Reconstruction of the USA

Writing about theology is outside my comfort zone. As a non-theist, I lean heavily towards a mechanistic, secular explanation of the universe where observation, measurement and theory are the pillars which support our understanding of the universe. Crediting a deity with creating the universe only begs the question: who created the deity? Why would a universe created by a deity be more likely than one that exists independently? Along this line of thinking, Occam’s Razor would suggest that a deity is an unnecessary step in the reduction to the truth. Occam’s Razor isn’t just philosophical tidiness. It reflects a physics that is cut from the cloth of reductionism.

Occam’s Razor is neither a natural law nor a formal scientific method; it serves more as a heuristic guideline. When multiple explanations yield the same conclusion, the simplest one is usually deemed more likely. Supernatural or magical explanations find no refuge in Occam’s Razor. It’s not about resorting to a simple magic trick. Any explanation favored by Occam’s Razor must still withstand subsequent observation, measurement, and theoretical scrutiny—the core of scientific inquiry.

The point of this essay

I am writing to highlight that the United States of America, despite its chaos and noise, errors and triumphs, has developed an impressive economic growth engine, formidable military capabilities, expanded civil rights, enhanced public health, and a wide-ranging scientific and technological foundation that surpasses anything previously witnessed in history. Numerous sources support this claim.

A significant portion of American experiment including its economic system, directly stems from the European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries. It must be emphasized that there is an emerging movement aiming to regress various facets of our culture to a period before the Enlightenment—a time characterized by extensive church authority and a government in alliance with it.

I will state plainly that I am deeply opposed to the forces currently working to regress our civilization. Ever since I can recall, such as the time of the Kennedy assassination in 1963, there has been a lament over the state of our nation. People have consistently shaken their heads, openly questioning how the USA could continue to progress amidst the prevailing turmoil. This sentiment has persisted over the years. Nevertheless, we persist.

The nostalgia for the “good old days” of America’s supposed greatness is often lamented by those who find current times challenging. A closer examination of American history reveals a complex tapestry of both distressing events and prosperous periods. In any given year, one can uncover instances of both success and sorrow. It seems that a certain level of disorder is inherent in our pluralistic democratic republic. The population typically follows a statistical distribution, with a majority of average individuals at the center and fewer at the extremes, represented by the virtuous and the villainous. While disorder is a constant, its nature fluctuates with the changing eras.

Considering the unfathomable expanse of the universe, it is difficult to comprehend the significance of distant galaxies, which remained invisible until recently, within the cosmological framework of the Old Testament as depicted in Genesis. The Abrahamic faiths inherently present a cosmological theory, complete with an origin narrative, and are replete with Bronze Age prescriptions for social structure, upheld by a deity who is sometimes portrayed as wrathful.

Bronze age religious sentiments

The foundations of these religions originate from an era that is far removed and largely outdated in the context of today’s social norms. The holy scriptures were written at a time when certain phenomena were commonly attributed to witchcraft, demons, or benevolent gods. Historically, the struggle to understand cause and effect in life meant attributing disease, illness, and death to unseen forces. The advent of microscopes, along with advancements in medication and surgical procedures, has dramatically altered this perspective.

A persistent and detrimental remnant from the Bronze Age Abrahamic religions is the belief that humans have dominion over Earth and its inhabitants. This belief manifests in various ways today, notably hindering necessary conservation and environmental efforts out of concern for humanity and the biosphere. The Earth’s biosphere is under significant strain. Unfortunately, this broad dominion has historically extended to women, who have suffered under a patriarchy endorsed by these religious doctrines.

Undoubtedly, religion provides numerous benefits to individuals in various significant aspects. However, it can also serve as a personal and collective obstacle. The issue arises when it becomes a foundation for simplistic thinking, offering black and white solutions to the complex spectrum of issues we encounter, rather than acknowledging the myriad shades of grey that characterize our reality.

The coming storm

I posted an article on Theocratic Dominionism back on October 25, 2006. Today Dominionism, Christian Nationalism, Christian Reconstructionism, or the New Apostolic Reformation, NAR, are gaining much ground in politics. It is apparent now that the Republican party has transmogrified into the MAGA party whose devout members are being led to a Christian Nationalism model. The endgame sought is certainly consistent with the goals of Project 2025. This is in the direction of what has been called “illiberal democracy” as the President of Hungary, Victor Orban, puts it.

The father of Christian reconstructionism is credited to the son of Armenian immigrants Rousas John Rushdoony (1916-2001). He was an orthodox Calvinist minister, philosopher, historian and theologian. Michael J. McVicar, associate professor of Religion at Florida State University wrote of Rushdoony –

“As a theologian Rushdoony saw human beings as primarily religious creatures bound to God, not as rational autonomous thinkers. While this may seem an esoteric theological point, it isn’t. All of Rushdoony’s influence on the Christian Right stems from this single, essential fact. Many critics of Christian Reconstructionism assume that Rushdoony’s unique contribution to the Christian Right was his focus on theocracy. In fact, Rushdoony’s primary innovation was his single-minded effort to popularize a pre-Enlightenment, medieval view of a God-centered world. By de-emphasizing humanity’s ability to reason independently of God, Rushdoony attacked the assumptions most of us uncritically accept.” [Italics mine]

According to McVicar, Rushdoony had no interest in the world of the enlightenment. The orthodox Calvinist Rushdoony saw people as “religious creatures bound to God, not as rational autonomous thinkers”. Rushdoony advocated under the theonomic perspective, meaning a Christian form of government where individuals and society are ruled by divine law, especially under judicial laws in the Old Testament of the Christian bible.

Rushdoony opposed democracy which he claimed opposed the will of God and favored the republic which represented a better form of civic government. He said to Bill Moyers in an interview “… a republic avoided mob rule and the rule of the “51%” of society; in other words “might does not make right” in a republic.”

“The central tenet of Rushdoony’s teaching is that God has tasked Christians with taking dominion over society, beginning in Genesis 1:28, in which God commands humans to take dominion over the earth. While many Christians have applied this verse in the context of stewardship, Rushdoony taught that this creation mandate is really a dominion mandate, commanding humans to bring every sphere of society—as well as nature itself—into subjugation under Christ. In his view, Christ’s sacrificial death nullified the Fall and subsequent curse of Genesis 3 and enabled Christians to perfectly follow God’s law. Reconstructionism is a guidebook for Christians to reconstruct society according to Rushdoony’s understanding of Mosaic law. (Notably, his understanding differs dramatically from historical Jewish interpretations and includes stoning LGBTQ individuals.)” Source: The Christian Century, November 2022.

Distilled down, Dominionism is the belief that Christians should take moral, spiritual, and ecclesiastical control over society. Romans 13:1-5 says in so many words that God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. Secular authority is not sanctioned. So, it is upon this authority that Dominionism rests.

Implementing an ecclesiastical governing hierarchy to operate various government entities will be complex. Individuals identify as Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, etc., for numerous reasons, including family history or personal choice. Are these individuals considering that sectarianism might not pose an issue? Have they examined the impact of sectarianism in the Middle East and other regions closely?

Even if the sectarian issue is resolved, consider the extensive scope of the law in all its forms. Discussions about biblical law often seem to focus on the Ten Commandments and biblical punishments, like stoning. Punishing criminals is one aspect, but what about civil laws? The Bible doesn’t explicitly detail regulations for commerce, transportation, safety, and numerous other areas governed by secular laws.

An example of religious authority gone bad

The Spanish Inquisition, officially the “Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition,” began in 1478 by the Catholic monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. They sought and obtained independent inquisitorial authority separate from the Vatican and its own inquisition. Lasting from 1478 to 1834, this judicial institution aimed to eliminate heresy. However, it often forced Jews and Muslims to convert to Christianity or expelled them from the kingdom when they resisted conversion.

Unfortunately for the people of the New World, the Spanish conquistadores carried their evangelism with them to root out heresy along with spreading smallpox, influenza and other diseases. This has been extensively covered by historians. The conquests of Cortes and his second cousin Pizzaro starting around 1519 in what is now Mexico and to the south was a terrible time for the Aztecs, Incas and others.

The Catholic church in medieval times carried great authority and the monarchies of the time knew it. They sought to find favor with the Vatican and share in its power over the population. It manifested as the notion that to be against the ruling class was to be against God. It has never been documented that God had stepped in personally to referee these power games, you know, like he spoke to Noah or Moses, but the church was only too happy to be the arbiter of matters the silent supernatural.

In theocracy, who is in charge?

The Biblical Law scenario wouldn’t involve a deity directly governing society, but rather sectarian politicians and religious leaders exerting influence. Over time, laws such as those from the Mosaic tradition would need to be codified for widespread dissemination, uniform interpretation and adaptation to law school curriculum. Considering the limited guidance provided by religious texts on prohibitions and punishments, extensive interpretation would be necessary to address the countless scenarios that could emerge within a society. The question then arises: In cases of uncertainty, what should be the recourse?

The long and short of it

What this burgeoning theocratic movement is about is political power. In short, a subset of the American people believe they have a solution to the woes of society and they have supernatural backing to make it happen. They claim that their authority is not of this world and not subject to Earthly constraints. The laws of man are inherently subservient to the laws of God as issued thousands of years ago to ethnic desert sheep herders.

Reconstructionism is a quiet movement. It’s purpose is to implement a reconstruction of American values to suit the world view of a group of religious extremists. It is a movement that seeks nothing less than the establishment of a theocratic form of government in America.  It is also called Theocratic Dominionism or Christian Reconstructionism.  But see for yourself.  Google these terms and browse the websites. 

The John Birch Society

For myself, I have been watching Christian fundamentalism since the early 1970’s.  I recall stopping at a booth at the county fair as a high school student and talking to members of the John Birch Society. I thought at the time that they were Looney Toons, or just an obscure Christian libertarian group.  I guessed that they were mostly harmless.   Well, I was wrong.

Frederick Clarkson at PublicEye.org writes- “Reconstructionist leaders seem to have two consistent characteristics: a background in conservative Presbyterianism, and connections to the John Birch Society (JBS).”

He goes on to say- “In 1973, R. J. Rushdoony compared the structure of the JBS to the “early church.” He wrote in Institutes: “The key to the John Birch Society’s effectiveness has been a plan of operation which has a strong resemblance to the early church; have meetings, local lay leaders, area supervisors or bishops.”

The JBS connection does not stop there. Most leading Reconstructionists have either been JBS members or have close ties to the organization. Reconstructionist literature can be found in JBS-affiliated American Opinion bookstores.

But what is reconstructionism about? Again, Clarkson puts it succinctly-

“Reconstructionism is a theology that arose out of conservative Presbyterianism (Reformed and Orthodox), which proposes that contemporary application of the laws of Old Testament Israel, or “Biblical Law,” is the basis for reconstructing society toward the Kingdom of God on earth. “

Reconstructionism argues that the Bible is to be the governing text for all areas of life–such as government, education, law, and the arts, not merely “social” or “moral” issues like pornography, homosexuality, and abortion. Reconstructionists have formulated a “Biblical world view” and “Biblical principles” by which to examine contemporary law. Reconstructionist theologian David Chilton succinctly describes this view: “The Christian goal for the world is the universal development of Biblical theocratic republics, in which every area of life is redeemed and placed under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the rule of God’s law.”

Conclusion

I agree. It is easy to dismiss this as a bunch of paranoid lunatics. But if you’re paying attention to things, you might also conclude that we have been in the midst of this movement for some time.  The inauguration of Trump, and a Republican majority in either the house or the senate followed by the implementation of Project 2025 will be the kick-off moment for a Christian nationalist takeover of the USA. This is not the country I want to live in.