For years we’ve discussed the crazies who form the backbone of the Republican party. The anti-choice crusaders who get excited about abortion clinic bombings and would like nothing more than to replace the constitution with the Bible. We’ve heard much about how glad they are to have one of their own in the White House, the supposedly born-again George Bush.
But in this most recent incidence of violence in the middle east, does it seem to anyone that the religious right is a little too eager? A little too… excited at the prospect of judgement day being near?
In a July 22 commentary posted on WorldNetDaily.com titled “On the threshold of Armageddon?” Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder and chairman of the Moral Majority Coalition, wrote: “It is apparent, in light of the rebirth of the state of Israel, that the present-day events in the Holy Land may very well serve as a prelude or forerunner to the future Battle of Armageddon and the glorious return of Jesus Christ.”
I’m curious. Is it possible that Bush is of this belief as well? He’s always done a good job of hiding the crazy side of his supposed fundamentalism, preferring to speak in code of “the culture of life” while refusing to actually stand side by side with his fellow abortion prohibitionists. But it would be nice for some reporter to dig into this. Does the president have a messianic view of the current situation in the middle east? Or is his base just crazy?
I hope Christ does return. Maybe he’d take a look around at all the hatred and violence being committed in his name and set people straight once and for all as to what the thesis statement of his teachings actually was.
If he doesn’t show up, will these dopes get out of politics? If he does come back, will he cheat at poker?
Actually, one of my favorite arguments to get into with the “Hooray Rapture!” crowd is basically asking them to prove that it hasnt happened already. They really cant, the bible gives some vaguely defined criteria, but alot of that is what happens after the rapture, not a lot of concrete before it. Debate ends up going “Oh, rise of the antichrist to power? how do you know he isnt in power now?” kind of questions. Sure I kind of have to get all tinfoil hat to keep playing this game (6 letters each in Ronald Wilson Reagan, 666) but its still fun to play, and just to see the panic in their eyes as they have to consider either that theyve basically lived a lie of someone elses creation, and even more horrifying, might not gain access to the fabulous cash prizes that he thought he was in store for.
I doubt that these folks will get out of politics altogether. Some of them will wake up, look around, and realize that they all got “deer fever”. And then they’ll calm down and go on with their lives.
But others will have to “keep the faith” because they’ve gotten too emotionally committed to give it up. Look at the history of end times prediction - James Randi’s “The Mask of Nostradamus” has a partial list - and you’ll see how many times people have decided that the apocalypse has finally come only to be disappointed, and yet it keeps happening.
That’s a great idea, Rex. I’m going to trot that out next time I get a chance.
For Reference: Wikipedia - Premillenialism (dispensational)
A fair analysis, Mike, but something to bear in mind is Bush isnt just methodist, he’s a born-again. While I would be willing to concede that he probably himself does not believe in the rapture in particular, the crowd he plays to, by and large does. People who were converted to christianity not by the worldview of Christ the Teacher or the ethics of Christ the Philosopher, but rather to the (in my opinion) misplaced excess of faith in Christ, My Ticket Out Of This Dump. These people owe their religious “awakening” more to the Left Behind books than to actual religious scholars, and their numbers are growing. Bush may not be a part of this particular movement, but he’s not apart from them either. He has, in fact, actively courted these people and has connections to Falwell and LaHaye (author of the Left Behind Books).
MSNBC Religion: Apocalyptic Politics
But as I say, whether or not he believes in that is another matter (Cant find the link, but Buma mentioned that press conference thing about it) but that would be only one more instance of him not having the best interests at heart of the people he claims he represents.
And Dana, yes there are the conspiracy theorists on the Left as there are on the Right (such as that one who wrote about how Clinton strangled vince foster to death and killed AK state troopers to keep them quiet about his cocaine ring and suchlike) But I believe the key difference is this: Kerry never went to a Tin-Foil hat association of People for Proving that Bush Flew The Plane Into The Pentagon. Bush on the other hand, cant go a damnable day without talking about God, nor a week without actively and more directly pandering to those of this particular religious mindset.
Mike noted:
I’d point out that the elder President Bush is Episcopalian, so the current President Bush probably received his “Sunday school” lessons there.
But our esteemed host’s whole argument is a strawman. Sure, some of the people who voted for President Bush are Jerry Falwell-type fundamentalists. It’s also true that some of the people who voted for Senator Kerry are conspiracy-theory whackos who believe that President Bush arranged the entire September 11th strike. If Mr Willis feels he can judge President Bush based on the Falwell-types, then it’s just as legitimate to lump our host in with the far left whackos.
Our host wrote about:
There have been very few clinic bombings, not that you’d know that from reading Mr Willis! The pro-life advocates have been doing their work through the system, just getting the Senate to pass legislation which makes it a federal offense to take a minor across state lines to secure an abortion in violation of parental consent laws.
That ain’t exactly bombing a clinic!
Boy, I can’t think of anything more constructive than hoping the world goes to hell now so you can get to heaven later. I don’t care if you think your getting virgins or popsicles when you get there, it’s all the same shit to me.
I’ve never heard President Bush ever espouse a belief in premillenial dispensationalist rapture eschatology. (Use Wikipedia for that sentence if you need to.)
The “rapture” theory is relatively new, the product of a 19th century small sect under the leadership of John Nelson Darby, who taught that in the Last Days prior to the destruction of the world and its final judgement by God, the true Christian church would be mysteriously transported to Heaven, leaving the rest of the world behind. Darby taught that once the Christians had been “raptured” away, Jesus Christ would return and sit in judgement of the world. (Thus the “rapture” and the “second coming” are two distinctly different events — a lot of people are confused about this.) Darby’s teaching stands in opposition to the traditional understanding of Final Judgement that has been held by the Church for over 1800 years.
It became dominant in American Protestant Fundamentalism during the late 19th century because a number of theologians and early fundamentalist/holiness revival leaders supported the dispensationalist view of Biblical history and its prophesied future, which fits well with the rapture theory taught by Darby. The Scofield Reference Bible also outlined an elaborate scheme of prophecies revolving around the nation of Israel that was supposed to set the Last Days timeclock in motion. This is what Rev. Fallwell and others like Hal Lindsey and Jack Van Impe get so excited about.
What is important to remember is that dispensationalism and rapture theory are predominant only in denominations that gained prominence during the great holiness revival movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Southern Baptists, full gospel/charismatic churches (Pentacostal, Assembly of God, etc.), and a variety of other small holiness denominations still teach the rapture. These are also the same denominations that have a stranglehold on the “religious right” and on Christian media and broadcasting.
The Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox churches, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, etc. have never taught rapture theology. Since President Bush is a Methodist, it is doubtful that he was ever taught rapture theology, and since he has never professed to believe in it, it is doubtful that he does.
I recall an audience member had a question for bush a few months ago, about whether he thought the goings-on in Iraq were the fulfillment of the end-days prophesy or some such religious bullshit, and bush had no real answer to the question. He even asked the audience, How do I answer that?
Jon Stewart rolled the video and then howled, “HOW ABOUT ‘NO!’?”
When the Rapture comes, can I have your stuff?
Is there a poll out there to check into the political affiliation fo those who believe in the rapture? I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be a preponderance of conservatives and GOP-ers in that particular group.
Okay, my comment’s two hours in moderation now, was basically about how even if bush isnt a left-behind-as-bible-thimping-rapture-idiot that most of his followers are, and he has actively been courting them (as opposed to the nuts on the left who Kerry et al have actively tried to distance themselves from). This is cheesing me off though, I mean its not like I’m even swearing or anything. What exactly sends a message into Moderation-Limbo for hours at a clip?
Take the religious element out of the equasion and what is this really? It is the part of the Republican Party that is actively seeking the destruction of the United States and telling its followers to hasten that event. Sure, if Jesus comes, great. But if he doesn’t, we are surely sowing the seeds of our own demise. I just don’t know how the Left ever got labeled as anti-American when you have crackpots on the Right like Jerry Falwell in the world.
man buma and rex….you better be careful.
Do your poll at a southern african-american church and see how they vote and what they believe.
Prepare to be hoist by your own petard
buma: Anyway, why would you want their copies of Left-Behind books? magnetic car ribbons? dubya calendars? radio tuned to rush? hannity and coulter books?
You’re thinking small. I’m gonna grab some SUVs, some big-screen TVs, some McMansions - all those big-ticket items that Jesus encouraged his flock to go after.
BTW, duros, the rapture ain t comin and the wingers among us will not be leaving any stuff. Anyway, why would you want their copies of Left-Behind books? magnetic car ribbons? dubya calendars? radio tuned to rush? hannity and coulter books?
TP/Firewood
(6 letters each in Ronald Wilson Reagan, 666)
You got that from The Boondocks, didn’t you?
Damn it, Zython!!!
I do love the show and have read the strip for a long while (Aaron McGruder is actually from my hometown of Columbia MD) I actually origionally got that off this real life “Republicans are the Devil” webpage a few years ago. It also tried extending it to George Walker BushJr, but even I thought that was a stretch, which only got worse when it was talking about the devil as the fallen star to earth, that there was only the one, which would make it the Lone Star, and Bush was governor of the Lone Star State… well you can get the idea from there, like six degrees from Kevin Bacon at a certain point.
I’ve never understood the moderation system here, Rex. Keep telling us what you know about Southern blacks, Pedro. I’m curious!
My version of Rex’s challenge to Rapturites is this: “I can’t wait for the Rapture. When all the good and godly folks get sucked up into Heaven, we’ll finally get some peace and quiet down here. We’ll declare world peace and go home. All hail the Antichrist.”
They’ve never stopped to consider that the world just might be better off without *them* in it.