LA Times Exposes Bill McCartney's Psychosis (reg. req.)

Special thanks to Bill in Portland for Daily Kos for the heads up.
I've pasted the juicy tidbits from it.
I mean, you gotta LOOOVE this headline:

'End times' -Religious groups want apocalypse sooner than later, and they're relying on high tech -- and red heifers -- to hasten its arrival.
By Louis Sahagun, Times Staff Writer
June 22, 2006

Think that's insanity personified? Wait, it gets better!!!

For thousands of years, prophets have predicted the end of the world. Today, various religious groups, using the latest technology, are trying to hasten it.

Their endgame is to speed the promised arrival of a messiah.
For some Christians this means laying the groundwork for Armageddon.

-snip-

Linking these efforts is a belief that modern technologies and global communications have made it possible to induce completion of God's plan within this generation.

So, the mainstream press finally got off its' lazy ass and sent out a team to document the core beliefs that make the Republicans so dominant with religious, rural voters. These are the sermons that people like John Hagee and Rod Parsely use to scare people back to church. Flag burning, abortion and gay marriage are only red herrings for the BIG issue hiding in the subconscious of the Pious; "Sky Daddy is coming and he's bringin' the belt! If you don't OBEY US you are gunna get in twubble!!!"

You sure it ain't Hitler you want? Attention! We have hit critical mass hysteria mode!

These people have been and always will be insane. They think they can get a "get out of jail free" card by playing up to the worst human nautre has to offer:

Generations of Christians have hoped for the Second Coming of Jesus, said UCLA historian Eugen Weber, author of the 1999 book "Apocalypses: Prophecies, Cults and Millennial Beliefs Through the Ages."

"And it's always been an ultimately bloody hope, a slaughterhouse hope," he added with a sigh. "What we have now in this global age is a vaster and bloodier-than-ever Wagnerian version. But, then, we are a very imaginative race."

"The slaughterhouse hope?" Sounds right to me!

Now if you didn't know, the Republican has been exploiting this within the infrastructure of the Republican party. Reagan and both Bushies have made remarks that they thought we were living in the end times. Pope John Paul did as well. They've painted every other group who oppose them as "SATAN" and out to get them. For once, just once, I'd love for a reporter to ask Bush, Frist, Rove, Jerry Fallwell, or anyone else of the Hitler youth if they are planning the demise of this planet to fulfill some religious fairy tale.
Well, The Times did:

Pastors of America's evangelical megachurches, the Los Angeles Times reports...have launched a "Billion Souls Initiative" to reach every heathen on Earth. "Our whole purpose is to hasten the End Times," says Bill McCartney, co-founder of the evangelical group Promise Keepers. He's doing his part by trying to convert mass numbers of Jews to Christianity as quickly as possible. Those who fail to heed Christ's message, McCartney warns, are "toast."

-snip-

Even in our own, enlightened nation, 40 percent of the population believes the End Times are nigh, according to several polls, and they have substantial political influence. If a bloody cataclysm in Israel is all part of a vengeful God’s grand plan, why bother trying to negotiate a peace? Why not welcome a global religious war between Christianity and Islam? Strange questions for a species that’s come so far over the past two millennia, and yet has not.

William Falk
Editor-in-chief

It's bad enought that Iran and Israel are attempting to turn the world into a floating charcoal, but now the US has to fall for these murderous delusions as well?
Fucktards, this is called self-fulfilling prophecy. Gawd is not going to come floating in with Reagan and the Pope on his shoulders as lightning strikes down the damned.
No, a government with a nuclear weapon will launch it. And everyone else will follow suit. Nuclear winter will fall on earth, and then we all just DIE.
End of Times, end of story.

FLASHPOINT: GAZA

While we're all focused on Iran and Iraq, Israel has restarted it's own Crusader-like behavior.
That's it Olmert. Feed the violence. Push the entire Moslem population of the Middle East to overrun your borders.
YOU'RE FREAKING NUTS!!!! What, are you as stupid as Sharon?
Oh, wait...
You know, the social experiment that became Israel could have worked. But Israel has fallen into a bunker mentality that is going to do nothing but further incite their neighbors.
One day, we'll see Israelis airlifted to American warships, so they can flee to America.
And the Dominionists can have their War of Rapture.
All this over one soldier. Dumb.

Premonitions...

I've been thinking alot about this dude right here. See, I've read a few books on him just because it does seem Ol' Nosty did describe some amazing similarities to catastrophes that have occured after his demise.
However, I think the existence of his writings are the basis of the current Millenial hsyteria we're experiencing in America today.Now don't get me wrong, Revelations from John is the dogma that defines the propaganda. What you have to consider is that, in many ways, Nostrodamous confirmed Revelations.
It's not a coincidence. Nostrodamous was born a Jew but converted to Catholicism "to fit in". Many researchers has said that the rituals he used to entrance himself were based on Kabbalistic scripture, plus the Catholic church never really trusted him.
Especially after he predicted its' demise as well.
However, Nosty had to keep up appearances, and eventually he was indoctrinated. The Church funded him in the beginning! He learned to look at life through Jeebus-tinted lenses. Or blinders, if you will. He learned to use Christian indoctrination and symbolism in the quatrains, and he did so becaue he probably feared for his life while engaged in this type of propaganda for the Church.
He really had no other frame or anything else to compare what he saw except the Apocalypse.
If he were alive today, he would; it's called Fox News.
So, what's the common denominator between the mentality of the Christian Right and Nosrtodamous? It's the frame of the belief system. Both knew the power of predicting the complete and utter downfall of civilization, too.
I mean, what self respecting prognosticator that wants to be noticed NOT say the World will end someday? If you DON'T predict the downfall of humanity, you won't be taken seriously.
It's part of the scam! How could you get the Tabloids to publish your bullshit if you didn't?
This also feeds the Millenial Zeitgeist as well. This propaganda infrastructure was sittting there, festering within the ranks of Evangelical movement, biding its' time while practicing facism within the pro-life, gay bashing, fundamentalist movements that have coalesced into the Modern Day Rethuglican Party. All you had to do is press one little button, make one phone call, and you have a new Crusade to go fight that could bring along Armageddon.
Riiiing. "Hello, Osama? It's Dick. It's a go." Click.(If you scroll down to the end of the page, you'll see a few of the politicians the religious right own.)
Yeah, I know what I just said. I doubt that a phone call like this was placed. But there are too many coincidences and inconsistencies surrounding 9/11 for me not to be suspicious.
You all know who they are and what they're doing today. This is the group that wanted a huge catastrophe to happen so they could "make the world safe for freedom".
Obviously, freedom from rapture-seeking, religious syncophants didn't make the list...
Finally, my definition of "The Rapture": Global Suicide. Hopefully, we can put these crazy bastards in jail before they can finish the job.

I've seen this train wreck comin' for awhile...

This is exactly the kind of stuff that drives me nuts about "conventional wisdom" in the Democratic Party. They've never had a clue about long range viability because they can't tell the forest from the trees. In a couple of cycles it'll backfire on them when we end up invading Iran and the anti war movement feels the coming (and certain) betrayal.
"Values". Pfft. I hate that term. You know what the entrenched Democratic establishment values? Revenge for Jimmy Carter's smearing from the Iranian Hostage crisis. Joe Biden wants street credibility for his hawkish Foreign Policy agenda, and right now, Democrats don't have any. That's a direct result of what happened to ol' JimmyC, and why The Republicans can sell their line of bullshit that they are "better" on Foreign Policy, the Armed Forces, the War on Terruh, and so on.
Values. RIIIIGHT. Like they value the Patriot Act. "Quick,come up with a buzzword to limit debate!" Shit. It's just more dumbed down spin, another excuse to avoid thinking critically. Here's some spin for you: conventional wisdom is a code word for stupid assumptions. One of my favorites is in a related Kos post rather early in the piece:

"But religion is here to stay in politics, always has been, always will be."

And the moon is made of Green Cheese.
If there is any lesson we should observe in the 21st Century, is this "always has been, always will be" mentality is untrue, and definitely dangerous to society a a whole. You know, there is only one constant of the Universe, and that is change. Before 9-11, America was on a secular path. Church attendance had been declining for decades, and religious organizations did not have as much clout in the political arena.
And America was more at peace than at any other time.
Unfortunately, the Nixonians in the Rethuglican Party, in their lust to regain power, decided to use the most devious (and in my opinion, illegal and with the Vatican factor, treasonous) campaign strategy you can in America: use religious propaganda to win votes. So now, the left remembers they once had that as a primary weapon and they regret putting it down.
I mean come on, abortion, gay marriage, moral values and the whole"Christian Crusader" P.R. shinola they wrap W in; they're all smokescreens, not issues. Poverty is kind of the same thing for religious organizations. They need poverty or else they would lose access to more people that they want to convert. It's good PR to feed to poor, too. I'm not saying that they're doing it to be deceitful, but you have to admit that it does work for them. It's nowhere near what the Radical Right has done with religion as part of the long-term "Southern Strategy" of the Nixonians.
And it drives people CRAZY. Literally. Some of the mot insane shit I've seen in my lifetime were spawned by religious nutjobs. Jim Jones, Koresh, OKC, 9-11, the list goes on and on! I don't think it's a symptom, but a cause of insanity!
So, what will develop, left wing Falwells and Dobsons? I doubt it. What, you think multinational corporations will allow the broadcast companies they own to let a preacher talk about what Jesus supposedly said about poverty, kindness and tolerance? Hah! There's no profit margin in that! Wal Mart might pull their sponsorship from the Network Nightly News!
You did know that the advertising and marketing industries are institutionalized forms of bribes to shut up News agencies, didn't you?
You know, this should make me happy, because this is another big crack in the foundation of Theistic power structures-a big win for Democracy in the long term. Short term, it has the potential to rip the Bill of Rights apart completely. I do love America and care about it, and that's why I write this now. This open embrace of religion is nothing short of unconstitutional.
As for the Religious left, I agree on many of their stances and I'm concerned with the issues they are. I don't think that the are many on the Religious Left "believe" they should interpret the Bible "literally". I definitely don't see them as the threat to my own freedom as I see from the Dobsons, Falwells and Robertsons of the world.
The Religious Left wants to win and enact policies that I would support. I think many left leaning Christian organizations do some good in the world. But this is not the way to do it. Two constitutional wrongs do not make a right. It's a Pandora's Box, and it could end up giving us something worse than George W. Bush by 2012. Legal battles will ensue over leftie religious canvassers. Corporations and the politicians they already own will starve the economies of population strongholds of the religious left, as they have done many times before.
Now, what would happen if the equilibrium of religious influence swings from right to left? What will power do to the leaders of the liberal congregations? Will the reins of power corrupt them like the religious right? According to how I understand human nature, odds are pretty good that it would.
Already, one result is an "unwritten law" that essentially bans agnostics and atheists from public office. Yes, it's unconstitutional, but that is the reality in America today. I don't think an Atheist has any chance of being elected if that person wanted to serve the public. Think about this: Do you honestly think that Thomas Jefferson, Deist, could win a Presidential election if he were alive today? I think they'd tar and feather him in the press as an agent of Satan!
Here's a quote from TJ:

...(P)roscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right; that it tends also to corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing, with a monopoly of worldly honours and emoluments, those who will externally profess and conform to it (Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 1789).

In other words, the purpose of the Separation of Church and State is an anti-corruption measure. It is designed to protect the peoples' government from religious agendas and protect religions from government agendas. Jefferson and many of the other framers of the constitution did not want to see the two mixed together as it had in Europe for centuries.
Why? Well, before fascism, we had monarchies. Monarchies used religious networks to hold onto power, and Church hierarchies were more than happy to back up despots so they could strengthen their own power over people. Facism is merely an rebranded version of Monarchism, just like "the free market" is the same thing as lazzeiz faire.

So, to my friends in the religious left, I'm sorry. I don't like this development at all because it's a disaster waiting to happen. God doesn't decide elections, people do. Do we need this mythology in the 21st Century? Frankly, we'd all be better off without it. But go ahead, feed the millenial mood, give Joe Biden Iran for JimmyC, and wipe out humanity in the process. Us Atheists will be here to clean up your mess.

It's FICTION, people...

This is the funniest thing ever. I love that the Catholics are out protesting, too. I mean it's STOOPID funny to me. I haven't laughed this hard since I heard that South Park had to kill off Chef.
And Christians, I hate to tell you this, but my opinion is that this so-called controvery is a fiction about a fiction, or at the very least, quasi-non fiction. I mean, seriously, folks. This whole Religiou Right atmosphere that has fed off 9-11 has grown to ridiculous proportions. What is it about a 2000 year old book, with giants, winged people and the description that, in the modern world's pop culture venacular, we might call a zombie. You know, that Jesus "undying" three days later after his certain death thing, most likely from massive blood loss, dehydration and exposure.
I mean, why do we cling to this book that reads like a bad comic book? To the point where priests trot out their flocks when their mythology is questioned by a veteran novelist? Do they all belong to the flat earth society, too? People, wake up! It's mostly propaganda; designed by a committee, formed by a politician interested in expanding a power base. A murdeous politician at that. To them, that committee was a chance to corral livestock, and the livestock you and me. What a great way to sell military service, too! All you goota say is "God and Country", and you can get teenagers to do your dirty work for you, and they are none the wiser! What a great scam! No wonder the Catholic Church is the wealthiest "non profit" in the world!
What, murderous, religious politicians? History has no examples of that(gasp)! Oh wait...
You know what's really amazing, too? That America, the place people used to come to escape religious zealots in positions of power that regularly would fuck with these alleged "heretics" has turned into what it was intended to protect against.
Can we get on with Humanity now? Can we, as a species, stop repeating history? We can start by openly mocking this debate of fictions The Da Vinci Code has spawned.
Nelson says "HAH ha!"

Potosi's Lunacy

It's hard to be an atheist in the state of Misery (nee: Missouri) nowadays. I really don't like to disrespect people based on their beliefs, but since this has become commonplace to attack freethinkers among the Rush Limbaughs and Bill O'Reillys of the world, I feel I have to fight back.
If you want to believe in a higher power, be my guest. However, I will not stand idly by while while politicians, Fox News and religious leaders vilify those who don't agree with them. That's what Hitler did.
*sigh*
You know, there was a time where I had thought that humanity had outgrown this. But then 9-11 came along, and Karl Rove saw the potential for electoral dominance, and the reactionary religious right saw new life. I think this new religious fervor will most likely be the demise of humanity itself. That's really the whole point of this blog; to demonstrate how the millenialist tendencies of the major religions of the world aid right wing propagandists in their quest for power, and it is this use of apocalyptic imagery and language that gives these demagogues the ability to sell Armageddon to the people, thus creating a paradoxical, yet self fulfilling, prophecy to the people of all faiths. That is the bedrock of the Karl Rove political playbook.
Now, I know that, in America, we have a tradition of respecting different belief systems, and that the diversity of beliefs is supposed to be one of our strengths. In reality, it's really our biggest weaknesses. I see it as voluntary bondage to suicide cults. I mean, what do you think Armageddon is? It looks to me like mass suicide.
Which brings us back to our lecturer in Potosi. Here's the thing; what this guy is doing is merely a symptom of the larger problem, and that is that organized religion has become obsolete in many respects. People have a hard time accepting this, which is why "intelligent design" has become part of the national debate. I understand this because religion is part of the foundation of conventional wisdom; assumptions based on thousands of years of stories that are woven through culture and, more importantly, established organizational power. Intelligent design is a design, sure; it's designed to cover up the inconsistencies of conventional wisdom hidden in religious dogma. It's life support for an obsolete view of life.
Really, the arguments of intelligent design are based on nothing more than a "Doubting Thomas" strategy that strangles the intellectual evolution of human knowledge that the discipline of science has documented in its' short but successful history. Undertandably, many people are deathly afraid of this. They want to believe in this simplistic explanation that there is this supreme father figure that "lords" over time, space and infinity, no matter how illogical it is. It's comforting and easy, and I sympathize with you. I mean, there's enough confusion and uncertainty in the world, and many would freak out if they actually thought about the complexity of the universe in any empirical, critical way.
Many people fear this type of critical thinking. Yet, this fear makes the "Doubting Thomas" strategy a very easy sell.
It is also intellectually arresting, and will continue to be a roadblock in politics, science and mental development unless we as a people and society allow this nonsense to continue.
I guess what I'm saying is this: If you want to believe in a god, fine, but don't let your preconceived notions hold back society. The species you save may be your own.

RIP New Orleans

I can't even imagine how the survivors of Katrina feel right now. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this disaster. On a scale of 1 to 10, this destruction reaches "biblical" proportions.
However, this "act of god" had plenty of help from Humanity. You got your global warming, your Federal budget cuts, bureaucracy slowing relief, the incapability of state and local governments to handle the scope of the problem, and partisan politics getting in the way of going the job government is supposed to do.
Hopefully, the world now sees that this man of god who calls himself President of the United States is a fraud.
I don't know, though. I have no faith in anything these days...