"Before any of us get complacent by thinking, 'Oh, well, that’s Alabama. Predictable craziness,' there are similar laws ready to be passed in other states that want to advance Christianity as the unofficial religion of their state and the country. …
In his newsletter today, Robert P. Jones provides an eye-popping rundown of the race to theocracy that we're seeing now with the Republican party — if our eyes are open.
As he notes, on February 16, the Alabama supreme theocrats delivered their IVF ruling. He notes that chief justice Parker cited the King James bible, bible commentaries, and theologians as he stated that Alabamians live by a "theologically based" understanding of this issue.
Jones also notes that on the day the Alabama theocrats released their ruling, Parker appeared on QAnon conspiracist and Christian nationalist Johnny Enlow’s program stating that “God created government” and endorsing Christian dominionism.
Then on February 20, Politico highlighted the work of Russell Vought, who is close to Trump and has founded The Center for Renewing America laying out a theocratic agenda if Trump is elected.
Vought's Center states that its mission is “renew[ing] a consensus of America as a nation under God.”
On February 22, Trump appeared at the annual gathering of National Religious Broadcasters, stating, “If I get in, you’re going to be using that power at a level that you’ve never used before.”
He promised to promote vouchers for church-based schools and to nsure that America would have only two genders, male and female.
Trump ended his statements to the National Religious Broadcasters by stating, “We have to bring back our religion…. We have to bring back Christianity.”
The same day (Feb. 22), Steve Bannon hosted CPAC, at which Jack Posobiec held up a cross and said, “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here."
Robert P. Jones finishes his summary of what has happened in the US from Feb. 16-22 by stating,
"I’ll wrap with the opening line from Charles Blow’s insightful recent New York Times column: 'If you don’t think this country is sliding toward theocracy, you’re not paying attention.'”
Jay Kuo notes that Republicans are madly trying to run from the Alabama theocrats' IVF ruling.
"But all their grand statements don’t change a key fact: The minute you declare—as the Alabama Supreme Court and 124 Republican co-sponsors of the Life at Conception Act did—that embryos are 'persons' under the law, you make IVF functionally impossible."
"Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Tom Parker was downright gleeful.
He quoted Genesis in his sermon — I’m sorry, his concurring opinion — in the Alabama ruling that turned in vitro fertilization on its head by defining frozen embryos as children.
He quoted 17th century Dutch theologian Petrus Van Mastricht."
"Ya know, good ole Van Mastricht. He quoted a 16th century Bible – because older is closer to God, maybe – and quoted the Sixth Commandment, thou shalt not kill.
He quoted Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin and one of Roy Moore’s old pals at the Foundation for Moral Law in Montgomery. He wrote of the 'wrath of God.' …
Make no mistake about it. Alabama is a theocracy."
And you, too, can be Alabama, the rest of America. Just keep voting Republican. Theocracy waits!
As Josh Marshall notes, when the … something … hit the fan with the Alabama supreme theocratic court ruling turning cells in test tubes into babies, Republicans began wildly back-pedaling on their life-begins-at-conception ideology.
They realize they are now in a vulnerable position after the Alabama theocrats unmasked them.
#Mississippi cited that line of reasoning in its case to challenge Roe at #SCOTUS, a move his supporters say helped pave the way for Roe’s fall in 2022.
As Lucian K. Truscott says, the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that cells in a test tube are a baby and deserve the same rights that a baby has puts Republicans in a real bind.
It does so because it tells us that "pro-life" Republicans have not ever truly meant what they claim to believe, when they say that "life" begins at conception.
The logic of the Alabama court ruling is impeccable: if "life" begins at the moment of conception, as "pro-life" Republicans claim to believe, then from the moment ovum and sperm unite, a human being with full personal rights is present. So that the clump of cells in the test tube is a baby….
Obviously many people think this is a ridiculous way to understand the process of human reproduction and fetal development.
"The days that Republicans could say they were pro-life and forget about the details are over. It turns out that being anti-abortion wasn’t about the fetus as much as it was about the votes. Today, the anti-abortion movement is all about trying to find a way through the minefield the issue has become for them. Laws about abortion in red states have turned into a pick-your-timeframe smorgasbord."
Justice #TomParker, who made the #Alabama ruling regarding #embryos, had this to say last week: "God created government, and the fact that 'we' have let it go into the possession of 'others' is heartbreaking...." He believes in the Seven Mountain Mandate, a doctrine which calls on #Christians to control the "seven mountains" of society.
#ChristianNationalism is inconsistent with personal #freedom, including the #FirstAmendment’s guarantee that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
A society where one set of religious views is imposed on a large number of citizens who disagree with them is not a #democracy. It’s a #theocracy.
He quoted Genesis in his #sermon — I’m sorry, his concurring opinion — in the AL ruling that turned #IVF on its head by defining #FrozenEmbryos as children.
He quoted 17th century Dutch #theologian Petrus Van Mastricht. Ya know, good ole Van Mastricht. He quoted a 16th century #Bible – because older is closer to God, maybe – & quoted the #6thCommandment, thou shalt not kill.
He quoted Thomas Aquinas & John Calvin & one of Roy Moore’s old pals at the Foundation for #Moral Law in Montgomery. He wrote of the “wrath of God.”
“It is as if the People of Alabama took what was spoken of the prophet Jeremiah & applied it to every unborn person in this state: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, Before you were born I sanctified you.’”
Did I say it wasn’t a sermon? It was definitely a sermon.
"Please do not report that the Republicans support IVF without noting their actual records, or asking them if that means they do not think embryos are people."
"Several 'personhood' bills, which define life as beginning at the moment of fertilization have been introduced across the US, resulting in a mess of thorny legal questions about what it means to treat fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses as people. For example: can you claim a fetus as a dependent on your tax return?"
"The annual Conservative Political Action Convention (CPAC) is seldom subtle. This year they aren’t just saying the quiet part out loud — they are screaming it.
At a panel session Wednesday, right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec said without irony or sarcasm, 'I just wanted to say, welcome to the end of democracy.'"
"'We are here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it.'
He then held up a Christian cross and added, 'We’ll replace it with this right here. That’s right, because all glory, all glory is not to government, all glory is to God.'"
Reich article from across the pond.Having despised other theocracies - Iran as one example, Afghanistan as another and both arguably created/enabled by the US, the GOP are determined to copy them. At what point will the civilised world find that we have to accept refugees from the US?