The actual Taliban have nothing on these scary folks (footnotes omitted):
"I would would execute gays only if we catch them indulging in sodomy," Gary DeMar, popular Christian evangelical minister is quoted in the December, 2005 issue of Mother Jones....
Gary DeMar stated he'd execute gays only if they were caught indulging in sodomy, but others envision sinners in line for the death penalty would include women who commit adultery or lie about their virginity, blasphemers, witches, children who strike their parents, and gay men. Thus, DeMar is considered somewhat of a liberal in this extreme authoritarian movement.
Gary DeMar is not a fringe Christian. He is in the same realm with Mainstream Extremist Christian leaders such as Televangelist Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. DeMar is leader of the Restore America Rally, head of American Vision and one of the most prolific publishers of the movement....
I accepted an invitation to go with Dr. Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministry on a cruise to Alaska to help a friend with her five-year old daughter and so I could have a deeper look inside the mentality of these people who seemed to me to have gotten Jesus' message all wrong, yet were claiming to be his most dedicated followers.
I discovered many of these people believe the vast majority of Americans, especially anyone disobeying God's laws, earn God's wrath by their licentious and undisciplined lives. They believe "The government is put in power by God and if you question the government you are questioning God. So don't, in a nutshell." This was their faithful response when questioned about Bush's ethics, "He is a Believer," implying immediate allegiance is expected.I received identical answers from virtually everyone. They were all plugged in and connected to the same belief structure as Dr. Charles Stanley, Rush Limbaugh and others. The media dominance of these fanatical extremist types means they can put out their messages in customized brain washing packages. They utilize all means of modern communication to spread their message. This version of "Pop Christianity" is now sweeping the country with its mind, heart and sex controlling traps....
This group of Christians is aligned with Dominionist ideology. The father of the Christian Reconstructionist/Dominionist movement is Rousas Rushdooney who believed we should "...subdue all things, and all nations to Christ and his law word." Dominionists believe, according to Gary DeMar "The reign of Christ...is meant to subdue every enemy of righteousness." Domininists believe "non-Christians cannot rule themselves and must be excluded from government under God's law."
They also believe, according to the Texas GOP, the only legitimate functions of the State are: 1. Restraining evil, 2. Punishing evil, 3. Protecting the law abiding and 4. Defending the nation. They believe a government controlled and funded welfare system is unbiblical. Scripture makes it clear; God is provider, not the State....
Puritan, Calvinist, Protestant, and Catholic theologies are the roots of the umbrella of Dominionist thinking. Yet it is the far Christian right, with the common thread of the belief of the inclusion of the military state with free market corporate influence, which is the type of Christianity in question. Dominionist theory seeks to utilize "justified" violence, including judicial dominance and state sponsored military might, to enforce the perspective of a literal biblical world order....
As the extremist Muslims recruit their youth...so do the Christians. With the packaging of Christianity into the Pop youth culture of feel good rock concerts, they are selling redemption, during and after life, to the impressionable, sexually developing and questioning, fearful youth of our times. This coalition of emotionally crippled Christians creates "Teen Mania" to redirect the natural sexual development of the youth to a militaristic style movement....
The latest trend these despots are pursuing are Mega youth rally/rock concerts in key cities throughout the United States. The parallels to Hitler's youth movement and the current day Islamic Madrasahs are disquieting....
The event "Battlecry, Acquire the Fire" is in the guise of a rock concert. San Francisco's Battlecry event held at Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC) Park drew twenty five thousand youth for two days. These concerts are being held throughout the country all year long with various different promoters and sponsors. Pop Christian magazines are there to advertise, turning Christianity into pop cultural christolatry and a commodity.
At "Battlecry," I saw the pumping up of extreme nationalism featuring, among others, the Navy Seals, and an Oakland Raider Quarterback, who all gave Christian testimony and talked of how our government is facing Evil Forces just like the youth are in their personal lives. Ron Luce, leader of the "Battlecry" youth movement, claims the phrase "they are building an army for God" is metaphorical. Military rhetoric and paraphernalia, images of automatic weapons abound in the arena, complete with a Hummer on stage displaying a red revolution style flag, Navy Seals, military fatigues and dog tags. I didn't think to ask them if the government was paying them to be there to recruit for them or if they signed out for the hummer.
After each pounding rock band is a hard sell pitch from someone giving "biblical guidance" and testimony. It's a giant glitzy "Let's get you all charged with juicy music, all open and happy, then let's plug you into some brain programming" kind of gig.
The facilitators warn the youth "Christ is the ONLY way toward salvation" from the ills of a degraded society and the certain End Times in the foreseeable future. The "Battlecry" tag line is utilizing scripture to produce the implied meaning of "there is a war for your heart and your soul". The End Times are here and only those proclaiming Christ as their savior will be saved." One musical artist, Hawk Nelson, titled a song "Smile, the end of the world is here"....Featured at "Battlecry" was former Miss Black California, Lakita Garth, to speak on bible based abstinance advocacy. Mrs. Garth instructed the youth to not even kiss before marriage and to stay married until death do ye part. Marriage, of course, only being possible between a man and a woman as that is what is deemed appropriate in "God's instruction book." Divorce is seen as a giant no no.
Mrs. Garth spent a good hour describing the horrors of sexually transmitted diseases, for example: She described advanced untreated herpes in great and gory detail, convincing the youth if they have sex, it is inevitable they will get herpes or another horrific STD. She ostensibly coaches that if they do have sex, they will get an STD, be embarrassed and wish they were dead. Therefore, the "Battlecry" crew proclaims, the youth absolutely must take a vow of abstinence in order to avoid these "plagues".
The dialogue about sexual possibilities is adamantly ignored and shut tight with double-barreled locks. It is a given in this culture to have the attitude "it's not ok to be gay and if you are, only Christ can fix you...."
The April 10, 2006 Los Angeles Times reports: "The religious right aims to overturn a broad range of common tolerance programs: diversity training that promotes acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes that ban harsh words against homosexuality and anti-discrimination policies that require college clubs to open their membership to all."
In Carmichael, California, in April, just three weeks after the Battlecry event in San Francisco, The World Can't Wait organization was contacted by distressed students at the high school to ask for support in combating a rage of Christian homosexual hatred that has surfaced. The Christian students have begun bringing signs denouncing homosexuality as "sinful". At the core of Dominionist philosophy is the biblically based belief that homosexuality is unequivocally wrong....
One is reminded, again and again, of the brilliant memorial issued by the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan commemorating the victims of the 9/11 atrocities and the victims of the Taliban in Afghanistan: "Fundamentalism is the mortal enemy of all civilized humanity."
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