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Laurens County Republicans of South Carolina are so steeped in Dominionist Tea that they boldly put their extremism in writing detailing their 28 Points of Republicanism. Even though this signed pledge has been deemed illegal that will not deter them from using this as a litmus test for potential political candidates. After all, why not? Everyone else is doing it.

GOP pledge requirements are commonplace across the country. A couple of quick examples would be Ralph Reed’s Faith & Freedom Coalition, who are well-acquainted with the pledge tool; the gathering in Iowa where the current 2012 GOP candidates were required to sign a pledge at the National Presidential Pro-Life Forum, hosted by Personhood USA and several of the nation’s top pro-life organizations; the pro-Israel pledge to the Republican Jewish Coalition; and then there is the most famous pledge by power-broker, Grover Norquist, who blatantly holds the puppet strings to the current GOP Congress where most overwhelmingly complied to his business-backed pledge to never, ever, ever, increase taxes – period. So, pledges are not unusual in politics, but the political Christians in Dominionist politics and their plutocratic friends certainly like their candidates sworn to a blood oath these days.

I have taken the liberty to insert subtitles of the 7 Mountains Mandate that is promoted by political Christians in the Dominionist movement and unsurprisingly, they fit neatly into their own mountains. To understand more clearly what I mean by this, please take a few moments to watch this video produced and promoted by those behind the creation of the 7 Mountains politics:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fkeE6xu981o

Now, let’s take a look at the breakdown of the South Carolina pledge categories with the 7 Mountains in mind. All the items are directly from the full document, I have simply inserted the 7 Mountains titles and categorized them:

Mountain of Government/Military/Politics Constitutional adherence to States’ Rights The Party encourages its elected leaders to continue its efforts to devolve responsibilities from Washington back to the states[…] Strict adherence to Ethics in Government The Party expects our public officials to live within the confines of principle, virtue, and law. Our state and nation cannot long survive without such standards […] We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” Governmental protection of Constitutional Property Rights Any attempt to encumber or weaken the guaranteed protection of private property should be opposed. Ensure the Integrity of the Election Process We believe political parties have the right to choose their nominees; therefore, we support primaries that are open only to registered voters of that political party. A swift, sure, and true Criminal Justice system The Party recognizes the vital public safety[…]It deplores coddling of criminals and applauds swift, sure justice at all times. The Party supports the death penalty as a deterrent to crime and deplores the fact that its effectiveness as a deterrent is diluted by appeals processes that can last many years. A commitment to Peace Through Strength in Foreign Policy The South Carolina Republican Party makes known our unwavering support for the United States Armed Forces […] A constitutional view of the Right to Bear Arms The South Carolina Republican Party supports the 200+ year-old Constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms […] A high regard for United States Sovereignty […] Mountain of Family Legal recognition of the Right to Life We acknowledge that all human life, born and unborn, has intrinsic worth. We believe that the unborn and the newborn child have a fundamental right to life which must not be infringed. […] We support the reversal of Roe v. Wade through judicial action or through passage of a Constitutional Human Life Amendment. The Party is totally opposed to chemical, surgical, or any method of abortion on demand and the use of public revenues to pay for abortions or to fund organizations which advocate abortion. High regard for the institutions of Marriage & Family The South Carolina Republican Party considers the sacred institution of marriage as fundamental to the stability, betterment and perpetuation of our society. Many economic, emotional, and physical ills in our culture could be avoided if abstinence before and faithfulness in marriage were the standard of behavior. We oppose efforts to redefine the marriage unit to accommodate proponents of homosexual “marriages” and oppose any legislation which legally recognizes same-sex marriage, civil unions, or allows such couples to adopt children or provide foster care. A compassionate and moral approach to Teen Pregnancy The party also understands that children often follow the model of their parents with regard to sexual behavior. We therefore call upon the adult population of this state to act with moral integrity on this critical issue. Mountain of Education Increased educational options and a return to academic excellence in Education We support the concept of “school choice” and affirm the right and responsibility of parents to make the best education decisions for their children, whether they home-school their children or send them to private or parochial schools of their choice. Mountain of Business/Banking Freedom in the job market through The Right to Work While we call upon our government to protect the Right to Work, we call upon our citizens to rise up, equip themselves to meet their potential […] An effective and sensible policy on the Environment The South Carolina Republican Party recognizes stewardship of the earth to be one of the chief responsibilities of mankind and therefore holds the preservation and protection of our natural resources as a sacred trust. Consumer Driven Health Care The South Carolina Republican Party believes Health Care should remain in the hands of citizens, not government bureaucrats. Highway Transportation and Safety We support the continued use of privatization for transportation related projects. Private enterprise should also be encouraged to put its expertise and experience to work […] Tougher efforts to stop Substance Abuse The Party supports firm enforcement of existing laws against the abuse and distribution of controlled substances […] We particularly support vigorous prosecution of all drug traffickers as adults and oppose any effort to legalize the use of controlled substances. An agenda to empower Senior Citizens The Party urges the government and the private sector to continue to use the increasing productivity of our senior citizens not yet ready for retirement. […] Incentives to make the Economy grow South Carolina’s major industries Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Tourism must be nurtured and provided the necessary support and incentives to remain strong players in the employment of our people. Mountain of Arts & Entertainment Opposition to state-sponsored Gambling While South Carolina has unwisely adopted a state lottery, the South Carolina Republican Party is opposed to state-owned and operated video lottery terminals to include video poker, keno, and other highly addictive state- run and unregulated gambling; internet and offshore gambling; casinos; and gambling technologies yet to be developed. The abolition of Pornography in our society The South Carolina Republican Party condemns […], as a major contributor to moral decay and a fundamental threat to our domestic tranquility. We favor legislation to prohibit the distribution of obscenity and pornography by print, telephone, television, video, computer, the Internet, or any other means. Mountain of Religion The valid role of Religion in our culture The South Carolina Republican Party recognizes the importance of religion throughout the history of our state and nation and opposes any attempts to regulate religious institutions, or impinge upon personal religious freedoms.

This final Mountain category is the foundation for all the other Mountains. Most of the reporting on this discussion focused on the interpretation of the Marriage & Family item essentially making it known that they require fidelity in their candidates so it became known as the “Purity Pledge”, but as we can see, it is chock full of line item agenda issues that align with the Dominionist mandate.

What they mean when they use terms like “State’s Rights”, “religion”, “Senior Citizens…increasing productivity”, “Health Care”, “”stewardship of the earth” and so many more are actual dog whistles - words and phrases that have specific meanings understood by Dominionists and their congregations. This is intentional and is a continuation of the sought after redefining of America as a strictly Christian Nation.

You can access the the full SC GOP PDF document here without my breakdown.

About the Author, Leah L. Burton.