"Christian dominionism": Is this the central ideology behind Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz and the shutdown for which he became a self-appointed (annointed?) spokesman? This "theology" gets a lot of air play and support in Texas. Many accept some form of it as a part of their right-wing political ideology; and one could see how it easily could influence or be used by others in the Republican/libertarian/Tea Party camp to offer a religious framework to their Social Darwinism and Ayn Rand-ian theories of societal domination by specially born and bred rulers who are not to be defined and therefore limited by burdensome virtues such as justice or mercy or creativity or generosity or magnanimity.
The basic idea is this: America is a Christian nation; the rulers of the nation are Christans whom God has anointed to be "kings and priests." Just like in the good old Middle Ages -- the secular arm of power governed by "kings" who are Defenders of the Faith and of a royal bloodline and a religious arm of "priests" to administer and enforce the Holy Law. In other words, a thoroughly Westernized and sublimated version of exactly the same motives and beliefs things such as the Taliban appeal to in their cultural milieu. They -- our would-be rulers -- don't have to deal with us unwashed, unclean folk the way they deal with one another. Their rules come from Heaven, not some scrap of paper like the man-made Constitution: when the Constitution is useful for them, it is spoken of in awed tones of reverence; but when it holds them down to Earth, like everyone else, and merely human values, they will twist and by-pass it to get their way. Because theirs IS the Will of God on this planet and they can do no wrong.
Read the article and get this writer's perspective. It's worth the time.
Some wonder why, every time our people here in America become overly enamored or fascinated by the goings on in the British Royal Family, I become agitated. Part of it is, in spite of the royals romantic air in the eyes of Americans, they're just people like anyone with odd job titles and ridiculous pedigrees like AKC registered dogs. And that pedigree did not at any time involve being picked out for a special mission by God to run the lives of other people just like themselves. People who, in fact, work harder and give more to their communities and some of whom are truly creative.
The other part of it is this: the founding of our nation; the Declaration of Independence; the Revolution and blood spilled on behalf of a new idea -- that people are free from the monstrosity of rule by people of aristocratic or noble birth and that we can rule ourselves through an informed citizenry voting for its own representatives from among our own number; the arguments about the Constitution and union of states; the ratification of the Constitution; the pamphlets and books of Tom Paine; all of that and more was about one thing: The end, once and for all of the miserable fantasy of the Divine Right of Kings and Priests to terrorize us, to command us, to control us, to punish us, to silence us.
We abolished royalty and aristocracy -- it is against the Constitution to establish noble or aristocratic titles in our country; We abolished the idea that our secular state belongs to, is run by, supports, or is the province of priests of any sort when the First Amendment clearly and for all time abolished the establishment of a State religion.
That was the spelling out of the idea we were done with the "kings and priests" anointed by God, gods, nature, whatever, folks. Done with it -- we'd passed beyond it; our first and highest office is enfranchised citizen, regardless of the personal beliefs of that citizen, beliefs that can and may influence law if and only if reasonable arguments with evidence available to all from any or no background of belief can be mustered. Or if the people quit paying attention to the nature of the Revolution and begin believing in some hoary myth that gets trotted out every time some bunch of low-down would-be tyrants decide to redefine or monkey wrench our perfectly good system of government.
You need to think on this one at length if you're able and willing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-guyton/the-theology-of-governmen_b_4020537.html
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