These are the messages often preached in the 10 churches which are geographically nearest to my home. I know because they all push their messages locally in flyers, newsletters, and advertising circulars. Also because over the years, I’ve been to 8 of them. Mostly for funerals or weddings, which generally include an “uplifting sermon” reflecting their values.
Just for the record: thoroughgoing Christian Reconstructionists – those who vehemently want to replace the U.S. Constitution and government with something “more in keeping with God’s Will” (as they understand It, of course) are a very small proportion of Christians. They are, however, outspoken, not above misrepresenting the views and attitudes of their opponents, and very inclined to manipulate the average Christian-in-the-pew to support their viewpoints by selective and misleading statements. “The homosexual agenda,” “partial-birth abortion,” “Separation of Church and State cannot be found in the Constitution,” “the ACLU was founded by Communists, and is vehemently anti-Christian,” and other such statements are par for the course. I’d be happy to link to examples of all the above, but it would violate the SDMB strictures on inciting offense against another board.
I see this manipulation of the naive and unlearned as a real threat to American liberties (a statement of opinion, of course, but one the reasons for which I could document). I’ve avoided posting at length in this thread, because I don’t feel I can keep my posts to the proper GQ level of objectivity. But I do see this as a serious issue that must be faced.
Regarding this last point, I wonder if any of these wackjobs has expostulated the “hope” that by hastening resource depletion from unrestrained population growth, they can bring about the near universal poverty that would likely provide a fertile ground for their message?
Or people saying how dangerous they are?
In my experience, it’s people saying that they disagree with them.
(bolding added)
The power of religion in the US has declined since 1776. Since this is doomed to failure, exactly what is the problem?
Actually, how much different is this from other groups?
Having run into reconstructionists on school boards (regarding the teaching of evolution), I can tell you that they told me that their biblical beliefs were first in determining what should be done. This included the idea that the government and its laws do not have to be obeyed if there is a conflict with (biblical) beliefs.
I was also told that regardless of losing the particular issue (teaching evolution) at that time, they would never give up trying to get it banned…regardless of the law, science education and the scientific community consensus on evolution, or what the general population desired.
Only the threat of a lawsuit made them stop…momentarily.
The movement is to be greatly feared.
Christian Reconstructionism is one of the many things that makes me sometimes wince to be a member of the Christian umbrella. I wish I could add something factual to this thread, but everything that I could have possibly said has already been said.
Not that I would ever presume to speak for him, but I have a feeling that if Jesus were to appear to these people, he’d say something along these lines:
“How could you take the message of love and truth that I gave 2000 years ago and MESS it up so badly?!”
I agree with all but the last sentence. Christian Reconstructionism is more of a philosophy of how to govern than an organized movement. While it is widespread, it is not organized, and for the reasons I posted upthread, I do not think it ever will be. Successful religious movements are nearly always led by central charismatic figures whose egos do not allow room for the type of shared leadership that an effective movement needs. This is a philosophy embraced by many leaders of small groups (conservative pastors, e.g.) and a few leaders of large but loosely organized followers (Dr Dobson, e.g.).
Nothing will come of it. It will remain a minority view with vocal adherents pushing their agenda at local levels with only intermittent successess rarely effective in establishing long-term toe-holds.
Democracy.
The days of the Puritans are long gone and Islamic countries are teaching us nicely that religious zealots are not the folks to put in charge of a free people.