Glenn Beck

Last week I noted now Brannon Howse, who had been leading a crusade against Glenn Beck because of his Mormon faith, had started explicitly comparing Mormonism with Islam:

Both belief systems teach that they have the only true and complete religion on face of the earth. Both reject Christianity as corrupted. Both taught the plurality of wives, both on earth and in here-after. Both teach that the Bible is corrupt and mistranslated. Both revealed God’s true scripture. Both reject original sin and the doctrine of the trinity. Both teach a salvation by good works. Both use a lay clergy. Both founded by a holy uneducated prophet. Both founding prophets had angelic visitations that they were to restore Adamic religion. Both prophets' words were above scripture or earlier prophets. Both teach a theocratic form of government.

I guess it should not come as much of a surprise to learn that many of the Religious Right activists who are most vocal in attack Islam also have a long history of attacking Mormons as well.

Case in point is Bill Keller:

To an audience of about 50 people -- fully half of whom were members of the press -- Pastor Bill Keller launched his 9-11 Christian Center at ground zero this morning with a fiery sermon targeting Muslims and Mormons as hell-bound followers of false faiths. Keller took aim in particular at Glenn Beck, a Mormon, and Imam Rauf, the organizer of the Park51 Islamic community center.

Keller first made a name for himself a few years back by attacking Mitt Romney, claiming that vote for Romney was a vote for Satan.

Keller's anti-Mormon attacks against Romney were echoed by Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, who proclaimed that "Mormonism is a cult" and that Christians could not vote for Romney because "Christians are uniquely favored by God, [while] Mormons, Hindus and Muslims worship a false god."

So it is entirely predictable that Jeffress likewise hates Islam:

Prominent Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas gave a sermon a few weeks ago saying, among other things: "The deep, dark, dirty secret of Islam: It is a religion that promotes pedophilia - sex with children. This so-called prophet Muhammad raped a 9-year-old girl - had sex with her."

...

First Baptist's Sunday evening service on August 22 featured an "Ask the Pastor" segment, in which Jeffress called Islam "oppressive" and violent." He also said that "around the world today, you have Muslim men having sex with 4-year-old girls, taking them as their brides, because they believe the prophet Muhammad did it."

"I believe," Jeffress added, "as Christians and conservatives, it's time to take off the gloves and stand up and tell the truth about this evil, evil religion."

...

"It does incite violence. It is used to oppress women around the world," he added, continuing that he "was not talking about this country" when referencing pedophilia. But, Jeffress said, "the worst thing about Islam is that it is a deception that leads people from the true God."

Jeffress contended that "we do not hate Muslims" and noted: "I have a very good friend here in Dallas who is a Muslim."

Something for Glenn Beck to keep in mind as he gins up anti-Muslim sentiment and opposition to Park 51:  people who hate Islam generally have equally harsh views about all other faith traditions as well, including Mormonism.

It's a holiday weekend and I am pretty much at my wit's end dealing with right-wing nonsense, so I'm calling it a day a bit early:

• No surprise here, Tony Perkins will be speaking at The Call.
• Speaking of which, apparently Lou Engle emailed Sarah Palin before her debate with Joe Biden to tell her "this is an Esther moment in your life."
• AZ Gov. Jan Brewer has decided she has had it with debates after her terrible performance in the first one.
• Chuck Colson in not overly thrilled with the fact that Glenn Beck has become a religious leader.
• Finally, I am getting really, really tired of Bryan Fischer.  The same can be said for Cliff Kincaid.

Last week we noted on Glenn Beck's Mormon faith was becoming a real scandal for some conservative Christian activists, with Brannon Howse of WorldView Weekend leading the charge against Religious Right leaders who have been linking arms with him.

Howse has been on a crusade about this for a week now and now it has come full circle as he dedicated his program yesterday to exposing how Mormonism is just like Islam:

"Mormonism, America's Islam" is a book written in 1912. What do Mormons and Muslims have in common? Similarities of Muhammad and Joseph Smith: - Visited by an angel. - Given visions. - Told that no true religion existed on the earth. - Was sent to restore the long lost faith as the one true religion. - A book produced from their teachings claimed to be “inspired by God.” - Each claimed to be illiterate or uneducated and used this as proof the book was inspired. - Each claimed the Bible was lost, altered, corrupted and unreliable. - Each claimed his new holy book was the most correct and perfect book on earth. - Each claimed to be a final prophet of God. - Each claimed he was persecuted because of his pure faith. - Was a polygamist who had many wives. - Immediately after his death a fight broke out from among the “faithful converts” as to who would succeed him. - Both religions have those who follow the “original doctrine” of the founding leaders and like these founding leaders, have been violent, polygamists, and have revelations justifying their evil actions. - Each has progressive revelation. (“New” revelation always replaces older revelation that became inconvenient to the prophet.) This list was compiled by Erick Barger. Here is the list compiled Ed Decker after his study of the two religions: Both belief systems teach that they have the only true and complete religion on face of the earth. Both reject Christianity as corrupted. Both taught the plurality of wives, both on earth and in here-after. Both teach that the Bible is corrupt and mistranslated. Both revealed God’s true scripture. Both reject original sin and the doctrine of the trinity. Both teach a salvation by good works. Both use a lay clergy. Both founded by a holy uneducated prophet. Both founding prophets had angelic visitations that they were to restore Adamic religion. Both prophets' words were above scripture or earlier prophets. Both teach a theocratic form of government. Both teach a here-after with graded rewards for works. Both claim to be the world’s fastest growing religion. Glenn Beck, a Mormon was able to get Christians to lock arms with Muslims in a spiritual endeavor that was looking to "one god".

September 11, 1857, Mormons slaughter 120 men, women and children in the name of God and then years later the Mormons worked to build a Mormon memorial on the ground of the Mountain Meadow Massacre against the wishes of family members of the slain. On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists murdered American citizens in the name of God and now seek to build a memorial to their religion in the form of a Mosque only a stone throw from where the Twin Towers once stood.

Biblically committed Christians must understand the spiritual deception of these last days and how Satan will move among false religions and cults to deceive Christians as well as non-Christians as he seeks to build his one-world religion. Satan is seeking to destroy Biblical Christianity for a humanistic Christianity. Satan wants to embarrass and compromise Christian pastors and leaders. Satan is seeking to infiltrate Bible based churches with false teaching and turn them toward his goal of pluralism in the name of tolerance and a social gospel. Satan will use that which has a form of godliness but denies the God of the Bible. Do not be shocked when most "Christians" do not see this and ridicule you.

That's right: Glenn Beck is now coming under attack for being part of a violent religious cult that is being used by Satan to destroy Christianity. 

I am choking on the irony.

The Liberty Counsel is "totally APPALLED that certain conservative leaders are backing down in their defense of marriage while making major concessions to the views of the pro-homosexual community."

Obviously, "certain conservative leaders" means "Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and others who waffle to take a strong public stand for the protection of marriage," which is why LC has started a petition demanding that conservatives: 

1. Express support for a Federal Marriage Amendment that defines marriage as being "a union between one man and one woman."

2. Demand that conservative party chairmen - and other conservative congressional, gubernatorial, and party leaders - make the protection of marriage a key part of their policy positions.

LC's goal is to get 100,000 signatures over the next 30 days "so that we can present these petitions directly to nationally recognized leaders, especially those who are caving in to pressure from pro-homosexual activists."

Here is the petition:

As an American who recognizes the crucial importance of the sanctity of marriage to the welfare of any culture, I am appalled by conservative leaders who are waffling in support of the definition of marriage as being "a union between one man and one woman." I am also outraged by President Obama's outspoken intent to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and by activist judges disregarding the clearly expressed will of the majority of the people by striking down states' pro-marriage initiatives. I am deeply concerned that pro-homosexual activism is undermining the very foundations of our culture.

I believe that events in California, Massachusetts, and other states have signaled the beginning of an avalanche of judicial challenges against marriage in our country, and I am therefore asking you to actively protect the sanctity of marriage by:

1. Making the protection of marriage a key issue in your party's policy statements and official platform.
2. Publicly supporting a Federal Marriage Amendment stating that "marriage is a union between one man and one woman."
3. Working to preserve the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Marriage is vital to the social well-being of any nation. I urge you to use your influence to make the defense of marriage a bedrock issue in your party's platform and campaigns. My position on the definition of marriage being "between one man and one woman" is completely non-negotiable!

• Sen. Lisa Murkowksi has finally conceded to Joe Miller in the Alaska GOP primary.
• Vanity Fair has a long profile of Sarah Palin which I just don't think I can tolerate reading.
• GODTV will be airing The Call.
• Speaking of Lou Engle, he says Glenn Beck is a "moral voice" not a "spiritual voice."
• Concerned Women for America finally addresses the important issues regarding Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and "cougars."
• Finally, the paraphrased quote of the day from Gary Bauer: "Bauer adds that the media unfortunately did a good job of destroying the political career of Dan Quayle, who he says was sort of the Sarah Palin of that era."

The morning after his Renewing Honor rally on the National Mall, Glenn Beck sat for an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who actually asked Beck some tough questions about calling President Obama a racist and attacking his faith. Beck retracted his notorious comments calling Obama a hater of white people and “white culture,” saying the problem was with Obama’s connections to liberation theology and its notion of collective salvation.

“I’m not judging him for that.” said Beck. “I'm not demonizing it. I disagree with it."

Really, Glenn? Not judging or demonizing?

Here’s what Beck said on air less than two months ago:

“It is evil. Collective salvation, excuse me for being a Jesus freak, is from Satan. Collective salvation is from the devil, not God. And we have some audio of the president talking about his collective salvation. His personal salvation will not happen unless there is collective salvation. That is evil.”

Whew. What would Beck demonizing somebody look like?

It might look like Beck showing a 40-year-old video of a radical Black Panther leader Khalid Abdul Muhammad calling for white people to be killed and insinuating that there is a connection between that screed and President Obama. It might look like this:

… this is the root of social justice. Social justice has to happen because we all are in this together. It also is the way that you can excuse killing cracker babies. You can kill millions of people because they don't get it, and if we don't get them out of the way, we can't all be saved. Now, this is the religious context. Now, not everybody who is — you know, most people who are like Stalin, they don't believe in the religious side. But the American social justice progressive, in the way the early 20th century or Jeremiah Wright understand collective salvation, this is it. And it is out and out evil.

Right-wing radio host Michael Medved in his new Townhall column has discovered how God would vote in the upcoming election, and the answer isn’t surprising. According to Medved, “it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that the Almighty would cast his all-important ballot for Republicans.”

But how can he be so sure of how God would vote in November? Well, Medved argues that progressives’ commitment to social justice cannot have religious sanction because he says that progressivism, unlike conservatism, is inherently discriminatory. “Biblical view” (read: Medved’s personal reading of the Bible) “directly contradicts the leftist inclination” of “unequal, potentially unfair treatment by government.” To prop up his point, Medved argues that spiritual and religious progressives are simply not as knowledgeable as the clergymen “who focus on Scripture as written” and accordingly “lean overwhelmingly to the right.”

Medved’s declaration that God would vote Republican and that conservatives have the best understanding of scripture echoes the views of other figures on the Right such as Glenn Beck, who called on parishioners to run away from and report churches who believe in social and economic justice. Beck said that social and economic justice are merely “code words” for Nazism and Communism, and also asserted that “progressivism is the cancer in America.” He has also claimed that progressives don’t have God on their side but are “enemies of God,” but you can “stand with God” if you follow Beck!

As right-wing commentators attempt to claim God as a GOP booster, Pastor Michael Hidalgo of the Denver Community Church reminds us that “God is not a Nazi or a Communist. Nor is God Democrat or Republican. In fact, God has no political affiliation.”

• Alex Seitz-Wald @ Think Progress: Sen. Orrin Hatch: ‘I’d Be The First To Stand Up For Their Rights’ To Build A Mosque Near Ground Zero.
• Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion: Small Grants for Cultural Preservation Create New Anti-Mosque Hysteria.
• Alvin McEwen: Focus on the Family cites George Rekers in fighting anti-bullying efforts.
• Justin Elliott @ Salon: Gingrich doesn't object to bigot's ground zero church.
• Sandhya Bathija @ AU: Trouble In Paradise: Hawaii GOP Official Warns Of ‘Unrighteous’ Government.
• Sarah Posner @ Religion Dispatches: The Evangelical “Plummet” from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck.
• Igor Volsky @ Wonk Room: Koch Industries Applies For Federal Funds From Health Care Law It Opposes.
• Alan Colmes: John Boehner Invites Radio Host Who Said “Black Fathers…Simply Leave” To Do Show From His Office.
• Joanna Brooks @ Religion Dispatches: America’s First Mormon Televangelist.

One thing I find fascinating about the Religious Right is how seemingly every major new organization or effort that it launches is literally the same as every other organization or effort it has ever launched.

Just today I noted how yet another group was calling for 40 days of prayer heading into the mid-term elections, as if all the other calls to 40 days of prayer and fasting were not enough.

Similarly, it seems like every few weeks, some new Religious Right group is formed that does exactly the same thing all of the other Religious Right groups are doing.

And now we have Glenn Beck announcing the formation of his Black Robe Regiment:

Apparently, the idea began with Beck's favorite historian, David Barton. When Beck told Barton he wanted to "get religious leaders together," Barton suggested forming a Black Robe Regiment -- named after what Barton had said was a group of preachers who supported the American Revolution from their pulpits. Beck decided that was "exactly" what he was looking for because it was a movement supposedly like his that was "not about politics."

Beck then described the first meeting he held with "the largest evangelical leaders in the country" some of whom had been involved in the Christian Coalition. ... Beck elaborated on his call to "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes," calling on his listeners to "tithe 10 percent" and encouraging them to "sacrifice our fortunes so our children don't have to pay for our lifestyle." Beck implored his listeners: "You must tithe because these people [the Black Robe Regiment] are going to be in trouble. They're going to come under attack."

So Beck's brilliant idea is to bring together a bunch of Religious Right leaders in an effort to motivate pastors to play a bigger role in politics and the culture?

Has Beck never heard of the Patriot Pastors?

Fellow pastor Russell Johnson lacks [Rod] Parsley's charisma, but he has mastered the art of organizing. His group, the Ohio Restoration Project (ORP), recruited nearly 1,800 churches with "Patriot Pastors" and deputized them to draft new "values voters."

The ministers signed 410,000 Ohio homes onto Johnson's mailing list, and the ORP can tap 100,000 prayer warriors through e-mail in a moment's notice. This is more than just a group of voters ready to punch some ballots. According to ORP outreach materials, it is a "mighty army" ready to do battle.

While Johnson reaches white evangelicals and fundamentalists, Parsley appeals to both African Americans and Pentecostals. Together, the two men have forged a political machine that aims to remake Ohio politics—and the nation.

Or what about the US Pastor Council?

The mission of the Houston Area Pastor Council and sister councils in USPC is to empower pastors and their congregations across racial and denominational lines to impact the culture and community through concerted prayer, to equip our congregations for effective citizenship and to provide a unified voice on spiritual, cultural, social and moral issues from a Biblical perspective. The AMERICA Plan was developed as a Purpose Statement of how pastors and churches can and must enage in godly citizenship.

HAPC has become a respected voice on front line cultural and political issues from a non-partisan perspective, holding elected officials of both major parties and non-partisan offices to a Biblical standard. The Pastors' Declaration of Godly Citizenship was developed to clarify the core values of this coalition.

HAPC has conducted numerous luncheons, workshops, rallies, elected official summits, Pastors' Day At the Capitol and many other activities bringing pastors together, proving top quality Biblical, historical, legal and public policy information as well as standing in the gap for our nation.

Or what about the Pulpit Initiative:

Historically, churches have emphatically, and with great passion, spoken Scriptural truth from the pulpit about government and culture. Historians have stated that America owes its independence in great degree to the moral force of the pulpit. Pastors have proclaimed Scriptural truth throughout history on great moral issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor and prostitution. Pastors have also spoken from the pulpit with great frequency for and against various candidates for government office ... It is time for the intimidation and threats to end. Churches and pastors have a constitutional right to speak freely and truthfully from the pulpit – even on candidates and voting – without fearing loss of their tax exemption.

Or the Watchmen on the Wall:

Watchmen on the Wall" is a powerful conference in the nation's capital especially designed for pastors and ministers, based on Isa. 62:6: "I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent..." FRC launched the Briefing in May 2004 to:

* Remind spiritual leaders of our nation's Judeo-Christian heritage.
* Inform them about the moral issues being debated in the public square.
* Ignite their passion to become watchmen who will sound the alarm.
* Inspire them to encourage their churches to engage the culture.

Our hope is that you will return home encouraged and educated about the issues of the day that affect faith and family and that you will be inspired to share with your congregations what they may do to take a more active role as salt and light in your community and government.

Or what about the Patriotic Pastors, or Pastors for Family Values, or even the Patriot Pastors’ T.E.A. Party?

And those are the groups I can think of just off the top of my head. 

Obviously, none of the previous efforts have accomplished their goals - if they had, there would be no need to keep launching new groups with the exact same mission over and over again. 

But apparently Beck believes that Beck thinks that he (with the help of the very Religious Right leaders behind all these other efforts) has finally found the key:  getting pastors more engaged in the political process. 

Gee, why has nobody ever thought of that before?