Two days ago, NPR broadcast an interview on an “apostolic” or “dominionist” movement that is seeking not simply to influence all spheres of human activity but infiltrate, conquer, and control them with the supposed goal of putting them back under complete divine guidance. The divinity has entrusted the world to humanity (see Genesis 1.28) but clearly must be helped, because it has been either too busy or remote to notice the entropy in the administration of terrestrial affairs (neglect?), or unable to counteract the power grab by Satan and his demonic underlings (so, a weak and improvident or even reckless divinity?). And now, time is pressing, the coming of the millenium is to be helped, even accelerated, there is a second coming of Christ around the corner, either at the beginning of the millenium of peace, or at its completion. Strange, contradictory theories that look like a composite of pieces from ancient gnosticism (the world a prison controlled by demonic powers) and Christian millenarism.

Modern politics, business, education, arts, media, even religion, are marked by a rationalism and especially a tolerance that Satan uses to its own ends, world conquest. Satan has taken over: abortion and gay rights, evolution… They must be taken back, even through violence or trickery, and be under divine dominion. As if this hadn’t been done by the Catholic Church for centuries. No matter: they were papists, also under Satan’s yoke. Thin excuse for the likes of Perry or Bachman, together with business-savvy church leaders, to bamboozle people all too happy to relinquish control of their affairs and not examine the more complex reasons for our economic and political problems.

Note that the moral issues raised by the Christian right cost little to public finances. Very convenient for politicians.