Try the book American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/books/review/19brink.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2
I've read the book, Sky. Not because I wanted to especially, but it was one suggested for a book discussion group I led two or three years ago so I had to review it. I think it's available on Amazon now for like $1.50 per copy? Not exactly a best seller, huh.
Actually the book is not badly written, but it is little more than a glorified editorial opinion piece written by a man who for the last couple of decades has despised and loathed the Republican Party, anything conservative, and anything Christian.
Not what I would call a reliable source on the subject.
Sky, this country was founded by Christians based on their Christian values, morals, and the sociopolitical convictions arising out of those. The Founders held worship services right in the halls of Congress. For most of this nation's history, Christianity has been the overwhelmingly dominant religion and has heavily influenced our laws, work schedules, education curriculum, culture, art, music, recognized holidays, and benevolent work here and abroad. The presence of Christian churches in any neighborhood increases property values far more significantly than do synagogues, mosques, or Buddhist temples. Previous generations were far more militant and active in demanding Christian principles in the schools and other institutions than anything we've seen the last 50 years.
Despite all that no theocracy has ever developed and what pockets of theocracy previously existed have vanished. We remain the most open, accepting, tolerant society in the world.
For the life of me, I don't understand how somebody who embraces a religion of rationality and enlightenment can be so gullibe as to believe the hateful, prejudiced, anti-Christian rantings and accusations of the militantly anti-Christian..
Thanks alot. I came out of a long Buddhist retreat around the time of the Terry Schiavo affair. I was appalled by the ill will around that story. I started to read about the Dominionist movement at that time because a MSN source directed me there.
I may be gullible, but I am not hateful, prejudiced or militantly anti-christian. Some of the article I read seemed well researched to me.
And I put up with eight years of GW Bush's brand of evangelicism.
What evangelicism? What did he do that any other president hasn't done? What religious groups did he favor? What religions did he discriminate against? What did he EVER do to recognize or praise any religious group as much as Barack Obama has praised Islam for instance?
What regulations did he impose or what laws did he demand be passed regarding anything religious? He did promote using the infrastructure already in place in faith based organizations to route some public assistance so the taxpayer could be saved millions and millions of dollars not having to reinvent those wheels. The guidelines that went with those were very specific though that those organizations could not do anything 'religious' with that money. Actually very few took the government up on the offer not wanting the heavy strings attached. (Barack Obama has continued that faith based program by the way.)
He didn't evoke the name of God or mention religious things any more than any previous president. Not as much as Bill Clinton did even. He openly admitted that he was a man of prayer, and that he sought to obey God. He certainly wasn't taking marching orders from any denomination or any othe religious group. I think the Left picked up and criticized anything related to religion with him because they despised everything about him and could see no good in him. They gave Bill Clinton a pass on the same kinds of statements, however, because he was one of THEM plus as a leftist, he didn't really mean it I guess.
You probably do believe that you are not "hateful, prejudiced or militantly anti-christian". Your comments and the sources you seek out don't support your opinion of yourself there though.
I freely admit being anti-Islam. But I am not prejudiced because my negative opinion is based on what Islam itself says that it is. And because I oppose the theocratic ambitions that they admit, and the subjugation of rights I hold as unalienable, and the brutality they justify in enforcing adhereance to their religious beliefs, I have no reason to embrace Islam as 'just another religion' on Earth. It isn't.
I don't think either of us intend to be hateful toward anybody or any group.