Fascism Rears Its Ugly Head

Germany lost World War I, but the war was fought on foreign soil, and that country was severely punished by the allied powers. The Germany of the post war era was economically ravished. German workers were generally poor peasants and workers, and they were hungry and jobless. In 1918 a group known as the Thule Society began to take shape. It was made up primarily of racist, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic fringe elements. This group wanted to cleanse the human race of all that it perceived to be impure, and the Jews were considered to be at the root of the contamination.

The Thule Society began its rise to power by infiltrating the workers groups since it needed the support of the majority of Germans. Capitalizing upon an already intolerable economic situation worsened by the Great Depression, the Society, known eventually as the Nazi Party lead by Adolph Hitler, looked to find a scapegoat. What better group to blame than those whom the Party wanted to eliminate?

The Jews were blamed for all of the woes brought on by the Depression and the end of WW I. They sold Germany out to the west and brought on the great allied punishment. The German people fell for it and the Nazi Party, through deception, violence, political manuvering, and Hitler's great oratorical skills, assumed the reigns of power and began to put in place its "final solution"

There are troubling parallels to the roots of Fascism beginning to take shape in this country. The election of a mixed race president seems to have been the catalyst that brought an already simmering stew of racist and fundamentalist Christian groups together within a Republican Party reeling from a massive defeat. The tragedy of the World Trade Center and the ensuing ill advised invasion of Iraq fueled hatred for the Muslim religion. Illegal immigration from the southern Hispanic nations, together with an economic meltdown turned racist hatred toward yet another ethnic group.

This rag tag racist and Christian fundamentalist group has taken a page from the Thule Society by infiltrating a long time, accepted organization, the Republican Party. It has effectively appealed to the lower tiers of society and the racist element, which is scattered throughout all its layers. Through its currently splintered leadership, lies and innuendo have spewed forth on a daily basis across the Internet and the airwaves of radio and TV.

Unlike the early days of Nazism, the modern US version has had access to an element of media that has effectively reached millions. FOX News has become its mouth piece, aiding in the dissemination of the half truths and outright lies of the extreme right wing, while radio hucksters with large followings, such as Limbaugh have pounded those out of sight of TV. Daily, a barrage of misinformation on every aspect of government and society pounds the senses of those who seek confirmation of their greatest fears.

The President is characterized as a Muslim, born outside the United States, who is intent upon destroying all that has been built in this country since its founding. All of his followers are considered agents of the devil, prepared to destroy all Christian elements and to dilute the Caucasian race, in favor of Hispanics and Arabs.

Fundamentalist Christian churches have turned to politics, exhorting their followers to carry arms in defense of their religion and to pray for the President's death. They preach revolution and the spreading of their brand of the Christan gospel by force. One presidential contender, Huckabee, has talked of revising the U.S. Constitution to reflect the fundamentalist Christian ideology, while others talk of taking over the government and using the U.S. Army to spread Christian fundamentalism around the world. Already there are some indications of proselytizing by members of the armed forces in the Middle East.

An underlying thread throughout this Fascist-like movement is racism. Although is it usually denied, the evidence is everywhere. From the birthers to those praying for the death of president, there is no other explanation other than this disease that has eaten away at this country for so long. It is rooted in Christian fundamentalism from the days of slavery, when Bible quotations were used to defend that "peculiar institution." In today's world it is married not only to African-Americans but to Hispanics and Arabs as well. It is easy for this lunatic fringe to appeal to workers who have lost jobs that can be blame on Hispanics and to those who fear a Muslim invasion.

To date no clear leader has emerged. Several have spoken to the fringe issues. Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Jerome Corsi, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Michelle Bachman have all reared their ugly heads. This past week in Georgia, Nathan Deal, a Congressman and candidate for governor, joined the fray. Others across the country have spoken out from so-called pastors to politicians. In Germany it was a lowly army corporal who rose to lead the murderous legions.

It will be up to mainstream America to defeat these roots of Fascism. In Germany the citizenry turned a blind eye to the murder of the Jewish population and the theft of its assets. Secretly, they reveled in that population being brought to its knees and claimed in the end that they knew nothing of the extermination of millions. What will it be in this country? Will we turn our heads to the mistreatment of Muslims and other minorities? Will we sit quietly by as gays are exterminated by fundamentalist fascists? We did it during WW II with the Japanese and throughout the 19th Century as the Native American population was decimated, and black Americans were held as slaves. Americans are quite capable of allowing bad things to happen to good people.

Bring Your Guns To Church, Boys

Pistol Packin' Pastor, Ken Pagano, of the New Bethel Church in Louisville, KY, has invited his flock to bring their guns to church on June 27 to celebrate July 4...and the Second Amendment. According to the Rev. Pagano (If I should be so bold as to address him in that way.), "...there was a strong belief in God and firearms..." among the founding fathers. An ad for the event says "there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety." They are going to give away a handgun at church. Do you hear me? They are going to give away a handgun at church! Oh, yes and "area gun store/firing range owners will be invited to attend and tell about their services." What kind of services do they hold, do you suppose? People, they are going to sell guns at church!

New Bethel is an Assemblies of God affiliated church. Its website states that the church's vision is "To build a fully functioning Christian community. That is Bible-based, Christ-centered, Spirit-certified, and culturally aware." I suppose they should add "and pistol toting." When they make the change, they might work on complete sentences as well.

This has to be one of the most ludicrous, openly political church services that I have encountered. A celebration of the the Second Amendment? Exactly what does Christianity have to do with carrying guns? Yes, the good pastor has equated guns and God, and as we all know, according to fundamentalist Christians, all the founding fathers were devout Christians, who wrote the Constitution solely with God in mind. Therefore, God must love guns too. I'm also sure that the Bible refers to guns and their value to Christianity because Lagano says he may refer to some Bible passages.

In light of the recent church shootings I would think that most congregations would want to keep guns as far away from their churches as possible. I can't help but remember my childhood, when my mother and grandmother were scandalized because they heard a gunshot on Sunday. Guns were not supposed to be fired on Sunday. It was a day of worship, when one should be quiet and reflective. My, how times have changed. To paraphrase an old Johnny Cash song, "lets take our guns to church, son, let's take our guns to church."

...visitor, that pew has been in my family for 100 years, and you ain't gonna take it away! You hear me, you lily livered coward? I'm a givin' you five seconds to get off that bench or I'm a gonna pull leather!

...whaddya mean you don't think that much money ought to be spent on a new organ? We've needed a new one for years. Oh yeah? Well my Glock does my talkin' for me! You'd better change yore tune or there'll be a new treasurer in this church in the morning. Say your prayers, brother!

Pray Obama Fails?

Today, I perused Worldnetdaily.com to see what kind of garbage they were spewing about the inauguration. I ran across a very anti-American article by the site's founder, Joseph Farah, entitled, "Pray Obama Fails." In his hatred of Obama, Mr. Farah also shows his lack of concern for his country.

If President Obama fails, the country will fall further into an abyss from which it would surely have trouble rebounding. Millions will continue to suffer, and the future of the United States as we know it could very well be in doubt. Of course, Mr. Farah would be delighted. The small minded revolutionaries that he represents would be poised to assume power and begin to turn this country into another Iran or Afghanistan. The primary difference would be that Farah's ilk would purport to be Christian.

To publicly state that you want to see your country fail is in my book almost treasonous. Certainly, Mr. Farah would call it such, were the shoe on the other foot. He would be shaking with anger at such a column, if it had been written by, say, Bill Moyers. Farah would call for his head on a platter and demand that NPR and PBS immediately cancel any agreements that they might have with such an abominable man.

Mr. Farah, you and your Neanderthals should crawl back under your rocks. You are in the minority. If Obama succeeds, you will be marginalized for years to come, thankfully. The young people, who are so excited about their government will probably vote Democratic for the rest of their lives. The African-Americans, who see such a fine role model at the helm of this country, will be excited about what they may be able to accomplish in their futures.

We face an uncertain future, but I hope and pray that the new President succeeds. I don't want to see this country driven into the ground. I want my son to have a bright future in a country that remains free to all, not to a fundamentalist Christian few, who continue to try to force their theology on the rest of us. You are wrong, Mr. Farah. You are anti-American Mr. Farah, and I would question whether God really wants to hear from you and your kind.

The Southern Baptist Convention a Fundamentalist's Dream

My father was a Southern Baptist. He was a member of Old Union Baptist Church in Young Harris, GA. He lead singing and was, at one time, Sunday school superintendent. He was not, however, a fundamentalist. If he were alive today, I don't expect that he would be at all enthusiastic as he read the newspaper articles and blogs that I have read today. In many ways he was quite tolerant, but not tolerant enough to accept the dictatorial attitude of today's Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Church has been hijacked by a hoard of religious tyrants pent upon turning that organization into a haven of fundamentalism.

Today, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution published an article about the SBC's disciplining of the First Baptist Church of Decatur, GA, a 2700 member congregation, led by the Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell. I would not have been surprised if the SBC had singled out the church because its pastor has a hyphenated name. But no, it is much worse than that. The Rev. Pennington-Russell is a woman. There is no place in the SBC for a female pastor.

The Convention has stated that it will not accept donations from the Decatur church because it is not in line with SBC beliefs. The church will lose its voting status in the convention and cannot contribute to missions and other programs. The Decatur First Baptist has been a member of the Convention since 1862 and has contributed millions to its various programs.

So who is the loser here? It appears to me that the SBC is the loser. It will be losing a major source of revenue at a time when money for missions and other programs of assistance can't be bringing in as much as in the past. In addition the Convention is showing itself to be out of sync with many of its followers. There are other actions taking place in other states within the SBC as it clamps down on others who disagree with Convention policies. The message being sent is that anyone who fails to toe the fundamentalist interpretation will be dealt with swiftly and severely.

Maybe the SBC should have done something more in line with its beliefs as punishment to Decatur First Baptist. Since it is returning to the dark days of the church, perhaps the SBC should consider burning the Rev. Pennington-Russell at the stake.

Correction: I must correct myself. This church was disciplined by the Georgia Baptist Convention not the SBC. However, the GBC was simply following the lead of the SBC.

"Evangelist" Steve Foss Piles the Garbage Higher

Below are excerpts from an email I received today from a fundamentalist Christian person, who is, apparently, a fan of someone named Steve Foss. Please note the date on the "message." I suppose Foss did this to convince his followers that he is, indeed, a prophet. However, he gives himself away, when he refers to the election in past and present tenses in a few places.

I find it interesting that people, such as Foss, interpret the exposure of Sarah Palin's activities and the fact that Joe the "Plumber" isn't really a plumber as "hatred." I suppose these folks have to interpret life in terms of their own feelings. Those of us who have criticized Palin and Wertzelbach don't "hate" them. We don't particularly care for the way they conducted themselves during the campaign, but hatred doesn't describe the attitude toward them.

There are many other "visions" reported in this email, which is, of course, designed to stir up the faithful and keep those checks rolling in. I checked this fellow's website and found that there had been so many online hits on his video about this message, that it had to be removed. However, for only $75 you can get your own copy, and the Rev. Foss will make about $73 profit. Quite a bargain for him.

The Rev. Foss is much more scary than anything that President-elect Obama can throw at us. His description of "a spirit of violence" coming from Obama as he spoke about peace and unity is particularly amazing. Take a deep breath, count to ten, then read this mess:

"A Prophetic Warning from Pastor Steve Foss Sat, 25 Oct 2008

...God spoke to me that after George W. Bush, America would elect its most ungodly president ever! I say, again! God said, after W. Bush, comes its most ungodly president ever.

The elections are history,--this prophecy has come to pass! Shame on American "Christians"!

In 2006 I asked the Lord, "Is that guaranteed to happen in 2008?" Very clearly, He said, "It depends on the Christians."!

See what happened? Shame on American "Christians"!

I had a vision earlier this year. I saw Barack Obama , speaking to a large crowd and being broadcast on television. He was speaking incredible words of unity, peace, and bringing all sides together; the words were elegant, the words were comforting, and the words were inspiring. But while he was speaking I saw a powerful spirit of violence coming out of his spirit feeding into the spirits of those that were hearing him. That spirit of violence was directed at anybody who opposed what he was saying. Those who heard his words and received it had the spirit of violence being implanted inside of them. It was a rage like I have not seen before.

It was the rage that would be unleashed against those who oppose and stand in the way of Barack Obama's agenda. We are already seeing the beginnings of this spirit manifested here in America . The vicious attacks against Sarah Palin have been unlike anything we have ever seen before. The sheer hate for this woman from people who knew nothing about her, and who claim to stand up and protect the little people, and women, has been shocking.

We now see it with Joe the plumber. These people who are under the influence of this demon spirit of rage desire to completely destroy this man because he dared to question Barack Obama. In fact it wasn't just the question; it was because Barack Obama revealed his true agenda that Joe the plumber became a threat. So the supporters of Barack Obama who had been fed and affected by the spirit of violence went into full swing to destroy a fellow citizen; the very kind of person that Barack Obama has been speaking about in his eloquent speeches, saying how he is the only candidate fighting for them.

I want to put this deep in your spirit. I am speaking as a prophet. The words I'm about to tell you are "thus saith the Lord". Now that Obama is elected, the attacks against free speech, against those who believe differently than he does, and the systematic use of the government and laws to silence the voice of fundamental Christians will be unlike anything ever seen in this nation before. I have talked to many Christians, including pastors, here in the U. S., & around the world, who strongly supported Obama. Many are angry with the Republicans, understandably so. Others were inspired by the thought of electing America 's first African American president, while others believe Barack Obama to be a Christian who is very concerned with the poor and needy. I am not going to address any of the many concerns about Barack Obama and his form of Christianity. I am only speaking the words of thus saith the Lord, and you have to decide what you're going to do with it.

...You ask, "Are you saying that Barack Obama is America 's most ungodly president ever?" Yes!MANY people wanted an ungodly president. That's their choice.

I have watched throughout the world, "Christians" who support political leaders who are blatantly ungodly. So again, this is the people's choice! I believe if these "Christians" will pray, repent, and hear the voice of God, a miracle can happen on any day! This nation lies in the hands of the Christians. Will we humble ourselves before God and pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done? To our shame, not enough did !

Too many allowed our emotions, feelings, angers, greed, race, fears & the media, to dictate to us and affect who we voted for!...

...In the future, when the true end time financial collapse takes place, it will be very easy for the nations of the world and the peoples of those nations to allow a new worldwide governing body to come to the rescue. Understand that everything that is happening has a significant spiritual purpose. So don't panic by what you see happening today, but take this as a spiritual warning from God. Prepare yourself. Get out of debt. Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in regards to how you handle money. Let God position you to handle the future complete economic collapse and the overtaking of the world's economic system. Please pray for America . May God have mercy on us all.

Your friend, Steve Foss"

God Doesn't Want Girls to Play Football?

In today's Atlanta Journal a metro Atlanta football coach is quoted as saying:

“The East Atlanta Mustangs didn’t play us under protest but they were allowed to read a statement on their beliefs about female football players,” Townley said. “They used biblical verses from the book of Romans. I was very stunned by that.”

This is all in response to a female football player, a place kicker, who is very good at what she does. Previously, she had played in the public schools, but this year she is playing in a league of private and home schooled teams. At the beginning of the season, the league banned her because she was female. After receiving a letter from her family's lawyer, the director of the league lifted the ban. Now other teams are either refusing to play or playing after citing Bible verses. As yet, the verses haven't been specifically noted. Did they play football back then?

By the way, fourteen year old Kacy Stuart's team, the New Creation Center Crusaders, beat the Mustangs 39-8. Kacy did all the kicking and made three extra points. You go girl! Don't let these backward thinking (or cowardly, she IS a girl) Neanderthals intimidate you.