In the early 60s, the US Supreme Court handed down rulings that prohibited the mandatory use of the bible in schools and school sponsored/mandatory prayer (Engel v. Vitale 1962 and Abington School District v. Schempp 1963). Many people saw this as a step forward for our democracy and reaffirming the nation’s commitment to the separation of church and state. For others, this was the start of a new battle for control over young minds and ultimately the nation’s future.
Roughly 60 years later, that battle not only continues but is heating in an ever more active battle front. The ability for everyday Americans to freely make important choices for their own lives and that of their children is a threat. Freedoms surrounding learning historically accurate facts, abortion, marriage, and decisions surrounding gender are all under attack, primarily by conservative religious organizations.
NBC news reporters Antonia Hylton and Mike Hixenbaugh, co-host of the podcast Grapevine, are providing insight into how the religious right is working toward their goal of inserting religious control and doctrine into the political system and ultimately the education system.
The Seven Mountains
One of the most concerning aspects of their reporting was the coverage of “The Seven Mountains,” aka Christian Dominionism.
I was unaware of this movement, and its growth as an ideology is something humanist and non-believers should become familiar with as its influence continues to spread.
Christian Dominionism puts forward that Christians will try to control fundamental aspects of American life, including family, bodily autonomy, religion, media, entertainment, business, government, and education. With the goal, being if they succeed, that it will facilitate the return of Jesus.
The ideology Christian Dominionism started in the 1970s and was only a fringe movement until the early 2000s. Now, in the early 2020s, it has become the spearhead to attack everything from critical race theory to diversity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people. But the battlefield is not being primarily fought in the courts but in local school boards.
Reporters Antonia Hyltona and Mike Hixenbaugh did an outstanding job in their reporting. And it’s definitely worth a listen for all humanists, non-believers, free thinkers and those who care about American ideals.
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