DOMINIONISM
The driving force behind America's cold civil war
During the early 1990s I came into possession of a copy of a small private press monthly magazine titled The Chalcedon Report. At first glance it was immediately apparent that the focus of this publication was centered and wholly reliant upon ultra-conservative protestant biblical hermeneutics. Browsing through the twenty some odd pages it was obvious that its various writers were college educated and remarkably articulate in their writings. So I subscribed and began to receive a monthly copy; I discovered very quickly that the organization responsible for this “Report” was promulgating Dominionism, before the term Dominionism came into use the adherents of this doctrine frequently talked about enacting a nation-wide “Christian Reconstructionism.” After reading several of these magazines I quickly recognized just how much of a threat this organization and its proponents, supporters, and like-minded politically conservative individuals, denominations, churches, etc posed for a truly liberal secular American society, and I began to keep one eye on this threat to American freedoms, and spoke out about them whenever appropriate.
For reference: The then (2006) president of the movement had this to say to an audience during a congregation gathering at which he was a speaker-
“"We must base our laws on faith, not reason," [Mark] Rushdoony told the Georgia congregation.”
The above quote was found in an online article published by The Southern Poverty Law Center that briefly details The Chalcedon Foundation and can be read at the following URL:
Jump forward with me now to current times. During the past 10-15 years I have been continuing to observe and learn about this threatening movement and continually searching for anything that might help me understand how exactly Dominionism could enact its theocratic goals. Sometime about 2010 I discovered a paper online with a most intriguing title- Dominionism and Epistemology: How Religious Anti-intellectualism Subverts Liberal Institutions.
Naturally I downloaded a copy and read it. Wow, I was astonished by what I read, the author, then Gabriel S. Hudson now Dr. Gabriel S. Hudson had narrowed down the actual cause of such a myopically-narrow-minded world-view philosophy. The following block quote should speak volumes to anyone who is concerned about the cold civil war that has gripped America.
The May 11, 2007 edition of Bill Moyer’s Journal on PBS documented the graduation ceremonies at Regents University. The college and law school founded by CR [Christian Right] leader Pat Robertson provides an alternative to traditional education. The university’s mission is dominionism with students trained to seek positions of power. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney provided the key address at graduation and former Attorney General John Ashcroft was present to recruit young Christian men and women to work in the government.
Robertson and the school’s dean, Jeff Brock, are not shy about seeking to control the government. Brock first explains how the wall separating Church and State is purely institutional and surmountable through a strategy of placing professionals with a dominionist worldview in positions of authority. Pat Robertson later argues, “There was never any intention that our government would be separate from God almighty.” Robertson founded Regents to “change the law to reflect God’s law.” Because lawyers and justices are needed for that revolution, Robertson also founded the law school 20 years ago [1986]. Pages 28-29. [Emphasis by RJR]
Dominionism and Epistemology: How Religious Anti-intellectualism Subverts Liberal Institutions by Gabriel S. Hudson, Midwestern Political Science Association.
In light of the above information I have recently been delving into the work of Jeff Sharlet and his experiences and observations of the secretive group that for decades has organized the National Prayer Breakfast known as The Family.
Also, I am currently absorbing Dr. Gabriel S. Hudson’s more recent work titled: Christodemocracy and the Alternative Democratic Theory of America’s Christian Right. This title was his dissertation paper and has been available for purchase at Amazon. I think it is so important to understanding the current state of the union that I purchased a copy and had it sent to the White House for the executive branch to consider and use as needed. I will most definitely be sharing my findings from this extremely important work.
Now what about you? What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think it might be time to review the so-called freedom of religion Amendment contained in The Constitution of the USA and make some changes to this Amendment in light of the perspectives presented by The Chalcedon Foundation and the work of Dr. Hudson?
"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." -Aldous Huxley
God, Guns, and Greed.
Race, Religion, and Republicans.
Take your pick: either title helps define just some of the causes of the 'cold civil war' America has been fighting for nearly 250 years.