Friday, February 5, 2010

The Family: Replace American Democracy with Christian Theocracy

The hubbub about President Obama's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast this week got me inspired to read about the shadowy group called "The Fellowship" that sponsors the meeting ... and I was stunned to learn who they really are.

"The Fellowship" (aka "The Family") is an actual Christian shadow government in America. I usually don't believe in conspiracy theories, but this group really exists, they're huge, they're secret, and they've been around since the 1930's. And the stories about them are not exaggerations.

Their goal? To replace democracy in America with a theocracy run by Christians. No joke. That was their founding purpose, and remains a real, if now distant, goal.

That's right, some of the very Senators and Congressmen who were democratically elected, the ones you voted for to represent you, don't believe you're good enough to vote. They believe democracy can't work, and that only a Christian government can save us. According to Harper's Magazine, "Declaring God's covenant with the Jews broken, the group's core members call themselves 'the new chosen.'"

And this isn't some fringe group. Its membership includes dozens of United States Senators and House members, even some Democrats, plus uncounted other government officials. They have their fingers in big business, banking, and even have lawmakers in a number of foreign countries. And of course, conservative Christian churches are part of their organization. Its leader, Doug Coe, is a charismatic but radical evangelical who regularly meets with government leaders around the world.

To give you a sense of their philosophy, consider this:
Jesus didn't come to take sides, He came to take over.
But wait, it gets worse. These guys believe that they are chosen by God. Seriously. They believe that God personally intervened here on Earth, altered our elections, specifically to help these men (they're mostly men) to get elected to high offices so that they could do His work.

This leads to an incredibly dangerous arrogance, a belief that you are right and that God has endorsed your political position. Is it any wonder that President Obama is having trouble with the conservatives? When you're appointed by God Himself, why should you negotiate? Jesus didn't come to take sides, He came to take over. They're right, everyone else is wrong, end of argument.

This is un-American, and bordering on traitorous. Their beliefs and actions violate the very core American values enshrined in the United States Constitution, in so many ways it's hard to count. We are a representative democracy, with a guarantee that the government will make no law respecting religion, or the free exercise thereof. We believe each person's vote is equal.

True patriots support the American Constitution, and the core beliefs it represents. Unpatriotic people don't. Traitors try to overthrow it and the values it represents. That was the original goal of The Fellowship. They are traitors to America, plain and simple.

If you'd like to learn more, read the transcript of Terry Gross' interview with Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. There's also a decent, though obviously censored, article on Wikipedia.

(P.S. Happy Birthday, Mom!!)

10 comments:

  1. "Theocracy" simply means Godly rule. We have Godless government now. How do you like it? Wake up, please.

    John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
    Communications Director, Institute on the Constitution
    Host, “TheAmericanView” radio show
    Recovering Republican
    JLof@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. PS -- And we are NOT a "democracy." We are a Constitutional, representative REPUBLIC!

    John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
    Communications Director, Institute on the Constitution
    Host, “TheAmericanView” radio show
    Recovering Republican
    JLof@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. John -- Petty criticisms like chastizing me for using "democracy" versus "republic" are silly. The United States is actually both a republic and a democracy, we vote for representatives, AND we vote directly in state elections to enact laws, circumventing those same representatives. We use the word "democracy" loosly, as an idiom that represents our system of government. Criticizing an author for idiomatic usage in a casual blog misses the point.

    "Godly rule" – you mean like they have in all those places that spawn terrorism? The simple fact is that around the world, countries with secular governments are more peaceful and prosperous, AND have more religious freedom, than countries with "Godly rule."

    How do I like the United States of America? I like it a lot. It's not perfect, but most of the problems are caused by conservatives and religious people who oppress minorities, start unjustified wars, block access to family planning, cut funding for schools, and pretend that unfetterd "free enterprise" will solve every problem.

    Give me a godless country any day. It will be better for me, and better for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The question of our form of govt is NOT a petty issue. IT is VERY important as our Framers/Founders believed. They hated and feared “democracy” equating it with “mobocracy.”

    And no, I mean “Godly rule” like God says, you know, in In His Word -- no murder, no stealing, etc.

    And our Godless govt is really “prosperous,” more than $56 TRILLION in debt, more than 50 million innocent unborn babies murdered by abortion and we’re in two ungodly, unConstitutional wars. Great stuff, huh?.You know no more abt “prosperity” than you do wht form of govt our Founders gave us. You are a moral ignoramus and historically illiterate – a product of a govt-run school no doubt…

    ReplyDelete
  5. John, why is it so many Christians and conservatives are unable to treat others with respect? You know nothing about me, my literacy, or my schooling, yet rather than address any of the important points I raised in my blog, you lower yourself to mudslinging. If you have something constructive, informative or factual to add to the discussion, please do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I slung no mud and replied directly and factually to what you said. You ignored what I said preferring to personally attack me -- a sign you cannot reply to my facts.

    John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
    Communications Director, Institute on the Constitution
    Host, “TheAmericanView” radio show
    Recovering Republican
    JLof@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Who wants to be ruled by the tenets of a myth based on a book riddled with incest, murder, racism, slavery, adultery, miscogyny, sexism, terrorism, condemnation of differences and a petty god who just wants to be loved (but demands obedience under threat of destruction)?

    Furthermore, the interpretations of The Bible -- literal and/or figurative as suits any particular purpose.

    Capitalize "god" all you want, Mr. Lofton, even put it in ALL CAPS. It doesn't lend any more credence to your myth and mysticism, which is increasingly seen as out-of-date, out-of-touch and ludicrous.

    50 million murdered babies? That's a nice round histrionic figure that sounds baseless. Why do religious groups rail against knowledge of sex and how NOT to get pregnant, and legislate against availability of contraception and birth control? It isn't the babies, someone might have sex and that bothers the anti-sex squad.

    Two crappy wars? Welcome to the handiwork of former President Bush, who claimed to talk directly with god. Don't blame the godless, we protested against it from the first mention.

    As for the debt, we were pretty prosperous before the "God Mob" took over and stripped scientific agencies, altered National Institutes of Health websites with misinformation, and politicized the courts via recruits with 3-year law degrees from a hack religious college.

    Lofton is a JOKE who beats his chest and waves self-created credentials and has a crap AOL email address. He shows up and throws up all the baloney claiming intimate knowledge of the founding fathers/framers. His website is packed with bombast, accusation and clever alliteration; but few facts and many quotes out of context.

    Recovering Republican? Naw, Lofton is still drunk on the old stuff: magic and bullsh!t.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pardon the unfinished paragraph:

    Furthermore, the interpretations of The Bible -- literal and/or figurative as suits any particular purpose -- clash and bang, as is evidenced by many many churches that disagree, can't get along, and are edifices to their human builders and occupants, and not GOD.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks, Steve, you said it far better than I could. It's obvious you've investigated John Lofton a bit. I went to his web site and after a few paragraphs decided it was a waste of time.

    And John, if you're still reading this, your words speak for themselves. I almost didn't reply at all, because you dug your own grave without my help. If calling me illiterate and an ignoramous don't count as mudslinging in your book, what does?

    Actually, John, don't bother replying. We're interested in respectful, intellectually-sound dialog here, not your brand of name calling.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Steve, in case you didn't catch it, John replied to you, but put his answer on today's blog rather than this one.

    ReplyDelete

Dear readers -- I am no longer blogging and after leaving these blogs open for two years have finally stopped accepting comments due to spammers. Thanks for your interest. If you'd like to write to me, click on the "Contact" link at the top. Thanks! -- CJ.

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