Last week I wrote an article here at PoliticusUSA introducing the Christian Dominionist Movement. First, let me say that I was tremendously encouraged by the responses and that so many of you are taking this seriously. Please click here to read a more in-depth compilation of writing and research defining Christian Dominionism. It is a challenging task to write and speak out about this extremism due to the very fact that they have crawled under the skirts of legitimacy of what once was the Republican Party while invoking Christianity as their moral spring board.
To write or speak out against this very well organized sect attracts defensive postures from all sides, from Dominionists themselves, to the mainline Christians in America who are not yet aware that they need to be distancing themselves from this extremist fundamentalist sect, one that is attempting to drag them along for the ride back into the days of pre-Enlightenment.
This is a creeping cancer, a malignant growth if left unchecked, that desires total dominion over all secular institutions in America, establishing this country firmly with arrogant supremacy as a Christian Nation. One of those very well laid out plans is something they call the 7 Mountains Mandate.
This is VERY difficult to process, but I assure you that this is the driving force behind much of what we see happening on the surface among the Right Wing Fundamentalist Republicans.
Leah and I used to have long talks about these issues, about a year ago, and some of the things she would tell me (And by the way I am somebody who felt he was pretty knowledgeable about Christian cults), would make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Leah is probably one of only a handful of people who have studied this subject in any real comprehensive fashion, so I always defer to her superior knowledge on Dominionists and Evangelicals.
"Demur"...you always "demur" to her. Although I am sure you can be "demure" at times, too.
ReplyDeleteHaving been raised a Mormon, the "7 Mountains" doctrine was never explicitly stated, but "the White Horse prophecy" the idea that the LDS church would save the nation "when the Constitution dangled by a thread" is still a very popular idea.
ReplyDeleteYou may judge yourself what political ideas are important to the LDS church by the money and effort they poured into passing Prop 8 in California, and blocking the ERA amendment.
There’s an aspect of Sarah Palin’s rise to power that needs additional exploration and explanation, and that is her Dominionist background and its influence on her actions. The discussion of the rise of the radical religious right as a political force in the Republican party has become more prevalent in the media, but that connection to Sarah Palin has been sorely lacking. I believe that there is a connection and it forms the basis of Sarah Palin’s quest for fame and power.
ReplyDeleteI’m certainly no expert on Dominionism, but I do know that their theology is to dominate the political landscape – and all forms of government – as a mandate from God. Sarah has hinted at that belief several times in speeches, but her core beliefs have never been adequately explored or questioned. We’ve seen glimpses of Sarah’s fear/hatred of Muslims and her discern at the ethnic makeup of one of the colleges that she attended, but the media seems to give her a pass. Why have there been no discussions concerning Sarah’s intolerance of non-Christians and the correlation of that intolerance to the tenets of her faith?
Details about Sarah’s early religious upbringing are sketchy, at best, but I recall reading that at some point she broke from whatever church she attended as a child to become the fundamentalist that we know today. The timing of that break may be an important fact. Was it Todd’s influence? If so, there should be a further discussion into how much influence Todd actually has on Sarah’s politics. True Dominionists actually believe that a woman’s place is in the home, which would hardly describe Sarah, but they also believe that, in essence, the end justifies the means. If Sarah’s push through that slightly ajar door is the best way to accomplish their goals, then that would be acceptable to them, as long as there was a man behind her providing that little push and guiding her along her path to power and the goal of creating a nation governed by Christians and the law of God.
The fundamentalist theocracy touches all phases of life in America. Their goal is not to blur the line between church and state, but to completely eradicate that line, to rule America under Biblical law – and that is a very real threat to every American.
Leah Burton is indeed well-versed in the threat of Dominionism. I have followed her blog for over a year now, and am continually impressed the depth of her research, the quality of her analysis, and the manner in which she communicates a complicated and controversial subject.
ReplyDeleteShe has done more to educate the public on this threat than anyone else I know about.
Thank you for sharing her posts. The message needs to reach as many people as possible because the threat of the Seven Mountains Mandate is real and is embodied in almost every (not all, but most) GOP forerunners for the Presidency.
If you cherish the concept of religious freedom or the freedom from religion, it is imperative that you pay attention to what Leah has to teach you. It could truly save this nation and your right to live as full and as free a life as you can.
- ks sunflower
Read current Governor of Alaska's email to Sarah Palin, thankful that they both serve the same God. How righteous, creepy and discounting of so many of their citizenry.
ReplyDeleteThey should stick to church leadership, not under the charade of public servants.
Thank you for bringing this issue to a larger audience. I first became aware of Dominionism when my daughter planned to take a gap year and train overseas to do missionary outreach. Her motivations were noble & I thought it would be a good experience for her. However, when I began to research the group she was going to be affiliated with, I realized that they were Dominionists.
ReplyDeleteI explained this to her and suggested that she find some other organization. She is a very smart girl (summa cum laude in the liberal arts honors program of a major university and double (nearly triple) major), well traveled (semester abroad and all over US, Europe + Japan with family) and very open minded (supports gay marriage, etc.). In spite of that, she refused to reconsider because this was the organization that some very good friends had done their work with and she thought things would be fine.
At that point, I told her that I would give her absolutely no financial support to go on this training and outreach. I did pay for a slew of vaccinations because I couldn't bear the thought of her getting some awful disease. That was a bit of a cop out on my part, but she's my daughter & I'm still a concerned mom.
Anyway, she did have an exceptional experience & she did not appear to have suffered from "programming" by what I consider a dangerous cult. She then extended her gap time to do another training/outreach session with this group. This time she trained for primary health care and spent 2 months in Africa living with no running water or electricity. She is about to come home to us, this week, and you can't imagine how happy I am.
This time, I think she began to see the flaws in the organization and said she was going to express her opinions in the debrief. She will study law at a Top Ten law school, this fall and her experiences abroad have led her to decide on human rights law as her field. She could make heaps more money going corporate, but she dedicated to using her knowledge and voice to help the neediest amongst us.
But, back to Dominionism ... it is such a snare. Here is a talented and idealistic young person that they might have "captured" and used to further their goals. They are long range planners willing to cast their net far & wide. All they have to do is get one kid who later becomes a Federal judge and it would have been worth the effort.
I will save off these articles to show her. I can't be heavy handed, but I do want her to be aware of the bigger picture now that she has experienced the organization. I don't think she appreciated what it was like until she had the experience.
I think it best to remain anonymous since I am discussing my beloved daughter, but thanks for doing what you are to expose these people.
Dominionists in the military trouble me greatly. Too many American soldiers believe they're fighting a holy war. Makes me shiver.
ReplyDeleteHi. I am one of those mainstream (why mainline? weird.) Christians who gets on here and is "defensive" about Christianity.
ReplyDeleteIt's not defensiveness about my faith, it's objection to gross generalizations and outright paranoia which insists on an extent of a threat which is disproportionate to its reality, at least presently. Don't get me wrong, if some of these Christian GOPer's are Dominionists, I want to know about it. They should not be allowed to hold political office, that's correct. And I am not saying a few aren't "infiltrating" already. This is a grey area, however, as many in our government do happen to be Christian.
I wonder if the MSM could be convinced to look into this topic more thoroughly, and if not then why? If the answer is that they are Dominionists themselves, then I don't know what to say... I don't believe the conspiracy is that vast, sorry.
But, I do have a request for Ms. Burton - I would appreciate her offering a full disclosure of her own religious background and experiences. Try as I might, I have never found a thorough bio on her site. I feel it's important to understand where she's coming from, personally.
Also, after reading (albeit lightly) through the document on her site which details the Dominionist belief system, I find myself feeling skeptical, not more convinced. It's an extremely complicated explanation, and as such it lacks impact. Some of the things in there pertain to mainstream practice, and some of course do not. I kind of wonder about the author of that article as well. If the folks working on this topic have an issue with the religion, in general, they need to state that at the outset.
I do think Ms. Burton's frequent use of capital letters, exclamation points and underlining is also interesting. I would suggest she worry less about convincing everyone and simply continue her work studying and watchdogging this cult, much like the Southern Poverty Law Center does with so many others. It is greatly appreciated, but I do think the topic must be kept in its proper, proportional, perspective.
We have seen stories on Scientology all over the place through the years. Let's see if the same can happen for Dominionism. I think the problem is that the claims are so far-reaching they become diffuse and hence are not as credible as they might otherwise be.
ed schultz had a public message board; recently among many many topics there had been on-going threads about 'the chamber' along with these dominionist-new apostolic movement(NAR) culties plundering their way into all forms of our culture.
ReplyDeletesuddenly the message board vanished. fwiw.
article on 'the chamber'.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/en/un-american-coc?utm_
Un-American Agenda of the US Chamber of Commerce
This site is a good effort in this area:
ReplyDeletehttp://theocracywatch.org/
Read About Us; interesting as some are mainstream Christians.
Are there proven Dominionists on the Supreme Court? That would be an important topic.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's totally lost on these Dominionists that the Taliban is the same. They too want total religious control over every aspect of people's lives. And the way the Taliban treats women is no different than this god-fearing Christian sect. There's just no burqa involved--but give them time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Gryphen. I have been waiting for a good explanation of this phenomenon. I think that these groups need close watching.
ReplyDeleteThese people are dangerous. I've got a couple in my own village (two are our school teachers!). On the outside they seem like very reasonable, likable people, but on the inside they are rigid, devious and downright driven by their religion.
ReplyDeleteHow do I deal? With refuting their statements clearly, loudly and very definitely when they make moves that affect my son and his learning and the village's well being. i.e. when the pre-school teacher tells me she has a problem with the district not teaching creationism with science class - I volunteer teach science - and I told her I would refuse to teach creationism in science class to which she told me she would have a problem with me. I retorted "you show me where creationism teaches how the natural world works through repeatable scientific experiment, exploration and research, and then I'll teach creationism - until then it is a philosophy and should be taught in that class or theology, but keep it out of science class. The teacher is still friendly to me, but I know she's got an eye on me. As I do her.
Christian Dominionists must be dealt with very clearly, firmly and with no hesitation and no being polite and politically correct - that's how they managed to squeeze themselves in the first place - because people don't want to be confrontational or offend.
Rachel Tabachnick is another good source of information on the many facets of the Dominionist movement. Her articles of the subject, and those of others, are on this site:
ReplyDeletewww.talk2action.org
A good place to start is here:
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/1/20/131544/037
Leigh's site is a must read for anyone and everyone of all faiths. As a former Roman Catholic, I learned about the Apocripha (a collection of scriptures the Catholic Church, and other Churches, decided not to include in their Bible) it was THE MOST shocking revelation and epifamy I had about a religion I was excommunicated from. I highly recommend every Christian and christian read these books carefully, then ask yourself why they were excluded.
ReplyDeleteThe Seven Mountais Mandate is pertenant and parallells Sarah Palin's vague omission of the sect of Christianity her faith is rooted in. It certainly explains her views on the state of Israel and her stance on Palestine.
Leigh's personal spiritual journey is of no concern whatsoever to me. Leigh's unflailing, well documented, research and recongitions she's achived for her body of work speak volumes.
Thanks, Gryphen, for giving this topic, and Leigh's site, the attention it deserves. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure the seperation of Church and State be explored and enforced.
Just as Gryphen was willing to share the story about his daughter's painful experience with a Christian church, or impressions he has had about his own local church communities, I see no reason why Leah Burton cannot share her own religious/spiritual experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis is most certainly pertinent to her work. The fact there is so little on this available makes one wonder, if nothing else. Perhaps I am missing something, however. Please do refer me to the appropriate material. I would be very interested in it.
If she is or was disillusioned with any Christian church at one point or another, that does not change the facts of the Dominionist issue. There is nothing for her to fear by full disclosure, in other words.
I make it a point to understand as much about an author's background and perspective no matter what I am reading. It's important.
More on the Dominionist freaks and what they are up to here: http://sexcrimeswitchhunt.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! This is helpful in linking together the politicians who fall into this category. Their religion has not been out in the open. Their efforts, if they succeed would take us back centuries! I have 6 children and 8 grandchildren. Religion is a split topic with us.
ReplyDeleteRead what their kind of society would be like: http://amzn.to/24GKYzG
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