7 Mountains: Evangelical Christians Seek to Control Society

Read Time:12 Minute, 29 Second

7 Mountains

Imagine a society where religion is the central driving force behind everything. Imagine religion guiding every decision in every aspect of your life and shaping every single source of information you consume on a daily basis. Sounds pretty scary? Sounds very much like the theocracies our sons and daughters are fighting against, and sacrificing their lives to defeat, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sounds like a movement that is just down right un-American, right? How would you react to find out there is a movement afoot to make America just like that? Prepare yourself, because it exists and it is well on its way to becoming a reality.

The movement is called The Seven Mountains and its goal is to assume control over those mechanisms which shape our society and influence how we think. Seven Mountains is as much a strategy as it is a movement, but it is through this approach that Evangelical Christians hope to change everything we do and the reasons why we do it. This movement is designed to force society adopt a homogeneous Christian standard, changing the way society thinks and behaves by using key components (mountains) to adopt this homogeneous norm. These seven mountains of influence are family, church, education, business, government, media and the arts.

The goal of the Seven Mountains movement is to have people in high level positions in each of these key areas where they can have influence and force changes more in line with their belief system. The primary goal is to eliminate all secular structures of society and adopt a 100% Christian perspective in all manners. We’re not talking about a generic Christian ideal either, but a fundamentalist belief that all things done by man is guided by the hand of God. If that isn’t disturbing enough, the God in question is not open to interpretation but is a very specific view of God, as defined by the leaders of this church movement.

The average person my not consider this movement a threat to their way of life, but this post may change a mind or two. A look at each “mountain” may provide some perspective on what our new society could look like if this movement achieves success.

The first mountain is family. On the surface this is the least obtrusive of identified pillars of the new society, but extremely important to the strategy. The belief is that a return to the traditional family will instill the Christian values so cherished by this movement and “lead the world from the darkness it currently finds itself.” There is a little bit of code here and the language does indicate a specific agenda. By framing “family” in the “traditional” sense it immediately brings into question the non-traditional family configurations and the legitimacy of those units. By identifying a family as a man, woman and their offspring, it sets the foundation for challenging any and all other configurations. Single parents who have children out of wedlock will become socially unacceptable. Gay people who wish to have a family will have no place in this society. The frame of the traditional family identifies the only social norm acceptable and disenfranchises anyone who does not comply with that standard.

What the Seven Mountains is hoping for is the return to the 1950’s where wife and children gladly accepted their subservient role in the household and accepted the directives of the family patriarch. The rigid structure of the family, with the father dictating expectations, is the end goal. Western society has shifted away from the patriarchal structure and for good reason. Women have become more empowered and are more active in our society and workforce. The stay-at-home mom has become an anachronism and not a possibility for most families, especially those with a litter of kids to support. Children have become more independent and self-sufficient. The days of good ole dad being the family task master went the way of prohibition for good reason. Each person in the family has learned to use the brain in their skull and exercise that cognitive ability that makes man the apex predator on the planet; free will. While this construct may aid in the indoctrination and control of family members, reverting back to the patriarchal family structure may not provide the continued growth and innovation our culture needs to compete globally.

The second mountain is the church or religion. This, of course, does not mean just any religion or any church. This means their specific brand of anti-science evangelical Christianity which believes in the infallibility of the bible and that prayer can solve any problem. This is the type of Christianity that believes the earth is 6,000 years old, that people coexisted with dinosaurs and that a man lived in a fish for three days before being spat out. This is the type of Christianity that has their believers accepting the lies that come from the pulpit about man having domain over all the earth and that what is not available that God will magically make appear rather than being stewards of the planet and managing our resources accordingly. This is the type of Christianity that has a state governor calling for a day of prayer to bring rain and stop a state from burning. This is the church that breeds ignorance and is proud to put that witlessness on display for all to see. The hope is that a common religion for all men will put everyone at the same intellectual standing, essentially lowering the bar and dumbing down the average person making them much easier control.

The third mountain is education. This is the first of the significant threats to our society. There is study after study indicating that the more educated an individual the less likely they are to be religious. It only makes sense for a religion to spread its tentacles of control they would have to assume control over the education system and either try to change the curriculum to meet their specific ideological perspective, dumb the system down completely, or eliminate systems of public education and standards. For the Evangelical Christians following the Seven Mountains strategy they are attempting all angles. First, they are becoming very active in influential boards of education across the country. The most influential is the State of Texas, because the curriculum there affects every school book printed. Christians have wrestled control over this school board and have instituted dramatic changes which align with their twisted view of history and science. Thomas Jefferson’s importance in American history is limited in Social Studies and History classes while Intelligent Design is pushed into the Science curriculum. Second, standardized testing is attacked so as to eliminate a universal curriculum and achievement level all students must attain, instead allowing for open curriculum where a teacher may inject their specific beliefs with no oversight. Finally, charter schools and home schooling is heavily promoted so specific indoctrination practices can be followed and specific dogma and ideology drilled into children. Much of this dogma and ideology is religious based and not in step with the demands the 21st century places on our children, putting them behind others and more likely to fall back to their religion and religious institutions for help.

This philosophy is not just attacking the K-12 education system. Colleges and universities are under attack as well. Religious groups are infiltrating the ranks at universities and forcing curriculum changes through the use of academic freedom acts and laws. Christian universities, with questionable accreditations, are cranking out students with religious based education in all fields. How exactly is a biology major who believes the earth is 6,000 years old, and does not believe in evolution, going to function in the real world? How is a lawyer educated at Oral Roberts University going to effectively practice law when the only law is they respect the one in the bible? The theology based curriculum does no service to students and leaves them at a competitive disadvantage. This is an intentional dumbing down of people and makes them that much easier to control. While this is a good practice for the church it does nothing but weaken the country as a whole.

The fourth mountain is business. The Christian business network has quickly developed over the past decade. From small to large businesses, religion is finding its way into the mix. Small to medium size businesses are now proudly advertising their Christian affiliation through the display of the Jesus fish or the Christian dove symbols or registering with Christian business directories. Certain businesses are not even subtle, incorporating the fish or dove into their business logo or advertising on their vehicles they are members of the Christian network and will provide discounts to fellow Christians. Other businesses are more on the down-low, choosing to appear hip and gain converts through cultural assimilation. The belief is that if businesses can shape their offerings to a more Christian friendly product line that it will result in greater adoption of the lifestyle. This has become very prevalent when you the popularity and acceptance of the NOTW (Not of this World) line of clothing and products. Religion wrapped up in Ed Hardy style garment or product. Big business is not insulated from the movement, with corporations and large employers being regularly surveyed and ranked on levels of Christian culture and trust. Having influence in business can directly shape the economy and force people to adopt certain standards or practices they may not normally accept.

How this will impact the overall economy? In the short term it should have minimal impact. There have always been undercurrents in the economic system, where subcultures have developed their own underground economy. Where this could have significant impact is if large scale retailers shift their practices or products they elect to carry. If Walmart begins to exclusively carry Christian network products that could be a game changer (more on this in the seventh mountain). If the economy becomes dominated by a theological perspective you could see the economy isolated from the global markets, hurting the overall American market and restricting access to specific goods and services.

The fifth mountain is government. One look at the 2012 Republican primary field will give you a good indication just how much Evangelical Christianity is influencing the politics of the United States. Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann are backed by Christian groups and are gaining significant traction in their bid to be the GOP nominee. The number of representatives who have adopted a Christian religious perspective has exploded as the religious right continues to provide warm bodies at the polls for anyone willing to represent their specific agenda. This may be the one mountain that does not need much exploration as it has been front and center for the past three to four elections.

The sixth mountain is media. The ability to get your message out in the public consciousness is extremely important in shifting perception and adjusting norms. This movement recognizes the power of mass media and has made establishing media organs as a key factor to making this strategy successful. This has spurned the formation of bodies like the National Religious Broadcasters, the United Christian Broadcasters, the Christian Media Association and the Association of Christian Broadcasters. This number of associative bodies should give you an indication just how quickly media has been penetrated by Christian ideologues.

Participation in mass media by Evangelical Christianity is a disturbing development. Our public airwaves should be free from ideological or theological propaganda. While the first amendment does provide a freedom of speech it also provides for a freedom of religion, also meaning a freedom from religion. The mass media should remain secular, providing information for general public consumption, so a series of mass media bodies which promote Christian ideology is alarming. The freedom 24 hour specialty stations provide has been bastardized by a few and turned into ideology delivery mechanisms. The FCC, the government agency responsible for broadcast licensing, must be careful here. Allowing access to subscription service is one thing, but providing access to basic programming is an affront to the first amendment and is the first step on a very slippery slope to government endorsement of a specific theology. How this plays out internationally is anyone’s guess, but the United Christian Broadcasters is a media group with affiliates in 25 countries!

The final mountain is the arts and entertainment industry. There is a dirty little secret being well hidden in the entertainment industry. A rapidly growing, and extremely profitable, segment of the entertainment industry is developing and promoting Christian content. Movie and television production houses are producing a plethora of products with spiritual (nee religious) underpinnings. When you walk into Walmart you can find a section dedicated to movies and programs which promote Christian values. Studios are looking for the next Soul Surfer or The Blind Side, knowing they guaranteed an audience and will be well promoted by Christian groups across the country. The same spills into the music industry. It used to be that a band like Jars of Clay would crossover onto the pop or adult contemporary charts and become reasonably popular. Now you’re finding bands cross over in unexpected places, like Anberlin and Skillet in the alternative genre, and RED and P.O.D. in the metal or hardcore genre, all garnering substantial audiences. Christian titles are big in books too. The media remains irrelevant but the message is always subtle, but the same, and telling the consumer that happiness and salvation is but a prayer (or relationship with Jesus) away.

Why is the Seven Mountains an issue worthy of notice? Because it has potential to change everything in our “open and free” culture. It is a movement that could restrict your freedoms simply because you are not part of their exclusive club or choose to believe something else. This is important because it is being embraced across North America by Evangelical Christians as they hope to broaden their sphere of influence. The end game is to have everything controlled or influenced by God, or more accurately, their God. These Christians want to have people who think and act like them in places of high influence so they can shape our culture and control our society. It is happening, quietly and without much notice from the general population. The potential is there to turn our society into the exact thing our kids are supposedly dying for in the Middle East. If you don’t want your kids going to school in Christian versions of the madrasah, and don’t want to have our society focused on ideology based on theology, then you better wake up become aware of this movement. It is real and it has taken root in many of those institutions that can manage cultural change.

Originally posted by amoderndaydavinci. 

Hat tip to Stacey.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of

8 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Linh
10 years ago

The problem with this is that it has so little chance of happening unless we suddenly get a huge influx of immigrants from more religious countries of all social classes or if some sort of traumatic event happens nationally, like a devastating war or pandemic. It’s good to watch out for this type of thing and educate people about the possibilities, but I think there’s very little chance of this happening.

Or maybe I’m just biased. It’s just that the idea of a religious overtaking of our higher education and such is ridiculous when my college dorm supervisor is gay, my orientation tour guide is lesbian, and one of my best friends bi and the loudly religious are a quaint but politely ignored minority.

10 years ago

Sheds a whole new light on Julie Andrews warbling ‘Climb Every Mountain’ eh?

What a frightening lot these are!

Good luck America!!

10 years ago

Just one more reason why I am not living in the USA. These people might succeed and that will only hasten the dissolution of the country.

It will not be a quiet and peaceful dissolution, either.

Jess
10 years ago

Babble Spice, Our Lady of Perpetual Victimhood is part of this group that wants to put shitty movies in the cineplex and fill up the world with tamborine bangers fer Jeebus. I think I am just going to start drinking early today, that is all.

Quinn
10 years ago

This is a movement that has been quietly gathering steam since about 2009. There are even YouTube videos that address it. If these crazies aren’t stopped it’s going to change our society in unimaginable ways.

Rachael
10 years ago

Mike this is one of the most frightening things I’ve read in a long time, because I see it happening all around us. These people are as dangerous as the Muslims, if not more because there’s so many of them.

Previous post The 20 Happiest Countries in the World
Next post Veteran Loses Home Over $134 Tax Bill
8
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x