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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow extremist Christian theology is driving the right-wing assault on democracy
I just posed this link in a comment, and it dawned me that it really deserves its own OP.
How extremist Christian theology is driving the right-wing assault on democracy
The Texas abortion law is one step toward the true goal of Christian dominionism: Destroying democratic government
Progressive policies and positions are supposed to be rooted in reality and hard evidence. But that's not always the case when it comes to the culture wars that have such an enormous impact on our politics especially not since the unexpected evangelical embrace of Donald Trump in 2016, culminating in the "pro-life" death cult of anti-vaccine, COVID-denying religious leaders. If this development perplexed many on the left, it was less surprising to a small group of researchers who have been studying the hardcore anti-democratic theology known as dominionism that lies behind the contemporary Christian right, and its far-reaching influence over the last several decades.
One leading figure within that small group, Rachel Tabachnick, was featured in a recent webinar hosted by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (see video, below) archived on YouTube as part of its Religion and Repro Learning Series program (https://rcrc.org/learning-center/ ), overseen by the Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson. Tabachnick's writing on dominionism can be found at Talk2Action and Political Research Associates, and she's been interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air.
Her presentation sheds important light on at least three things: First of all, the vigilante element of the Texas anti-abortion law SB 8. Second, the larger pattern of disrupting or undermining governance, including the "constitutional sheriffs" movement, the installation of overtly partisan election officials and the red-state revolt against national COVID public health policies. While Donald Trump has exploited that pattern ruthlessly, he did not create it. And third, the seemingly baffling fact that an anti-democratic minority feels entitled to accuse its opponents including democratically elected officials of "tyranny."
Some dominionist ideas such as the biblical penalty of death by stoning are so extreme they can easily be dismissed as fringe, others have been foundational to the modern religious right, and still more have become increasingly influential in recent years. Those latter two categories are what we need to understand most, say both Tabachnick and Jackson.
Lots more, including links, here: https://www.salon.com/2021/10/31/how-extremist-christian-theology-is-driving-the-right-wing-on-democracy/
themaguffin
(3,826 posts)religion as a front for their racism.
ShazzieB
(16,420 posts)Dominionism is not a synonym for the religious right; it's a particular subset of the religious right that is made up of people who literally believe they are on a mission from God to establish his kingdom here on earth. Here's a link that explains the basics of their theology: https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-dominionism.html.
I think it's a vast oversimplification to see this as synonymous with the religious right. Dominionism is part of the religious right, certainly, but not all members of the the religious right are dominionists, and regarding them as all the same is not, imo, helpful in figuring out how to combat either dominionism or the religious right as a whole.
Silent3
(15,221 posts)It can mean lots of things to different people, and the malevolent manifestations are no more or less Christian than the relatively benign forms.
themaguffin
(3,826 posts)teachings.
RFCalifornia
(440 posts)It's based on monarchy
"Lord," "King of Kings," etc...
Sibelius Fan
(24,396 posts)Sibelius Fan
(24,396 posts)Pathetic.