As we enter our season of discontent and the liberal weenies and extreme progressives duke each other out when we should band together, it's helpful to understand what we are up against. The weenies want to punish some of the more blunt among us, because we're saying mean stuff about the other side. Extreme progressives are furious because they've just realized that Obama is a centrist Democrat (something that I've realized all along), and because the President hasn't handed out the liberal goodies the way they expected. I'm going to be even more blunt and say that our rag-tag band of lefties, pragmatic Democrats and weenie liberals need to band together and fight what is nothing less than threats to our liberty.
That enemy is Dominionism or what I'd like to call "Christian Sharia." Dominionists believe that before Jesus can return to Earth, a Kingdom of God must be established. Modern mainstream Christians believe that the Kingdom of God is spiritual. Dominionists, being literalists, believe that the Kingdom of God must be built with bricks, mortar, government and business and Christian laws.
If you've been referring to this website awhile, you've undoubtedly read the superior diaries of dogemperor and Frederick Clarkson (and many others no doubt). If you recall those writings, you'll remember that even though they lost the 2008 election, the Dominionist Christian right did not go quietly. Instead they have insideously been ingratiating themselves with ReBiblicans and Tea Party Activists.
Those who take offense at Markos' term "American Taliban" would do well to review blogs which watch the goings on in the Dominionist universe. A good first read is a blog entry at Talk2Action.com by Bruce Wilson
http://www.talk2action.org/...
In this entry, Mr. Wilson details the punishment that Dominionists want to mete out to the LGBT community, abortion doctors and women who have had abortions. To put it simply, the Dominionists want these offenders "stoned." Four years ago, if I had read something like this, I'd have laughed condescendingly at these Neanderthal rubes. I certainly snickered that way when Pat Robertson blamed Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans' thriving gay culture.
The frightening thing is that these Neanderthal rubes have power. Politicians with Dominionist ties include Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, Sarah Palin, and Louis Gohmert, along with many others. Another frightening thing is that the Dominionists are deadly sincere in their pronouncements. And our Western Progressive Secular Humanist reason fails to stop them in their tracks.
If you think that my title "Everyone Must Get Stoned" is an exaggeration, and that the Dominionists are all talk, I suggest that you look toward the Dominionist paradise of Uganda, where politicians are advocating a bill sentencing all queer people to death. So, you think, big deal, I'm not gay, lesbian or even bisexual, so what do I care? Hatred toward queer people also signifies hatred towards women, as men with the slightest bit of "effeminate" qualities are subject to persecution and women (who are usually "effiminate" are imprisoned in second class citizenship or even virtual slavery). "Gay," in many circles is shorthand for "different" and not just in sexuality. Some people consider intellectualism, artistic ability and gentleness in demeanor to be sure signs of queerness, even though people displaying those qualities may be red-blooded heteros. So, chances are, if you are participating in this forum, you will be the subject of Dominionist persecution if Christian sharia is instituted.
Here's some websites with articles that will help you get up to speed on Dominionism:
www.Talk2Action.org
www.NoLongerQuivering.com (Dominionism subjects women to slavery, much like women in Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale")
www.Godsownparty.com
www.Goddiscussion.com
www.religiondispatches.org
www.rightwingwatch.org
I'm still skimming the surface in my personal understanding of Dominionist society and philosophy. Nonetheless, if you frequent these websites, you will understand that what I've written is not baseless exaggeration.