For People Confused About Christian Reconstructionism

[debrand]

One thing that this site does well is gradually connect ideology behind some extremists beliefs. On the surface, some of these blogs and individuals can seem very strange but not dangerous to anyone but their followers. Yet when you look at the beliefs that they actually follow, it is apparent that their beliefs are potentially harmful to all of us

If I am not mistaken Doug Philips(May we all know what a tool Doug is) is a Christian Reconstructionist

politicalamazon.com/cr.html

All I know about the above site is that their article on the movement makes some interesting points and is a good starting place for anyone who wants to understand Reconstructionism.

Here are some interesting quotes from the article

In a nutshell, Christian Reconstructionists believe that it is their role and right to establish the kingdom of God on earth. They plan to do this by imposing their interpretation of Mosaic (Old Testament) Law (or "God's law") as a basis upon which all societies of the world will base their laws. Every aspect of society and human life will be ruled according to Old Testament law. It is only after the kingdom of God has been on earth 1000 years (a millennium), or so the Reconstructionists believe, that Christ will return and unite with all of the "true believers" (the Christian Reconstructionists, of course).

This millennium belief is based on the idea of "dispensationalism," which actually goes back to the 1800s to a movement that was first called "Plymouth Brethren." The Plymouth Brethren originally started in England/Ireland, but spread to the United States.

It is the dispensationalists' belief that history is made up of several periods (or dispensations); the last period will be the one before the millennium, which will then be followed by the coming of the "Kingdom of God." Dispensationalists take a literal, prophetic interpretation of the Book of Revelation, including the occurrence of a physical Armageddon, tribulation and union of all "true believers" with God.

Among the dispensationalists, if you are a "premillennialist," you believe that Christ will return to the earth before the "true believers" have ruled 1000 years. Christ will return to "rapture" away the true believers and resurrect the dead saints.

If you are a "postmilllennialist," you believe that Christ won't return until the "true believers" have reigned for 1000 years.

Christian Reconstructionists are postmillennialists who believe that Christ won't return until the "true believers" have taken control over all areas of society throughout the world. To do this, a doctrine based on their own interpretation of Mosaic law must be incorporated in every phase of society and human life.

and

Most importantly, the idea of dominion theology is that the true believers take dominion over the nonbelievers. Indeed, the true believers are not even supposed to associate with the nonbelievers. Since Christian Reconstructionists believe they are the true believers, they really can't associate with the other Christian sects. They can take dominion over them, however.

and

It is from The Institutes of Biblical Law (IOBL) that many of the most concerning Christian Reconstructionist quotes originate and, I believe, where the Wannabes get their righteous and holy justification for their own racist and violence-prone beliefs. Some of the quotes can be read as racist, justifying slavery, discounting the harm African-Americans' ancestors suffered when sold into slavery and brought in chains to America, promoting segregation and, most importantly, justifying imposing one's own belief system on others, by force if necessary. And there would be no need for a federal government to provide education, collect taxes, provide welfare services, or emergency relief services; there would be only local governments.

and

In addition to Rushdoony's IOBL, subsequently other prominent Christian Reconstructionists have been quite vocal about their beliefs and what they advocate as methods for installing a theocracy in America. Some of these methods include, by stealth, taking over the public and private school systems in order to raise a generation of Christian-Reconstructionist-indoctrinated citizens who will, as adults, then turn America into a theocracy based on Old Testament law. Some of the prominent Christian Reconstruction authors quite openly advocate militant activism in forcing one's religious beliefs on others.

and

Let's remind ourselves of what Christian Reconstructionists have voiced as their beliefs and goals:

First and foremost: they believe that their interpretation of "God's law" (Mosaic, or Old Testament law) should be the law upon which all of society's laws should be based.

Censorship, based on their interpretation of the bible.

Discrimination against women, races other than Caucasian, and homosexuals.

Limiting a woman's decision-making abilities about what happens to them and their bodies.

Limiting women/homosexuals/nonwhite races' rights to hold property.

Limiting women/homosexuals/nonwhite races' voting rights.

Killing homosexuals and their supporters.

Doing away with the Federal Reserve System and a centralized form of government.

Imposing "creationism" as a science to be taught in schools.

Making changes on the educational system that would limit access to education for those who are poor, and those who are not "true believers" or who otherwise are objectionable to Christian Reconstructionist standards.

Abolishing unions and current workplace safety standards.

Giving militias some of the same powers our police departments have.

[sparkles]

Thanks for this. I'm still pretty new to the world of Christian fundamentalism and there's obviously a lot to learn. Unfortunately, the more I learn, the more I'm afraid to go to sleep at night for fear of what I might wake up to. These are some scary, scary people.

[snarktastic]

Fascinating, thanks for that. I had no idea about the premillenarial (Sp!) thing.

[Magdelope]

I have to say thank you as well. It is good to be reminded why these groups are so dangerous.

Ugh... it is terrible though, those beliefs. I need to step away from the computer for a while I think. Gave me chills! :(

[RosyDaisy]

Thanks for posting that. Their master plan is unsustainable because they isolate themselves and their kids and are under educated. I honestly see the extreme fringes of this movement not lasting much longer. History proves this.

[wtylcf]

So they're the Christian equivalent of the Taliban, wanting to impose their equivalent of 'sharia law' on all people, by force if necessary. Nice!

[debrand]

Thanks for posting that. Their master plan is unsustainable because they isolate themselves and their kids and are under educated. I honestly see the extreme fringes of this movement not lasting much longer. History proves this.

I don't see how they are sustainable either. The big impact that they can have on our lives is in voting. However, I think that as more people become aware of their goals, the less influence they will wield.

It surprises me that none of their members have become terrorists.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I'm just curious. Is there a good history/survey out there of CHristian reconstructionism? I'd love to find a good book that outlines the movement. I feel like I hear bits and pieces of Rushdoony, Dabney, et al., and I'd love to be able to put this all together. I think this is partly from following trails on this board and partly because of random things that I used to see popping up around me in fundie church a long time ago.

[Verin Sedai]

As someone raised with a postmillenial outlook (which I've since abandoned) I wanted to jump in and explain how postmils explain this line of thinking to themselves.

They don't think of themselves as theocratic tyrants in waiting (or at least the ones I knew don't; there are crazy or evilminded folk in every bunch) but this idea of the believer's 1000 year rule is very much seen through rose-colored glasses. So for example:

"We need Christians in medicine, so we can use our God given inspiration to cure all these diseases! We need to withdraw from schools so we can all get awesome educations at home, or we need to become teachers so more can believe! We need Christians in law and government, so we can cut back govt spending and then Christians can use their money to solve all of the social ills that Medicaid or social security covers!"

The idea of people who don't want to live under this rule is handwaved away. We don't think about them, not maliciously, but because doing so would spoil our pretty picture. I even heard some imply that the grand majority would eventually be believers, and then the 1000 years would begin (much like Wycliffe Bible Translators thinking that once the Bible is widely available in every language that Christ will return). Sin and death would still, for logic's sake, have to be present, but reduced to a bare minimum. We were taught that lifespans would be greatly increased (Isaiah 65:20 prooftexted this).

As a disclaimer, I don't believe this anymore, and this is all based on my recollections of what I was taught as a child, so it is by definition simple and much like a fairy tale.

[debrand]

As someone raised with a postmillenial outlook (which I've since abandoned) I wanted to jump in and explain how postmils explain this line of thinking to themselves.

They don't think of themselves as theocratic tyrants in waiting (or at least the ones I knew don't; there are crazy or evilminded folk in every bunch) but this idea of the believer's 1000 year rule is very much seen through rose-colored glasses. So for example:

"We need Christians in medicine, so we can use our God given inspiration to cure all these diseases! We need to withdraw from schools so we can all get awesome educations at home, or we need to become teachers so more can believe! We need Christians in law and government, so we can cut back govt spending and then Christians can use their money to solve all of the social ills that Medicaid or social security covers!"

The idea of people who don't want to live under this rule is handwaved away. We don't think about them, not maliciously, but because doing so would spoil our pretty picture. I even heard some imply that the grand majority would eventually be believers, and then the 1000 years would begin (much like Wycliffe Bible Translators thinking that once the Bible is widely available in every language that Christ will return). Sin and death would still, for logic's sake, have to be present, but reduced to a bare minimum. We were taught that lifespans would be greatly increased (Isaiah 65:20 prooftexted this).

As a disclaimer, I don't believe this anymore, and this is all based on my recollections of what I was taught as a child, so it is by definition simple and much like a fairy tale.

Thank you for that explanation

[salex]

I don't see how they are sustainable either. The big impact that they can have on our lives is in voting. However, I think that as more people become aware of their goals, the less influence they will wield.

It surprises me that none of their members have become terrorists.

Many of their members or sympathizers are politicians or part of PACs often with benign names.

I first found out about these groups when my husband's niece let it slip that her father's political career was considered a spiritual calling.... which he had been clever enough not to mention out loud, at least to us.

I googled up some of the groups where he's on a board, and "walla" I was down the dominionist rabbit hole.

[RosyDaisy]

It surprises me that none of their members have become terrorists.

Not me, for the simple reason they evangelicals who want to breed like rats. You can't preach to and convert dead people.

Many of their members or sympathizers are politicians or part of PACs often with benign names.

But, the extreme branch of this movement is still unsustainable no matter how many politicians rally for them. The individuals are still isolated, only associate with like-minded people, and shun just about all of pop-culture. That is a recipe for failure even for new converts to the movement.