Friday Limerick (Saturday Edition)

I forgot about the Friday Limerick yesterday, so here it is today instead:

There once was a group of believers.
Who said they were God’s word’s receivers,
But they push only hate;
The dominionists’ fate
Is exposure as wanton deceivers.

Pursuant to that little rhyme, and my earlier post warning Women, They’re Coming For You Next, in which this idea is referenced, one of the problems in which we are constantly getting tangled up is the semantic argument about how liberals are trying to oppress people of faith. Lance Mannion has a great post on this issue today, and in his comments thread I noted: [T]he particular people of faith about whom you're talking have a name. They're dominionists, and we should all start using it. No more "Christians" (because we all know that's far too broad), no more "evangelical Christians" (because there are evangelical Christians who don't want to blur the line between church and state), and no more "conservative Christians" (because you can be a conservative Christian without being a hatemonger and wanting control of the government). They are dominionists, and we all need to start calling them what they are.

If you are not familiar with the specific definition of dominionism, here it is:

Dominionism is a natural if unintended extension of Social Darwinism and is frequently called “Christian Reconstructionism.” Its doctrines are shocking to ordinary Christian believers and to most Americans. Journalist Frederick Clarkson, who has written extensively on the subject, warned in 1994 that Dominionism “seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic elite that would govern by imposing their interpretation of ‘Biblical Law.’” He described the ulterior motive of Dominionism is to eliminate “…labor unions, civil rights laws, and public schools.”

Sound familiar? Let’s continue:

Dominionists have gained extensive control of the Republican Party and the apparatus of government throughout the United States; they continue to operate secretly. Their agenda to undermine all government social programs that assist the poor, the sick, and the elderly is ingeniously disguised under false labels that confuse voters.

[…]

It is estimated that thirty-five million Americans who call themselves Christian, adhere to Dominionism in the United States, but most of these people appear to be ignorant of the heretical nature of their beliefs and the seditious nature of their political goals. So successfully have the televangelists and churches inculcated the idea of the existence of an outside “enemy,” which is attacking Christianity, that millions of people have perceived themselves rightfully overthrowing an imaginary evil anti-Christian conspiratorial secular society.

[…]

Dominionism started with the Gospels and turned the concept of the invisible and spiritual “Kingdom of God” into a literal political empire that could be taken by force, starting with the United States of America. Discarding the original message of Jesus and forgetting that Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” the framers of Dominionism boldly presented a Gospel whose purpose was to inspire Christians to enter politics and execute world domination so that Jesus could return to an earth prepared for his earthly rule by his faithful “regents.”

Dominionists. That’s what they are. That’s what we should be calling them. We need to use language the same way they do, except, of course, this is not hyperbole or exaggeration. This is their rightful name. Pass it on.