Will American ever become a Christian Theocracy?

[Valerie]

wiccans are doubling in numbers about ever 30 months....

Did you just make that last part up..........?

nope let me get ya a link....

The number of Wiccans is doubling approximately every 30 months

RELIGIOUS MAKEUP OF THE UNITED STATES

in reality i rarely make things up....to post on a message board....wiccans have been converting at amazing rates....i am not a wiccan. Not all witches are wiccans.

Huh, you learn something new every day...Looks like America is actually in more danger of being under siege by wiccans! Seriously, doubling isn't so hard to do when the numbers are lower, but that's an interesting trend...

 

[Sky Dancer]

In a September 1994 plenary speech to the Christian Coalition national convention, Rev. D. James Kennedy said that "true Christian citizenship" involves an active engagement in society to "take dominion over all things as vice-regents of God." Kennedy's remarks were reported in February 1995 by sociologist and journalist Sara Diamond, who wrote that Kennedy had "echoed the Reconstructionist line."

More than anyone else, it was Sara Diamond who popularized the term "dominionism," using it to describe a growing political tendency in the Christian Right. It is a useful term that has, unfortunately, been used in a variety of ways that are neither accurate nor useful. Diamond was careful to discuss how the small Christian Reconstructionist theological movement had helped introduce "dominionism" as a concept into the larger and more diverse social/political movements called the Christian Right.

Dominionism is therefore a tendency among Protestant Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists that encourages them to not only be active political participants in civic society, but also seek to dominate the political process as part of a mandate from God.

This highly politicized concept of dominionism is based on the Bible's text in Genesis 1

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (King James Version).

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" (New International Version).


The vast majority of Christians read this text and conclude that God has appointed them stewards and caretakers of Earth. As Sara Diamond explains, however, some Christian read the text and believe, "that Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns." That, in a nutshell, is the idea of "dominionism."

Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party

 

[Intense]

Sky seems to think we're headed towards a Christian theocrasy in this country. Is she crazy or do her warnings have merrit?

What Sky and others on both sides miss is that from the Highest Perspective, it is a contradiction of terms. It cancels itself out.


Because we hold it for a fundamental and undeniable truth, "that religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence." The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right. It is unalienable, because the opinions of men, depending only on the evidence contemplated by their own minds cannot follow the dictates of other men: It is unalienable also, because what is here a right towards men, is a duty towards the Creator. It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage and such only as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considerd as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governour of the Universe: And if a member of Civil Society, do it with a saving of his allegiance to the Universal Sovereign. We maintain therefore that in matters of Religion, no man's right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society and that Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance. True it is, that no other rule exists, by which any question which may divide a Society, can be ultimately determined, but the will of the majority; but it is also true that the majority may trespass on the rights of the minority.

Because Religion be exempt from the authority of the Society at large, still less can it be subject to that of the Legislative Body. The latter are but the creatures and vicegerents of the former. Their jurisdiction is both derivative and limited: it is limited with regard to the co-ordinate departments, more necessarily is it limited with regard to the constituents. The preservation of a free Government requires not merely, that the metes and bounds which separate each department of power be invariably maintained; but more especially that neither of them be suffered to overleap the great Barrier which defends the rights of the people. The Rulers who are guilty of such an encroachment, exceed the commission from which they derive their authority, and are Tyrants. The People who submit to it are governed by laws made neither by themselves nor by an authority derived from them, and are slaves. -James Madison

 

[Sky Dancer]

Regarding Ralph Reed, Robertson prodigy:
For a while, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed looked almost unstoppable in his bid for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Then he got tripped up by the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In recent months, it was reported that Reed's public relations and lobbying businesses received $4.2 million from his longtime friend Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight the opening of casinos that would compete with Abramoff's Indian tribe clients.

Radical Right's Ralph Reed Stumbling In Run For Office Because of Abramoff Ties...

 

[Intense]

Regarding Ralph Reed, Robertson prodigy:
For a while, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed looked almost unstoppable in his bid for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Then he got tripped up by the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In recent months, it was reported that Reed's public relations and lobbying businesses received $4.2 million from his longtime friend Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight the opening of casinos that would compete with Abramoff's Indian tribe clients.

Radical Right's Ralph Reed Stumbling In Run For Office Because of Abramoff Ties...

What does this have to do with Christian Theocracy?

 

[strollingbones]

Did you just make that last part up..........?

nope let me get ya a link....

The number of Wiccans is doubling approximately every 30 months

RELIGIOUS MAKEUP OF THE UNITED STATES

in reality i rarely make things up....to post on a message board....wiccans have been converting at amazing rates....i am not a wiccan. Not all witches are wiccans.

Huh, you learn something new every day...Looks like America is actually in more danger of being under siege by wiccans! Seriously, doubling isn't so hard to do when the numbers are lower, but that's an interesting trend...

in the beginning that was very true...not so much now


Wiccan churches and other Neopagan institutions are becoming more common in the US. However, estimates of their numbers vary widely. Most of the 1990s studies put the number of US Neopagans between 200,000 and 1 million (0.1% to 0.5% of the total population).[3] A 2008 Pew Forum survey put "New Age" religious believers, including neopagans, at about 1.2 million.[4]

According to David Waldron (2005)[5], roughly 10 million Wiccan-related books were sold in 2000 (up from 4.5 million in 1990), as reported by the American Booksellers Association. However this gives only a rough guide to the size of the Wiccan-related economy and he comments that the added complexity of determining the boundary between Wiccan or neo-Pagan products and New Age products makes determining the size of the movement from this rather problematic.

More conservative estimates include Helen Berger and Craig Hawkins in Exploring the World of Wicca, who guessed from 150,000 to 200,000. Melton, J. Gordon, Jerome Clark and Aidan A. Kelly in New Age Almanac (1991, p. 340) estimate a total of about 300,000 people associated with the "overall movement" of Wicca, with "tens of thousands" of members active in between 1,000 and 5,000 covens. Conservative estimates arrive at about 50,000 Wiccans in the US (Religious Requirements & Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains, 1993) while Wiccan high estimates claim several million (Phyllis Curott, The Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey Into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess). The largest estimates posit 1 million Wiccans[3] [6] [7][8], a fast growth compared to the 100.000/200.000 estimated in late 1990s and early 2000s.[6]

Neopaganism in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sky Dancer]

Regarding Ralph Reed, Robertson prodigy:
For a while, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed looked almost unstoppable in his bid for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Then he got tripped up by the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In recent months, it was reported that Reed's public relations and lobbying businesses received $4.2 million from his longtime friend Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight the opening of casinos that would compete with Abramoff's Indian tribe clients.

Radical Right's Ralph Reed Stumbling In Run For Office Because of Abramoff Ties...

What does this have to do with Christian Theocracy?

Pat Robertson is a dominionist. Ralph Reed is his prodigy. Ralph talked about using stealth politics. He ran for office but was disgraced by his connection to the Jack Abramoff scandal.

"I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla warfare. I paint my face and travel at night. You don't know it's over until you're in a body bag."
Ralph Reed, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, November 9, 1991.

 

[Revere]

The courts have never been more hostile to the free expression of Christian faith.

 

[strollingbones]

Lets see now which form of Christians would run things?
Mormans? Baptists? Catholics? Holy rollers? Snake handlers?

holly rollers are pentacostials....

snake handlers....that is demeaning...they like to be called serpent handlers...

mormans are not considered christians by the majority of christians

catholics are leaving the church...now i am not sure of which baptists you speak

southern baptists mainly, there is a bunch of them though. Hard shell, Primitive, etc.
Some do not even allow musical instruments into church.

I was speaking of the ones that seem to think that women are just to be homemakers and subserviant to their husbands.

Pentecostal covers an amazing variety of worship methods and rules.
No blood transfusions is also a pentecostal group.

perhaps in the beginning they didnt....now they do....
\
jw's still refuse whole blood


i was raised a southern baptist....there are as many types of baptist as there are as pagans

 

[Newby]

Regarding Ralph Reed, Robertson prodigy:
For a while, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed looked almost unstoppable in his bid for lieutenant governor of Georgia. Then he got tripped up by the Jack Abramoff scandal.

In recent months, it was reported that Reed's public relations and lobbying businesses received $4.2 million from his longtime friend Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight the opening of casinos that would compete with Abramoff's Indian tribe clients.

Radical Right's Ralph Reed Stumbling In Run For Office Because of Abramoff Ties...

What does this have to do with Christian Theocracy?

That's her proof that we're heading towards one.

 

[Sallow]

Pat Robertson considered GW Bush the first dominionist regent.

well, if pat robertson says it, it must be so.

gimme a break.

George W. Bush..hired lawyers directly out of Regent's. A university started by Pat Robertson.

Yeah..

Break given.

 

[L.K.Eder]

hyzsterics from all cidez.

 

[Revere]

Keep packing the courts with judges who see "separation of church and state" where there is none.

You'll be fine.

 

[kwc57]

Sky seems to think we're headed towards a Christian theocrasy in this country. Is she crazy or do her warnings have merrit?

While America might be called a "Christian" nation, the non-devout far outweigh the devout. A Christian theocracy will never happen in America.

 

[kwc57]

Lets see now which form of Christians would run things?
Mormans? Baptists? Catholics? Holy rollers? Snake handlers?

holly rollers are pentacostials....

snake handlers....that is demeaning...they like to be called serpent handlers...

mormans are not considered christians by the majority of christians

catholics are leaving the church...now i am not sure of which baptists you speak

southern baptists mainly, there is a bunch of them though. Hard shell, Primitive, etc.
Some do not even allow musical instruments into church.

I was speaking of the ones that seem to think that women are just to be homemakers and subserviant to their husbands.

Pentecostal covers an amazing variety of worship methods and rules.
No blood transfusions is also a pentecostal group.

Not allow musical instruments in the church? I think you are thinking of the Church of Christ and not Baptists. I'm Southern Baptist and we have full blown bands and orchestras. But those other 32 crazy cousin, small Baptist denominations, I'm really not sure what they do.

 

[Sheldon]

Sky seems to think we're headed towards a Christian theocrasy in this country. Is she crazy or do her warnings have merrit?

The United States can't become a theocracy. The establishment clause prevents it. A theocracy makes God the head of state, all laws must be based on scripture, and gives the Church supreme legal authority over the State.

As far as I know, the Vatican is the only Christian theocracy in the world.

If our government creates a system where every law must pass through the Bible, and is only recognized as legal and enforceable if the Church says so, then there's a case for Christian theocracy. Until then, I'm going with the establishment clause and Sky Dancer being a loon.

A majority of Christians in Congress does NOT a theocracy make.

 

[Toro]

No of course not.

Though I'm sure a few here would like that.

 

[Newby]

holly rollers are pentacostials....

snake handlers....that is demeaning...they like to be called serpent handlers...

mormans are not considered christians by the majority of christians

catholics are leaving the church...now i am not sure of which baptists you speak

southern baptists mainly, there is a bunch of them though. Hard shell, Primitive, etc.
Some do not even allow musical instruments into church.

I was speaking of the ones that seem to think that women are just to be homemakers and subserviant to their husbands.

Pentecostal covers an amazing variety of worship methods and rules.
No blood transfusions is also a pentecostal group.

Not allow musical instruments in the church? I think you are thinking of the Church of Christ and not Baptists. I'm Southern Baptist and we have full blown bands and orchestras. But those other 32 crazy cousin, small Baptist denominations, I'm really not sure what they do.

And it's only a small percentage of the Church of Christ that believes that way.

 

[Toro]

Pat Robertson considered GW Bush the first dominionist regent.

well, if pat robertson says it, it must be so.

gimme a break.

George W. Bush..hired lawyers directly out of Regent's. A university started by Pat Robertson.

Yeah..

Break given.

Hiring a few lawyers in the Department of Justice does not mean we are sliding towards a theocracy. Yes a disproportionate number of law grads came from there but that's a whole lot different than proclaiming laws as edicts from God.

 

[bodecea]

Not if we stay vigilant.