Pluralism In The Army Of God

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Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines pluralism as “a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization.” Diana Eck understands pluralism as the coexistence of tolerance and pluralism while Russell McCutcheon sees it as the acceptance of other religions but separate from tolerance. To be a part of a pluralistic community, Eck says, “To be in the pluralistic community, the religions must not be intolerant and must be inclusive, historical, and meaningful.” In order, be in a pluralistic according to McCutcheon, the religion has to be a well-known religion with a strong following behind it. McCutcheon’s …show more content…
They all share similar ideals when it comes to abortions and share similar stories. “‘The Army of God’ characteristics that are known today began to develop in Atlanta jail cells. In fact, serving time in prison is one commonality that unites many of the members of the Army of God, and perhaps their frustration lies in the reality that, ‘They can’t vote, because they are convicted felons’” (Atlum). Atlum then goes on to explain that after this time in the Atlanta jail, manuals had begun to circulate that explained how to carry out attacks again abortion clinics ranging from harmless scenarios to explosions and murder. Another characteristic held by most members is their criminal pasts. Many member’s criminal histories include, suspicions of bombing, arson, shooting and fire bombings (SeeTheEvidence). Every year members from all over the country come together and honor those in jail called the White Rose Banquet (Hill). Here they talk about plans for the future and many member go on and talk about attacks they have planned and even inciting a civil war over abortions. Another key component to their following is an online list that was published. This list names of all abortion clinics in the United States and included if they were killed, alive or wounded (SeeTheEvidence). But to gain membership in the Army of God is unknown. They have no centralized leader yet each local group seems to have their own leader. Also, it appears that there is no specific age range but it seems to be very male concentrated organization with very few women

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