OK...THIS explains it

Curiosity about the fear some seem to have concerning Christianity has propelled me to do a bit of research trying to discover what our lefty friends seem so wadded up about. I think I've uncovered it. They have a special name for it (one I wasn't familiar with, beyond hearing foggy references, until today): Dominionism.

Dominionism is our secret evil plot to take over the government and the world. (Just in case you guys aren't up on the plan, because, like me, you weren't even aware that you were part of this movement...;o)

Wikipedia gives us the scoop. Here are a few quotes:

Dominionism is a term used by some social scientists and critics to describe a trend in Protestant Christian evangelicalism and fundamentalism that encourages political participation in civic society by Christians through appeals to their religious beliefs. Politically active conservative Christians rarely use the term dominionism as a self-description; many feel it is a loaded or pejorative term. Use of the term is primarily limited to secular and leftist critics of the Christian Right. The term emerged in relation to the Christian Right in the mid-1990s, but became more widely known due in large part to the U.S. presidential election, 2004 where the media attributed Republican wins to "Evangelical" voters in "Red states" who voted for "moral values". Some poll analysts call this claim oversimplistic. It has been claimed to be a kind of Triumphalism.

Aha! So "Dominionists" are Christians who practice civic participation! That's scary. But wait...there's more...

The dominionist interpretation sees adherents as heeding a command from God to all mankind to subject the world to the rule of the Word of God. The terminology of dominionism, and the broad concept of the trend described by critics, has been taken from the Bible's text in Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Christians typically interpret this verse as meaning that God gave humankind responsibility over the Earth, but anti-Dominionist critics commonly point to this passage as a paradigm that influences Christian attitudes of Westernist domination over the Earth and everything in it.

Ok, let me see if I got this straight: I always thought Genesis 1:26 means that human beings are to be good stewards of the land and animals God has placed in our charge. But actually, the verse is a secret call to "Westernist Domination." I'm intrigued! (Maybe I should go claim my portion of the Bahamas right now...)

Some organizations and writers who are targeted with the label of "dominionism", disagree with the categorization of their beliefs as a political ideology. They admit that their Christian beliefs influence their vote but deny that they seek political domination. In fact, many so-called dominionsts see that voting one's moral convictions is entirely consistent with Democracy, and that criticizing Christians for doing so is hypocritical.

Mmmhmm. But that's not as much fun...voting one's moral convictions...remaining consistent with Democracy, etc., etc. It would be much more interesting to be part of a Dominionist government overthrow!

But Critics such as Frederick Clarkson, the author of Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, frankly express their fear that, as this coalition of religious people grows, democracy and pluralism will be increasingly under attack. During the administration of George W. Bush, critics of the Dominionist idea have sometimes claimed the trend is representative of all Christians of a Republican or politically-conservative orientation. New York Times reporter Chris Hedges, for example, has equated the sermons of James Dobson to the rhetoric used in the former Yugoslavia to justify the slaughter of Muslims by Serbian Christians, and he has characterized federally-funded Christian charities as "parallel indoctrination systems."

See, all of us Christians are part of this together! You can't claim ignorance now!

According to the conservative Washington Times, some "liberal" critics of dominionism express "hostility toward Christian conservatives." [1].

I'm shocked.

Stanley Kurtz, in the conservative forum, National Review online, complained that discussion about Dominionism (at a conference in New York and in articles in Harper's Magazine) often linked average Christian evangelicals with extremism, such as views found at the fringes of the very small but influential movement known as Christian Reconstructionism:

The notion that conservative Christians want to reinstitute slavery and rule by genocide is not just crazy, it’s downright dangerous. The most disturbing part of the Harper’s cover story (the one by Chris Hedges) was the attempt to link Christian conservatives with Hitler and fascism. Once we acknowledge the similarity between conservative Christians and fascists, Hedges appears to suggest, we can confront Christian evil by setting aside 'the old polite rules of democracy.' So wild conspiracy theories and visions of genocide are really excuses for the Left to disregard the rules of democracy and defeat conservative Christians — by any means necessary. [2]

Oh, so we would get our own personal slaves too? (I'll have to think about whether I want one or not. Maybe just to clean the bathroom.)

One conference speaker criticized by Kurtz is Katherine Yurica, who has written about the rise of Dominionism as a theocratic tendency in the Christian Right.[3][4] Yurica responded to Kurtz and pointed out that she has not used the term "Christian Fascism" in her writings.[5] Yurica has noted fascistic tendencies in Christian Right Dominionism, but she does not consider the Christian Right to be "Christian."

Christian conservatives, however, are not the only people who suggest that some criticism of dominionism is hyperbolic. Even some progressive researchers warn of the tendency. For example, two progressive websites that challenge the Christian Right but urge respectful rhetoric are Talk to Action and Campaign to Defend the Constitution.

Respectful rhetoric is good. But maybe they shouldn't naively take such a light tone with us, being evil Dominionists and all...