconstructionists view democracy as a heretical concept), and government would only operate at a state, county or local level. Federal government (too open to corruption, greed and manipulation), would no longer exist. Rushdoony envisaged a society in which the Bible would be the only charter and constitutional document. He also denied that women could rightfully claim "priority or even equality" with men. Meanwhile, parents would become solely responsible for the education of their own children with state education being banned.
'Reconstructionists' will quote the Old Testament laws condemning usury, and usually argue that a thirty-year mortgage on a home is an unbiblical practice (citing Deuteronomy 15). They often suggest debts being limited to no more than six years. Moreover, a "biblical" form of slavery is often advocated in order to allow impoverished persons to labour to solve their indebtedness, and for criminals to make restitution for damages they have incurred; but the slave, that is, according to the usual reasoning, should be cared for and educated in civic responsibility. If such a slave is a Christian, he or she should certainly be freed after a particular set period of time. Perhaps surprisingly, some reconstructionists have even argued that such slavery has unequalled "job security." Hmmm!
The Reconstructed society would have no property tax, since taxes supposedly imply that the state, not God, owns the Earth, and the practice of tithing would replace all income tax. There are, of course, necessarily differences in how various such writers have expressed some of these points but, overall, this is the approach which one finds. [...]
And Michele Bachmann's connection to Dominionism Theology:
Leap of Faith
The making of a Republican front-runner.
by Ryan Lizza, NewYorker.com -- August 15, 2011
[ page 5 ]
Today, one of the leading proponents of Schaeffer’s version of Dominionism is Nancy Pearcey, a former student of his and a prominent creationist. Her 2004 book, “Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity,” teaches readers how to implement Schaeffer’s idea that a Biblical world view should suffuse every aspect of one’s life. She tells her readers to be extremely cautious with ideas from non-Christians. [...] “Nevertheless, the overall systems of thought constructed by nonbelievers will be false -- for if the system is not built on Biblical truth, then it will be built on some other ultimate principle. Even individual truths will be seen through the distorting lens of a false world view.”
When, in 2005, the Minneapolis Star Tribune asked Bachmann what books she had read recently, she mentioned two: Ann Coulter’s “Treason,” a jeremiad that accuses liberals of lacking patriotism, and Pearcey’s “Total Truth,” which Bachmann told me was a “wonderful” book.
And Rick Perry's connection to Dominionism Theology:
Rick Perry's Army of God
A little-known movement of radical Christians and self-proclaimed prophets wants to infiltrate government, and Rick Perry might be their man.
by Forrest Wilder, TexasObserver.org -- August 03, 2011
On September 28, 2009, at 1:40 p.m., God’s messengers visited Rick Perry.
On this day, the Lord’s messengers arrived in the form of two Texas pastors, Tom Schlueter of Arlington and Bob Long of San Marcos, who called on Perry in the governor’s office inside the state Capitol. Schlueter and Long both oversee small congregations, but they are more than just pastors. They consider themselves modern-day apostles and prophets, blessed with the same gifts as Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles.
The pastors told Perry of God’s grand plan for Texas. A chain of powerful prophecies had proclaimed that Texas was “The Prophet State,” anointed by God to lead the United States into revival and Godly government. And the governor would have a special role.
[...]
At the end of their meeting, Perry asked the two pastors to pray over him. As the pastors would later recount, the Lord spoke prophetically as Schlueter laid his hands on Perry, their heads bowed before a painting of the Battle of the Alamo. Schlueter “declared over [Perry] that there was a leadership role beyond Texas and that Texas had a role beyond what people understand,” Long later told his congregation.
So you have to wonder: Is Rick Perry God’s man for president?
[...]
In all the media attention surrounding Perry’s flirtation with a run for the presidency, the governor’s budding relationship with the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation movement has largely escaped notice. But perhaps not for long. Perry has given self-proclaimed prophets and apostles leading roles in The Response, a much-publicized Christians-only prayer rally [...]
The New Apostles talk about taking dominion over American society in pastoral terms. They refer to the “Seven Mountains” of society:
family, religion, arts and entertainment, media, government, education, and business.
These are the nerve centers of society that God (or his people) must control.
Asked about the meaning of the Seven Mountains, Schlueter says, “God's kingdom just can’t be expressed on Sunday morning for two hours. God’s kingdom has to be expressed in media and government and education. It’s not like our goal is to have a Bible on every child’s desk. That’s not the goal. The goal is to hopefully have everyone acknowledge that God’s in charge of us regardless.”
Geesh, after all that -- the quiet Mormonism of Mitt Romney, is starting to look pretty good ... er, Wait a second, Scratch that. Nevermind.
I guess there were good reasons why the Founders put a clear dividing line between Church and State in the Constitution, afterall:
The First Amendment states that
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Afterall, Who is to say, which brand of Religion is The Right one, and paramount over all the others ...
Who would dare to pick up that First Stone, to cast it at the sins of others?
Any Bullies in the crowd? (Heathens, get to the back of the line ...)
If Dominionism Theology were to give us any answer to that 'First Stone' puzzler, I suspect their answer would go like this:
Only God's "Chosen Few" deserve the Veto Power to chose OUR State's Religion ... to judge the sins of others, and issue the appropriate level of indentured servitude, as God intends it would be.
Old Testament Deja Vu anyone? Good times, good times ... NOT.
Kind of makes you wonder what else, Manic Michele and Ranger Rick are trying to "Pray Away" in America, during their Sunday godly Meet-ups, now doesn't it?