Christian Theocracy in Washington DC-The Family C Street

In the book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, author Jeff Sharlet examines the power wielded by a secretive Christian group known as the Family, or the Fellowship.

Founded in 1935 in opposition to FDR's New Deal, the evangelical group's views on religion and politics are so singular that some other Christian-right organizations consider them heretical

The group also has a connection to a house in Washington, D.C., known as C Street. Owned by a foundation affiliated with the Family, C Street is officially registered as a church; in practice, it serves as a meeting place and residence for politicians like South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn.

The Family, Sharlet writes, is responsible for founding the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a supposedly ecumenical — but implicitly Christian — event attended by the president, members of Congress and dignitaries from around the world. These foreign delegations are often led by top defense personnel, who use it as an opportunity to lobby the most influential people in Washington — and who repay the Family with access to their governments.

The group's approach to religion, Sharlet says, is based on "a sort of trickle-down fundamentalism," which holds that the wealthy and powerful, if they "can get their hearts right with God ... will dispense blessings to those underneath them."

Members of the group ardently support free markets, in which, they believe, God's will operates directly through Adam Smith's "invisible hand."

The Family was founded in 1935 by a minister named Abraham Vereide after, he claimed, he had a vision in which God came to him in the person of the head of the United States Steel Corporation

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[themarcusismael13]

@cpmondello getting rid of conservatives is too hypocritical. if we allow ourselves to kill them what's stopping us from killing ourselves? rather, cordon off conservatives in small regions and allow them to run their course. their communities will die under the stupid impracticality of their ideology. while they're suffering from their backwards beliefs the rest of the world will live long and prosperous. live and let live I say.

[trifulquita15]

@cpmondello liberals have legalized abortion, gay marriage, porn... they rule the country. Holy war? Washington defend muslim countries for oil, they are not interested to convert muslims, they want to buy oil amd make the muslims rich

[trifulquita15]

its funny that atheists talks about dictatorship (Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.)

[Jane102248]

I have read both of Jeff's books on this family business. "The Family" is the best of the 2 books in my view.

[cpmondello]

Only the elimination of all conservative Christians will allow all Americans to be free and the world to no longer have to live in fear of the U.S.A.'s imperialist, terrorist holy war. The conservative ideology has never helped mankind in any way, it has not only never helped mankind in anyway, it has oppressed, murdered, raped and killed all those in it's way to gain power. History shows us this. Fact shows us this.

[windrunner537]

THESE PEOPLE ARE THE ENEMY OF DEMOCRACY! THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE THE "CHOSEN" AND CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT-VERY TWISTED, DISTORTED AGENDA! THEY FUND THE HATE AND BIGOTED PREACHING IN UGANDA. DELAY, ENSIGN, COBURN, DEMINT ARE JUST A FEW WHO ARE ELECTED TO REPRESENT 'THE PEOPLE" AND ARE FOLLOWING THE FAMILY'S AGENDA. THERE IS NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE FOR THESE PEOPLE!