On Religion, Politics and Fundamentalism

This weeks Gravitational Pull-Up from the Unpaid Punditry Corps is:

Is the religion or belief structure that you practice, or try to follow, a matter of personal choice?

Good question. And answering it will give a good background to why I am so worried about developments in American politics that issue from the crusades of the rabid Christian Taliban. Here we go.

I am a Pagan, a member of that diverse set of believers who comprise the 18th largest religion worldwide today. That is, 18th if you only count those who are avowedly part of the resurgence of Western polytheism which began about 50 years ago. If you count other pagan religions like Hinduism (and Hindus mostly proudly accept the label "pagan")then the situation changes quite a lot.

I am not going to describe what a Pagan is. I don't have to describe what a Christian is or a Moslem. If you don't know, follow the link and educate yourself -it's your problem, not mine. For those who are interested in the exact "lineage" of my Paganism (all of whom will be Pagans themselves) - I am a third degree Alexandrian Wiccan with a strong preference for Celtic symbology and Druidic philosophy. I am co-founder of the Red Alder (Fearnan Ruadh) covens in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

And so the answer to the question is obvious. Yes, my religion is a matter of choice. Choice is one of the key definers of what it is to be a Pagan. We are a decentralised bunch, accepting no Popes or organisational leaders. We rely on our immanent relation to divinity to be our guidance and that in turn gives rise to a strong prohibition on imposing our beliefs on others, either as evangelism, as a slate of beliefs that adherents "must" have or as moral "rules" that we demand be enforced by the State. We welcome those of every ethnicity, every sexual orientation, every political point on the compass. As Prudence Jones, one of the founders of the Pagan Federation in the UK, puts it:

“Paganism is pluralistic—we have many ways of worshipping deity. It is the religion of the 21st century. It respects individuality and it respects others. It welcomes diversity and other ideas.”

Which explains my implacable opposition to the Dominionist movement which has recently become such a power bloc inside the Republican Party. They are the exact antithesis of everything Paganism is about, and they glory in it, being self-avowed biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government. These activists of the religious right are intent on making of America a Christian Taliban - and a particularly virulent and fascist form of Christianity at that, which will have no room for agnostics, pagans, moslems, believers in "some form of divinity" who don't feel the need to put a dogmatic shape on that belief or even other forms of Christian like my friends Harkonnendog and Shamanic.

As one leading Dominionist, D. James Kennedy who leads the $37 million a year Coral Ridge Ministries, told a meeting of influential conservative Christian powerplayers entitled "Reclaiming America For Christ":

"Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost,"... "As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society."

During the conference's opening ceremony, the Dominionists recited an oath they dream of hearing in every classroom: "I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen and coming again, with life and liberty for all who believe."

So who are these rabid evangelisers who would turn the US into a Christian fundamentalist state? Some of the main leaders of the movement are:

D. James Kennedy, mentioned already - Helped found The Moral Majority in 1979, Bush sought his blessing before running for President.

Gary Cass, executive director of Reclaiming America. "The most humble Christian is more qualified for office than the best-educated pagan".

Rep. Walter Jones, North Carolina. "You cannot have a strong nation that does not follow God," His pet project in Congress is the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, which would permit ministers to endorse political candidates from their pulpits.

The Rev. Richard Land, top lobbyist for the 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention, enjoys a weekly conference call with top Bush advisers including Karl Rove. He told the conference that John Lennon's song "Imagine" was a "secular anthem" that envisions a future of "clone plantations, child sacrifice, legalized polygamy and hard-core porn."

David Limbaugh, brother of Rush and author of Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity. "We have a right, indeed an obligation to govern."

Rep. Katherine Harris of Florida, who urged the conference to "win back America for God."

Alan Sears, president and CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund, a team of 750 attorneys trained by the Dominionists to fight abortion and gay marriage. "The First Amendment does not say there should be a separation of church and state." In fact, he believes that the constitutional guarantee against state-sponsored religion is actually designed to "shield" the church from federal interference - allowing Christians to take their rightful place at the head of the government.

Major donors also help the Dominionist cause. "Amway founder Rich DeVos, a Kennedy ally who's the leading Republican contender for governor of Michigan, has tossed more than $5 million into the collection plate. Jean Case, wife of former AOL chief Steve Case -- whose fortune was made largely on sex-chat rooms -- has donated $8 million. And Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, is a major source of cash for Focus on the Family, a megaministry working with Kennedy to eliminate all public schools."

And then there are the political allies, such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist who is courting their support for a presidential bid and has has agreed to join prominent Dominionists in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees.

So next time someone asks who the "religious Right" are, you will know who to mention. And you will know why I think they are the most pernicious influence in the US today - because these people would not hesitate to throw me on a fire for my faith. If you aren't a Dominionist yourself then before you defend their stance remember this - they don't want to defend you.

UPDATE 17th April

You knew there had to be a connection between the Dominionists and the idiotic "Left Behind" book series, didn't you.

The publisher of the series is Tyndale House. Newsweek has an article in which they reference:

a previous NEWSWEEK piece that called "Left Behind" a "Red State" phenomenon, but statistics from the publisher, Tyndale, bear this out: 71 percent of the readers are from the South and Midwest, and just 6 percent from the Northeast. (Hence Tyndale's sponsorship of a NASCAR racer, with the unlucky logo LEFT BEHIND.) The "core buyer" is a 44-year-old born-again Christian woman, married with kids, living in the South. This isn't the "Sex and the City" crowd—which helps explain why it took so long for the media to notice that one in eight Americans was reading all these strange books about the end of the world.

Tyndale are intimately connected with Dominionist James Dobson's "Focus on the Family" group, and produce biblical and educational books for Dobson. Kenneth Taylor and his son, Mark, run Tyndale, which has 330 employees and sales of $111 million last year.

One of the series' authors, radical fundamentalist Tim LeHaye, also has ties to Dominionists figures and backers. In addition to money received from the Moonies, and from the sale of his best-selling novels, LaHaye's activities have been funded by theocrat Republicans and the foundations they run. For example, his Council for National Policy received money from Nelson Bunker Hunt, the Coors family, the Bradley Foundation, Howard Ahmanson, and Richard DeVos of Amway.