Theocracy

The New York Times lead editorial yesterday said that Bill Frist's stand on filibusters of judicial nominees "is determined to get judges on the federal bench who are loyal to the Republican fringe and, he hopes, would accept a theocratic test on decisions."

I was startled when I saw the word "theocratic." But a quick google search of the word turned up some very interesting things, including the following website: www.theocracywatch.org

One of the most interesting things on there was a comment from the lefty blog daily kos, in an article titled "How to Beat the Christian Right":

The answer to the power of the Christian Right is electoral power of our own. No excuses. Many of us have tended to abandon this cornerstone of citizenship in favor of other things.  It is time to get our priorities strait. Less talk, more action. Less entertainment, more citizen involvement. Less TV and sports. More electoral politics. Do we want the theocrats to win?  More electoral politics.

If we believe that democracy is a good thing, we need to learn to get very good at it. We need to be better at it than those who would destroy it.

I'm tempted to say that anything that gets people watching less TV is good, but this is also a warning to Christians and the church. If we are left sitting on the couch with the remote while secular humanists are reading books and organizing and meeting and sharing their message with others, we will have completely forfeited any claims on grace and blessing and we will deserve whatever the ramifications are.

Also fascinating was a conference scheduled two weeks from now in New York called "Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right." The conference is co-sponsored by the NY Open Center and CUNY Graduate Center Public Programs, and has seminars with the following titles:

Fundamentalism: The Fear and the Rage

The Rise of Dominionism in the U.S. Government

Millennialist and Apocalyptic Influences on Dominionism

Learning about the Christian Right, and What in the World to Do

The Real Hidden Religious Agenda: The Theocratic States of America

Is an Unholy American Theocracy Here?

On the Psychology and Theocracy of George W. Bush: Reflections in a Culture of Fear

Christian Jihad

Jesus Plus Nothing: Elite Fundamentalism, Pragmatic Dominionism

Religion and Secrecy in the Bush Administration