Tag Archives: Religion

A Christian Idiocracy Threatens America With Faith-Based Bullying

15 Jun

20130616-075530.jpg

Slowly but surely, whether or not you approve, it is happening: a theocratic United States is swiftly becoming a reality. The legality of so many abhorrent practices in our society are due to the occasional but monumentally wicked and iniquitous Supreme Court decision. What’s so appalling is this case in particular rivals Dred Scott and Citizens United and the decision went quietly under the radar as that year was not remembered for much other than the September 11th attacks.

Originally heard on February 2001, SCOTUS rendered its decision on June 11, 2001 regarding the prohibition of religious clubs meeting on public school grounds. In the case The Good News Club v Milford Central School, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff 6-3 that the Child Evangelism Fellowship Organization had the freedom of speech right to set up evangelical clubs in public elementary schools. Separating Church and State, basically over a technicality, had been effectively nullified.

The curriculum of The Good News Club is standardized to indoctrinate children. The strategy is based on the premise that what a child learns at school must be true, so a teacher instructing a class on mathematics and next class the same children are told “they are born sinners and must repent to the gospel of Jesus Christ” as if they are factual equivalents. The universally taught text of the Good News Club (GNC) has over 5,000 references to sin, 1,000 references to obedience, 1,000 references to punishment and more allusions to hell than Boticelli’s rendition of Dante’s terrifying underworld.

This is accomplished through books that, for those unable to yet read, are furnished with pictures to indoctrinate as young as possible. The Biblical tale of Saul and the Amalekites is used as an example of the compulsory obedience to “God’s decrees” no matter how outlandish or horrific they may be.

Many have used this story from Deuteronomy 29:16-18 (as well as other mentions of Saul throughout the Old Testament) to justify committing genocide based on a book of fiction. A sin is a sin, so they equate this mass slaughter with a “sin” such as failing to clean one’s room. The most essential quality of the GNC is absolute obedience and compliance. Even the smallest of sins require complete obedience to their interpretation of the gospel and some children literally terrify their disbelieving peers with tales of fire and brimstone.

The shocking video below shows the lengths these fundamentalists will go to convert and brainwash children. I liken it to a child predator offering treats from a fake ice cream truck to lure children for far more insidious intentions.

It has been well established that indoctrination into any belief system occurs largely during primary school years. The Supreme Court’s majority opinion was based on the rejection of the argument that young children are particularly vulnerable to mistaking equal access for official endorsement and the rules should thus be different for elementary school. The dissenting opinion by Justice Stevens seems to be the most thought provoking as he believes this will (and already has) erode(d) the separation of church and state. With the premise that free speech can also include politically motivated clubs like the KKK, there’s no limit to what is tolerable at public elementary schools if one subscribes to the case’s majority rule author, Clarence Thomas (and the five other Conservatives on the Bench). The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment has been eviscerated.

Justice Stevens separated the “religious purposes” mentioned in his policy statement into three possible types of religious speech. He stipulates that 1. some religious speech is “simply speech about a particular topic” 2. Implications of Good News (Club’s agenda) from a religious point of view that some religious speech amounts to worship “or its equivalent” and 3. that some religious speech proselytizes by nature or inculcates belief in a particular faith, while the First Amendment potentially protects all of these forms of speech against action by the state.

Stevens compares the Good News Club and its proselytizing meetings to a political organization trying to recruit members. He concludes that Milford may exclude these kinds of meetings because “such recruiting meetings may introduce divisiveness and tend to separate young children into cliques that undermine the schools’ educational mission.” Justices Souter and Ginsberg agreed with Stevens as they all, justifiably, felt this case clearly violated the separation of church and state.

20130616-080509.jpg

One of the proponents of the movement of the SSA (The Secular Students Association) is author Katharine Stewart, who in the video posted above has explained why this is a very slippery slope to the erosion of religious freedom for America’s non-Christians. She is the author of The Good News Club: The Religious Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children. Stewart explains how children, as young as five years of age, are encouraged to recruit others into the Children’s Evangelical movement while mocking, shaming and shunning anyone who is a non-believer. They are wrought with fear and intimidation that Hell is inevitable if you “don’t accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”

If there’s any question of where this is coming from, those interviewed in the documentary happily admitted they learned of these Spectaculars for Christ at Chik-Fil-A and McDonalds to name a few. Corporate America is very interested in maintaining a population that is pliable and easily hooked on believing what they are told while ignoring harmful consequences caused by their right-wing, anti-labor and pro-pollution policies. Using Christian theology masked as factual curriculum on the children of our public schools is a fantastic way to keep the sheep buying in to their mantra. While they cry out about some imagined threats to the Second Amendment as the evisceration of our Constitution, they are effectively eroding the most precious freedoms of the First Amendment. Nobody seems to notice. The media has not deemed this a problem because the media has been deregulated to reflect corporate America’s will as absolute fact. These are very scary times for America indeed.

About these ads

Tags: , , , , ,

Beware the Teaparty Down Under: Abbott is a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

17 Feb
abbott

No, not the villain from the Matrix. This is Australian Head of the Center Right Liberal Party Tony Abbott

We’ve heard this garbage before, but we’re used to hearing it from right wing crazy people here in America. But when a prominent politician and possible PM hopeful in Australia echoes Freedomworks‘ anti-Science stance on global climate change, it is cause for alarm. Tony Abbott pictured here, has gone on the record saying: ‘‘I don’t think we can say that the science is settled here’’ He went on to question whether ‘‘emissions are quite the problem that some people say they are’’, and argued, ‘‘whether carbon dioxide is quite the environmental villain that some people make it out to be is not yet proven.” This is contrary to the findings of roughly 97% of climate scientists who study the effects of man-made pollutants on our global ecosphere. Unfortunately, Australian politics is not laden with stars in the Labor party (which is akin to our Democratic Party in the U.S.) and no one candidate is poised to take the reins of government like Tony Abbott in the September 14 elections later this year.

There are code words the conservatives in the U.S. often use to indicate they are anti-science and pro-big business, with little regard for the environment and health of their people and wildlife. Mr. Abbott takes a page out of the GOP playbook and uses the catchphrase, “the climate change-science is far from settled” here:

Not only is this man, who likely will win in a divided political climate, a danger to those who will be impacted by the rising tides and weather catastrophes in store for all of us if we don’t lower emissions, but Mr. Abbott is a highly religious “family” man, reminiscent of the U.S. pro-life crowd. A poll of 100 voters across Sydney found that Labor and Green voters despise the way Abbott injects religion into his political campaign and policy. On the other hand, Liberal voters respect Abbott as a ‘conviction politician’ who is firm on his beliefs. Liberals, mind you, are like the GOP in America, except a bit more logical. You’d actually be hard pressed to find a party like the Teaparty-laden GOP in a Western Democracy. Abbott has been called “Mad Monk” and “Captain Catholic” by some who believe, as many of us do here in the USA, that religion has no place in politics.

In order to appear as equally sexist, misogynistic and bigoted as his American Teaparty counterparts, Tony Abbott has a rich history of chauvinistic bullying in his C.V. His attempt at mirroring candidates like “legitimate rape” failed Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin are evident in this quote: “When it comes from Julia (Gillard, the unmarried, current PM) , ‘No’ doesn’t mean ‘No’,” his choice of that charged term was completely intentional, and part of a nasty, subterranean agenda. He often refers to the current PM, Ms. Gillard, as unqualified on matters of family as she has no children. He appeals to the farthest right wing elements of his country and to think a man of Abbott’s transparent motives has a such great odds at winning in September is quite disturbing to many Australians.

The last thing a world in turmoil from unchecked corporate hegemony needs is another puppet leader like George W. Bush in a hemisphere that has been wrought with climate change disasters as of late. In a world where the most educated and civilized are moving away from religious dogma dictating social policy, it is anachronistic to have a man like Abbott as head of any state. Generally, Australians are only given one month’s notice of an upcoming election. Hopefully PM Gillard, with this unusual time frame, has given the Labor Party enough notice to try to best a dreadful candidate who will only depress a fairly strong world economy who has averted a recession. The Progressives of America are with you Australia. I hope we can help keep another Mitt Romney from a “Down Under” victory.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Your Doomsday Preparations Are Killing Us

19 Dec

She uttered the words, “Lord The Day Is At Hand! We Are In The Last Days! You Are Jehovah God!” You might think this is a fringe cult leader uttering these extreme words of admonishment. Nope, it’s just Teaparty darling Michele Bachmann (R), a now four term Representative from Minnesota’s sixth district, revealing her religious fanaticism as if we all share these beliefs. These words spoken by powerful leaders can have disastrous effects on people by playing to their fear of the unknown. What better way to combine god and guns than preparing people for some prophesied apocalypse.

The idea that we are in the end times or “latter days” seems to be popular among not just fringe groups, but mainstream religions. It is true that, for many decades, the LDS cult followers have been admonished to accumulate, and then use on a rotating basis (to keep it fresh), a minimum one-year supply but ideally a TWO-YEAR supply of food. The whole idea was that some catastrophe was imminent (a nuclear holocaust?), and that each and every LDS household would need that storage to survive. The prevalent attitude was that when the apocalypse came, the non- and jack-mormon neighbors would try to raid the homes of the obedient, righteous LDS to get their 2-year supplies, and thus it was also necessary to have firearms to protect themselves and their families, a.k.a. the chosen good guys against the evil mobs. It was coming! Be prepared! One of the largest unregulated Internet gun sites is Mormon-owned, further contributing to our firearm-obsessed society. We can’t forget the most famous Mormon doomsday preacher, Glenn Beck and his fearmongering, which does little to comfort anyone with paranoid psychoses.

Tragedy-stricken Newtown, CT is a heavily Republican stronghold. The mother of the shooter was a Conservative, “NRA guns & god enthusiast”. Nancy Lanza, murdered by her son Adam was a so called “doomsday prepper/survivalist” worried about the imminent economic implosion that will inevitably accompany President Obama’s second term. Certainly, she did not deserve her fate, but was it wise to instill this paranoia in an already unstable person? How did a so-called responsible gun owner allow her mentally handicapped son to get a hold of her guns and ammo? Perhaps we will never know. But we do know this mindset can have tragic consequences.

This week, a Utah sixth grader came to school with a gun in his backpack citing the recent shooting as the reason for carrying a lethal firearm around defenseless children. Utah happens to be the second most heavily armed state in America, as it is over 70% LDS, which ardently supports the NRA. The potential disaster was averted when authorities intervened and put the boy in custody. Why do so many children and mentally unstable individuals have access to so many guns? Because we are the most heavily armed nation on earth with 90 guns per 100 people. Guns are far more readily available here than they are in other countries, even a volatile nation like Yemen has fewer firearms per capita.

20121219-032517.jpg
The number of hate groups continues to rise since 2000, even more so now that President Obama has been re-elected. I am not just referencing extremist groups like the online white nationalist forum Stormfront. I’m talking about the prevalence of joint NRA-ALEC legislation that allows for semi-automatics to legally terrorize our streets. The NRA is closely aligned with the most extreme elements in the Republican Party and has brought a number of the GOP’s most influential operatives into positions of power within the organization. The GOP and NRA are now locked in a symbiotic relationship where Republican legislators advance the NRA’s extreme agenda while the NRA musters its hardcore supporters to serve as attack dogs for a wide range of conservative causes. In recent years, they’ve sought to spread laws that would prevent cities from banning machine guns—”…guns whose rapid repeating rounds have nothing to do with hunting deer or other game and everything to do with maximizing the death toll when fired at human beings,” according to PRWatch.org.

God and guns seem to go together which brings to mind when then Candidate Obama mentioned how some people cling to their religion and their guns. This caused an outrage not seen until Mitt Romney uttered his 47% remark at a private fundraiser. People are very defensive about both matters, as if they are one in the same. Mike Huckabee attributed this recent tragedy not to our insane violent gun culture, but the absence of “god” from our classrooms. Fortunately, there are sane people teaching our children that know much better than the Fox News crowd.

It’s not just in America that firearms and the clergy have symbiotically coexisted. One of the world’s wealthiest institutions, the Catholic Church, is also laden with a history of turning a blind eye to the real cause of violence. Perhaps not as egregious as the Crusades or the Inquisition, recent church history is also pretty shameful. The refusal of Pope Pius XII to excommunicate Hitler and Mussolini during World War II forever marred his pontificate with a historically unpopular position of neutrality. When the Nazis invaded Poland, Pius XII refused to condemn the invasion; reason was because one of the biggest advantages the Vatican enjoyed was the lucrative agreement he had with Hitler. In 1998, the Pope apologized for the church’s tacit cooperation with the Nazis, but the relationship with fascists is still evident today.

The modern opulence and security the Vatican enjoys is in part courtesy of the generosity of Benito Mussolini. Thanks to the signing of the Lateran Treaty between his government and the Vatican the Catholic Church enjoyed a number of safeguards and protection. Interestingly enough, the Vatican itself is the largest shareholder in Beretta Arms Company today, even though publicly it supports a UN ban on private gun ownership.

In this country, people like Mike Huckabee and the faith-based coalition will never assign culpability to the NRA. The GOP is entwined with fringe hate groups (see the Teaparty) and will continue to preach violence from the pulpit and/or Fox News, which is, at times, indistinguishable. Preaching about the second coming of Christ, the End of Days scenarios or a complete economic apocalypse can only make a culture steeped in violence more unstable and paranoid. Doomsday is a notion promulgated by superstition, folklore and religion. Imposing these fears on a society at large is both immoral and dangerous.

Tags: , , , , ,

Sports Heroes Attribute Success to God; Churches Use These Profits to Fund Hate

21 Nov

When Gabby Douglas won the Olympic Gymnastics All-Around gold, she proclaimed, “…I give all the glory to God, it’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me.” She will be reiterating this sentiment in front of thousands of fans at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas December 1st and 2nd, 2012. This is a paid speaking engagement, the church communique explains: The church enjoys bringing these inspirational guests in for our community and congregation and sets aside funds each year for special services like these. The congregation provides untold sums of money, not a penny of which any tax is paid back to the city that provides the roads, power, water, fire and police services. Instead of the largely charitable contribution to society the church should provide, the unregulated and tax-free donations are often spent on promotional events, such as financing celebrities for the purpose of recruiting more worshippers. Tim Tebow spoke there earlier this year and naturally he attracted capacity crowds.

20121121-100159.jpg

Canyon Ridge’s motto: God First

The Tim Tebow appearance at Canyon Ridge

When I learned of Gabby Douglas’ appearance, I didn’t think too much about it, as I presumed it was merely meant to inspire young athletes and patrons alike. After seeing so many elaborate color-printed cards displayed at various Las Vegas locations advertising her visit, I thought I’d look into this church a little further. Gabby is an outstanding Olympic athlete who, unfortunately, is not a dynamic public speaker. Like the Tebow visit, Gabby’s appearance is mainly orchestrated to attract potential new congregants.

First here are some basic facts about Canyon Ridge. It is most definitely a “mega-church”, which is by definition any church with a weekly attendance of over 2,000 people. With an average weekly attendance of 6,000, Canyon Ridge can hold up to 3,000 at one time. There are two other mega branches of the church in the Las Vegas Metropolitan area: Central Christian Church, a church where over 5,000 members can attend at once. The third branch, The Crossing is a smaller version, but still qualifies as a mega-church. According to Christian Standard, The Crossing was planted by Canyon Ridge Christian Church on September 24, 2000, and is the youngest megachurch with an average worship attendance of 2,224 last year. Canyon Ridge, located in the northwest valley of Las Vegas, was birthed by Central Christian Church in 1993 and averaged almost 6,000 in attendance last year. Central Christian, also in Las Vegas, averaged close to 18,000 in worship last year. Those are some great church planting genes! I recognize many churches do charitable deeds, like many in the NY/NJ area are currently doing for victims of Hurricane Sandy. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what most megachurches do other than to try to increase their bottom line.

Like so many religions, Canyon Ridge is interested in promoting their faith by expansion all over the globe. They have partnered with the leader of Uganda’s anti-homosexuality movement (AKA “Kill the Gays”), Martin Ssempa. Denounced by Pastor Rick Warren, who led the invocation at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2009, Canyon Ridge’s Pastor Kevin Odor refuses to cut ties with Ssempa citing the need to reduce HIV in Africa. Perhaps someone needs to inform Pastor Odor that HIV is rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa due to poverty, polygamy, lack of education and gender inequality, not just homosexual behavior. The law goes so far as to threaten imprisonment to anyone knowing active homosexuals and not reporting their “illegal” activities. He has yet to change his stance on this issue, which ascertains the conservative, fundamentalist agenda of this church.

As abhorrent as this is, I find the entire concept of brainwashing youth into a culture where God controls all the action creates superficiality and trivializes this contrived sense of morality. If God controls everything, isn’t it presumptuous to interfere with the divine plan? I know many people take comfort in a supernatural deity, and I have no problem with that. What troubles me is the thinking God is so concerned with one’s athletic success while this same God is ignoring plight, allowing babies to be born into abject poverty with AIDS. This creates a selfish culture which rewards obedience to an organization that enriches itself with absolutely no financial disclosure or accountability, while ignoring the real issues we as human beings should truly be concerning ourselves with. Merely praying for someone, or even charging money to have prayers answered is no substitute for food and medical assistance. It is a fraud, and deep down, most people know this.

Religion has a stranglehold over our culture. It’s ironic we never hear about God’s role in a post-game interview where the team loses. “We’d like to thank the almighty for this ass-kicking. Apparently it was exactly what we deserved.” Largely this is a phenomenon of American athletes.

Giving God credit and thanks for opportunity in life, or the motivation to strive, is all but universal among the faithful. But something more seems to be going on here. Athletes are not just thanking God for opportunity and fervor — they are crediting God for a competitive victory. This, in turn, seems to be suggesting something very specific about the inclinations of the Almighty. Has anyone paused to consider that for every winner, there is a loser (in fact, often a whole batch of losers) — and that if God is choosing winners, then God must be choosing losers, too? Are the athletes who attribute their victory to God willing to “blame” God for the often-bitter disappointments of the vanquished?
Is it reasonable to hold God accountable for defeat and failure? Is it reasonable if the losers are good people — just as good as the winner? Is it still reasonable if they are not only just as good, but also practitioners of the same faith, and just as pious? And what if they are just as good, just as pious, just as fervid, practicing the same religion, and worked just as hard? On what basis is God making such decisions? I suppose we might, as people tend to do when matters of faith are questioned, just throw up our hands and ascribe this all to the unknowable particulars of God’s grand plan. But if winning and losing are equally prescribed in the grand plan, then are they really winning and losing? Isn’t everyone doing an equally good job of doing the job God decided to give them? If the losers are every bit as good at doing what God wants them to do as the winners, then who are we to presume to declare them losers — and give medals to the other guys?

Canyon Ridge Church provides spiritual enrichment for many of the faithful and of course is viewed as a positive influence in their lives. It’s the young, impressionable children who are forced to believe this propaganda (which includes a God who always needs more money) who could be most easily manipulated. I watched a few online videos by Pastor Odor and found most of them were quite reminiscent of 700 Club solicitations . He’s mainly concerned with reinforcing the belief in a higher being, as “God” is the answer to all things. That’s paramount to his organization’s success.

It seems this Las Vegas megachurch engages in the same level of deception many televangelists have been found guilty of in years past. Simply click on the giving link and you’ll see how generosity is equated with holiness, which is deplorable in my opinion. I believe it is a form of abuse to influence children in this indoctrinating manner. By furthering an organization steeped in preaching intolerance and denouncing equal human rights, we are doing no service to the morality and emotional well-being of our youth, nor are we truly helping humanity. Jesus preached a message of love that didn’t include a tax-free operation laden with corruption. Helping the poorest and neediest, including homosexuals, is more in line with his teachings.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Workers and Women Will Know Their Place With Mormons in Charge

25 Oct

Have you noticed the increase in pernicious GOP dirty tricks currently being exposed during this election, which is now at its apex? Sadly, perhaps half of this superficial, material-obsessed country feels this sketchy Mormon candidate is a step up from President Obama, who’s saved us from a depression. They believe Mitt Romney’s assertion he’s going to “fix” the economy by restoring the policies of the Bush crime family, who, as we all know, has wreaked havoc on the U.S. and the world’s economies.

It’s no wonder he idolizes a master manipulator like his cult founder, Joseph Smith. Like Smith, except in a more grandiose way, Willard Romney has helped this cult fraudulently dupe millions of adherents out of billions of dollars. Romney is the manifestation of Smith’s White Horse Prophecy coming to fruition if elected to the highest office in the land. It is also their last hope, because if the GOP is dealt the crushing blow they so richly deserve, their right-wing Teaparty agenda will fade into oblivion (albeit slowly) as will the desperate proponents of the Mormon Cult. Romney and Ryan long to bring America “back” to the days where both women and the proletarian “working stiffs” knew their place and wouldn’t dare demand equal rights.

20121026-025640.jpg

Will this be the America of the future?

When your candidate speaks fondly of a trip to what is essentially a Chinese sweatshop, where workers sleep on premises, twelve to a room for pennies an hour, you know this callous man cares little for AMERICAN workers and their families. It’s obvious a couple of entitled boys born with silver spoons in their mouths will never understand there is such a thing as the working poor. “Job creator” is just code for we really could care less about the poor and are preoccupied with anti-abortion legislation. Willard Romney’s main objective is to harvest human labor for profit. His specious sophist of a running mate has legislated little other than laws to restrict women’s rights when it comes to their own bodies. Ryan and Romney are controlled by Teaparty puppet strings, so you know it will only get worse if they’re elected based on previous behavior.

Paul Ryan’s Teaparty Congress Legislated Nothing But Abortions

Mormons and many of their GOP cohorts have shown a severe distaste for workers’ rights and unions. There is a history of nepotism and cronyism in the Mormon Church unlike any other group, so if you’re not one of the indoctrinated, you’re undeserving of a promised life. You are also a second class citizen if you happen to be a woman as well.

Not only did Romney never say he’d support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, his cult has a patriarchal bias. If only the media would ask a few relevant questions. Just once I’d like to hear this asked to the Mormon candidate: If a person believes that god is a patriarch who rules over multiple wives, that likewise practicing said polygamy is an eternal requirement to be with him in the “highest degree of the celestial kingdom” in the afterlife, and that only men can have priesthood power to run and administer god’s church on earth, can I truly trust that person to fight for and defend absolutely equal rights for women in society via legislation and judicial decisions? The Mormon Cult is desperate for new converts and looks mainly to the less educated Third World for more brainwashing.

20121026-085756.jpg

We all know exactly what these two will do. They will roll back the clocks to the good ol days, say pre-1890, when polygamy was legal and install activist misogynist justices on the Supreme Court while removing all semblance of parity when it comes to workers’ rights. As Edmond Burke wisely noted, those who ignore history are destined to repeat it. Make no mistake, Romney and Ryan long to repeat all the mistakes of the Bush Administration and then make a few more colossal whoppers that will most assuredly propel the United States into Third World status. History has taught us no less.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salt Lake City Will Dictate A Romney Administration

19 Oct

This Romney statement should incite fear in all Americans: “I believe the separation of Church and State has gone too far .” Unlike President Kennedy, Willard Mitt Romney, along with his faux Catholic running mate, will most assuredly impose their religious beliefs on all Americans, whether they’d like it or not. Employers have recently coerced their employees into voting for Romney by threatening their very livelihood if President Obama should win. This is a mere foreshadowing of the fascist thought that will become rampant in the United States. All Americans should be aware of the impending demolition of the secular principles our Founding Fathers espoused over two and a quarter centuries ago, and there is good reason for this.

Mormon First, American Second: Willard Romney

It seems every single cause the GOP egregiously purports to vilify is the very same issue they seem to eschew. Freedom is their mantra, yet Romney and the GOP wish to eliminate the very religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. The tax-evading Mormon candidate, much like his cult, wishes to have it both ways: an active role in the legislative process without any pay for play. This man, who obviously embraces the Mormon tenet of “Lying for the Lord,” was exposed in the most recent debate by his extemporaneous fabrication of an alleged anti-misogynistic position of seeking more women to hire for cabinet posts, something the Mormon cult certainly, but not openly, disparages. Women are to complement their husbands, provide progeny and obviously to cook dinner. In fact, Romney’s very own Bain Capital was a veritable boy’s club with very few women in real positions of power, much like the hierarchy of the LDS authority.

Romney felt the need to clarify his Mormon faith about two months ago and openly acknowledged how the Latter Day Saints truly have molded him into the quintessential Mormon candidate. He has stated how he’d overturn Roe v Wade, effectively outlawing abortion. This is obviously the chosen position of the LDS Church in Salt Lake. To make matters worse, just consider this quote by his Draconian running mate:

Rape is just another “method of conception” and not an excuse to allow abortions.

Any woman who votes for these two medieval-thinking lunatics obviously feels more comfortable with the mores of the Old Testament than the Constitution. I surely don’t want to unfairly lump all Mormons into this antediluvian group. Democratic Mormons have, on numerous occasions, dissented from the marching orders of the cult. Just recently, Harry Reid, (referred by fellow Mormons as “Dirty Harry”) suggested Mitt Romney hasn’t paid a dime of Federal Income Tax, and thus he was attacked by members of the GOP, especially the Mormons in the House and Senate. He’s yet to be proven false on that accusation, incidentally. Since the nineteenth century, it is almost a universal given that the Mormon Republican members of Congress have done exactly as their Church has instructed. It is worth noting how differently Democratic Mormons have behaved, as they seem to be much more capable of separating church and state.

Is there any doubt Willard Romney, a “severely Conservative” candidate, will impose his beliefs on America? The Republican party IS the faith-based party which has shown countless times their need to supersede a secular United States with a more “Christian” country, so long as the system presents a candidate that looks like them. Even Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, initially labeled the Mormon Church a cult, but has since recanted this claim in order to help Mitt Romney defeat the current “Black” President with the foreign sounding name. The history of the church exercising dominance over every single Republican Mormon should raise red flags by anyone who values the threatened freedoms we enjoy, albeit less and less each day. If you hear a Republican claim there is not enough of their vengeful, anti-poor, bigoted god in this society, that should be considered a blessing. We don’t need Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan dictating the fates of Americans whose lives they have no right to control. Just one more Conservative Supreme Court Justice will make this living Hell a reality and the federal government will mirror the Mormon Republican-dominated government of Utah. Electing these zealots could mean the end of many of our liberties and usher in an era where the United States is no longer discernible from a theocracy, much like Iran.

Interestingly enough, a prominent ex-Mormon noticed in the October 22 debate: One of the reasons he looked so uncomfortable was probably because he had to sit down this time. He is completely conditioned to standing behind a pulpit when giving sermons, looking down at the sheep from on high. His narcissicm was clearly on his face as he smirked at the “fence sitter” born into a cursed lineage. He sure looked uncomfortable and lacking in substance in my opinion.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dangerous Cult Similarities in the Mormon Church, Branch Davidians and Jonestown

10 Oct

David Koresh

Jim Jones

These cults have some very clear similarities that classify them, by definition, as a cult. One of these is: the group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity). Joseph Smith, in starting his Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints, proclaimed he was a direct descendant of Jesus and his followers can become gods themselves, replete with their own worlds to rule with a plethora of wives. He urged followers to take up arms against the U.S. militia and died as a “martyr”. Branch Davidian leader David Koresh proclaimed messiah status in 1990 when he changed his name from Timothy Howell and strongly favored polygamy for himself and also dealt in illegal firearms. People’s Temple cult leader James Jones proclaimed exalted status where members even signed over custody of their children to Jones. All three men proclaimed a sense of divinity and demanded allegiance through intimidation and threats towards their followers. All three led their followers to an untimely, violent death in defense of the cult and its leaders.

My primary issue with the Mormon candidate, Mitt Romney is, how can he believe the fallacious assertions made by Joseph Smith as veritable and still be considered a logical human being, let alone a candidate for president if he’s a devout follower of such cultish nonsense? In my opinion, all religions have fantastical notions but usually, have some fairly valid historical premises, based on love and inclusion essentially. The Mormon cult is another case altogether. Everything about the history of this religion has categorically been proven false by scientific evidence. Joseph Smith was a magnanimous megalomaniac with a penchant for drama.  A church without theater wouldn’t last long, Smith believed.   The ritualistic nature of Temple Endowment Ceremonies, for instance, show a unique interpretation of the Masonic rites they were modeled after.   People need the fantasy, the performance and the mystery, which Smith provided in his founding of a new church—rife with rituals, stories of travel from faraway lands and theatrical acts of mystical translations that are at the core of the church’s history.  A new “gospel” is easier to sell with the extravagant pomp, circumstance and surreptitiousness of the Mormon Church.

20121010-083557.jpg

Mormon Cult founder Joseph Smith

The utterly violent and devastating end to both the Branch Davidians and the Guyana Settlement at Jonestown are eerily similar to Brigham Young ordering non-LDS settlers to be slaughtered in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. A cult that will kill with the intention of protecting its interests and the secrecy of its faith should be considered suspect. Moreover, the incident remains buried in political turmoil, even to this day, and was a media sensation for more than 20 years after it happened. Most Mormons know nothing of the original 9/11 and they’d like to keep it that way.

Another technique used by cults is to discourage the acquisition of information and to keep the indoctrinated firmly rooted in the faith.   A recent ploy used by LDS hierarchy to keep its young cult members in the dark is the lowering of the age of missionary service to 18 (from 19). Years of indoctrination and brainwashing could easily be lost with a year spent at a liberal arts college, so LDS President Monson and Company aren’t taking any chances.  They are reluctant to lose any potential tithing members who will perpetually contribute 10% of their net worth to the post mortem afterlife insurance policy.  It is absolutely amazing how many people buy into this fraud, yet it is far more terrifying for our President to subscribe to this nonsense.

End Times predictions abound in cults, the Mormons being no exception. Gun ownership is certainly encouraged. The Mormon Church owns one of the most active and unregulated gun sale portals on the web, according to a national investigation released by the New York City Mayor’s office. The website in question is KSL.com, the online hub for Utah’s NBC affiliate and sister radio station, which are both owned and operated by the for-profit arm of the Mormon Church. In addition to local news, KSL.com produces a popular classifieds section that reaches millions of users well beyond Utah. Jim Jones’ murdering of Congressman Leo Ryan in 1978, the mass suicide and the fiery Branch Davidian siege in 1993 remind us of the drastic measures cult leaders and their followers will resort to if they feel threatened.

Anyone can say that all religions have cultish characteristics, and, to a degree, they’d be right.  But for a religion, in this era of technology and information, to assert such provably false claims as veracious is preposterous.  Jesus Christ was a figure who preached peace, tolerance and acceptance.  The Mormon Church, like others cults, has a history of violence, exclusion and bigotry, no matter how much they try to hide the facts.  It is certainly not a faith which should supercede the United States Constitution by the Leader of the Free World.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pulpit Freedom Sunday Violates Separation of Church And State

4 Oct
20121004-072805.jpg

Is there really a separation?

The right to freedom of religion is so central to American democracy that it was enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution along with other fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. We are not supposed to establish a state run church/mosque/synagogue. Period.

In order to protect this vital separation, churches were added to section 501C3 of the tax code in 1954. They could not participate in politics AND enjoy a tax-exempt status. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church. Senator Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping “public policy.” To ensure equality among religious and non-religious alike, this was as important a legislative act as the Civil Rights Act. He intended to keep religious leaders from directly engaging in our political process from their pulpits.

Unfortunately, the religious right seized their opening to influence policy directly with the Moral Majority. The Reagan Administration ushered in these frightening right wing Christian megalomaniacs who literally took control of his social agenda. They brought us hate mongers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who had tremendous impact on government who were not paying one red cent in taxes for their opulent and excessive wealth, while imposing their “standards of decency” on the entire nation.

To add a dash of effrontery seldom seen; reverends, pastors and preachers plan on voicing their political opinions this Sunday. This is the impetus for Pulpit Freedom Sunday set to occur nationwide on October 7th. The lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom organization states: “The purpose is to make sure that the pastor -and not the IRS -decides what is said from the pulpit.” – Erik Stanley. It heralds a complete lack of respect for the fundamentals of the United States Government. If you want a voice in the political arena, you must pay your taxes like the rest of us Americans do. That keeps us from becoming a theocracy much like Saudi Arabia. If we don’t keep these zealots in check, that might very well mirror the Religious-Right America of the future.

20121004-055230.jpg

The real message this Pulpit Freedom Sunday, October 7th

This is the third annual “Pulpit Freedom Sunday”. Isn’t it odd how this began after the first Black President was elected, as it was not an issue prior to that, apparently? Anyone with their eyes open can see this as just another not-so-thinly veiled display of blatant racism against President Obama. These agents of “god” are planning to videotape their sermons and then mail them to the IRS.

Speaking of racists, the Mormon Church has very publicly funded efforts to define marriage as between one man and one woman by aggressively promoting Proposition 8 legislation. Ironic how they value the “one woman” principle as even today, open polygamist Mormons can be found in rural areas of Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Texas. Willard Romney’s great grandfather, Miles Park Romney had FIVE wives. We’ve obviously not successfully conquered separation of church and state as there’s still under God in our Pledge of Allegiance and In God We Trust on our currency. When a public official is sworn in or one testifies in court, they must place their hand on a book of fiction, the Bible.

I sincerely hope THIS Pulpit Freedom Sunday results in the very warranted taxation of many of these profitable mega churches. Religious institutions certainly have had their fair share of scandals that deem them undeserving of their 501C3 status. In addition to their often deplorable behavior, they seem to favor Draconian Old Testament laws that have no place in modern society. Bigotry and discrimination should not be legislated through the pulpit without payment. Just imagine the funds we could put into educating our children if we taxed the $30 billion in holdings by the LDS Church alone. If only….

If you’d like to help stop this, please sign my petition to eliminate tax-free status given to these hate merchants! Click on this link to add your name! Thank you.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Criticize Mitt Romney and Mormon Inc. WILL Excommunicate You

25 Sep

The Mormons, even before their Utah Territory was an official state, were very defensive of their sacred Deseret. So much so that a number of them banded together, disguised as Indians, to slaughter innocent settlers passing through the territory on their way to California in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Reliable historians purport that their beloved prophet and university namesake Brigham Young ordered the massacre to keep the US Army out of his beloved Latter Day “Saints” territory, claiming that otherwise the Indians would go on the warpath. If you’ve ever driven through Utah, as I have, you still get the sense today that outsiders, in some parts, are simply not welcome. They know their own and are suspicious of non-Mormons. Questioning the legitimacy of the LDS religion has always been a sore spot and it’s certainly no different today. It is simply forbidden and if a member dare raise valid concerns over inconsistencies in the “faith,” they are sure to be irrevocably censured.

David Twede of MormonThink

Naturally, the LDS church would never admit they don’t tolerate questioning, but of course openly admitting their obvious defensiveness of their cult’s validity would be downright embarrassing. Kay Burningham, former LDS member and author/attorney commented on this particular instance:
“There is no freedom of speech within the LDS Church.  From the clothing they wear, the words they speak, to the books, movies and music deemed appropriate to read, watch and hear, the LDS hierarchy censors its members who dissent.  As MormonThink’s managing editor, David Twede’s good faith efforts at addressing true Mormon history and his constitutional right to express his opinion on Mitt Romney’s fitness for the position of POTUS, are a threat to Mormonism’s very foundation. Only through an outward showing of discipline or excommunication, can the church spin the search for truth and the individual right to expression into a demonic activity.”  

There are many instances of Mormons coming out against the church once the true fraudulent nature manifests itself to the member.  A perfect example of a work they found objectionable is An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, which challenges the traditional explanations of the faith’s founding events – Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the visit of the Angel Moroni, Smith’s translation of ancient writings on gold plates and the restoration of the priesthood.  Even though the evidence against the charlatan’s plagiarizing of the Christian Bible is irrefutable, the church tells members any dissent is the work of the devil, which in turn provides an airtight lock on their illogical mythology.

The Mormon religion is so good at its job, they’ve even convinced their members you have to pay “money” to get into the Celestial Kingdom.  Willard Romney has asserted how instrumental the Mormon church has been in shaping his character.  If his very core is formulated by a fraudulently based belief system, one has to wonder the degree of mental fitness this man possesses that he is so duped by a cult that is utterly devoid of logic.  This is a man who believes little in public education,  for the poor masses are undeserving of the same schooling he received, thanks to LDS Inc.  Even in the face of irrefutable evidence, a true Mormon will stand and die for the lie, make no mistake about it.   Is this what we need in the White House?

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Ann Romney Believes Women Should Know Their Place

22 Sep

As a woman fortunate enough to have had an upbringing where I was always taught that women and men are equals, I’d like to presume the First Lady of my country would instill similar values in other American girls. If her speech at the Republican National Convention showed her true feelings on the matter of feminine equality, it’s painfully obvious Ann Romney believes a woman should know her place, which is in the role of dutiful wife and doting mother. She firmly believes in the supremacy of men just as her adopted Mormon cult dictates. After all, a Mormon woman can only enter the gates of the celestial kingdom with the consent of her husband. Any woman exhibiting desires eschewed by the values ascribed by the Mormon cult is simply anomalous to her entitled and privileged way of life. She is perhaps the worst spokesman for the twenty-first century American female there ever was.

Ann Romney firmly believes a woman should unequivocally be a partner to a man, both in this life and the still unproven hereafter. Not only did she fail to acknowledge women in ANY professional capacity in her RNC speech, she failed to acknowledge single, lesbian or childless women (to name a few) as integral female members of a productive society. She’s so averse to answering questions regarding her own professional aspirations , she cancels any interview inquiring on the matter. Although raised largely without formal religion, (Episcopalian with a touch of atheism) she believes what the Mormon scriptures profess: By bearing and nurturing children, women are saved because they have learned to perform Heavenly Mother’s work. In other words, women truly have no other earthly function than to serve the man and bear him children. This is very similar to the Muslim faith. The role of the Muslim woman is clearly defined and outlined in Islam. In short her primary role is with the upbringing of her children and in being a dutiful wife. A woman’s job, in her worldview, is to be simply a mother and wife above all things. Funny how similar the two faiths are, much to the disapproval of unbeknownst Republicans. Ann’s very own atheist father Edward Davies was baptized into the Mormon Church posthumously, something he would definitely have objected to while alive. Her arrogance and presumption prevent her from seeing just how offensive this is.

She serves her husband also by staunchly defending his right to leading a privileged and entitled existence, free from the customary scrutiny thrust upon the life of a presidential candidate. “Have you seen how we’re attacked?,” Ann Romney said in an interview in mid August, hitting the table with her hand for emphasis. “Have you seen what’s happened?…. “It will just give them more ammunition.” These are the words of a wealthy corporate wife who is outraged her husband is under the microscope while running for the most powerful elected office on earth. She’s assuming they’ll be attacked further if they release more, so that pretty much means there’s something in those returns that’s worthy of “attack” — at least by folks who are paying taxes at a much higher rate, who are perhaps keeping their monies in these United States. “Stop it. This is hard, you wanna try it, get in the ring,” she whined earlier this week following the legendary Mother Jones video of Mitt Romney showing a rare candid example of the contempt he shows for low income Americans and the futility of garnering their vote. She was quoted by a few ladies close to her as having said “My horse has more style and more class in its hoof than they (Democrats) do in their whole deal.” Clearly this couple cares little for the middle class and their disdain is starting to manifest itself everytime they open their mouths.

20120923-062148.jpg

(Not an actual Michelle Obama quote)

Willard Romney believes his wife is his spokesperson for “what women want”. Unfortunately, women are not the monolithic wealthy, corporate white woman Mitt believes Ann is a typical representative. Perhaps Willard’s experience as a fairly omnipotent LDS “prophet” throughout much of his life has shielded him from the reality that the world is nothing like his sanitized view of entitled corporate personhood. It is very apparent she too doesn’t see the forest through the trees when it comes to women’s real world issues. Not every girl aspires to be a stay at home mom, not every girl can be that person for a myriad reasons. Frankly, this woman becoming First Lady is a gigantic leap backwards of all the progress women made in the twentieth century. Actually, given the obvious Republican war on women, what better representative for their antiquated Puritanical views on women than Queen Ann? If America elects this entitled couple it’s because of one of two reasons: they’ve suppressed the vote sufficiently or we’re so unbelievably ignorant as a people, we deserve this impending nightmare.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 112 other followers

%d bloggers like this: