<<http://concatenation.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_concatenation_archive.html# 107990602371199535>>
A tour of Theocracywatch.org I've mentioned in past articles how valuable I have found Theocracywatch.org as a resource for information on the alliance of the Christian Reconstructionists (Dominionists) with the Republican Party members now in the goverment. However, as should be obvious to anyone who has gone there, the site is *enormous* and thoroughly linked and footnoted. It can be hard to find what you're looking for, and the site is updated fairly frequently with later news on various issues. To make things easier for you, I'm listing out some of the major topics on each page, with links. You should be aware that every page has internal links to other sites, sources and resources that substantiate what is written here. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/index.html>> This is the home page. It provides an overview of the issues, and an introduction to some of the names and faces. At the bottom of this page are links to websites of organizations that oppose the Religious Right: Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Political Research Associates, the Interfaith Alliance, People for the American Way, the Alliance for Justice and the Institute for Democratic Studies. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/introduction2.htm>> The Introduction page covers: the Religious Right's war on secular society, the Dominion Mandate, defines the Religious Right and estimates its political strength: 15 to 19 million people in a country of 200 million. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/taking_over.htm>> Taking over the Republican Party gives a timeline of how the Dominionist viewpoint gained precedence and who was involved, with some detail on Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition and a coda on the media's mistakenly neglecting to cover this matter. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/biblical_law2.htm>> Biblical law discusses the difference between Constitutional law and Biblical law, what changes would result in American life if Biblical law were to be installed (by amendment or by replacing the Constitution), including an examination of how Bill Clinton was impeached by use of Biblical law (adultery not being a Constitutional offense.) At the bottom of the page are links to sites of organizations that fight in favor of the constitution: the American Constitution Society, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Alliance for Justice, People for the American Way, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/govern.htm>> Government describes the tactics used to promote a legislative agenda that is pro-discrimination, anti-labor, against gun control, and against social justice. It discusses how redistricting and control of voting machines have gotten more Republicans into power. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/bush2.htm>> Bush discusses the influence of Dominionism and the Religious Right on George W. Bush's White House, and the result interms of appointments, anti-internationalism, foreign policy, tax cuts and the environment, among other things. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/faith_base.htm>> Faith-based Initiative goes into detail on how government could be changed from secular to 'faith-based' to support Dominionist views, including details on everything from parks and sex education to civil rights, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/relig_inst.htm>> Religious Institutions and Beliefs discusses the ways in which fundamentalist organizations have sought to subvert mainline American Christian denominations and move them closer to the Dominionist view, the global spread of evangelical Christianity and the theological basis behind Reconstructionist Christianity, aka Dominionism. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/middle_east2.htm>> The Middle East and Biblical Prophecy assesses the differences between the neoconservative social values that shape America's current foreign policy and the Religious Right's anti-international views. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/environment.htm>> The Environment compares the priorities of the Religious Right with those of environmentalists, including scorecards from the Christian Coalition on major issues, and the loss of environmental protections during the current Bush administration, and also provides a profile of Senator James Inhofe, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. It also covers the movement's anti-scientific bias and discusses states rights in terms of the environment. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/women2.htm>> Women, which could also be called 'the war against women,' explores the Dominionist fight against women's rights including the areas of family planning, the global gag rule, partial birth abortion, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, anti-choice legislation, sex education and Title IX. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/rr_economics.htm>> Economics from the Religious Right "compares the teachings of an influential Christian textbook, America's Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell, with the Texas 2002 Republican Party Platform and Bush Administration policies. It suggests a relationship between the "dominion mandate" as described in the textbook, and Bush's economic, social, and environmental programs." This includes a four-step plan: A. Starve the Federal Government through Tax Cuts B. Shift Education and Welfare to Churches C. End Government Regulation D. Increase Material Wealth, Plunder Natural Resources <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/schools2.htm>> Schools: how a purposeful assault on public education, including home-schooling, is designed to combat 'secular humanism', science education, and health education as a way to enforce supposedly Christian values on secular society. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/homophob.htm>> Homophobia is seen as a tremendous threat to the Dominionist plan for the country, in particular gay marriage. This page is updated as events occur. This page also discusses the "explicit political agenda that seeks to criminalize gay relationships and deny basic rights to gays and lesbians in a range of critical areas: employment, housing, and families." <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/states_rights2.htm>> States Rights examines the inconsistency between Dominionist views on the absolutism of states rights and the drive to control every aspect of the country, including a report on Attorney General John Ashcroft's defense of the Patriot Act and the interference of the Religious Right in state affairs when it benefits them most. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/separation_church_state2.htm>> Separation of Church and State in a Dominionist or Christian Reconstructionist government, would no longer exist. This page details the battle over this issue, including the Supreme Court Case Locke v. Davey over whether states may be required to give scholarships to students studying to become clergy, and the legal precendent of the Treaty of Tripoli in showing that America is not officially a Christian nation. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/media2.htm>> The Media surveys the role the media do or don't play in furthering the Dominionist agenda, including the history of Christian broadcasting. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/appeal2.htm>> The Appeal of the Religious Right: A Sense of BelongingThe goal of dominion is alien to moderate Republicans and may not be shared by many members of fundamentalist, Pentecostal and charismatic churches. These church members should be made aware of how they are being politically manipulated by their leadership. <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/satan2.htm>> Satan evaluates the role of evil in Reconstructionist/Dominionist thought, and how that affects views on 'righteous wrath against unbelievers.' <<http://www.theocracywatch.org/texas_gop.htm>> The 2002 Texas Republican Party Platform explicitly outlines the views and aims of the Dominionst agenda. Highlights include: --"We reclaim freedom of religious expression in public on government property, and freedom from government interference."freedom from government interference." --Support for government display of Ten Commandments. -- Dispelling the "myth" of the separation of church and state. -- "A strong and vibrant private sector [should be] unencumbered by excessive government regulation" -- Opposition to Campaign Finance Reform and any form of gun control Plans to abolish: * Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; * position of Surgeon General; * EPA; * Department of Energy; * Department of Housing and Urban Development; * Department of Education; * Department of Commerce and Labor; * National Endowment for the Arts; * IRS and much more. Background: TheocracyWatch is a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell University. CRESP is a nonsectarian, action-based educational organization with its roots in religious dialogue, human rights advocacy, and ethical thought
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