Posted on 05/22/2011 7:47:29 AM PDT by Brian_Baldwin
I do not even know the name of that preacher who was one of the leaders involved in the campaign, both by billboard, TV and radio, that the world was going to end yesterday. I do know that, while obviously the followers of such cultism were a very small fringe element of the Jesus Movement of Christianity, there is no doubt what is going to happen next.
What is going to happen next is that the Left, and selected spokespersons of the Democratic Party who will pretend to moderate the argument while at the same time act purposely to foment the argument, will now bring to the public a new front of attack against the Right, against Conservatives, and against the Republican Party. The very words “End Times” will now be used to label all such as kooks, in fact as dangerous elements. The element of sarcasm will be used as the rally call for confrontation against all conservatives. The words “End Times” will be used in attempt to put a "yellow star" on all of the Right, whether they are Christian or not.
The idiots who followed this preacher, those who are now psychologically and perhaps even financially suffering from such forms of cultism, we are not sure how they are going to react, or what they may do. The idiots of hate who will attack those who believed such nonsense, we are not sure how they are going to react or what they may do either, we can only hope that everyone will simply move on and dismiss this as a rerun of the idiocy that apparently this same fool attempted to pronounce about a decade ago.
But I do have my concerns this time around, and I want to express my concerns which no doubt is going to anger a lot of friends on this forum, but I am only saying something that I am hearing many fellow conservatives express since yesterday and again today, and I agree with them.
It sounds so trite, yet so typical of what needs to be said so often thanks to the crazy politics and mêlée of today, but here comes the expected framing clarification so not to hurt anyone’s feelings:
This is NOT meant to be an attack on Christians. I understand that those who did this foolish and disturbing public event which, in one way thankfully, has exposed them as the bamboozled and confused, if not mentally disturbed, individuals that they are, represent only a very tiny minority among the Christian community. God knows, if anyone has ever bothered to even care what I or others have said in the past, we have warned that in fact Christians in many ways are now facing the same sort of rhetorical attacks from the Left and from Socialists (and even from National Socialists of today) that the Jews did during the rise of National Socialism in Germany. There is no question about it, if certain elements of the Liberal left were to take power and obtain control over the media, they would without doubt soon after be loading Christians onto trains and sending them off to concentration camps and gas chambers.
But what angers me now about this entire “End Times” affair of yesterday, is that now this will become another weapon used by the Left against “The Tea Party”, against the entire conservative renaissance, against the Republican Party, and it will probably be very effective in many ways. To be honest, I am very angry with these individuals involved, and the damage that is to come because of them.
Yes, just as what happened in the previous decade, this entire insanity surrounding those who perpetrated this “End Times” prediction of the “End of the World”, perhaps it will very quickly become a forgotten news item. I surely hope so.
At the same time, leaders among the conservative moment should not forget it very soon. This time, this disturbing sequence of events needs to be remembered, considered carefully, and needs to be calculated into the overall agenda of freedom and liberty such that it might not perhaps become a danger to this agenda. I am sorry to say, but leaders who express the philosophy of liberty, of what we call in America the conservative renaissance, need to keep these events in mind and to be watchful that any such fringe elements of this “End Times” movement do not become spokespersons, do not become leaders, do not become community activists (regretfully using such a term, as much as this term is now distained as the hallmark of Obama), do not become in anyway the words or the face of this renaissance.
I think many conservatives would agree, and there is a reason for this.
It should be made perfectly clear, that no one, conservatives inclusive, should ever “worship their country”, they should not for example use love of America to a degree that it supplements love of liberty or the very philosophy or reasons why our forefathers had founded this nation. Liberty is an ideal that belongs to everyone, no matter which country. I understand, as do conservatives in general, that love of country does not mean worship of country – God knows we can see where that leads to in history time and again, too often treading the path of dictatorship and senseless war. Having said that, and without overemphasis on patriotism, I think it is correct to say that the cultist elements within the “End Times” movements, they have NO loyalty to America. That is point one.
Without becoming too controversial, I am concerned in this manner – let us take the Islamic fundamentalists who have been politicized and are now a terrorist threat to the world. They hate the West. Why? Because they live in the 12th Century in mind-set and belief, and, without making any excuses for Hollywood, they do not like what they see that is creeping into their culture that is coming from the West. They see rap music, they see disgusting movies that their children may watch, they see a lot of bad from the West, which easily encroaches into their culture thanks to technology, but little of the good. Because the good is often not tangible – it is an idea, a philosophy, a form of government, and not the latest Lady Gaagaa video and other such crap.
They live in the 12th Century, and they cannot, for example, deal with the fact that America landed a man on the moon. You know, very few in the West understand this, but this in fact greatly disturbed the “mullahs” and the Islamic radicals.
They live in the 12th Century, and they, simply put, cannot adjust to living in the modern world – both for its faults, and its benefits, which includes Western forms of governments that include liberty, Republican and Democratic forms of government, and the entire package including modern science and technology.
They cannot adjust, they first turn inward with aghast, then fear, they think their children will (and perhaps justifiably think so) become corrupted, that their sons will turn into junkies and their daughters into whores.
They then pick up the very things that are in large part, inventions of the West, and that is the military technology, the guns and weapons created from the West, to attack the West. They have invented so little, but the take those things invented by the West to turn it on the West.
But they use these things in a very sick way, be it suicide bombers and other examples.
Without comparing those “End Times” extremists who actually, for whatever psychological reasons, followed this recent preacher into such a disturbing carnival act of thinking the “End of the World” was going to happen yesterday, “there is no question about it”, “I cannot answer the question ‘What if the world is still here on Sunday’, because the fact is that it will not”, and so on – without comparing those who believed this insanity with the circumstantial mindset of Islamic extremists, we did in fact observe during this carnival leaders of this End Times cult that would not even allow a mental preparation or a counter argument to at least afford some comfort to those who perhaps believed this and now are suffering emotionally when it did not happen -- as we all knew it would not -- still, I am sorry, but there are in fact some meandering comparisons that conservatives should be concerned about.
One comparison is that, I am afraid to say, elements of this cult movement simply cannot adjust to the modern world, both for its good and bad. I think this is part of it. Their fixations to the End Times are their world, and fixations of a type that certainly have commitments that partake of loyalties much higher, of much more importance to any loyalty to America, to liberty, to fellow neighbors who live among them, and certainly much more important to them then living within, and adjusting to, the modern world. This also includes, trying to isolate from it, while at the same time taking the tools of it to recruit others into the same fixations.
I apologize to any Christians who take offense to what I just said. Again, I am not attacking Christians; I am not saying love of country is more important than love of God, or anything of the sort. What I am saying is leaders within the conservative renaissance need to be careful of the elements within the End Times movement, as exampled in the cult activity we observed recently. Yes it is true, this isn’t the first time these antics have occurred, that in fact this very same preacher predicted something of the same about a decade ago, which of course didn’t happen, and which did not result in any issues or problems over all other than embarrassment for those who became fixated with it (hopefully). And yes, we have historical examples of this, certainly not a few examples in the history of America itself.
But this repeated. It came from the same, selfish and fixated confused fool. It happened again, and to repeat such pronouncements strongly argues this person has some sort of mental disturbance. It is cultism, but those who participated were a community in size that is typically much larger than your average cult. That is also a concern.
I observed them, for example, in the Bay Area of California (which is known to have its share of kooks). They held signs “The World will End on May 21st” and such. These were direct members of the cult. They were not a few as is typical of a cult.
And then there were “offshoots”. Those who were not direct members of the church involved in this cult, but nevertheless were directly or indirectly participating. For example , I went to walk my dog about 5pm yesterday in a park, and I saw them. There was a gathering of a couple of adults, along with a notable gathering of teenage girls and boys, sitting on the grass, there were some who would play a guitar and sing to the crowd. It had something to do with “End Times” , and Jesus songs, and after observing this for a while from a bench with my dog next to me, some lady who was also walking her dog confronted them to ask questions because of the obvious news events around the “6pm End of the World” prediction, upon which she found out that they were not the “same church” but a bunch of young Christians with a couple of adults who gathered together “for the rapture” in sort of a “just in case” contingency.
My God. What idiots. And so many young kids. In fact, it was scary and disturbing. Having known the 1960’s, this was right out of something you would think is a drug induced religious pandemonium. A collection of witches. A parade of fools right out of the Middle Ages, whipping themselves in order to stop the Black Death. The “offshoots”. Young men who, while participating in some religious group also have one eye on the girls involved, another “groupie” who is a “true believer” while checking out the blond sitting next to him. My God. What idiots.
There is getting to be more of this, my friends. I hope not, but conservatives need to be ready to figure out what they are going to do. We cannot allow these idiots to destroy the conservative renaissance. We cannot allow these idiots to keep doing these things, which only will afford the enemies of freedom and democracy, the Left, even the Obama Administration, more fodder to attack and use mockery against liberty.
And frankly, we do not know what some of these people, albeit very, very, very few in number, perhaps only one, or two, or twenty, of a couple of hundred – will do next. The world didn’t end. But I am a little worried; about some of them who simply “cannot fit in” who may want to end the world for us.
By the way, can Netanyahu run for President of the United States? I really like that guy.
It’s time to start ignoring the Left.
IGNORE THEM when they cry racism.
IGNORE THEM when they mock our religion.
IGNORE THEM when they try to bait us.
Unfortunately, that was George W Bush’s strategy.
Never forget. Jesus has already won the fight with evil. We won’t know when He’s chosen to announce His victory to the world until we see Him in the clouds. Christians pray every morning the prayer from Revelation 22:20, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
There have been many a “preacher” who have gone on to predict the rapture or end of the world.
Those who actually READ their Bible know that not even His Son knows the exact time. If Jesus doesn’t know, why on earth would a mere man pretend to know it.
False prophets.....we’ve ALL been warned about them. Follow them at your own peril.
... An Assyrian clay tablet dating to around 2800 B.C. bears the inscription: “Our Earth is degenerate in these later days; there are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; every man wants to write a book and the end of the world is evidently approaching.” ...An old old trick.
Fine. My response will be that this "preacher" predicting the end of the world is no less of a fraud than the "president" who has been predicting an economic recovery.
Actually, I'll cut the preacher a little more slack, since he has no control over whether or not HIS predictions come to fruition.
I meant no MORE of a fraud.
More coffee needed.
Does that mean we get to throw the Doomsday prediction of the Leftist Religion of GAIA back in the Dummies Face.
Seems I recall something about flooding. It's just a tad derivative, don't you think? Maybe they could come up with something, well, I don't know ... a little less redundant?
The what?
Is there any other "movement" of Christianity?
2 Peter 3:3-9
“3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
You know I don’t see a great amount of difference between Harold Camping and a man like James Hansen. Well, except for one. However much Camping and his followers chose to spend peddling their doomsday theories, it was their own money they were wasting. James Hansen is sucking at the public teat peddling his.
Or maybe they didn't, in which case their goal in passing Spendulus was to destroy the economy, which is much worse.
They could cry anything they want. The fact is, nothing compares with a president who sides with a terrorist organization like Hamas.
End Timer's all belong in the same category. Anytime somebody laughs at the "right" and calls them end-timers ... needs to be reminded of Al Gore's Predictions and particularly Prince Charles' (the world will end in 18 months from global warming). The "right" doesn't own the end time debate, there are plenty or examples on the left. Just remind them of their own "kooks".
Ha, it wasn’t worth the time you spent on it. No one, even Christians, took it seriously.
I hope they will not suffer in mind and heart, and I hope also that no one will persecute them or torment them.
There was one man, I would see every other day, holding the sign. I never laughed at him. I never mocked him. I felt sad for him, thinking of "the day after" when the world did not come to an end. Thinking of him facing his family, who I doubt believed what he did since they were not with him. Or, if he lived alone, perhaps in a condo or among friends and neighbors - that these same neighbors, I pray, would offer him a coffee the next day and say, "Forget it ... and ... have a cup of Joe on me ..."
You know, now the preacher guy has modified the date to Oct 21st. I feel for those who may have believed him, and do not want to see anything, not even jokes, torment them. But for this preacher guy - well, it just sort of makes me mad. I wish he could just leave the world alone. In one way, he is being very cruel. I do not care what he thinks he is, he deserves no respect at all. No time to even joke with him, the only words for him is "you have done enough damage to good Americans, to Christians in general, please, if you were truly picked to let everyone know something as important as this there would have been no error ... you were wrong twice, being wrong once is a strikeout in this ballgame. Just go away."
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