This is a topic of much interest in this group, and I hope you get some good discussion.

My opinion is that with the rise of the "Moral Majority" and christian right, we were moving dangerously close to a theocracy. Over the past 20 years or so, there has been a frightening intrusion of religion into government at both the local and national level.

However, I think there is significant pushback at this point and am hopeful that it is being stopped and reversed.

So, I tend to agree with you that it has peaked and is on a downward trend.

But I also think there is good reason to remain vigilant.

a couple of signs i consider a positive sign are the repeal of DOMA, gay marriage being accepted in various states and I would even include medical marijuana as a social thing.

Repeal of Roe v. Wade and stopping GLBT marriage.

They got neither and lost ground on the second.

While they are still out there, they are disillusioned and angry at the political process that recruited them, then failed to follow through.

That's a good thing, imo.

which are theocracies or are paralyzed by religion will destroy the world while we watch.

I have seen show that there is a rising of "others." This includes non-theists, spiritualists, and believers who have left the organized part of their religion behind.

I think this bolds well for us NOT falling into theocracy (or even worse theonomy).

In particular, young people are becoming a lot more secular. If this trend continues (and it may not) then that speaks well for us going in the direction opposite of theocracy if anything.

Does anyone (of any public stature) believe such nonsense?

HOWEVER, many on the far right (like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell) espouse theonomist ideas while denying being Dominionist/theonomists themselves. Its like someone supporting every single republican stance and position but denying being a republican.

Similarly Michelle Bachman, studied under a theonomist at Oral Roberts University. That does not necessarily mean she, herself, is a theonomist (though it would not surprise me).

Even among the right, its a pretty fringe concept that most want to avoid....thank god*.


*Irony of an atheist saying this intended

A "spiritualist" is someone who believes, among other things, in contacting the dead through seances, table turning, etc.

I think what you might mean here is the "spiritual but not religious" classification.

That is exactly what I meant.

Last edited Sun Aug 25, 2013, 06:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Which is not necessarily to say that a majority of citizens in said countries are even religious.

As an example, in Australia (where I currently live), Christianity leads, but over time is losing out badly to 'none' and 'undeclared.' What's more, evangelism as we experience it in the US never caught on here, and religious Australians are not wont to wear their religion on their sleeves (perhaps they actually read their bibles).

In a generation, the majority of Australians will be nonreligious or effectively so. Something similar is happening in traditionally Catholic and/or Protestant Europe.

Admittedly, Americans have traditionally been more godstruck than their European counterparts, but the same decline of Christianity seems to be underway in the States as well. And while we still have an electorate that punishes any politician who doesn't profess at least somewhat fervent (and generally Christian) faith, this is fading too.

I'd argue that we've never been close to a theocracy, even at the height of the Moral Majority's fame. I say this because the number of actual clergymen with power (as opposed to their tools in politics) was never high enough to result in the imposition of the Baptist equivalent of Sharia Law (the 'theonomy' mentioned by another poster here).

Which is not to say that a huge amount of damage wasn't done (continues to be done) under the banner of Christianity. It's just that they never came that close, IMO, to actually taking over.

is you don't need a majority of people fervently believing, just the leaders with the power to impose it. (I think about Iran for example.)

I think some State Governments are stating to look like a theocracy now, and certainly that is the intention of those leaders, wholly biblical based laws.

I don't think this can happen nationally, but there are many in the national government who will push it that way.

I have blogged about this with the supporting words and ideas obtained here, thank you again.