Religious Extremism – The Fellowship of St Francis

August 6, 2024August 7, 2024 stfranman Church Life, Religious Extremism, Spirituality/Religion

The Church and the Tragedy of Trump

It’s an unfortunate and baffling fact that lots of Church goers in the US believe with all their heart that Donald trump is a Christian.

But the observable fact is that trump’s embrace of Christianity is about political expediency and is 100% phony. His actions could make an observer conclude that he—or someone on his staff who’s advising him—did a serious study of the life and teachings of Jesus and then proceeded to do—intentionally—the exact opposite at every opportunity.

He’s the best example I can think of of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The majority of Christians who have not jettisoned Jesus to join The Cult of Trump, can easily see right through his act.

It’s a tragedy that some of his most ardent, brain-washed followers fall for the act. Many of them claim to be Christians, yet embrace his hateful and transparently-unchristian statements and actions.

By the way, one of the consequences of this unfolding tragedy is that more and more Evangelical Christians who aren’t fooled by trump’s charade are exiting the Church and are becoming disaffected, solitary believers. The Church in America will be dealing with the consequences of this for a generation or more.

The certain result will be hundreds of denominations and the Church writ large greatly discredited and weakened. In fact, this process has been underway for years; It was merely accelerated by trump’s takeover of a vast segment of the Church in the US.

The unfortunate truth is that this mass-exodus and the resulting discrediting and weakening of the Church will never be reversed.

Ben Lawrence Basile

November 13, 2023 stfranman Religious Extremism, Spirituality/Religion

Could Christian Extremists Turn the US into a Theocracy?

Could they? Is such a thing even possible here? Well, if that’s not something you’ve been giving much thought to, permit me to tell you a few things going on now among some Christians holding some pretty extreme ideas. They often refer to themselves as Dominionists.

There is a movement afoot in the US right now to compel everyone—believers, people following other faiths and non-believers alike—to “get on board”, to submit to their narrow ideas about how things ought to go. To them, it would be the fulfillment of an Apocalyptic vision that “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. (Philippians 2: 10–11)

Of course, not all Christians in America share the idea that the Church could or should be on an intentional, well-planned campaign to make this happen—regardless of what it might take to accomplish the mission, so to speak, but it’s happening, nevertheless, and the movement is gathering strength.

Although it’s true that the majority of American Christians are not on-board, it’s also true that the real hard-core and extreme adherents to any religion are usually the ones holding the power stick and are therefore able to carry out such a plan. Support from everyone who subscribes to the faith is not necessary.

And if you’re worried about what could happen to anyone who might refuse to go along, or whether such a thing is even possible, let me point out that it’s happened many times in the history of Christianity and is a reality for millions of citizens and inhabitants of the six majority-Muslim Countries that are purposefully, authentically theocratic.

In a theocratic, authoritarian State, those in power can—and often do—force everyone, regardless of belief or unbelief, to submit to their authority, to their ideas about God’s will. They have the power to discredit, marginalize, excommunicate and—quite possibly—harm or kill those who don’t believe and/or don’t want to live in a theocracy.

The not-extreme believers would likely disapprove of the most extreme courses of action to any who won’t conform, but they would still be discredited, jobless, slandered, ostracized, and—in worst case scenarios—dead.

We are only three or four short steps from having an authoritarian government in power with extreme religious leaders empowered as close partners, able to put in place their extreme ideas in ways that will impact all Americans, whether they’re believers or not.

Think Taliban or the mullahs and Imams of Afghanistan or Iran but with extreme Evangelical Christian leaders, whether clergy or lay, holding some office or not, calling the shots and compelling obedience.

Yes, what I’m describing is a worst-case scenario, and they may not be able to actually pull it off, but Evangelicals who are okay with authoritarian ideas and avowed Christian Dominionists are trying very hard right now to bring it about.

If this seems far-fetched to you, I suggest you read up on Christian Dominionist ideas and theology by following this link:

Benjamin Basile

July 6, 2021October 28, 2021 stfranman Bible/Sacred Literature, Religious Extremism

The bomb-making Bible Study

Sometimes reading an article in the news leaves me stunned and incredulous.

It happens to me fairly often, truth be told. Well, it happened again just a few minutes ago. An article from the Washington Post tells the story of a violent insurrectionist who participated in the January 6th riot, putting together a plan to form a new militia-like organization to commit more violence in the wake of that tragic and shocking event.

Here’s the most shocking part of this nearly-unbelievable tale: the “cover story” for his efforts to organize more violent, insurrectionist acts was to be the forming of a Bible study group.

Plans for violence and killing wrapped in a cloak of dark, fake religiosity.

Things like that are certainly not new. When the writer of Proverbs penned this text, he recorded for posterity a situation to which these more recent events bear an uncanny resemblance:

¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked,
   and do not walk in the way of evildoers.
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
   they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
   and drink the wine of violence.
from Proverbs, Chapter 4

There’s no doubt in my mind that Fi Duong has been imbibing the wine of violence for a long time. It’s a very good thing that law enforcement uncovered this particular plan for evil in time.

Ben Lawrence Basile