Christian and Jewish/Noahide theocratic movements
In The End of American Jewry's Golden Era, Daniel Pipes is quoted as saying:
"Militant Islam cannot be compared to any segment of Christianity, Judaism, or Hinduism. These religions do not embody groups with totalitarian utopian ideologies that seek world hegemony.
Yes they do.
Admittedly, the Christian and Jewish equivalents of Islamism (the totalitarian ideology) are a much more marginal fringe, among adherents of their religions, than Islamists now are among Muslims. Hence they are currently far less dangerous on a worldwide scale. But they do exist. And, from my point of view, the Christian counterparts of Islamism do pose a real threat - although not nearly as big a threat, on a worldwide scale, as Islamism.
The Christian counterparts of Islamism are Reconstructionism and Dominionism, whose longterm goal is the restoration of "Biblical civil law." For Christian Reconstructionists and other hardcore Dominionists, this would include a death penalty, by stoning, for "idolators," "blasphemers," and homosexuals. Although they are a fringe, Reconstructionists and other Dominionists are disporportionately active in the Christian religious right wing, still a very powerful political movement.
Below are some articles about Reconstructionism and Dominion theology:
There are also ultra-Orthodox movements within Judaism with a similarly theocratic agenda - and which have enlisted the support of some like-minded non-Jews.
Traditionally, Jews don't try to convert non-Jews to Judaism. However, Jews traditionally do believe that all humans, including non-Jews, are obliged to obey the seven "Noahide laws," one of which is the establishment of courts of justice to enforce the other Noahide laws. At least "theoretically," this would include a death penalty for "idolators," "blasphemers," and homosexuals - albeit by beheading, rather than by stoning. There is now a new and growing "Noahide" religious movement of non-Jews who have not fully converted to Judaism, but who follow the teachings of Jewish rabbis (usually Orthodox or ultra-Orthodox rabbis) regarding the Noahide laws, and whose ultimate aim to establish a worldwide theocracy. Noahide groups differ on whether and to what extent the "death penalty" is to be taken literally, but, as far as I can tell so far, it seems that most Noahide groups, or at least the more visible ones, do call for a literal death penalty for purely religious transgressions.
Although I don't consider theocratic Jews and Noahides to be anywhere nearly as much of a threat, at the present time, as either the Muslim or Christian religious right wing, I will devote more space to theocratic Jews and Noahides in this post simply because the topic is newer to me.
The website of a Noahide group called the First Covenant Foundation contains the best introductions to Noahidism I've been able to find, so far, in the following articles:
(CHABAD - Hasidic Jews - for Noahides. These people teach some extremely peculiar doctrines, like the idea that their late leader, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was more than human. They refuse to acknowledge our existence or that of Rainbow Covenant, the book. Their teachings on the 7 Laws tend to be crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting. They are, however, fairly active, and they often add new content. Take the good, if you can find it, ignore the bad; be warned!)
Other Noahide websites affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch tend to be even more "crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting." For example, The Institute of Noahide Code has a page on The Seven Laws of the Descendents of Noah which includes the following:
The Seven Noahide laws are general commandments with many details. Transgressing any one of them is considered such a breach in the natural order that the offender incurs the death penalty. Apart from a few exceptions, the death sentence for a Ben Noach is Sayif, death by the sword / decapitation, the least painful of the four modes of execution of criminals (see the Rambam's Hilchos Melachim 9:14). (The four methods of capital punishment in Torah are: S’kilah - Stoning; S’rifah - Burning; Hereg - Decapitation; Henek - Strangulation.) The many formalities of procedure essential when the accused is an Israelite need not be observed in the case of the Noachite. The latter may be convicted on the testimony of one witness, even on that of relatives, but not on that of a woman. He need have had no warning from the witnesses; and a single judge may pass sentence on him (Sanhedrin 57a, b; Rambam, Hilchos Melakim 9:14).
Also affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch is a political activist group called Jews and Hasidic Gentiles United to Save America. Note its call for the total abolishment of all other religions:
The only halachic approach to Sheva Mitzvos, is that every single human being is required to observe the Sheva Mitzvos in all their hundreds of ramifications in totality. There is no room for dialogue with other religions, for the 'purification of Christianity' or lost-ten-tribes theology. These falsehoods, promoted by the Root and Branch Association and others, including the leadership of the Noachide groups in Tennessee, are destructive anti-Torah viewpoints. The Rambam writes that the time will come when Christians and Muslims will realize that their religions are false, and fault their forefathers for teaching it to them. They will accept the One G-d of the Jewish people, and all other religions, in any form or variation, will be abolished in their entirety. The time for this is now, and all other approaches only are intended to delay the revelation of the absolute Truth of Torah in the entire world.
See also this site's pages about The Hasidic Gentile Campaign and The Final War for Jerusalem. The latter page presents an elaborate conspiracy theory featuring the "Amaleki," in many ways an eerie mirror image of classic anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. The Amaleki are alleged to control a still-alive-and-kicking worldwide Communist conspiracy, which in turn is alleged to be behind just about everything wrong with the world, including rival groups and movements within Judaism/Noahidism. (Most other Jews, including most Hasidic Jews, have a more metaphorical interpretation of "Amalek.") The conspiracy theory is devoloped in more detail in the group's newsletters, which contain a flood of claims but little or no documentation. The absence of documentation is excused as follows:
(Note: The underground Communist apparatus and its aboveground tentacles are actively engaged in subversion in all sectors and institutions of society today. Its agents would dearly love to know the full extent of our information, which would assist their disinformation efforts. Consequently, we do not divulge all our facts or sources. These profiles are intended only as a warning to the wise to monitor the individuals and groups exposed here, and to avoid their influence.)
Yeah, right....
The following sites do not appear to be affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch and are not as "crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting" as the above two sites, but they too call for "the death penalty with the sword":
A more moderate Noahide position is presented in the article Can I be a Christian, or an atheist, say, and still keep the First Covenant? on the website of the First Covenant Foundation.
Another relatively mellow-seeming Noahide group is the Root and Branch Association, based in Israel. But they seem to be affiliated with Israel's theocratic movement.
Alas, even the most moderate Noahides seem to be quite anti-gay, if the websites are at all representative.
Anyhow, it doesn't seem at all likely to me that the Noahide movement will displace Christianity anytime soon, if ever. It's still a very small religious movement. Even many Jews aren't yet aware that it exists.
Looking around for some information about Noahidism by scholarly outsiders, I found only a few blog posts by Richard Bartholomew in the Gentiles for Judaism category, which also covers a few other religious movements besides the Noahides.
I also found, alas, lots of nonsense on the web by anti-Jewish bigots promoting panic about Noahidism, which they claim is the latest Jewish plot to take over the world, supposedly on the verge of succeeding tomorrow! So far, these panic-mongers are almost the only people paying any attention at all to the Noahide movement, besides the Noahides themselves and their Jewish mentors
Although I don't expect the Noahide movement to grow very big, let alone take over the world, I do expect that it may become influential out of proportion to its numbers, because the command to "establish courts of justice" cam be taken as an obligation to engage in political activism. (See, for example, Should B'nai Noach get involved in politics? on the website of the First Covenant foundation.) In most cases this seems to mean involvement in either pro-Israel or religious right wing activism. Still, as a sector within the religious right wing here in the U.S.A., I don't expect that them to become anywhere nearly as influential as the Christian religious right wingers.
I mentioned earlier that some Noahide groups have ties to theocratic movements in Israel. In Israel, the ultra-orthdox movements are still a minority, but growing rapidly, partly due just to family size. The ultra-Orthodox believe they've been commanded by God to have as many babies as they can possibly squeze out, whereas more moderate Jews typically have just one or two children.
The potentially most dangerous groups are those that aim to build the Third Temple, including the Temple Institute, the Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement, and Revava.
Problem: the Temple Mount is also the third holiest site in Islam, and the Dome of the Rock Mosque now sits where the temple once stood. So, building the Third Temple would require tearing down the Dome of the Rock Mosque, which would start a world war. So, the majority of Jews, and the government of Israel, do not approve of the Temple Mount movement and its aims. Even most Orthodox Jews do not believe that the Temple can or should be rebuilt until after the Moshiach (Messiah) arrives.
However, here in the U.S.A., there are lots of evangelical Christian preachers acting as cheerleaders for the Temple Mount movement. Many of these U.S. evangelical Christian preachers are premillenialists who, apparently, want to provoke Armageddon.
For some of the oddities connected with the Temple Mount movement and its U.S. evangelical Christian supporters, see:
Among other things, there's a group of mostly extreme right wing ultra-Orthodox rabbis who have organized what is supposed to be a new "Sanhedrin," although it has no official standing. Some relevant posts by Richard Bartholomew:
Still, despite the growing strength of the Israeli religious right wing, it seems that GLBT rights are better in Israel than anywhere else in the Middle East.
Below are links to some pages about GLBT rights in Israel:
"Militant Islam cannot be compared to any segment of Christianity, Judaism, or Hinduism. These religions do not embody groups with totalitarian utopian ideologies that seek world hegemony.
Yes they do.
Admittedly, the Christian and Jewish equivalents of Islamism (the totalitarian ideology) are a much more marginal fringe, among adherents of their religions, than Islamists now are among Muslims. Hence they are currently far less dangerous on a worldwide scale. But they do exist. And, from my point of view, the Christian counterparts of Islamism do pose a real threat - although not nearly as big a threat, on a worldwide scale, as Islamism.
The Christian counterparts of Islamism are Reconstructionism and Dominionism, whose longterm goal is the restoration of "Biblical civil law." For Christian Reconstructionists and other hardcore Dominionists, this would include a death penalty, by stoning, for "idolators," "blasphemers," and homosexuals. Although they are a fringe, Reconstructionists and other Dominionists are disporportionately active in the Christian religious right wing, still a very powerful political movement.
Below are some articles about Reconstructionism and Dominion theology:
- Dominionism and Christian Reconstructionism, Dominion Theology, and Theonomy - Recent Developments on the Religious Tolerance site
- Wikipedia article on Dominion Theology
- SourceWatch article on Dominionism
- Invitation to a Stoning: Getting cozy with theocrats by Walter Olson, Reason Magazine (a Libertarian periodical), November 1998
- Guide to the Christian Right The Christian Right, Dominionism, & Theocracy by Chip Berlet
- Dominionism and Dominion Theology on the Theocracy Watch site
- The Ayatollah of Holy Rollers by Steve Weissman, Truthout
- A Nation Under God by John Sugg, Mother Jones, December/January 2006
- America The Theocracy by John F.Sugg, Weekly Planet (Tampa, Florida) March 2004
- Reconstruction Theology in Home Education - Mary McCarthy
- Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism by Sarah Leslie, an evangelical Christian who is critical of dominionism
- Your Guide to the Christian Reconstruction Movement - website, listing many resources pro and con, by an unorthodox advocate of Christian theocracy. (Note that, while Christian Reconstructionism per se may be "in decline," it's my impression that other branches of the larger "Dominion theology" movement are still growing.)
- The Crusaders by Bob Moser, Rolling Stone, April 7, 2005
- Jesus plus nothing: Undercover among America's secret theocrats by Jeffrey Sharlet, Harpers, March 2003 (see also Following up on “The Family”: Six Questions for Jeff Sharlet by Bill Wasik, Harpers, June 2, 2008, and this review of Jeff Sharlet's book The Family: the Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power)
There are also ultra-Orthodox movements within Judaism with a similarly theocratic agenda - and which have enlisted the support of some like-minded non-Jews.
Traditionally, Jews don't try to convert non-Jews to Judaism. However, Jews traditionally do believe that all humans, including non-Jews, are obliged to obey the seven "Noahide laws," one of which is the establishment of courts of justice to enforce the other Noahide laws. At least "theoretically," this would include a death penalty for "idolators," "blasphemers," and homosexuals - albeit by beheading, rather than by stoning. There is now a new and growing "Noahide" religious movement of non-Jews who have not fully converted to Judaism, but who follow the teachings of Jewish rabbis (usually Orthodox or ultra-Orthodox rabbis) regarding the Noahide laws, and whose ultimate aim to establish a worldwide theocracy. Noahide groups differ on whether and to what extent the "death penalty" is to be taken literally, but, as far as I can tell so far, it seems that most Noahide groups, or at least the more visible ones, do call for a literal death penalty for purely religious transgressions.
Although I don't consider theocratic Jews and Noahides to be anywhere nearly as much of a threat, at the present time, as either the Muslim or Christian religious right wing, I will devote more space to theocratic Jews and Noahides in this post simply because the topic is newer to me.
The website of a Noahide group called the First Covenant Foundation contains the best introductions to Noahidism I've been able to find, so far, in the following articles:
- The Seven Laws of Noah and the Non-Jews who Follow Them by Michael Kress
- B'nai No'ach:The Reappearance of the God-fearers in our Time by James D. Tabor
- A brief history of the beginnings of the Modern Day Bnai Noach Movement by Jack E. Saunders
- Keep the Seven, Go to Heaven by Chaim Revier
(CHABAD - Hasidic Jews - for Noahides. These people teach some extremely peculiar doctrines, like the idea that their late leader, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was more than human. They refuse to acknowledge our existence or that of Rainbow Covenant, the book. Their teachings on the 7 Laws tend to be crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting. They are, however, fairly active, and they often add new content. Take the good, if you can find it, ignore the bad; be warned!)
Other Noahide websites affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch tend to be even more "crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting." For example, The Institute of Noahide Code has a page on The Seven Laws of the Descendents of Noah which includes the following:
The Seven Noahide laws are general commandments with many details. Transgressing any one of them is considered such a breach in the natural order that the offender incurs the death penalty. Apart from a few exceptions, the death sentence for a Ben Noach is Sayif, death by the sword / decapitation, the least painful of the four modes of execution of criminals (see the Rambam's Hilchos Melachim 9:14). (The four methods of capital punishment in Torah are: S’kilah - Stoning; S’rifah - Burning; Hereg - Decapitation; Henek - Strangulation.) The many formalities of procedure essential when the accused is an Israelite need not be observed in the case of the Noachite. The latter may be convicted on the testimony of one witness, even on that of relatives, but not on that of a woman. He need have had no warning from the witnesses; and a single judge may pass sentence on him (Sanhedrin 57a, b; Rambam, Hilchos Melakim 9:14).
Also affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch is a political activist group called Jews and Hasidic Gentiles United to Save America. Note its call for the total abolishment of all other religions:
The only halachic approach to Sheva Mitzvos, is that every single human being is required to observe the Sheva Mitzvos in all their hundreds of ramifications in totality. There is no room for dialogue with other religions, for the 'purification of Christianity' or lost-ten-tribes theology. These falsehoods, promoted by the Root and Branch Association and others, including the leadership of the Noachide groups in Tennessee, are destructive anti-Torah viewpoints. The Rambam writes that the time will come when Christians and Muslims will realize that their religions are false, and fault their forefathers for teaching it to them. They will accept the One G-d of the Jewish people, and all other religions, in any form or variation, will be abolished in their entirety. The time for this is now, and all other approaches only are intended to delay the revelation of the absolute Truth of Torah in the entire world.
See also this site's pages about The Hasidic Gentile Campaign and The Final War for Jerusalem. The latter page presents an elaborate conspiracy theory featuring the "Amaleki," in many ways an eerie mirror image of classic anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. The Amaleki are alleged to control a still-alive-and-kicking worldwide Communist conspiracy, which in turn is alleged to be behind just about everything wrong with the world, including rival groups and movements within Judaism/Noahidism. (Most other Jews, including most Hasidic Jews, have a more metaphorical interpretation of "Amalek.") The conspiracy theory is devoloped in more detail in the group's newsletters, which contain a flood of claims but little or no documentation. The absence of documentation is excused as follows:
(Note: The underground Communist apparatus and its aboveground tentacles are actively engaged in subversion in all sectors and institutions of society today. Its agents would dearly love to know the full extent of our information, which would assist their disinformation efforts. Consequently, we do not divulge all our facts or sources. These profiles are intended only as a warning to the wise to monitor the individuals and groups exposed here, and to avoid their influence.)
Yeah, right....
The following sites do not appear to be affiliated with Chabad Lubavitch and are not as "crude, archaic, and extremely off-putting" as the above two sites, but they too call for "the death penalty with the sword":
- Noahide Nations (see its its page about courts of justice)
- Sheva Mitzvot Bnei Noach (see its FAQ and its page on the seven laws)
- BecomingJewish.org - Noahide
A more moderate Noahide position is presented in the article Can I be a Christian, or an atheist, say, and still keep the First Covenant? on the website of the First Covenant Foundation.
Another relatively mellow-seeming Noahide group is the Root and Branch Association, based in Israel. But they seem to be affiliated with Israel's theocratic movement.
Alas, even the most moderate Noahides seem to be quite anti-gay, if the websites are at all representative.
Anyhow, it doesn't seem at all likely to me that the Noahide movement will displace Christianity anytime soon, if ever. It's still a very small religious movement. Even many Jews aren't yet aware that it exists.
Looking around for some information about Noahidism by scholarly outsiders, I found only a few blog posts by Richard Bartholomew in the Gentiles for Judaism category, which also covers a few other religious movements besides the Noahides.
I also found, alas, lots of nonsense on the web by anti-Jewish bigots promoting panic about Noahidism, which they claim is the latest Jewish plot to take over the world, supposedly on the verge of succeeding tomorrow! So far, these panic-mongers are almost the only people paying any attention at all to the Noahide movement, besides the Noahides themselves and their Jewish mentors
Although I don't expect the Noahide movement to grow very big, let alone take over the world, I do expect that it may become influential out of proportion to its numbers, because the command to "establish courts of justice" cam be taken as an obligation to engage in political activism. (See, for example, Should B'nai Noach get involved in politics? on the website of the First Covenant foundation.) In most cases this seems to mean involvement in either pro-Israel or religious right wing activism. Still, as a sector within the religious right wing here in the U.S.A., I don't expect that them to become anywhere nearly as influential as the Christian religious right wingers.
I mentioned earlier that some Noahide groups have ties to theocratic movements in Israel. In Israel, the ultra-orthdox movements are still a minority, but growing rapidly, partly due just to family size. The ultra-Orthodox believe they've been commanded by God to have as many babies as they can possibly squeze out, whereas more moderate Jews typically have just one or two children.
The potentially most dangerous groups are those that aim to build the Third Temple, including the Temple Institute, the Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement, and Revava.
Problem: the Temple Mount is also the third holiest site in Islam, and the Dome of the Rock Mosque now sits where the temple once stood. So, building the Third Temple would require tearing down the Dome of the Rock Mosque, which would start a world war. So, the majority of Jews, and the government of Israel, do not approve of the Temple Mount movement and its aims. Even most Orthodox Jews do not believe that the Temple can or should be rebuilt until after the Moshiach (Messiah) arrives.
However, here in the U.S.A., there are lots of evangelical Christian preachers acting as cheerleaders for the Temple Mount movement. Many of these U.S. evangelical Christian preachers are premillenialists who, apparently, want to provoke Armageddon.
For some of the oddities connected with the Temple Mount movement and its U.S. evangelical Christian supporters, see:
- Holy cow! Will red heifer save world, cattle industry? by Jeremy Shere, Jerusalem Post, Friday July 11, 1997
- Holy Cow! by Lindsay Wlliams, April 16, 2000
Among other things, there's a group of mostly extreme right wing ultra-Orthodox rabbis who have organized what is supposed to be a new "Sanhedrin," although it has no official standing. Some relevant posts by Richard Bartholomew:
- Hal Lindsey Puffs Kahanists at WND
- “Israeli Supreme Court anti-Jewish” - “Sanhedrin” spokesman
- Jews, Joes, and Gentiles for Judaism
- Sanhedrin Celebrates First Birthday
- “Sanhedrin” (Allegedly) Implies that Israeli Maj.-Gen Should be Killed
- Israeli Far-Rights Calls for Women to be Expelled from IDF
Still, despite the growing strength of the Israeli religious right wing, it seems that GLBT rights are better in Israel than anywhere else in the Middle East.
Below are links to some pages about GLBT rights in Israel:
- Queer in the Land of Sodom, Gully, February 21, 2002
- Police authorize Jerusalem pride parade, Israeli News, June 14, 2007
- Wikipedia article on LGBT rights in Israel