IT IS IMMORAL TO WEAPONIZE RELIGION.
"100 years ago, Americans talked about Catholics the way they talk about Muslims today"
An example of how xenophobia has appeared time and time again throughout US history.
By German Lopez 30 Jan 2017
https://www.vox.com/2017/1/18/14312104/islamophobia-catholics
"Christian militias kill up to 30 Muslim civilians in Central African Republic"
By Serge Leger Kokopakpa | May 14, 2017
"Here’s a List of 39 White Terrorists for the Smug Congressman Who Challenged CNN to Name More Than Two"
By Ben Mathis-Lilley 7 Feb 2017
"2. I happen to have compiled a list of fatal white extremist attacks that have taken place in the United States since the Oklahoma City bombing, so I can in fact give [Sean] Duffy more than two examples of white-perpetrated terrorism in the past two-plus decades. In the post linked in the previous sentence you'll find details on 32 such attacks involving 40 perpetrators and 70 murders. (The number in the headline above is 39 because one of the perpetrators was a Latino man working with two white anti-immigration extremists in Arizona.) Of particular note to Duffy might be the Aug. 5, 2012, incident in which a white supremacist named Wade Michael Page shot and killed six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, which is about 200 miles from Duffy's district office in the city of Wausau."
"The Long List of Killings Committed by White Extremists Since the Oklahoma City Bombing"
By Ben Mathis-Lilley 14 August 2017
Tweety is NOT MAKING AMERICA SAFE BY FOCSING 100% ON ISIS IN AMERICA. ISIS is #2!
"A 2014 survey, incidentally, found that law enforcement officers consider the "sovereign citizen" movement—which developed as an offshoot of the white-supremacist movement—to be the most pressing terrorist threat in the United States. (Islamic jihadists were second, followed by "militia/patriot" groups, "racist skinheads," and neo-Nazis.)
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is reportedly considering revamping the Department of Homeland Security's Countering Violent Extremism program so that it targets only Islamic jihadist terrorism rather than both jihadism and white supremacist violence."
Do you see how myopic the fool in he White House is? His choices makes no sense except from a purely racist point of view. White Nationalism drips from ever orifice of Tweety's body.
"10 Plans Christian Radicals Have For America"
Larry Jimenez March 22, 2015
https://listverse.com/2015/03/22/10-plans-christian-radicals-have-for-america/
"A fundamentalist Christian ideology called Dominionism is currently infiltrating a segment of the Christian Right. As a political movement, it seeks to overthrow democracy and transform America into a biblical theocracy. Also known as Christian Reconstructionism, it cuts across denominational lines but does not represent mainstream American Christianity. Many Christians even see it as a heresy and perversion of the gospels.
Within the movement are differing views, and its broad complexity should caution us from labeling it as a monolithic conspiracy. Liberals are often accused of exaggerating the Dominionist threat and are called paranoid conspiracy theorists. But whatever the true numbers of those who hold this radical doctrine, they exert a powerful influence on policy makers of the right wing."
"Why are theocracies dangerous?"
5 Answers
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-theocracies-dangerous
"
Usually, there is confusion in public mind between theocracy and dictatorship. Many people think that every theocracy leads necessarily to the dictatorship but it is not correct. Theoretically we can say that theocracy is not a dictatorship, likewise, every non-theocratic regime is not a democratic one. We should be smarter than that.
Let's say, in a country the majority of people support a religious state and they elect their governments to follow a religious law, is that a kind of dictatorship or democracy? Does every theocracy necessarily lead to a dictatorship? And on the other hand, does every non-religious system lead to a democracy? Or is it reasonable to say that every non-religious system is better than a theocracy?
Of course, some governments in religious systems abused and abuse the religious law to be empowered, but the same thing happens to the other kind of regimes, too. In fact, most governments are abusing the ideas and values of the society to get their benefits."
Use the link to read other opinions.
Trying to share another view, here is an article to read . . . I think he's wrong, but who knows for sure?
"There Is No Radical Christianity That Compares to Radical Islam"
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/436599/there-no-radical-christianity-radical-islam
by Dan McLaughlin June 14, 2016 2:01 PM
"One of the persistent fallacies that emerges from the left side of the political spectrum after really any sort of mass atrocity, regardless of who perpetrated it or why, is that there is some sort of equivalence between violence in the name of radical Islam and violence in the name of, say, Christianity.
I disagree. Why not travel back in time to the Crusades? THAT was as bad as ISIS. I am not sure this author has his facts right, but I have an open mind.
"First, there is no significant leadership in the modern Christian world – either religious or civil leadership – openly arguing for violence in the name of Christian doctrine, or providing it with a veneer of legitimacy. The leadership of the major denominations, from top to bottom, are foursquare against violence to enforce Christian morals, and the New Testament is notably short on violent punishments."
A clear example of this author skewing the point is his reference to numbers killed without clearly stating most of the dead are Muslims.
"Second, drawing these parallels completely ignores the scale of the problem. The State Department issues an annual report on terrorism around the globe, and the carnage is enormous: over the past ten years (2006-2015), the State Department reports 115,023 terrorist attacks, resulting in 190,008 people killed, 329,782 injured, 73,758 kidnapped or taken hostage."
"The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party"
http://www.theocracywatch.org/
"What is Dominionism? Palin, the Christian Right, & Theocracy" [FEAR it!]
by cberlet Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 06:13:19 AM PDT
Sarah Palin is a "Dominionist" with an apocalytic End Times theological viewpoint that sees the war in Iraq as part of God's plan. More on the End Times in the next post. Let's talk about Christian Right Dominionism and tendencies toward authoritarian theocratic governance.
With a number of bloggers calling Sarah Palin a "Dominionist," it is a good idea to clear up some obvious errors in the use of terminology.
Neither Sarah Palin nor her Protestant church affiliated with the Assemblies of God should be described as practicing a form of "Dominion Theology" or "Christian Reconstructionism." That is just plain wrong.
It is fair to suggest that Palin displays the tendency called "Dominionism" in some of her public statements.
As one of the authors who popularized the term "Dominionism" (along with Sara Diamond, and Fred Clarkson), I feel some obligation to clear up this confusion, which stems from some very sloppy research posted on a number of websites where the terms "Dominionism," "Dominion Theology," and "Christian Reconstructionism" are used improperly and interchangeably.
"Christian Reconstructionism" is a form of "Dominion Theology" that influenced a tendency toward "Dominionism" in the Christian Right and certain evangelical churches such as The Assemblies of God. But, lumping of these theologies together is neither accurate, nor fair."
This is almost too complex . . .
"The term "dominionism" is used different ways by different people. When new terms are developed, that is to be expected. If we are to use words and phrases to discuss ideas, however, it pays to be on the same page concerning how we define those terms. This is especially true in public debates.
In her 1989 book Spiritual Warfare, sociologist Sara Diamond discussed how dominionism as an ideological tendency in the Christian Right had been significantly influenced by Christian Reconstructionism. Over the past 20 years the leading proponents of Christian Reconstructionism and dominion theology have included Rousas John (R.J.) Rushdoony, Gary North, Greg Bahnsen, David Chilton, Gary DeMar, and Andrew Sandlin.
Diamond explained that "the primary importance of the [Christian Reconstructionist] ideology is its role as a catalyst for what is loosely called 'dominion theology.'" According to Diamond, "Largely through the impact of Rushdoony's and North's writings, the concept that Christians are Biblically mandated to 'occupy' all secular institutions has become the central unifying ideology for the Christian Right." (italics in the original).
In a series of articles and book chapters Diamond expanded on her thesis. She called Reconstructionism "the most intellectually grounded, though esoteric, brand of dominion theology," and observed that "promoters of Reconstructionism see their role as ideological entrepreneurs committed to a long-term struggle."
So Christian Reconstructionism was the most influential form of dominion theology, and it influenced both the theological concepts and political activism of white Protestant conservative evangelicals mobilized by the Christian Right.
But very few evangelicals have even heard of dominion theology, and fewer still embrace Christian Reconstructionism. How do we explain this, especially since our critics are quick to point it out?"
The simple answer is that a theocracy Government in the United States is a VERY BAD IDEA!
Why isn't the common denominator of all religions, but ESPECIALLY in America, LOVE for your fellow citizens?
Why don't we/you do unto others as we/you would have them do unto us/you? It makes perfect religious sense to me as my years in Sunday school taught me. My protestant religion taught me to respect others and care for them.
Why can't we forgive those who have sinned?
Who among us has not sinned? Which of us can with good conscience cast the first stone guilt free? He/she who has not sinned shall cast the first stone.
Why aren't we are our brothers/sisters keeper? Why do we "need" to keep everything we've earned due to our good fortune and diligence? Do we realty "NEED" all our stuff?
Are lazy, poor, or unfortunate people bad, or is their luck bad? But for good fortune and hard work there go I!
Why can't e love thy neighbor? Is that harder than hating or disrespecting our neighbor? It is easier to love than hate.
Cartoons show people using a bible to beat a man bloody. They show one man telling another not to "force" his religion on them.
There are so many examples of religion abused as a weapon I cannot show them all. The point is the American Government is non-theistic for at least the reason of those cherry-picking hate mongers who use their beliefs to hurt and kill others.
The reason Americans want to separate church and state is because religion is unique in every person, and practiced in many ways. Spirituality should not be packaged as the single route to heaven, whatever heaven should be to the particular people.
Are we any different than radical Islam if we force religious rules on our nation?
"Religious law may be coming to America. But it’s not sharia; it’s Christian."
By Catherine Rampell Opinion writer February 2, 2017
"Much-dreaded “sharia law,” or something resembling it, may well be coming to the United States.
Just not in the form many Americans expected.
That is, the religiously motivated laws creeping into public policymaking aren’t based on the Koran, and they aren’t coming from mythical hard-line Islamists in, say, Dearborn, Mich. They’re coming from the White House, which wants to make it easier for hard-line Christians to impose their beliefs and practices on the rest of us.
A few days after declaring his intention to impose a religious test upon refugees so that Christians would be given priority, President Trump gave a bizarre speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. In between a plug for “The Apprentice” and boasts about his disastrous calls with heads of allied states, he made some less-noticed policy news.
He vowed to help blur the line between church and state by repealing the Johnson Amendment."
Tweety also said we are going to say "Merry Christmas" again, missing the fact no one stopped saying it. BUT Tweety says this because he wants to make America a Christian nation fo the sake of his base. That is stupid, of course, but it is Tweety being stupid, AGAIN! Tweety has never stopped running for the job of being President.
"For those unfamiliar, this tax code provision bars tax-exempt entities such as churches and charitable organizations from participating in campaigns for or against political candidates. It dates to 1954, when it was signed by Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was not terribly controversial at the time."
It is a VERY BAD IDEA TO ALLOW RELIGION TO BE POLITICAL!
"Certain religious organizations, in particular those from the evangelical Christian community, have opposed this law in recent years. And during the campaign, Trump indicated he’d do his darnedest to get them what they really want: not the ability to endorse candidates from the pulpit — a practice that the IRS has already been ignoring — but the ability to funnel taxpayer-subsidized funds into the political process.
The president can’t “totally destroy” the law unilaterally, despite Trump’s pledge to do so; he’ll need action from Congress, but that may not be hard to secure these days. Republicans control both houses of Congress, and the most recent Republican platform included a commitment to repeal the Johnson Amendment."
America will not do well under the rule of evangelicals and dominionist. The Tweety initiative is not surprising as it is racists and allows discrimination with the excuse/cover/disguise of one's "religious" beliefs.
"The effect of the order might be to create wholesale exemptions to anti-discrimination law for people, nonprofits and closely held for-profit corporations that claim religious objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion and transgender identity. It would also curb women’s access to contraception through the Affordable Care Act. (A White House official did not dispute the draft’s authenticity.)
This is, of course, all in the name of preserving religious freedom. Except that it allows some people to practice religious freedom by denying jobs, services and potentially public accommodation to those with differing beliefs."
If you do not believe as I believe, I can keep you out of my business. This is exactly the same as if you are black, I can keep you out of my business. Any judge who sees it differently is being disingenuous.
Welcome the American Taliban, and sharia law . . .
"I wish I could say that only a tiny fringe believes Christian practices deserve pride of place in public life and policymaking. But that’s not the case.
In a poll released this week by the Pew Research Center, Americans were asked what made someone “truly American.” A third of respondents overall, and 43 percent of Republicans, said you need to be Christian. That would exclude me, as well as about 30 percent of the population.
The far right has done a lot of fear-mongering about the undue influence that religious fanatics may soon exert on the body politic. Seems they better understood what they were talking about than most of us realized. "
American values and ideals are being squashed under mean spirited, ugly NOT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
"5 Facts About Dominionism"
By Daniel Burke 1 Nov 2011
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/5-facts-about-dominionism_n_945601.html
"The term “Dominionism” was popularized in the 1990s by scholars and journalists, who applied it to conservative Christians seeking political power. It derives from the Book of Genesis, in which God tells Adam and Eve to have “dominion” over the Earth and its animals. “Dominionism” generally describes the belief that Christians are biblically mandated to control all earthly institutions until the second coming of Jesus.
Experts identify two main schools of Dominionism: Christian Reconstructionists, who believe biblical law, including stoning as punishment for adultery and other transgressions, should replace secular law; and the New Apostolic Reformation, which advocates for Christians to “reclaim the seven mountains of culture”: government, religion, media, family, business, education, and arts and entertainment."
It's a scary Sharia law-like belief system. It is black and white and judgmental, no doubt full of hypocrites who are no better than their own beliefs. We let ourselves into some rotten religion with dominionists.
"Very few Christians identify themselves as “Dominionists.” But experts say the New Apostolic Reformation has gained traction among charismatic Christians and Pentecostals under the influence of C. Peter Wagner, a church-growth guru and prolific author. Prominent “apostles” in the NAR include Lou Engle, co-founder of TheCall assemblies and Mike Bickle, director of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Mo."
"Dominionism Rising: A Theocratic Movement Hiding in Plain Sight"
By Frederick Clarkson, on August 18, 2016
