There are so many potential areas affected by dominator culture that could be explored that I may have a hard time deciding how much would be too much of a good thing.
(I feel like I might start going hard on capitalism on the main blog soon, but I am not sure yet.)
Regardless, before going further I want to take a moment to show that this is not just Gina running off her secular, liberal mouth.
Dominator culture is against my religion.
That may seem more to the point if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but it does not go well with other Christian religions, other Abrahamic religions, or other religions in general, at least if you are judging based on their sacred texts and not the behavior of their members.
This post will have some references to the texts that I am familiar with, but could easily be part of a broader discussion.
Doctrine and Covenants section 121, verse 37, referring to the powers of Heaven:
That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
That may be the most obvious one right there; trying to exercise dominion over others strips away authority even if you had it.
From the Bible, Proverbs chapter 16, verse 32:
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
There are plenty of opportunities to exert control, but that should be self-control.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
Apparently it is human nature. If you find yourself frustrated that you have to deal with circumstances you don't control because there are people that you don't control, that's human, and that's not a sin.
If you were to attack those people who frustrate you, that might be getting into sinful territory.
What is much more likely -- and worse -- is when you take out your frustrations with those who have more power and privilege than you against those who have less. Maybe you are doing it because it gratifies your pride, or because you have had ambition frustrated, but it's wrong, and there are multiple indicators that it's wrong.
Because it is so natural, and there is so much structurally that supports it, it is easy to do that without thinking too much.
Because that structure is a hierarchy, it is easy to think that you can't be oppressing anyone because look at the oppression you face!
Therefore -- and this part is really important -- it is theoretically quite easy to cooperate with racism, sexism, and homophobia and still believe you are a good person. You are just supporting families and being righteous.
It does not in fact work that way.
If others are in fact sinning, then that will be the business of God, and Their way of dealing with it was to have Jesus Christ suffer at an incomprehensible level so that they could be forgiven -- which He also did for you -- should they choose to seek forgiveness, without any coercion.
Doctrine and Covenants, section 19, verses 18 - 19:
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
So if being Christ-like is your goal, that's the model; anything else is fooling yourself.
There is a lot that could be added about pride and wealth, and about even the sign of the Millennium being that there are no poor (so if that doesn't sound good to you, maybe you are set for burning), but my point is that the information is there. Our scriptures are all online, so you don't even need physical copies of the books if you have an internet connections.
Libraries exist.
The information is out there.
What is most important, then, is what is in you, and what you will take to heart.
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