The following somewhat satirical video is built around a brief excerpt from Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee's 2001 55-minute film "Vanished", which followed the prophetic, premillennial plot line of Tim LaHaye's and Jerry Jenkin's "Left Behind" book and film series so closely that it was produced by the company which made "Left Behind: The Movie".
The 4 minute, 51 second video explores the association, made in the Hagee Ministries film, of Jews with homosexuality, abstract art, conspiracy, satanism, organized crime, and New York City and Europe as historic Jewish power-bases---all associations made in the infamous 1930's-era anti-Jewish Nazi propaganda film [perhaps one of the three most lethal works of anti-Jewish propaganda in modern history alongside The Protocols of The Elders of Zion and Henry Ford's "The International Jew"] that was produced with close supervision by Third-Reich arch-propagandist Joseph Goebbels and which some consider it to be, in effect, authored by Goebbels himself: "The Eternal Jew". "
Ever looked at something or did something which at the time seemed good and beneficial only to learn that it was not what you thought? If we could all have the opportunity to live from hindsight. Perhaps one of the darkest days for Christianity was in early 300 AD (or is it CE now - I can never remember) when Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Wow! What an amazing accomplishment that a banned persecuted religion begun by a raddical prophet and continued on by a bunch of ragamuffins could become the official sate religion of the empire in under 300 years. However, history has shown that this moment was not a bright day for the cause of Christ.
I have to admit, on one level it sounds more entertaining than a church full of Unitarians briskly rubbing their hands together (because clapping's been proclaimed "disruptive"), but as a regular fare the chaos described below is a bit much for my tastes, and the huge eschatological, end-times chronologies pastor John Hagee favors using in his sermons, with over life-size images of harlots riding on multiheaded tigers (representing the "whore of Babylon" which is to say "The Apostate Church") are a bit much too. Given the choice, I'd take the Unitarians. That said, the theatrical element here is strong:
About half the men and three-fourths of the women were writhing around and either play-puking or screaming. Not wanting to be a bad sport, I raised my hand for one of the life coaches to see.
"Need . . . a . . . bag," I said as he came over.
He handed me a bag.
"In the name of Jesus, I cast out the demon of handwriting analysis!" shouted Fortenberry.
Handwriting analysis? I jammed the bag over my mouth and started coughing, then went into a very real convulsion of disbelief as I listened to this astounding list, half-laughing and half-retching.
"In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I cast out the demon of the intellect!" Fortenberry continued. "In the name of Jesus, I cast out the demon of anal fissures!"
Cough, cough!
Meet, through the journalistic lens of Matt Taibbi, writing for the Rolling Stone in Jesus Made Me Puke, the San Antonio, TX, Cornerstone Church: home to Pastor John Hagee, rising new Christian right potentate, lifestyle guru, preacher, spiritual guide, caster out of demons, sex-therapist, dietary consultant, apocalypse-booster and political endorser of the presumptive 2008 GOP political nominee for president - Senator John McCain III.
Sun Myung Moon's end time political front, the Universal Peace Federation had a summit from April 28 to May 2 in Washington DC. The participants took a tour of the Moon owned Washington Times and chartered a plane to go visit George H. W. Bush's library. Once again, George 41 gave a keynote address in support of Moon's efforts.
John Solomon, the new executive editor of the Washington Times who told C-span viewers recently that the paper does not push Moon's agenda, made an appearance at one function apparently hosted by the paper. (see slide show link below)
Brent Scowcroft and former congressman Earl Hillard also showed up to help Moon subdue the planet.
Over the past four years, I've researched the darkest regions of the Christian right for the non-fiction film Silhouette City. The film tracks the movement of apocalyptic Christian nationalism from the margins of American society to its current presence in the mainstream of public discourse and policy. I began making Silhouette City because, in late 2001, I began to hear echoes of the Christian extremism from my childhood in Arkansas. In order to quiet the ringing in my ears, I immersed myself in the contemporary Christian right - the media, music, ministries, books, personalities and organizational apparatuses. Those familiar with the excesses of the movement (and their opponents) can be excused for collectively yawning in the face of yet another seemingly alarmist diatribe on the subject of crusading religionists, but apocalyptic Christian nationalism doesn't simply lose its adherents because the media narrative has shifted. As the economy continues to slide, the energy crisis becomes palpable and the occupation of Iraq appears indefinite, the potential grows for a major disruption of daily life. A significant percentage of the population (1) sees these looming crises through a specific lens: a belief that humanity is waging the opening skirmishes of a cosmic war between Good and Evil that will usher in the Kingdom of God. Such belief enables an ever-escalating sense of urgency - very real threats to the middle and lower classes (outsourcing, rising fuel and food costs, etc) combine with perceived threats (secularism, homosexuality, ethnic/religious others) to become overwhelming evidence of the tribulations that signal apocalypse.
Dr. James Holsinger, a leader in the IRD-linked Methodist renewal movement has, until now, been best known for his crack-pot anti-gay views. - FC
Dr. James Holsinger, the Bush nominee for Surgeon General and head of the United Methodist high court has been a major player in a contentious and controversial lawsuit involving UMC money. In part, the scandal of this lawsuit resulted in Holsinger not running for the church high court again.
Well, that didn't take long. All the speculation about Alan Keyes finding a home with the rabidly right-wing Constitution Party has quickly come to naught as the CP convention picks radio talk show host, and former CP vice-presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin, as their nominee for 2008.
The finally tally wasn't even close: 384-126.
So, the even the Constitution Party wasn't buying what Alan Keyes was selling and now they both go their separate ways back into irrelevance.
They're considering a "Christian" license plate. It's supposed to have a cross and a stained glass window on it with the words "I Believe!" More below the break!
John Gray's ample Saturday Review column in the March 15th edition of London's Guardian newpaper diagnosed the current climate surrounding religion as one of `moral panic'. This is true only of the irrational fear that surrounds Islamist fundamentalism, a relatively insignificant force in Western society compared to the persistent campaign in the mainstream media (as Gray's own two-page spread illustrates) to demonise all non-Christian worldviews, including the atheist one Grey so stridently attacked.
As much as I admire Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel for their efforts to reform the military, I respectfully submit that their proposed bill doesn't go far enough...
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