Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Christian Theocracy: Legitimate fear, or a fear mongering conspiracy theory of the anti-Christian liberal left?


The debate rages on. Jennifer has really struck a cord, it seems with her recent post that began with some cartoons mocking the liberal attack on the words "under God" in our National Pledge. This evolved to include the discussion of the words "In God We Trust" emblazoned on United States Currency. Now it has morphed into the inevitable debate about the true reason liberals object to these references to God. They fear a Christian Theocracy in the United States.

It cannot be intelligently argued against, that the liberal left has had a virtual monopoly on the Main Stream Media over the past two decades. Specific among these it the collective editorial comment in the nation's print media. Unique among newspapers is their editorial "opinion" columns. Conservatives have virtually no place in which to opine on full page ads from the powerful chair of an editor. These "opinion" pages have now spilled over into the "news" pages and the end result is unfair, biased news reporting that is significantly slanted to the left. I could list hundreds of newspapers across this country, but you all know who they are. I mention this because I believe that in addition to the monopoly the left has on the academia, this control of the print media in America is the prime catalyst for the propagation of this severely misguided fear of a government run by preachers and theologians.

There is a movement among some Protestant Christians to involve themselves in and, in fact, dominate the political process. These "Dominionists", however comprise a small insignificant portion of evangelical Christians. They derive their idea from the Biblical teaching in Genesis that God gave man "dominion" over the earth. There are basically two ways of interpreting this passage. One would be the Dominionists' concept that they are charged with total control of Earth and all of its secular institutions, while the majority of Christians tend to interpret it as a command for stewardship.

Dominionists have a bit of a paradoxical problem to confront when asserting their idea that it is the responsibility of Christians to rule by God's law. You see, God has given all that he has created, including man, the free will to choose. This is evident throughout Biblical text, the fall of Satan, the fall of man, man's continuous defiance of God and God's continuous forgiveness of man, and God's commandment to spread the Gospel to all corners of the earth. (Why would this be necessary if man had no free choice to receive it?)

It is a bit of a conspiracy theory among liberals that all Evangelical Christians seek to impose a Christian Theocracy upon the United States. They are truly frightened by the Traditionalist Conservatives in this country. They peddle this obtuse theory through opinion columns and College classrooms. More recently the internet has provided them with a very flexible forum from which to get their word out that they are the true "free thinkers", liberated from the bonds of archaic religious doctrines and that Christians are evil fascists who seek to impose their beliefs upon the world. The website Jesusland.com, for example has devised what they refer to as a "crypto-fascist theocracy" complete with maps and a new National Anthem entitled "The Star Spangled Bible". You read it. Then you decide who is fascist and who is not.

Most of us seek only to acknowledge that the United States is a country that is largely Christian not to force you to go to church or celebrate Easter. We don't believe in murder. We don't believe in adultery. We don't believe in stealing, lying or cheating. So, to those who would fear that Christians aspire to govern you: How are our beliefs any different than the laws already laid down in this country? Our Bible doesn't allow us to push the Gospel upon you or force you to comply with God's commandments. It requires us to share it with you if you will listen but you have the right to refuse. Where in the Constitution of the United States are you afforded the right to never be exposed to religion? Where in that document of our freedom are you assured that you will never be approached and offered something you have the right to refuse anyway?

Whether you believe in God or not, we have morals and concepts of right and wrong that are derived from God's laws as man has no moral compass of his own. Most would concur that killing, raping, stealing, and enslaving is wrong. But how do you know? Who says? What is wrong for you, may be right for another. If there is no God, then who is to decide what is truly right, and what is truly wrong? If we are not accountable to a higher authority than ourselves, why should we then conclude that anything is bad, so long as we benefit?

The concept of right and wrong comes from the belief in a divine creator God who is all powerful, all knowing and all present; a God who is watching and who knows our every move and our every thought. It is the only reason we should fear killing our neighbor and procuring all that he owns for ourselves under the cover of darkness. Why should that be wrong unless someone greater than ourselves says so? If you are your own God, then it is you who decides what is right and what is wrong. If you then decide that it is OK to rape a little child, who is to contest you? If survival of the fittest and evolution is true, then the weak should die and the strong should live. You should be able to plant your seed wherever your see fit. Civilized behavior and social welfare should be considered counterproductive to the natural cycle of life as it allows the sick and the weak to prosper.

Sounds barbaric doesn't it? It is. But it is in keeping with the theory of evolution to which Atheists cling so strongly. It is, in fact, their "religion", one which, ironically, they shove down the throats of everyone who obtains a public education. (kinda double standard isn't it?) Christians don't hold these propositions to be true and declare it by proclaiming the name of God as Him in whom we trust all things. If you don't believe that, then that's fine. But you are still bound and accountable to the laws of civilized society which are remarkably similar to the laws of God. So if you have to live by them anyway, why should you care to whom the credit is given?