Discussion Group Report

Is theocracy in the United States (1) a legitimate fear; (2) a joke, given the rising secular population and moral laxity in the US; or (3) a worrisome bias of major GOP constituencies and pressure groups? Kevin Phillips would argue "All of the above" in his recent article in The Nation (May 1, 2006 issue). The article is basically a condensation of some of the major points raised in Phillips' recent book American Theocracy.

The religious excesses of the current administration seem to mirror the conviction of many rank and file Republicans that government should be guided by religion and religious leaders, and that implementation of domestic and international political agendas seems to be driven by religious motivations and biblical world views. The essential US conditions for a theocratic trend fell into place in the late 1980's and 1990's, with the growing mass of evangelical, fundamentalist and Pentecostal Christianity, expressed politically by the religious right. This was accompanied by the rise of the Republican Party as a powerful vehicle for religious policy-making, and the erosion of the separation of church and state.

The transformation at the state level was even more vivid, where fifteen to twenty state Republican parties came under control of the religious right, and some party conventions in the South and West endorsed so-called "Christian Nation" platforms. On the Utah scene, the Utah branch of the Constitution Party ran a broad slate of candidates for local and national offices in this past election. The Platform of this party is very theocratic, and includes such statements as: "This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." It goes on to state: "All teaching is related to basic assumptions about God and man. Education as a whole, therefore, cannot be separated from religious faith." Other parts of the platform advocate outlawing abortions (even in the case of rape and incest), and express anti-gay rights and anti-environmental positions (see their website at http://constitutionparty.com). Fortunately, none of their candidates did very well in the November elections, even in conservative Utah.

The article goes on to note that in the years since 1988, dozens of reports have surfaced quoting George Bush the Younger as telling ministers, supporters and foreign officials that God wanted him to run for President and that God speaks through him. In mid-2004 he told a local Amish audience "I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." After September 11, 2001, Bush responded to the terrorist attacks by declaring the start of a war between good and evil.

The article points out that much of the American public is fertile ground for recruitment by fundamentalist ideas. A majority of Americans take the Bible literally in many dimensions, including subjects ranging from the creation and Noah's Ark to the Book of Revelation. A Newsweek poll in 1999 revealed that 40 percent of American Christians believe in Armageddon, and about the same number feel that the Antichrist is already alive.

Another poll mentioned in the discussion group stated that fewer than 40 percent of Americans accept biological evolution as a scientifically valid principle, and this number has actually declined in the past 20 years, in spite of scientific research that has only reinforced the fact that evolution is the foundation of modern biological science. In Europe this is not the case, with upwards of 80-90 percent of the population accepting evolution as a valid principle. One of the reasons that America is so different in this regard is the success that fundamentalists have had in influencing school text books and coursework to de-emphasize evolution, and put it in a tentative position.

This gets to the fundamental goal of the religious right: to push their religious views and agenda onto all Americans, and gain power and control over the government in the process. Phillips points out that the federal judiciary is the arena in which the most critical battles of their agenda will be fought. This is why the court appointments made by the current administration will have an effect on our country that will last far longer than the short time Bush is in office, since many court appointments are lifetime appointments.

Fortunately, a few moderate Republicans are speaking out concerning what has happened to their party, and are trying to get control back from the extremists. Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut expressed that, regrettably, "The Republican Party of Lincoln has become a party of theocracy." Perhaps the results of the November elections will help to reverse the theocratic trend that has become so evident in recent years.

--Art King