He coined the word 'sermo-mercials' to describe the deliberate marketing that Disney is doing to churches:

Disney  Hypes "Narnia" to Christians. It's interesting, in a creepy way to see how Christians are the New! Improved! market to sell Stuff to.

by Lorie Johnson on Tue Dec 06, 2005 at 09:24:18 PM EST

I think you are definitely on to what may be beneath the upsurge in the religious right, which is clearly connected to its unholdy alliance with big-money interests.  

Obviously, we see this in the Republican party, and we know how wealth and elections are linked.  But I think that we are only beginning to unearth the extent to which they are the protein for a vast range of policy shifts.  

The religious right is commandeering politics and boosting the private sector, which pays back with support for the religious right.  

We are headed for a corporatocracy as much as theocracy, or perhaps some corpotheo combination.  

Corporate investment and religious right pressure on corporations are a part of the mix Religious Investment are only part of the picture.  

Add to this donations to right wing think tanks and support for candidates who, in turn, support corporate policies of lowered wages, environmental destruction, union dissolution, amassing of monopolies, tax breaks, anti-consumer legislation, and all sorts of other schemes to increase profit, as well as to direct social welfare programs into religious right organizations which become increasingly wealthy in the process.  

This is THE key, I think.  I'd be very interested to know what else you have uncovered.

by cyncooper on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 11:20:44 AM EST

I can't stand it.

by carole on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 11:26:24 AM EST

There are also elements of the corporate sector that would naturally resist the Christian right. They are important allies.

by Frederick Clarkson on Thu Dec 08, 2005 at 02:10:47 PM EST

Corporations known to have supported dominionist causes:

Chick-Fil-A (multiple dominionist links; http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/moore12.htm and http://blog.hamdems.org/archives/025021.html document this fairly extensively)

(from http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/moore12.htm which is an article on the antics of Roy Moore)

    Another religious celebration covering the Thanksgiving period is "National Bible Week." This celebration began in 1941, when the first Bible Week proclamation was made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Support for this event is better organized and funded than the "America's Christian Heritage Week," since the latter is relatively recent. But the Bible Week celebration has the same objective of prompting elected officials to declare the holiday and issue proclamations. In 1996, governors in 29 states declared National Bible Week (up from 27 in 1995).

    NBW organizers include major leaders in the business and political sectors. Chairing the Bible Week committee is S. Truett Cathy, chairman and founder of Chick-Fil-A, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. Acting as Co-Chairs are U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Representative Steven Largent (R-OK). Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania is in charge of the Governors' Committee for NBW. And overseeing the committee charged with recruiting municipal leaders on behalf of the Bible Week cause is Mayor Kurt Schmoke of Baltimore, Maryland.

(from http://blog.hamdems.org/archives/025021.html)

    Also, if you don't like Focus on the Family, don't eat at Chick-fil-A, who heavily sponsors FOTF.

Speaking of which, here's some evidence even more damning of Chick-Fil-A being dominionism-friendly:

http://www.whitsend.org/chickfila/ (Chick-Fil-A's children's meal incentives promoting a radio show targeted at children and broadcast by Focus on the Family's "godcasting" radio affiliates)

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/03/wo_jenkins030504.asp?p=1 (notes Chick-Fil-A promoting FotF-related children's incentives)

http://www.family.org/fofmag/pf/a0026162.cfm (from Focus on the Family themselves; notes that Chick-Fil-A not only uses FotF material as children's incentives but other dominionist incentives targeted at children (such as Veggietales, which is a "Christian" children's program generally carried on "godcasting" networks, especially PAX TV affiliates and whose creators have multiple links to dominionist and spiritually abusive groups))

http://www.thecross-photo.com/Chick-fil-A_Restaurants-Closed_On_Sunday.htm (promotion by Arthur S DeMoss Foundation--a group which itself has indulged in "stealth evangelism" using athletes including NASCAR drivers; will post more on the DeMoss Foundation in a short bit)

http://www.truettcathy.com/ (website for the owner of Chick-Fil-A; yes, it does talk about his funding of dominionist causes)

Amway/Quixtar/Alticor (multiple dominionist links, including promotion in AoG churches as "Christian Business" (see in previous Dark Christianity article re dominionists and pyramid schemes at http://www.livejournal.com/community/dark_christian/211907.html); DeVos Foundation (operated by Amway founder) major funder of dominionist causes (see http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=17); Amway/Quixtar/Alticor itself has been noted as using coercive tactics (see first link); see http://www.freedomcrowsnest.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18222 for examples of what is being funded)

Coors Breweries (owners of Coors operate Castle Rock Foundation and Coors Foundations, both major funders of Christian Reconstructionist and dominionist causes; see http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=14 for info, and http://www.freedomcrowsnest.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18222 for groups funded)

Olin Chemicals/Olin Pharmaceuticals (operated Olin Foundation, major funder of dominionist causes; seems to have stopped trust fund as of November 2005 but multiple members are in Scaife Foundation; see http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=7)

Allen-Bradley Company (electronics firm)(founders operate Bradley Foundation, major funder of dominionist causes; see http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=1)

Mellon oil/industrial companies (possibly including Gulf Oil at one time, now owned by BP) (founders operate four separate groups collectively known as the Scaife Foundation, all of which are major funders of dominionist causes; see http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=3);
Mellon Financial may not be involved with the Mellon industrial/oil companies that I can see. If anything, Mellon Financial would probably piss off dominionists:

http://thechurchmilitant.blogspot.com/2005/09/they-think-sodomy-is-good-business.html
(re funding of GLAD, a gay/les/bi/trans advocacy group)

Then again, there's some confusion, because at least part of the Scaife Foundation hydra may have changed focus (due to takeover by a daughter that doesn't agree with the funding of dominionist causes) and is even funding some progressive causes:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Scaife_Foundations
http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=2

B. F. Goodrich was formerly a Scaife company but has since been sold;
http://www.waternet.com/News.asp?mode=4&N_ID=20026

The closest thing I've found to a present link to Scaife-owned companies (and even THIS may be out of date) is this:

http://archives.cjr.org/year/81/4/scaife.asp
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/speakout/scaife.html

One major focus of investment with Scaife, interestingly, is news media:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2004/04/19/story2.html
http://www.salon.com/news/1998/04/07news.html

(This is especially interesting in regards to consolidation of media by right-wing and dominionist interests)

In other words, it appears Scaife may be a trust-fund baby, and in fact much of the right-wing turn was recent (and may be in a process of reversal). Most of Scaife's interest seems to be in media concerns.

Alcoa Aluminum is now probably one to avoid as well, as Scaife still apparently owns that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mellon_Scaife

Curves, Inc. (spa chain) (apparently owners are linked with Randall Terry's groups; see http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2004/05/19/curves/)

Wal-Mart and Sam's Wholesale (group has funded dominionist causes in past, and Walton Foundation still funds dominionist groups involved in "stealth evangelism": http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Walton_Family_Foundation notes some info, as does http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=1415 and http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=10723 and http://www.mediatransparency.org/funderprofile.php?funderID=25; http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientsoffunder.php?funderID=25 has a fairly complete list of recipients) (may not be as active in funding dominionist causes as in past but still group of concern)

Hobby Lobby (dominionist-run store that (per http://www.usatoday.com/life/2005-10-19-starbucks-quote_x.htm) even goes so far as to only play "Christian contemporary" music in its stores; http://forums.desmoines.craigslist.org/?act=Q&ID=35007861 notes how Hobby Lobby may in fact violate federal law by discriminating against non-dominionists in hiring; http://www.pubtheo.com/page.asp?pid=1190 notes how owner of Hobby Lobby is major contributor to Jerry Falwell and his Christian Reconstructionist efforts; http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/ministry/ministry.cfm is pretty damning in and of itself in regards to dominionist ministries funded (which includes at least one "godcasting" group, Bearing Fruit Communications, associated with PAX TV)

In-N-Out Burger and Forever 21/XXI stores are known to put Bible verses on bags/wrappers out of religiosity (http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/inandout.asp and http://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/23/forever_21_and_bible.html) but so far I've not found overt dominionist links with those two chains.

Alaska Airlines is similarly suspicious but actually has an even higher index of possible suspicion:
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2004/02/27/askthepilot76/index_np.html
http://www.ffrf.org/action/alaska_airlines.php
http://politicalphysics.com/node/1188
(all in regards to placing (Protestant) Bible verses with meals)

Alaska Airlines is listed in at least one "Christian Yellow Pages" directory as well, which is a bit of a red flag.

People's Benefit Services, formerly National Liberty Corporation (change of name noted at http://www.directmag.com/mag/marketing_direct_coverage/); dominionist links are probably most notable under their previous identity as National Liberty Corporation.

The reason National Liberty Corporation gets its own special listing is because it was founded by an Arthur S DeMoss, who is also possibly one of the largest funders of dominionist causes in the United States and seems to specifically specialise in projects involving "stealth evangelism" or "bait and switch evangelism".

National Liberty sold via direct (snail-mail) marketing--junk mailing--and still derives the majority of their business from this. http://cfm.the-pdma.org/events/dm_oftheyear.cfm details a bit of this history.

Info on the DeMoss Foundation, National Liberty Insurance, and funding of dominionism:

http://dks.thing.net/Dominionism.html (on dominionism)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Religious_right (notes DeMoss Foundation as major sugar daddy of dominionist causes)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml?title=Dominionist
http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml?title=Arthur_S._DeMoss_Foundation (actually details where most of the money goes, gives some more back-history; notes involvement directly in the Iran-Contra arms scandal, also notes direct funding of Christian Reconstructionist groups; has directly assisted in bankrolling political campaigns for dominionists (notably John Ashcroft).)
http://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5950&abbr=cs_ (details stealth evangelism campaign by DeMoss Foundation in free giveaways of "Power For Living"--a dominionist religious guide--which was promoted by sports personalities on television such as NASCAR's Jeff Gordon; also notes dominionist groups funded by or assisted by DeMoss Foundation)

by dogemperor on Fri Dec 09, 2005 at 02:33:02 PM EST