Bruce Prescott - being a trained theologian - might gainsay me here, but I think this may come down to semantics. Although I wonder about the translation from Aramaic ( possible distortions ? ) the god of the Old Testament gives mankind ( but not womenkind ? ) the right to exercise "Dominion" over the Earth.

Of course, they who exercise "dominion" dominate. Domination is, for many, inherent to the exercise of "dominion" .

There'e another term that's handy ( although wisdom around these parts holds that there is no perfect label which somehow has magic political force ) - "supremacy", as in "Christian supremacy".

by Bruce Wilson on Thu Jan 26, 2006 at 06:27:05 PM EST
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1. In the broader sense, a dominionist is someone (usually of fundamentalist bent) who observes the "dominion mandate"--the theological belief that mankind was given dominion over all things by God (as described in Genesis, and as already mentioned on here).

2. In a slightly narrower sense, I've also seen the term "dominionist" applied to people who believe in a subset of "dominion mandate" theory called "dominion theology" (which had its original genesis in pentecostal communities, particularly the Assemblies of God, but has spread since far beyond and has even taken root in Baptist churches).

"Dominion theology" encompasses not only the "dominion mandate" but an associated theology that preaches that God lost dominion over the earth upon mankind's fall, that Jesus was tortured in hell before his resurrection, and the "saved" (generally only dominionists) must retake dominion both physically and spiritually because everything else is held by Satan and by satanic spirits (up to and including governments, individuals, specific communities, etc.); in its most extreme variants (as practiced in the "Third Wave" pentecostal community) it's even explicitly taught that the "saved" are part of an overcomer army whose mission is to conquer the entire world and "swarm over it like locusts".  Word-faith (aka "name it and claim it", as promoted by just about any TV preacher) doctrines and "deliverance ministry" are very closely related, and can actually be seen as subsets of "dominion theology" in this regard.  (I've done an extremely informal writeup on the second definition of dominionism, which is actually the flavour I'm more familiar with--being a walkaway from a church which was a major practitioner of it and also active in the broader dominionist (as in political) movement.)

Some variants of dominion theology teach that a critical mass of governments must be converted to dominionism before Jesus returns (many of the groups espousing this are explicitly Christian Reconstructionist); others, of a more premillenial-dispensationalist bent, teach that the US and Israel are "chosen nations" and for those countries to maintain their "blessings" and status as "chosen people" they must be converted to hardline theocracies.  Many practitioners of dominion theology even expand this to the concept of taking over the government to drive out "territorial spirits" of abortion, homosexuality, etc. that are "oppressing" the US and "perverting" it.

by dogemperor on Fri Jan 27, 2006 at 10:28:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I scored a measly 19.

But I'm really not a Constitutional scholar. I'm just very good at multiple choice tests.

by Bruce Wilson on Fri Jan 27, 2006 at 10:41:59 AM EST
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