Christian Domionism And Bad History (Part 2)

 

When a un-Biblical Idea Enters The Picture And Results in Distorted History

Ignorance, Fear, And Paranoia

Continuing from the last article, there are forces at work. It’s called ignorance, fear, and paranoia. They are the forces that feed into conspiracy theories. These are the gullible individuals unwilling to exercise there critical thinking skills and believe every sensationalist piece that they run across on Facebook as the gospel truth. 

When one starts catering to there fears and start embracing conspiracy theories, they start to see things that aren’t there. Their invisible boogeymen and pariahs become real villains that are out to get them at every corner. They inherit the persecution complex and believe that everyone is out to get them. While persecution is a part of Christianity, the persecution complex is not. It becomes a tool for people to present there pariahs and dislikes as villains that are out to get them. The Bible is then remolded to fit there narrative. 

Civic Equality Means Assault Of Faith To Others

Even though our country has always intended on being a civic democracy where there would be equal rights and privileges, regardless of religious affiliations or lack thereof, this hasn't been the case. Through a massive part of our history, Protestant Christians have enjoyed civic privileges that were often denied to others because of there religion.

In a county that is now trying to fulfill it’s equal civic obligations, American Evangelical Christians see there loss of civic privilege as an assault on faith. When these Christians scream about lost rights, there reacting to the loss of privilege in a society which is trying to fulfill there civic freedom to everyone regardless of background. Something has to be stated right now: there has been no rights that have been taken away from Christians. This has been true even through the virus outbreak as digital means have been provided for people to fulfill there spiritual needs. Such claim is a knee-jerk reaction not based on anything of actual merit. Sensationalist catch-phrases are used to play up the claims.  

The reason why these claims echo loudly is because American Evangelicals practically have a monopoly on Christian thought in this country, so claims are going to heard the loudest.  These claims are absurd unless one buys into the sensationalist/conspiracy tripe that places like Fox news, Breitbart, and TheBlaze publish on a regular basis. Civic equality is viewed as forced discrimination for American Evangelical Christians.

For modern American Evangelical Christians that already embrace Christianity as a political movement, an organization like WallBuilders will confirm there beliefs. I’m not a fan of politicized religion at all because people’s personal views become corrupted when they start passing off there own political beliefs as “Biblical Teaching”. Party politics and faith become one and the same. A criticism of a political leader is seen as an attack on religion, even if the reasons are based on merit or being objective without conforming to slants. Also, both political institutions are equally prone to moral and ethical shortcomings. However, under politicized religion, both parties are given spiritual attributes to heighten the drama and make things appear fat more dramatic that they actually are. Thus, one seed is labeled "Demonic" and the other "Godly" despite them being both being secular entities that have there equal shortcomings. Every side needs there villain or pariah. 

Because faith and party politics become one in the same, critiques and criticisms are seen as a personal attack. When an subscriber to these ideas sees someone with a difference of opinion, it’s not simply one who has a difference opinion, but someone who is misled and trying to corrupt believers. Following the tropes found in many Christian movies,  those with a difference of opinion contrary to those held by American Evangelical Christians are often portrayed as Godless atheist trying to stomp out Christianity.

Conspiracy Theories

Not only that, several of these organizations paint the picture that there is this elaborate, well-organized cover up orchestrated by those “pesky liberals” to hide the "real" truth of our past. Conspiracy theories in the process. One time, I was making jokes with a preacher and I jokingly remarked like when there 64 oz. drink had less soda than usual, there was a conspiracy theory behind it. We both joked, but in a more serious tone, I stated that I don't believe in conspiracy theories. She was actually taken back and looked dumbfounded and confused when I stated that I didn't believe in them. I quickly made a joke and change the subject and all was well. However, it left an unsettling feeling with me that with many, conspiracy theories hold as much merit as actual valid news.

Conspiracy theories are so prevalent within American Evangelical Christianity that its even implied that your not a real Christian unless you embrace them. A Christian is suppose to post empty memes on impulse because you're nor a real Christian if you don't. You're suppose to run with the sensationalist article from a very questionable source on impulse. As we know, any site that has the word "Christian" in the title won't lie to us....right? Gullible individuals are taken in by the absurd claims. Some Christian movies exploit the fears and prejudices of American Evangelical Christians by playing into these conspiracy theories. Anyone who’s not a stranger to my writings already know how I feel about conspiracy theories. Instead of basing there arguments on validated facts from a reliable source, most will grasp straws and form there grievances around cartoon villains, boogeymen, and conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality.

When Junk Enter The Equation

Those who get there news from junk sites are fed these conspiracy claims on a constant basis. Several of these sites have "Christian" in there name. Most visiting the site will automatically assume that because the source in question has the word "Christian" in  there name, the site won't lie to them. They will also assume that the outlet won't have a agenda. Most operating the sites know how there viewers are as well. They know they can make the most outrageous and sensationalist claim and those visiting the site will run with it on impulse without question.

Often, the visitors to these sites are told that public schools are hiding the “truth’ of our nations history. Now public schools do share the blame for there negative image. When they spend so much time and emphasis on passing standardized test so they don’t loose there government funding, history is going down the drain. However, this isn’t some hidden conspiracy, but simple shear incompetence. However, the "history" presented by WallBuilders isn't history at all.

Many examples are used to promote the idea of Christian oppression in this country.. The Ten Commandments is often used to illustrate this. Many will paint the picture that American society became corrupted at there removal from various courthouses. Never mind the fact that there were various crimes committed while those stone tablets were there. Never mind the fact that crimes of lust and passion was still a regular occurrence while those tablets were there. So why are people who didn't follow God's teachings getting offended now! They didn’t follow God’s law while those tablets were there, so why are they upset now? Are they genuinely concerned about people’s spiritual well-being, or do they simply see this as a point loss for “Team God”? Was there spirituality serious or did they simply see Christianity as a tool for social control?

Public education is another area that is often used to highlight this oppression (inaccurately). One of the misnomers about public education is that God had been taken out of schools. This isn’t the case as students are free to pray when they feel the need to. In fact, several school district have made accommodations for such students, regardless of there religious beliefs. While teacher or school-sanctioned prayers aren't a thing, the students religious views have no been infringed on.

This also highlights another point. Public schools are not there to cater to specific religious teachings, but teach students in an objective manner. If parents wanted there children to have a religious education, why not send them to religious-based schools? Why don’t they do that instead of demanding public education to conform to there personal beliefs. This is a occurrence when many American Evangelical Christians demand that Creationism be taught in science class despite there being no scientific basis or support for it.

At the end of the day, the question of faith is a personal aspect, not a public or institutionalized one. If one wants to embrace the Creation Story from Genesis from a literal standpoint, then that's there choice. However, why do they demand others to conform to there ideas. Especially in a setting that is intent on teaching concepts that have scientific backing behind it. Isn't that the whole purpose of science class to begin with? You go to science class to learn about science and you go to church to learn about God. If one wants Creation from a literal standpoint to be taught, then go to a religious school. Does one go to chemistry class to here a sermon or do to a church to here a mathematician or scientist speak? Does one go to an auto mechanic to here a lecture on political science? Why are people demanding there places of preference to conform to there personal faith. Also, evolution, from an open-ended viewpoint, doesn't contradict Christianity either. Believing in it doesn't make one a lesser Christian.

It’s at this point that many American Evangelicals, Christianity don’t see faith as a personal part of there lives. There at reluctant at even referring to Christianity as the spiritual movement at all. The reason for this is that they would become obligated to Jesus's teachings, which often run counter to there ideas of social and political control. For many American Evangelicals, Christianity isn't about spirituality, but a tool for institutionalized control at the expense of everybody else. In there eyes, there is no problem with demanding public schools to conform to there beliefs at the expense of everybody else. This is why they can make such sensationalist claims like God has been removed from schools even though students can pray in a personal setting.

Image and perception is more important than personal beliefs. Being Christian isn’t helping the poor, but voting Republican. Being a Christian means not forming opinions on facts, but outlandish conspiracy theories. Being Christian isn’t showing love, kindness and compassion for your fellow man, but simply wearing a WWJD arm-band and a “Team Jesus” t-shirt. Never mind that this is the Christian equivalent of someone who thinks there now a radical simply by donning a Che Geueva t-shirt. Being a Christian isn’t providing spiritual outreach, but sharing stupid memes on Facebook. It’s depressing what many people think Christianity is.

When one watches news from a single perspective, there minds starts to think that things are a certain way when things are different simply because the source in question is leaving out pieces of information for whatever reason. An example of this is when various news sources play down the effects of Covid-19. Those who get there news from slanted sites posting sensationalist click-bait on Facebook or talk radio are led to believe that the virus isn't as bad as several make it out to be. These sources present the virus as just like a seasonal code or flu. Thus, with the restrictions being lifted, to them things are getting better.

According to these sources, things were never that bad. Never mind that cases have been going up since the restrictions have been lifted. The phrase "Things are getting better" turns into a very cruel joke. Deaths have just reached 100,000. That’s 100,000 over two months. Let that sink in. Half of those occurred in the last month month. When one watches a news network that constantly ignores this, the viewer would be lead to believe that things aren’t as bad as people are making it out to be. Thus, not wearing the mask is seen as making a bold statement when in reality, not wearing a mask is one of the most selfish and most self-adsorbed things that a individual can do.

Also, as much as I dislike American Broadcast News, the major outlets have never used the terms “nuts” or “right-wing wackos”. In fact, I’m very doubtful that even MSNBC or CNN (which are beyond garbage) have used these terms. I do know sources of news that have used them though. Conservative talk radio host have used these phrases on a very regular basis to describe how they perceive that others view them. These terms are a regular for those who are into sensationalist click-bait in the form of memes of Facebook and other social media platforms. Breitbart and TheBlaze have used those terms as well to describe how others see them. When one uses sources like Fox News on a regular basis though, they several start to think that this is how others see them. Since these viewers aren’t likely to watch news outlets outside of there preference, they will just make the assumption that this is how the other sources see them. This is bias that fed by ignorance.

More Bad History (Washington's Vision)

During my research, I got referenced to Washington's Vision. I'm somewhat familiar with the Revolutionary War and the early days of the Republic, but yet, I've never heard about Washington's Vision up to this point. I've wondered if this was a alternate name to Washington's Farewell Address that he wrote in 1796 that warned about the rise of political parties. That letter was reprinted immediately and documented after Washington wrote it. Washington's Vision wasn't a alternate name for his Farewell Address though.

The more that I started to investigate what this piece is, I've started to get far more questions than answers. This isn't a good sign. For those who want the very simple Cliff-Notes version, this statement was basically a vision that Washington received from an angel about how our country would become awesome, then crashes and burn before becoming awesome again. The piece was supposedly a casual conversation that Washington was having with another general when they were at Valley Forge. One of the soldiers, Anthony Sherman, overheard it.

For those who want historical context, Valley Forge this was a very low point in the Continental Army. Washington's Army suffered defeat after defeat, and the ideas of the Revolution were just hanging on by a thread. The British Army captured the American Capital at the time, Philadelphia and Washington's army stayed at Valley Forge from December 1777 to June 1778. While there, the soldiers experienced hardships, like weather exposure and starvation/illness. However, the Continental Army also trained constantly and thus became a much more proficient on the battlefield.

One has to remember that even during this time, Washington wasn't just some random unknown character. He had already achieved great recognition because of his involvement in the French and Indian Wars and was now leader of the Continental Army. He was one of the most recognized plantation owners in Virginia. People would have recognized him and recorded every word that he said or wrote, even back then Washington kept records. wrote letters, made journal entries as well. Yet, there is no recount of his "vision" at the time, at least not until 1861, some 82 years after Valley Forge and some 60 years after Washington died.

The only account about this vision was from Anthony Sherman. Yet, there's been no records that a Anthony Sherman was at Valley Forge at the time. While there was a Anthony Sherman in the army, he was stationed at Saratoga under the command of Benedict Arnold, and he wasn't at Valley Forge. The records for those who thought in the army were very well documented, even if there stints were brief. This was regardless of whether the soldier was in the Continental Army or a volunteer from a local army. The vision was supposedly transcribed by Charles Wesley Alexander in 1859. However, the recount wasn't published until April 1861 at the start of the Civil War, about 2 years later.

If Washington's Vision was transcribed in 1859, then how come it wasn't published in the same year? This was a piece that could have been reprinted any time. This is where one sees Washington's Vision as commentary about the status of the country at the eve of the Civil War. Essentially, the "Anthony Sherman" that the vision was transcribed from was a character invented by Charles Wesley Alexander to link his commentary directly to Washington and give it credibility. When Washington's Vision was published, Alexander published it under a pseudo-name : Wesley Bradshaw. How come Alexander didn't use his real name if he had a genuine account? Over the years, Charles Wesley Alexander wrote more "Vision" articles on other famous historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant and General McClellan. As noted in the Snopes article, where most of this information is referenced, Alexander also wrote stories about Union soldiers with supernatural powers and that of a demonic Englishwoman helping the Confederacy (I will go on a time machine and buy this man a beer and a sandwich! Demonic people helping the Confederacy isn't that far from the truth).

The phrase "Son of the Republic" was used constantly in the vision. Such a phrase wouldn't have gained traction until the eve of the Civil War as a statement to preserve the Union. Such wording would have been very unusual during the Revolution as while the solider were fighting for independence, the ideas about how the newly independent government should operate hadn't been formed yet. Would there be one united country or 13 colonies in a confederation? Would it become a monarch? The idea of a Federal Republic was very distant during the Revolution. The colonies were united about independence from Britain, but that was about it. Not only that, but when reading Washington's Vision, it seems too polished to sound like a casual conversation between two individuals. 

Washington's Vision as commentary about the status of the country on the eve of the Civil War as stated earlier.  This vision was basically an independent essay of someone's interpretation of Washington's idea about a united Federal Union. This isn't a bad thing in itself. In fact, its very well articulated. As a independent piece, this form of commentary would have gotten plenty of attention on its own merits. It's more the reason why I feel that it was completely unnecessary and foolish to invent a vehicle to try to link his opinions to a famous historical figure. Charles Wesley Alexander manipulated history by trying to make a direct link between his commentary and the historical figure. 

It's would be like if I wrote a well-written article about today's situations, but wrote it as "General Patton's Vision" and tried to make a directly connection between him and my commentary by inventing a World War 2 veteran as a vehicle to make this link. Afterwards, not having confidence in my own writing, I would publish it under the pseudo-name Pigeon Fartface.

Commentary is fine. However, unlike most pieces of commentary, this one got directly linked to its historical figure.  A person commenting on what "Washington's Vision" for the country as a form of commentary isn't a bad thing in itself. Many Christians will try to classify Jesus as "this" or "that" and try to relate his teachings in the modern age. We constantly make critiques about what historical figures would have intended for the modern age. However, we often try to avoid directly linking our commentaries directly to the historical figures in question. As stated, there was no reference of Washington's Vision between 1778 and 1861.

Even though I was being very cynical earlier, Washington's Vision actually isn't a bad read. I would recommend people to check it out. However, we need to recognize it as it is: Civil War commentary for the time. It's something that was not said by Washington. Don't just assume that this was historical account from the General himself at face-value without research. Don't assume that this was from Washington himself just because it sounded like something he would said. We would not being doing history a favor. Research Is Everything. 

Snopes : George Washington’s Vision - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/george-washingtons-vision/

Boston 1775 : The Truth Of Washington's Vision - http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/12/truth-of-washingtons-vision.html

Wikipedia : Valley Forge - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Forge

Wikipedia : George Washington's Farewell Address - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_Farewell_Address

USHistory.org : Historic Valley Forge - https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/vision.html

Wikipedia : Hitler Diaries - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_Diaries

Rational Wiki : Classroom Player - https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Classroom_prayer

GotQuestions : What is Christian dominionism? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-dominionism.html

Covid-19

ProPublica : Even After Trump Declared a National Emergency, Some Talk Radio Hosts Weren’t Convinced - https://www.propublica.org/article/even-after-trump-declared-a-national-emergency-some-talk-radio-ho...

The Atlantic : In Right-Wing Media, the Pivot Didn’t Happen - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/defying-trump-talk-radio-keeps-downplaying-covid-1...

Vanity Fair : COVID-19 Conspiracies Are Turobocharged Through Conservative Media - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/04/coronavirus-conspiracies-charged-conservative-media-fox-news

Valley Morning Star : 29 positive cases reported in Cameron Co. - https://www.valleymorningstar.com/2020/06/06/29-positive-cases-reported-cameron-co/

ABC KRGV : Hidalgo, Cameron counties see spike of nearly 50 COVID-19 cases combined in single day - https://www.krgv.com/news/hidalgo-cameron-counties-see-spike-of-nearly-50-covid-19-cases-combined-in...

NBC Miami : Spike in Florida Coronavirus Cases For Third Consecutive Day: 4,041 Cases in last 72 Hours - https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/spike-in-florida-coronavirus-cases-for-third-consecutive-day-404...

KHSB Kansas City : Metro COVID-19 spike traced to Kansas City business - https://www.kshb.com/news/coronavirus/metro-covid-19-spike-traced-to-kansas-city-business

AP : COVID-19 cases spike in Utah a month after reopenings - https://apnews.com/4ca69c595e0d15176a2a0e287ffa6dc9

NBC DFW : Dallas County Reports Largest Daily Spike in COVID-19 Cases - https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/dallas-county-reports-largest-daily-spike-in-covid-19-cases/...

WallBuilders

WallBuilders : Importance of Morality and Religion in Government -https://wallbuilders.com/importance-morality-religion-government/

MBFC : WallBuilders - https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wallbuilders/

SPLC : David Barton's Make-Believe Version of American History - https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2012/08/24/david-bartons-make-believe-version-american-history

Links From The Last Article

Smithsonian Magazine : America’s True History of Religious Tolerance - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/

Monticello : Jefferson's Religious Beliefs - https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-religious-beliefs

FactCheck.org : Bibles Aren’t Required for the Oath of Office - https://www.factcheck.org/2019/01/bibles-arent-required-for-the-oath-of-office/

Wikipedia : Article Six of the United States Constitution -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Six_of_the_United_States_Constitution

Wikipedia : Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Statute_for_Religious_Freedom

Wikipedia : Deism - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

Wikipedia : Deism # Deism in the United States - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

Wikipedia : Theism - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism

Wikipedia : Age of Enlightenment # Religion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment#Religion

Wikipedia :First Amendment to the United States Constitution - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Wikipedia : Seperation of church and state in the United States - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States