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Remaking America as a Christian Nation Email Print

When Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court, installed a two-and-one-half-ton granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama state courthouse in Montgomery in June of 2001, he knew it was a deeply symbolic act. He was saying that God's laws are the foundation of the nation; and of all our laws. Or at least, they ought to be. The monument (wags call it "Roy's rock") was installed under cover of night - but Moore had a camera crew from Rev. D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries on hand to record the historic event. Kennedy then sold videos of the installation as a fundraiser for Moore's legal defense.

They knew he would need it.

The story of Roy's rock epitomizes the rise of what many are calling "dominionism." It is a story of how notions of "Biblical law" as an alternative to traditional, secular ideas of constitutional law are edging into mainstream American politics.

That's how my article The Rise of Dominionism: Remaking America as a Christian Nation opens. It appears in the Winter 2005 issue of The Public Eye, the quarterly magazine of Political Research Associates, a Somerville, MA-based progressive think tank.  I am honored to be on the editorial board there these days. There is lot's of other good stuff in the current issue -- and back isssues -- if you are interested in understanding different sectors of the political and religious right in the U.S. and abroad. If you haven't visited the PRA web site, you are missing out on an extraordinary resource.

Here is an other exerpt from my article. But you can skip it and go right to full online text.

...Naturally, people look for explanations for how it has come to this. There are many factors for this trend, just like any other important trend in history. But many Americans, regardless of their political orientation, seem genuinely baffled and obsessed about one or another factor in the rise to power of the Christian Right: they look to issues of funding, mass media, megachurches, dominionism, and so on. It is all of these and more. However, following the logic of Occam's Razor, that the best explanation is usually the simplest, I offer this: the Christian Right social movement, fueled by the growing influence of dominionist ideology, gained political influence because it was sufficiently well organized and willing to struggle for power. And now they are exercising it.

While most dominionists would say they favor the U.S. Constitution, and merely seek to restore it to the original intentions of the founders, in fact, their views are profoundly anti-democratic. The dominionist worldview is not one based on the rights of the individual as we have come to know them, but on notions of biblical law. Among the political models admired by the likes of D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson and Reconstructionist writer Gary North is the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a government ruled by the intensely Calvinist Protestant sect, Puritanism. In the dominionist worldview, the biblically incorrect (and those of other religious views) are second-class citizens at best. While few would admit to the clear implications of Christian nationalism, dominionism in the short run necessarily means, as a matter of theocratic public policy, reducing or eliminating the legal standing of those who do not share their views.

Indeed the dominionist movement and its allies in Congress are actively seeking to eviscerate the capacity of the federal courts to protect the rights of all citizens. Developing a coherent understanding of the ongoing role of dominionism in the dynamic growth of the Christian Right movement will be integral to any effective counter strategy in this, one of the central struggles of our time.



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The thing I keep hearing from people is about the "rise" of this "secular humanist" attack on religion.  The Ten Commandments case is a great example, in that I've heard again and again how the ACLU and all those liberals are "wasting taxpayer dollars dragging this case through the courts."

None of these guys ever seems to notice that the push came from the fundamentalist side of the line.  They're the ones who put this case in place by taking actions they knew would cause a court case.  In fact, that's exactly why they did it.  They have no interest in having the Ten Commandments in court.  They have every interest in using the Big 10 as a tool to get publicity.

by Devilstower on 12/21/2005 11:30:55 AM EST

One thing I've wondered is (to use a 6-year-old's phrasing) who started this fight?

People say, and I fully agree, that we should distinguish between the Religious Right and the Religious Left, because the RL gets pissed when Secular Left (SL) makes broad rude statements about religion. I agree with this. No problem there.

My feeling, based on nothing scientific, is that there was a progression like  this.

  1. The RR starts shoving its weight around and attacking the SL.
  2. The SL gets pissed and start fighting back both legally and by saying rude things.
  3. The RL gets justifiably pissed and starts telling the SL to behave.

Is this at all accurate? I fully sympathize with the RL wanting to be treated like human beings. But sometimes the whole fight pisses me off because I feel guilty about how the RL has been treated, but generally speaking, it often seems that few in the RL (again, completely unscientific here) did much standing up against the RR in the past. Recently there has been a huge amount of loud public complaining by the RL. But I don't remember much of it earlier.

Again. Caveat. Unscientific. And I know the RL is a huge group with many different types and subsets, so the response can't be generalized. And some of the recent years was when I was in grad school reading little if it wasn't about medieval and renaissance commentaries on Latin Literature. So I might have missed a lot.

Sometimes I just feel that the RR has been attacking people like me for ages, and now the RL is angry with me for being pissed off about it. Frustrating.

So correct me where I'm wrong about all this.

by astraea on 12/21/2005 05:22:27 PM EST

[ Parent ]
That was a very compelling read, thank you.  I hope you don't mind me excerpting one of my favorite bits of your report:

Virginia Reconstructionist Rev. Byron Snapp maintains, "religious pluralism is a myth. At no point in Scripture do we read that God teaches, supports, or condones pluralism. To support pluralism is to recognize all religions as equal." This is, of course, exactly what the U.S. Constitution requires. It is because this is so, in part, that there is such a desperate push for what Rushdoony called "Christian revisionism" of history.

Also, reading about dominionists always reminds me of Howard Ahmanson.  Here is a salon.com article about Ahmanson for anyone who's interested, or hasn't seen it yet.  From salon:

It was then that he found his salvation in the church and in R.J. Rushdoony, a prolific author and an influential theologian of the far right...
For around 20 years, until Rushdoony's death in 2001, Ahmanson served on the board of his think tank, Chalcedon, granting it a total of $1 million. In exchange, Rushdoony acted as Ahmanson's spiritual advisor, imbuing him with a sense of order and a mission.

This is the Ahmanson who bankrolled the Urosevich brothers and their company Data Mark in 1984.  Data Mark eventually became ES&S and one of the two Urosevich brothers went on to head Diebold's Election division.  It has been estimated that ES&S and Diebold are collectively responsible for about 80% of electronic voting in the US.

Help Brewster Jennings Protect America

by k on 12/21/2005 05:07:35 PM EST

My recollection is that it was not Howard Ahmanson but other members of his family that were the investors in question.

by Frederick Clarkson on 12/21/2005 06:07:29 PM EST

[ Parent ]
It looks like it was William and Robert Ahmanson who invested that money.  Thanks for the correction!

Help Brewster Jennings Protect America

by k on 12/21/2005 07:44:43 PM EST

[ Parent ]
These people really are terrifying.

Hopefully the rest of us can get organized enough to fight them successfully. Many of us might have been taken by surprised by their success, but I hope now that we know what their doing, we can fight it off.

The result of the Dover trial was a good step. A resounding defeat for ID by Jones, the board replaced with people who favor evolution, etc.

by astraea on 12/21/2005 05:36:47 PM EST

I have always wondered how all those religious shows on Sundays could afford to be on tv for so many many years.  To me they were just a curiosity in the past, and one that I only questioned to just myself because they seemed just so stupid and boring. To each his own I would say.

Now in hindsight, I see that all these shows are an indication of a powerful movement in America that has money and numbers, and most importantly must have an addictive effect on people to extend this mania beyond themselves.  Why that addictive spread mania exists I still cannot fathom but it is a threat to everyone in this country?  And we are being told that religious fundamendalism in the middle east is dangerous!  Hah!

by NG on 12/21/2005 08:22:21 PM EST

I thought that your article was of sufficient importance that I have e-mailed it to a number of friends.  Thanks for studying these folks.  It clearly is a grave threat to our federal republic.

by DCDemocrat on 12/22/2005 07:01:24 AM EST

We all know about the Dover PA School Board and their attempt to shove their personal fundamentalist Christian religious beliefs down everyone's throat with their Intelligent Design actions. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated movement, but is a sign of a greater threat to this country.  A threat that is not just about forcing fundamentalist Christian religious beliefs on all public life, but a true related march toward a potential fascist ultranationalistic state that just cannot have a good future for this country.  

I mainly base this above statement on the fact that it is not just little rural towns in PA (or Kansas) that are trying to use government laws to force fundamentalist religious beliefs on everyone, but state legislatures are trying as well.  So far they have been defeated as far as I know, but if they start to succeed and/or if the feds get such religious legislation passed or Supreme Court approved, we will be on our way to a true fascist theocracy.  
I watched a PA House hearing a few months ago where "experts" were discussing a Bill to allow Intelligent Design(ID) to be taught in all PA public schools.  The Bills sponsors were very harsh in their questioning of "experts" who were testifying against this Bill for teaching ID.  I thought it strange and frightening that so many members of a state legislature could not see where this was going!  How did this happen in the first place?

I did some research on this Bill, and I found the Bill and its sponsors.  I am listing the text and links to the bill below, as well as a link listing the PA House members.  I am extremely sorry to say the main fool who sponsored this piece of crap is from my home county, buy I am only one vote!  If there was only some way to get at these guys and get them voted out, but unfortunately they represent the small minded majority (and this is the key word?) from their districts, so that is tough!

Actual bill and Sponsors:
List of House Members:

Actual text of Bill:

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ---------------

HOUSE BILL
No. 1007 Session of 2005

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ---------------

        INTRODUCED BY CREIGHTON, ARMSTRONG, BASTIAN, BENNINGHOFF, BOYD,
           CLYMER, ELLIS, HERSHEY, LEH, PETRARCA, ROHRER AND STERN,
           MARCH 16, 2005

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ---------------

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 16, 2005

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ---------------

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
     2     act relating to the public school system, including certain
     3     provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
     4     schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
     5     laws relating thereto," providing for the teaching of
     6     theories on the origin of man and earth.

     7     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     8  hereby enacts as follows:
     9     Section 1.  The act of act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),
    10  known as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
    11  section to read:
    12     Section 1516.2.  Teaching Theories on the Origin of Man and
    13  Earth.--(a)  In any public school instruction concerning the
    14  theories of the origin of man and the earth which includes the
    15  theory commonly known as evolution, a board of school directors
    16  may include, as a portion of such instruction, the theory of
    17  intelligent design. Upon approval of the board of school
    18  directors, any teacher may use supporting evidence deemed
    19  necessary for instruction on the theory of intelligent design.

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ---------------

     1     (b)  When providing supporting evidence on the theory of
     2  intelligent design, no teacher in a public school may stress any
     3  particular denominational, sectarian or religious belief.
     4     (c)  This section shall not be construed as being adverse to
     5  any decision which has been rendered by an appellate court.
     6     Section 2.  This act shall be retroactive to July 1, 2005.
     7     Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005, or
     8  immediately, whichever is later.

Another related links

This Bill in PA has not passed and the ID trial result will likely nullify that possibility for a while unless Judge Jone's ruling gets appealed and overruled by guess what court?  It is all interconnected isn't it, and the forces trying to pull off this theocracy are at work at every level of our government.  If they get control of the US Supreme Court, I predict we will no longer recognize this country in 15 years!  We must make every attempt now to do whatever we can to stop/turn back this march toward a Christian fundamentalist theocracy; other wise we will all be spending our basic education years memorizing Bible verses instead of multiplication tables!

by NG on 12/22/2005 12:33:48 PM EST

They don't care about teaching the ludicrous ideas of ID...

Upon approval of the board of school directors, any teacher may use supporting evidence deemed necessary for instruction on the theory of intelligent design.

This bill is simply a tool to get the bible into the classroom. Nothing more and nothing less.

Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet
Drinking Liberally in New Milford

by Connecticut Man1 on 12/22/2005 07:58:44 PM EST

[ Parent ]
this project mobilizes pastors to actively  support the republican agenda. when it first surfaced about nine months ago, the movement attracted blog attention. then, like most blog issues the issue sank into oblivion. movement lives, as you can see if you follow ohio politics.

by ebbak on 12/27/2005 08:26:40 AM EST

same one get defeated in Maine or somewhere? As a Floridian (Palm Beach County, no less), I sympathize with this type of press coming out of Ohio these days.

All it takes to fly is to hurl yourself at the ground... and miss. (Douglas Adams)

by scoophound on 12/29/2005 08:34:45 AM EST

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