It’s 1860 all over again … if Cory Burnell and his group Christian Exodus have anything to say about it. You’ve heard Revelation 18:4 ("Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins") used in reference to the Catholic Church, right? Mr. Burnell’s group has identified a different woman who should be abandoned.
The United States.
"Cory Burnell wants to set up a Christian nation within the United States where abortion is illegal, gay marriage is banned, schools cannot teach evolution, children can pray to Jesus in public schools and the Ten Commandments are posted publicly.
"To that end, Burnell, 29, left the Republican Party, moved from California and founded Christian Exodus two years ago with the goal of redirecting the United States by ‘redeeming’ one state at a time.
"First up for redemption is South Carolina.
"Burnell hopes to move 2,500 Christians into the northern part of the state by next year and to persuade tens of thousands to relocate by 2016. His goal is to fill the state legislature with ‘Christian constitutionalists.’
[…]
"Burnell picked South Carolina partly for its Christian majority and conservative politics.
"’Historically, Southerners do have a states’ rights mentality,’ he said. ‘Christians in the North are experiencing the most liberalism, or you could say persecution.’"
Uh huh.
One of these days I’m going to write that essay I’ve been thinking about on the evangelistic value of silence. One of the major points of that essay will be to discuss how credibility can be destroyed when someone makes public an "outside-the-box" pet brainstorm that, as they say on "Saturday Night Live," is not yet ready for primetime.
I remember reading about these guys in Joseph Farrah’s “Whistleblower” magazine about two years ago in an article which presented them as a serious response to depravity in America. Having a low threshhold of tolerance for treason-talk, I let my subscription lapse.
We all know what happened the last time South Carolina tried to secede…
How about Catholics taking over Maryland? 🙂
Although I am not sure exactly how a “perfect” Catholic state would be set up. Could or should one legislate Catholic Social Teaching?
Lots of issues need to be resolved. The big issues such as abortion and gay marriage would be easy. Others such as elimination of divorce, criminalization of adultry, and other “legislating morals” issues would be difficult.
I say we all move to San Francisco.
Burnell, 29, left the Republican Party, moved from California and founded Christian Exodus two years ago with the goal of redirecting the United States by ‘redeeming’ one state at a time. First up for redemption is South Carolina. Burnell hopes to move 2,500 Christians into the northern part of the state by next year and to persuade tens of thousands to relocate by 2016. His goal is to fill the state legislature with ‘Christian constitutionalists.’
If Burnell knew anything about South Carolina, he’d know that we Sandlappers don’t really want any outsiders coming into our state and telling us how to run our lives, no matter what they claim to stand for. So this “Christian Exodus” group founded and headquartered in California can kiss our grits, so to speak.
“Historically, Southerners do have a states’ rights mentality”
Yeah. That means we don’t want Burnell and “Christian Exodus” interfering in our state anymore than we want other people interfering. 😛
My response to “Christian Exodus”? Carpetbaggers go home.
Kinda like the Libertarians’ “Free State Project.”
I wonder if there is a connection to Coral Ridge Baptist University (I do not know if it still exists), located in Florida. An alum, Oliver deMille, started his own (non-accredited) college in Utah — George Wyeth College. deMille’s other claim to fame is a book called Thomas Jefferson Education — popular in LDS (Mormon) homeschool circles. I am not so sure if GWC is a Mormon institution, but I did have an opportunity to hear a Mormon graduate of GWC speak at an LDS homeschool conference.
You may know that Mormons do not have a “Reformation” concept of religion — that Christianity needed to be “reformed”, but rather, Mormon theology is “Restorationist” — that Christianity needed to be “Restored”.
Anyway, I had the opportunity to hear a graduate of George Wyeth College make a presentation on how the U. S. has strayed from George Washington’s vision of what America ought to be.
At one point, this man said, “I asked my professor — Can we get America back on the rails? To which he replied, ‘No; we must build a new track'” — Hmm. A restorationist vision of civics, to go with their restorationist vision of religion?
Anyway; there was a somber hush that fell over the crowd — they bought it: hook, line and sinker.
I am surprised the relocation program is in California; I know of a place out in Utah where they may be welcome.
Whimsy
Yay! Let’s establish a Catholic monarchy!
“I say we all move to San Francisco.”
Heh. The mayor of San Francisco is supposedly “Catholic”.
Brian:
Great, so we’re off to a good start.
Inquisitor:
I agree.
Everybody:
So when do we get started?
Isn’t a Catholic homeland a bit of an oxymoron?
Isn’t a Catholic homeland a bit of an oxymoron?
And not just oxymoronic; it’s somewhat unbiblical…
“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”
We are sojourners and pilgrims.