Glenn Beck Rewrites Civil Rights History [Alveda King: Park Police Forewarned, We Just Might Sing]

CNN>COM ^ | August 26, 2010 9:02 a.m. EDT | Willie Bunch, Special to CNN

[fight_truth_decay]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- "We are on the right side of history! We are on the side of individual freedoms and liberties and, dammit, we will reclaim the civil rights moment. We will take that movement -- because we were the people who did it in the first place." -- Glenn Beck, on his nationally syndicated radio program, May 26.

It is Glenn Beck's most audacious stunt yet: This Saturday, in the company of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the National Rifle Association and others, the Fox News Channel host will stand in the sacred shadow not just of the Lincoln Memorial, but of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. himself, near the spot where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech 47 years earlier to the exact day.

During this event -- billed as "Restoring Honor" -- Beck will aim to "reclaim the civil rights moment" for his cause, and in the process he will continue what he's been doing for the last 18 months: bending the history of 20th-century America like a Philadelphia soft pretzel.

The revisionist message behind "Restoring Honor" is nothing new for the conservative shock jock. In the year and half since President Obama took office, Beck has led his loyal followers on a journey not just to "reclaim" civil rights but much more audaciously to rewrite the sweeping narrative arc of American history from the time of the Founding Fathers forward.

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[woofie]

And now for our Anti-Obama Anthem: “We Shall Overcome”

[Elsie]

One poster (I forgot who) only posted rants that were anti-Mormon. Just another way to damage some of the right leaning politicians.

I rest my case!

[Elsie]

Just another way to damage some of the right leaning politicians.

You mean HARRY REID or perhaps Mitt?

[samtheman]

I haven’t pleaded with anybody to do anything.

I’m just sick of all this anti-Mormon ranting at a time when we should be working together to rid ourselves of stalinists and shariaists.

[Elsie]

And as far as making fun of religions go, the master himself, Mark Twain, didn’t stop at the Mormons, you know.

So...

You think we're making FUN of the MORMONs??

Sigh...

[Elsie]

It would be like saying on Wake Island, can’t have this guy fight beside me because he’s a member of the Japanese army!!!!

Let me know if you need more straw fro your men. I've lots in the barn...

[Elsie]

It would be like saying on Wake Island, can’t have this Second or Third generation JAPANESE guy fight beside me because he’s a Japanese!

Let's send HIM to the European theater!!

[samtheman]

I was trying to make a point to Colofornian (sp) with that example and it took me many, many tries to get the simplest point through to him.

You are much more dense, much more stubborn, much more pigheaded, much more full-of-yourself, much more So Sure You Are Right... I’m not about to start all over again with you.

[freekitty]

Is she an American citizen?

I have always thought corporations can make their own policies.

[Elsie]

Mormons are allies against Sharia and Stalinism.

 

O...

   K...

 

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“I Will Be a Second Mohammed”

In the heat of the Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838, Joseph Smith made the following claim, “I will be to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Alcoran [Koran] or the Sword.’ So shall it eventually be with us—‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’ ”[1] 

It is most interesting that a self-proclaimed Christian prophet would liken himself to Mohammed, the founder of Islam. His own comparison invites us to take a closer look as well. And when we do, we find some striking—and troubling—parallels. Consider the following.

• Mohammed and Joseph Smith both had humble beginnings. Neither had formal religious connections or upbringing, and both were relatively uneducated. Both founded new religions by creating their own scriptures. In fact, followers of both prophets claim these scriptures are miracles since their authors were the most simple and uneducated of men.[2]

• Both prophets claim of having angel visitations, and of receiving divine revelation to restore pure religion to the earth again. Mohammed was told that both Jews and Christians had long since corrupted their scriptures and religion. In like manner, Joseph Smith was told that all of Christianity had become corrupt, and that consequently the Bible itself was no longer reliable. In both cases, this corruption required a complete restoration of both scripture and religion. Nothing which preceded either prophet could be relied upon any longer. Both prophets claim they were used of God to restore eternal truths which once existed on earth, but had been lost due to human corruption.

• Both prophets created new scripture which borrowed heavily from the Bible, but with a substantially new “spin.” In his Koran, Mohammed appropriates a number of Biblical themes and characters—but he changes the complete sense of many passages, claiming to “correct” the Bible. In so doing he changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place. In like manner, Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon, much of which is plagiarized directly from the King James Bible. Interestingly, the Book of Mormon claims that this same Bible has been substantially corrupted and is therefore unreliable. In addition, Joseph Smith went so far as to actually create his own version of the Bible itself, the “Inspired Version,” in which he both adds and deletes significant portions of text, claiming he is “correcting” it. In so doing he also changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place.

• As a part of their new scriptural “spin,” both prophets saw themselves as prophesied in scripture, and both saw themselves as a continuation of a long line of Biblical prophets. Mohammed saw himself as a continuation of the ministry of Moses and Jesus. Joseph Smith saw himself as a successor to Enoch, Melchizedek, Joseph and Moses. Joseph Smith actually wrote himself into his own version of the Bible—by name.

• Both prophets held up their own scripture as superior to the Bible. Mohammed claimed that the Koran was a perfect copy of the original which was in heaven. The Koran is therefore held to be absolutely perfect, far superior to the Bible and superceding it. In like manner, Joseph Smith also made the following claim. “I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book.”[3]

• Despite their claim that the Bible was corrupt, both prophets admonished their followers to adhere to its teachings. An obvious contradiction, this led to selective acceptance of some portions and wholesale rejection of others. As a result, the Bible is accepted by both groups of followers only to the extent that it agrees with their prophet’s own superior revelation.

• Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith taught that true salvation was to be found only in their respective religions. Those who would not accept their message were considered “infidels,” pagans or Gentiles. In so doing, both prophets became the enemy of genuine Christianity, and have led many people away from the Christ of the Bible.

• Both prophets encountered fierce opposition to their new religions and had to flee from town to town because of threats on their lives. Both retaliated to this opposition by forming their own militias. Both ultimately set up their own towns as model societies.

• Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith left unclear instructions about their successors. The majority of Mohammed’s followers, Sunni Muslims, believe they were to elect their new leader, whereas the minority, Shiite Muslims, believe Mohammed’s son was to be their next leader. Similarly, the majority of Joseph Smith’s followers, Mormons, believed their next prophet should have been the existing leader of their quorum of twelve apostles, whereas the minority, RLDS, believed Joseph Smith’s own son should have been their next prophet. Differences on this issue, and many others, have created substantial tension between these rival groups of each prophet.

• Mohammed taught that Jesus was just another of a long line of human prophets, of which he was the last. He taught that he was superior to Christ and superceded Him. In comparison, Joseph Smith also made the following claim.

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”[4] In light of these parallels, perhaps Joseph Smith’s claim to be a second Mohammed unwittingly became his most genuine prophecy of all.

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[1] Joseph Smith made this statement at the conclusion of a speech in the public square at Far West, Missouri on October 14, 1838. This particular quote is documented in Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, second edition, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971), p. 230–231. Fawn Brodie’s footnote regarding this speech contains valuable information, and follows. “Except where noted, all the details of this chapter [16] are taken from the History of the [Mormon] Church. This speech, however, was not recorded there, and the report given here is based upon the accounts of seven men. See the affidavits of T.B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, George M. Hinkle, John Corrill, W.W. Phelps, Samson Avard, and Reed Peck in Correspondence, Orders, etc., pp. 57–9, 97–129. The Marsh and Hyde account, which was made on October 24, is particularly important. Part of it was reproduced in History of the [Mormon] Church, Vol. III, p. 167. See also the Peck manuscript, p. 80. Joseph himself barely mentioned the speech in his history; see Vol. III, p. 162.”

[2] John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts on Islam, (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1998), pp.8–9. Eric Johnson, Joseph Smith  & Muhammed, (El Cajon, CA: Mormonism Research Ministry, 1998), pp. 6–7.

[3] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.4, pp.461.

[4] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.6, pp.408–409.

[samtheman]

I specifically said, “Japanese Army”, you dolt.

You are stupider than Colo. No doubt about it.

[freekitty]

Sorry, Elsie. Email was meant for someone else.

[samtheman]

Here we go with the data dump. You people are so monotonous and so boring.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

That’s right. Stonings in Salt Lake City. Happens all the time.

[CommerceComet]

Let's not be shooting our own.

ejonesie22 just commented on this but let me add my own 2 cents.

I'm a Christian first and a conservative second. Very seldom is there anything which comes between the two but Mormonism does. I don't have any issue with Mormons being involved in the conservative movement. However, I have a real issue with people who use the conservative movement as a platform to further the false "gospel" of Mormonism.

If push came to shove and I had to chose between Christianity and conservatism, I'd chose Christ. So as long as Beck is advancing a politically conservative agenda, I won't criticize him. If Beck pushes his theological views or a misleading account of history to prop up Mormonism, I will criticize him loudly.

[Elsie]

Wow, that’s a good one, Elsie!

Aren't YOU the one that said the thread had DEGRADED to religion?

[rarestia]

I get and agree with everything you’ve said, Jonesie. What you are saying is not alien to me. You’re looking past the nexus of this conversational thread: Glenn Beck’s “Mormonism.” I’m not disagreeing with anything anyone’s saying about Christianity as a whole. Had my initial posts been read in the macro instead of the micro, we would likely not be having this conversation.

That being said, I don’t believe it’s appropriate nor correct to lambaste someone for their religious beliefs and to question their faith simply based on the sect of Christianity the follow. If we win back this country and return it to the ideals of the Founding Fathers, I would hope that the result is harmony among Christian sects. It seems to me that some Christians are Hell bent, pardon the pun, on proselytizing their form of worship as being superior to another, and that will be the new “rift” in politics in this country. I’m seeing it here on FR; like I’m some sort of devil for agreeing with and listening to Beck’s teachings on the Founding of this Country.

Finally, I understand that missionary work is at the core of Biblical teachings. I openly espouse the greatness of God in the public theater, but people do have a right to believe what they wish. If my neighbor wants to worship a flying spaghetti monster, they’re free to do so, and I’m not going to take the time to try to talk to them about Catholicism. I grew up with LDS and JWs knocking on my door every weekend, and I made myself a promise that I would never become someone to shove my religion down another person’s throat. If they’re curious about the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, I’m here for them. Otherwise, I’ll say a prayer for them that God has mercy on their souls, and that’s the extent of my missionary work. I pray for the lost souls. I don’t try to convert.

[rarestia]

Wasn’t trying to pull a fast one. Forgot to add her to the line.

[Elsie]

A bunch of self-professed Christians preaching their way as the only way to Heaven, and my faith is useless because I believe that Glenn Beck is an honorable Christian man?

I guess I wasn't clear.

YOUR faith (not CATHOLISM, but how you practice it) produced the DEGRADED statement.

Do you not wish folks to talk about religion outside of church?>

[Elsie]

Having a negative opinion about what you say is not the same thing as wanting to take away your free speech.

Do you really think it’s the same thing?

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#170

Yup, that’s the way it was on Wake Island in WWII and that’s the way it should be here, too.

[rarestia]

de·grade  

  –verb (used with object)
1. to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt: He felt they were degrading him by making him report to the supervisor.

You took a thread that was about Glenn Beck's 8/28 event and turned it into a referendum on the LDS church. You then proceeded to completely debase my discussion because I feel he's a good Christian (macro-Christian) man. So yes, Elsie, the thread not only degraded, but you degraded me and my religion. Christian folk where I come from don't make it a point to put down another person's faith, regardless of creed.