General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Dominionist movement has got to be stopped. [View all]haele
(12,635 posts)And really pushed to take over local institutions (especially planning commissions and school boards) by running aggressively, lying through their teeth about their actual policy stances when challenged ("no, I don't hate minorities or poor people, I really do want to help them, but they're just being ignorant - if they only worked hard and took personal responsibility like we do, they'd do just fine..." , and quid-pro-quo practices to gain the support of those with money in the community. The Moral Majority is a Dominionist group, just as the John Birchers and The Family are. Fellow travelers under one ideolistic tent, where the Kings and Priests rule and the rest of the world falls in line or begs for the priviledge to survive.
They flatter and smile, and pimp their Prosperity Gospel and the comfort of "Gawd's Love" to seduce the unsuspecting, troubled, or desperate - and then isolate those people from the rest of the world.
They promote the venal and the cynics within their ranks by seducing them with access to luxury and power so those people won't challenge the Gospel and agree to actively work to promote it.
Once they get a hold, they start tightening down the screws on their victims - be it members of a church or members of the community they took over. Just like any other manipulative abuser. Tell the mark that you love them, isolate them, and use them. Take away any support other than what you let them have. And publically put the responsibilty and blame on them if anything goes wrong, or if they want to leave.
Oh, yes, and they lo-o-ove their minority outreach, and they like to make a show of how Godly those token minority leaders are - so long as those leaders go along with the Prosperity Gospel Rules.
See, it's easy to live within the rules of a Dominionist world. God talks directly to the Dominionist "leadership", telling them what the Bible really means. The Dominionist God punishes with poverty and "hardships", and rewards with money, ease, and power. If you follow the Leaders, the Priests (church leaders) and Kings (political leaders), then you're All Right with the Dominionist God - you'll just need to work a little harder if you haven't been Blessed very much.
Therefore, even if you work hard and live within the Rules as much as you can - if you still don't have money to throw around and build up your power, you're being chastened by God for not being respectful or humble enough. And the Leaders are required to encourage you be punished by both God and Man until you get it right with God - and then, once you've learned your lesson and straightened up yourself, He'll give you the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You're sick or having problems because you obviously weren't trying hard enough, and you have obviously refused to be responsible.
If in the meantime, you lose everything, become sick or injured, or die - well, that's what God wants. To lose everything, or if you're going to perminantly be "a burden", you must be cursed - God has denied you. The Church is beholden to mercilessly cast you out and drive you away, make you a "non-person" - so they don't get punished for associating with or being seen as accepting of the likes of you and your sins.
The Dominionists just use their God as an excuse to rule with an iron boot. Freedom is something you either buy or are granted once you die.
A Pagan ritual for prosperity is far more honest than a sermon (either from the pulpit or from the media) on "what needs to be done to benefit Our Country" from a "Patriotic" Dominionist.
At least with the Pagan ritual, you know what and how much is going to be sacrificed.
Haele