Beware, Be Aware and Be Informed: Theofascism

I am a strong believer in the separation of church and state. Living in the US, I find too often many pastors and religious leaders over step this established boundary. When I recently came across the word, theofascism, I knew exactly what it meant due to my theology training and from being a history fanatic. So what does it mean professor in training? Theofascism is a religious ideology that requires absolute allegiance to a particular brand of theology or religion interpreted by either one individual or small group of individuals. Theofascism is the child of fascism. A good definition of fascism is found on wikipedia:

An authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers the individual subordinate to the interests of the state, party or society as a whole. Fascists seek to forge a type of national unity, usually based on (but not limited to) ethnic, cultural, racial, religious attributes. The key attribute of fascism is intolerance of others: other religions, languages, political views, economic systems, cultural practices, etc. Various scholars attribute different characteristics to fascism, but the following elements are usually seen as its integral parts: nationalism, statism, militarism, totalitarianism, anti-communism, corporatism, populism, collectivism, and opposition to political and economic liberalism.

Why should you care and get educated? The same people who say “hate the sin, love the sinner,” “you can change, many have,” “you are an abomination,” and the like comments are all informed by either an overt or subtle adherence to theofascism. The heart of the GLBT civil rights, including religious freedom, is the counterattack against theofascism. Theofascism starts with general oppression. For example, in Christianity, the bible and how it has been translated, interpreted and reinterpreted over the years have had an agenda or another of oppression. Anti-abolitionists used verses in the bible to justify slavery, and opponents of the feminist movement and the civil rights movement both used biblical quotations to argue against granting equal rights to women and blacks. Listen to a few voices:

 Slavery - Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America:

"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God. . . .  It is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation. . . . It has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts."

Women's Right To Vote – Justin Fulton, writing in 1869:

"Who demand the ballot for woman?  They are not the lovers of God, nor are they believers in Christ, as a class. There may be exceptions, but the majority prefer an infidel's cheer to the favor of God and the love of the Christian community. It is because of this tendency that the majority of those who contend for the ballot for woman cut loose from the legislation of Heaven, from the enjoyments of home, and drift to infidelity and ruin."

Interracial Marriage    – a Virginia trial judge writing in 1959 in defense of laws prohibiting such marriages:

"Almighty God created the races, white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents.  And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages."

Interracial Marriage

Bob Jones University finally dropped a 50 year-old ban on interrracial dating as of March 3, 2000. Bob Jones III said it was due to the national scrutiny the school has received, not because they were wrong. In fact, Jones III went on to say that the foundation for the ban was still true –

"that God made the races separate for his own purpose, and it is wrong to break down the barriers God erected, that it could lead to dangerous 'one-worldism,' just like globalism ..."

Just know that history has proven that theocracies never work. Between you and me, I personally do not want to find out first hand. I write this to encourage you to keep the faith, be diligent, get involved and speak out. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” - MLK, Jr.