United States of Israel-Palestine

Lesson from Aid Flotilla

2010-06-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the lesson learned from the aid flotilla: Israel is ready and able to deal with violence, but not with love.

Next time, the flotilla should bring toys for Israeli children in addition to food for Palestinian children; including a big teddy bear for the Israeli prime minister.

US Should Bomb Iran for not preventing BP Oil Disaster

2010-05-30T01:52:00.000-07:00

Sure that sounds crazy, but John Hagee and Danielle Pipes might love it.

Here is the spin: we know that Iran might have the technology which could stop the BP oil spill. We also know that it is a despicable thing of Iran to let America's gulf coast get destroyed while they stand by idley rather than deploy the solution we are sure they might have. Therefore, we must bomb them in order to force them to disclose the technology which could prevent mass-destruction along our shores.

Obama's Speech to the Muslim World

2009-06-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

With regard to the Israel-Palestine issue, President Barak Obama reiterates his vision of a two state solution. Given the reaction he has thus far received from Israel regarding their inability to stop settlement activity. He should focus more on Israel becoming more of an open society where the doors to opportunity are open for all as equal citizens.

As Bob Marley said:

"Until the philosophy which hold one race superior And another Inferior Is finally And permanently Discredited And abandoned - Everywhere is war - Me say war."

Until Obama stops skirting around the issue by talking about the symptom - which is the presence of large numbers of dispossessed people, the disease continues to grow. That disease is a virus which has three components: Christian Zionism, Jewish Zionism, and Palestinian Zionism.

Christian Zionists support and enable Jewish Zionism through unconditional support in the form of moral, military, and financial support. But because of their end-time theology, empower the more extreme elements within Jewish Zionism.

Jewish Zionism is based on religious ideology on the one hand, and as a reaction to the Holocaust on the other.

Palestinian Zionism is based on the belief that they have a right to live on their parent's and grandparent's land.

Obama talked about the actions of Jewish Zionists and Palestinian Zionists and what they could do to move toward a two state solution. However, he neglects to mention the elephant in the room: Christian Zionists. To make any progress with the latter two groups, it is essential to acknowledge the role of Christian Zionists. We will see the kind of reaction Obama's speech will get with this group.

As Gaza burned, TBS featured programs on Petra

2009-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

rinity Broadcasting Network (TBS) featured a prophesy inspired documentary about Petra as Gaza burned. Aparently they believe it has relevance to current events.
Entrance_to_Petra

Petra, they claim, will be a place of refuge for Israel when the Arabs join in a coalition with Gog and Magog to come and destroy God's chosen people. This is the war TBS and CUFI believe they are waging.
They see only through one eye and are blind to the reality on the ground where over a million people are cramped into refugee camps. And where there are Palestinian Israelis living peacefully inside Israel. It's not that the two sides cannot live peacefully together. It's that Palestinians cannot accept life in refugee camps peacefully. They want to believe that Arabs want a Holocaust of Jews. Based on this belief as a starting point, they make defense preparations. This is why they stress Israel's right to self defense.
Bill Moyers has this excellent documentary which offers a glimpse at their ideology and into the high level of access they have to policy makers in the United States.

Cry for Palestine, cry for Israel

2008-12-30T00:27:00.000-08:00

In the midst of yet another election year and slaughter in Israel's occupied territories. It is important to realize that everyone is a victim. Not only those are injured or maimed, but also those who lose their conscience and moral compass. Not only those who are dispossessed by the occupation, but also those who live in shiny new settlement communities. The Jewish people are as much victims of Hitler as they are of the American Militarists, who have taken a role similar to that of Hitler. The German people were well meaning - just like the Jewish people. The Germans were told they were under attack, so they came to the defense of the motherland. Similarly, Israel is being told that it is under attack. Someone aided, abetted, armed, and pointed Jews at the Palestinians after their terrible treatment at the hands of Hitler. You will find that psychopaths such as John Hagee are pretending to be friends of Israel at the same time that they wish for it to enter into the era of Armageddon and avoid peace so that their perverted interpretation of end times prophesy comes true. They are guilty of

Preying on the fears of the Jewish people.
Sabotaging any hope of peace by stressing to Israel that Palestinians are not to be trusted.
Lobbying to enable Israel to be armed to the teeth.
Creating an atmosphere in which Israel will feel justified in massacring civilians.

Make no mistake about it, even the death of a single person, be he/she Palestinian or Israeli is a tragedy. Cry for Palestine and Israel, especially when those who set up the fight stand on the sidelines gleefully cheering the fulfillment of prophesy which they hope will result in the second coming.

Why Israel should break ranks from Armageddon hawks

2008-07-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Because Christian Zionists are, in Don Wagner's words, intrinsically and pathologically, "anxious for Armageddon" (pg 183 of Stephen Sizer's Christian Zionism)
Some among the apocalyptic right express their love for Israel as in

"I pray that even if it takes anti-Semitism in America, God may use it to get his millions back to Israel." -Jan Willem van der Hoeven (as cited pg 223 Christian Zionism). Willem is an Armageddonist Activist & Founder of International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and director of The International Christian Zionist Center.

He is saying that anti-semitism may be tolerated or justified if it serves the higher end of forcing Jews to return to Zion so that what has been prophecied should come to pass. Heaven forbid that a few million Jews' desire to live in America thwart Armageddon by not reaching God's quorum for the inevitable Apocalypse.
The only reason the deranged lunatic - Jan Willem - continues to operate in Israel is that he has convinced the settler movement he is their friend by encouraging settlements on the one hand and on the one hand putting forward propaganda which disconnects the inequities caused by the disenfranchisement of the Palestinians from the conflict. Here's a quote from this creep and another from a Benyamin Netanyahu, which represents the worldview that any well-meaning Jewish person would have if over-exposed to the filthy ideas of Armageddonism.

Jan Willem van der Hoeven

Benyamin Netanyahu

Today, most of the relatively uninformed journalists and politicians in the West are of the misguided opinion that as long as Israel withdraws from the “occupied territories,” namely Gaza, Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) and the Golan Heights, there will be a chance for peace in the Middle East. The reason they think this is there false perception of the conflict as basically over land - rather than the reality that what is being sought is the elimination of Israel from the map of the Middle East. (van der Hoeven 1993: 133)

Today too we are told that it is we who provoke terrorism. We provoke it by building apartments in Jerusalem, we provoke it by providing for the natural growth of our communities... The real provocation … is not a housing project, it is not the settlements. The real provocation is pure and simple. It is our existence here. That is what is causing the provocation. It is not a provocation. This is our country, this is the Land of Israel; it is the country that belongs to the people of Israel, and we have an inalienable right to this land. (Netanyahu 1997)

The conclusion van der Hoeven wants to empart to his Jewish audience is that it's your destiny to fight Armageddon. There is no other route to peace.
Van der Hoeven believed that Muslims want to eliminate Israel from the map. This has an ounce of truth to it and a pound of lies. The cloak and dagger technique employed by van der Hoeven leaves out the fact that it's the nature of the democracy in Israel which many chafe at rather than a reaction to the presence of Jews. The nature of this democracy is a topic for discussion elsewhere. The point here is that van der Hoeven evokes the memory of the Holocaust here by evoking the memory of Hitler's attempt to eliminate Jews.
All this because van der Hoaven believes in a certain interpretation of prophecy which leaves him with a theology of history. In turn this belief shapes his perception of reality. And when it comes to identifying friend from foe, percepiton is reality.
He believes that non-Jews surrounding Israel must be destroyed so that the glory of God may be known. The fact that they happen to be Muslim is incidental.
Van der Hoeven and those like him - Hagee, Limbaugh, and well meaning pundits from the right and the left - all accept this line of thinking at face value. What else is one to do when you are told you are under attack? That's what Hitler told the Germans to get them to take up arms against their neighbors.
If you look at the news, you will indeed see news of Jews being attacked. What van der Hoeven asserts is that the cause of this conflict is something enherent to the inferior mind of the Palestinians. And his conclusion is that therefore, there is no way of avoiding armageddon. According to van der Hoeven, the ceansing of the earth is inevitable. People such as van der Hoeaven manage to find niches of acceptance within the Jewish community precisely because they manipulate the Jewish patriot's fears.
Van der Hoeven spends a lot of time explaining, for instance why Palestinians fire rockets. Israeli politicians take on the role of responders to the crisis. In effect, the situation on the ground as seen through the lense of the Armageddonist ideology provides the world-view to which the Jewish state responds.
What would happen if a Jewish politician differed from this script? If we look at history, Ariel Sharon for instance, during his final years, attempted to do just that by attempting a land for peace deal. Although I believe this soluiton is doomed to failure because it's a lot like separate but equal. Be as it may, he was mocked and rediculed by the base in America for even thinking of peace.

JStreet: brave Jewish voices speak out

2008-05-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

JStreet.org: There is a new Jewish voice in town. This site is decidedly against the Armageddon hawks which call for war at every corner, yet unfortunately is still voicing support for the mirage of a two state solution of the 1900's rather than the single state solution that represents the new millennium.

Palestinian Doctor Endorses One State Solution

2008-05-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

A Palestinian Doctor Ghada Karmi, who wrote the book entitled "Married to Another Man", was interviewed on Democracy Now today, where she endorsed a single democratic state solutions for Israel. A state where both ethnic Jews and non-Jews enjoy equal rights under the law. She asked a question whose answer she did not know. Her question was "Why on earth are we tolerating the situation which we have now, in which Jews are saying 'we as Jews have a right to this territory'? " [1]

In her view, the insistence on the part of a group to say that "we have a right to a place where only we can live" is the wrong solution. That racial exclusivity - is in the model of western secular democracies. She explains "We must challenge any states "

This "we" she refers are the enablers of the current situation in the West. Namely, its original proponents in Britain, and then those who follow in their footsteps in America. The original proponents for this movement are John Nelson Darby and his students. Their end times scenario expects an epic battle in Israel, which is why they wanted to have a Jewish state created so that it may partake in this battle which they believe is the destiny of the reason for the existence of the Jewish state. This mind set naturally believes Palestinians and Jews must be the collateral damage in the process of the fulfillment of God's plan, which they sometimes call the birth-pangs of the return of the Lord.

That was Britain before the creation of Israel. What about now? At this late day in 2008, why do we tolerate this situation? The answer is that most of us have unconsciously played into the agenda of rapturists. Our mistake is that we fail to grasp the important contribution that Armageddonist personalities have had in creating the problem. And we are mainly concerned with the symptoms rather than the disease.

To be perfectly clear, personalities such as Hagee are pushing the agenda of Armageddonism under the guise of supporting Israel. While in fact they work toward the realization of their prophetic ideology which expects war in the Middle East; And destruction for Israel as a Jewish state. They believe this as the inevitable destiny; and in the mean time, they will look you straight in the face and profess unflinching love for Israel. This is no love of Israel - it's only love for what they expect to happen after Israel's destruction. This is the supernatural purpose they zealously guard. It is because we have not called them out on this, that they will continue to drag us behind them. That is why we do not support a single state solution.

It's because these personalities use arguments which are inspired by their hard-line religious conviction, but presented in secular rationale. That is why we continue to tolerate the current state of affairs.

Jewish Zionists did not begin saying "we have a right to a state where only we can live" till they were told by Armageddonist Zionists such as John Nelson Darby that "you have a right to a state where only you can live."

Until we make that connection, we will never have the answer to Dr. Ghada Karmi's question, "Why on earth are we tolerating the situation which we have now."

------------------------------ References [1] See Democracy now broadcast, segment at time: 45min

As McCain basks in Hagee endorsement; Clinton and Obama Reach out to Hagee Supporters

2008-03-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hagee calls himself the biggest supporter of Israel. To the secular crowd he praises its democratic credentials. And to the faithful, he preaches its significance as Jesus bait according to his version of prophesy.

Hagee's love for Israel, however is only skin deep. His vision for Israel includes the Jews converting due to the second coming, and does not include a future of Israel remaining a Jewish state. This vision of Jews as the people needing to be perfected through an impending violent war is part and parcel of what Hagee is about.

When Obama and Clinton make strong calls regarding Israel's security as top priority, or as "sacrosanct" while at the same time leaving Hagee's endorsement of McCain uncriticized is both a tacit envy for the support of Hagee's faithful followers, and a promise to continue this march to Armageddon that Hagee and his crowd have been advocating.

Here are a few reasons why Obama and Clinton should be critical of the McCain's acceptance of the Hagee endorsement:

TV Evangelist John Hagee Wants War With Iran
On more than one occasion, Hagee flat out says he is against American foreign policy if American policy is not in line with his weird end-time war-mongering ideology. This means Hagee is anti-American.

Roots of Armageddonist Support for Israel

2007-12-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

"The return of the Jewish people to their homeland was prophesied in the Bible. Their return to the Land is of great importance to Christians as it heralds the Coming of the Lord"
- Christian Friends of Israel
"The founding of Israel as a nation in 1948 was ordained of God to provide a homeland for the Jewish people and to prepare for the future return of Jesus Christ."
- Jerry Falwell, Armageddonist Televangelist
"The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West... a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ."
- John Hagee, Armageddonist Televangelist
"Persons of biblical faith are called to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' (Ps. 122). The ideology of Christian Zionism celebrates violence and the defeat of peacemaking efforts. It blesses neither Israelis nor Palestinians."
- The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism
Pat Robertson published The End of the Age, a book he calls his first work of fiction — although he says it is "based solidly on the Bible." In the book, Robertson paints a bleak picture of the end times he says we are about to enter. He writes about a Christian militia-type group raised up to fight a tyrannical American government, and the dropping of a neutron bomb on Israel. Then, glory be to God, Jesus comes back with a company of angels and destroys the enemy, and the saved live happily ever after

Based on this vision of current events, Robertson not only opposed Rabin's peace efforts, but claimed that God removed Rabin because he stood in the way of God's plan.

Reaction of Non-Armageddonists

“God save us from these people... When you see what these people are encouraging Israel and the U.S. Administration to do that is, ignore the Palestinians, if not worse, if not kick them out, expand the settlements to the greatest extent possible, they are leading us into a scenario of out and out disaster.” - Yossi Alpher, who served 12 years in Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. Later, he became Israel Director of the American Jewish Committee
"Some Christians who I know very well, very devout people, believe a certain interpretation of Revelations, that in my opinion are quite weird, in that in the coming of Christ that the holy land has to be occupied by the Jews and not by anyone else and then in the end that all Jews will have to be killed or either converted to Christianity. This is a very seriously distorted interpretation of the Scriptures that I am very familiar with.
-Jimmy Carter
"...as a reflection of their End Times theology, the message of the Christian Right to U.S. policymakers is ‘don’t be involved in getting the parties to the negotiating table,’ then they certainly are... an impediment to the peace process, and that isn’t helpful."
- Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Olmert warns against aparthied; calls for separate but equal

2007-12-13T10:32:00.001-08:00

An Associated Press article quotes the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert as saying that"the state of Israel is finished" if a Palestinian state is not created, saying the alternative was a South African-style apartheid struggle.

Isn't this like saying that the solution to South Africa's apartheid system was to create a separate state for the blacks? A two state solution is like rearranging the furniture on the deck of the titanic. It's the underlying principle that is the problem. Why is a democracy where the rights of all are protected not the goal?

Glen Beck and John Hagee Discuss Iran and the Second Coming

2007-12-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

Glen Beck, a radio personality who has a show on CNN by his name, exposes fundamentalist reading of history which drives his understanding of the world. This is part 1 of 6:

In this series of videos, Hagee prophecies that the end of the world will (they add the refrain "as we know it" to circumvent criticism) will be within 20 years; that he is looking for candidates who are pro-Israel; that we live in the end times. And at the end of all this, Glen tells him that he has been saying the same thing for a long time now.

Here's another video to be watched in the context of the above belief system:

Mixing prophecy and politics

2007-12-05T09:22:00.001-08:00

I was surprised to see an article titled Mixing prophecy and politics on the Christian Science Monitor newspaper. Here is what the subtitle says:

Christian Zionists are growing in influence - even as they fight for policies their critics say work against peace in the Mideast. For these believers, it's all about fulfilling biblical prophecy.
- read the full article here

Desmond Tutu Discusses the Only Apartheid Regime in the Middle East

2007-11-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

While saying the situation in Israel is similar to aparthied in many ways, Desmond Tutu called for a two state solution:

"We believe in a two-state solution of two sovereign, viable states, each with contiguous borders, guaranteed as secure by the international community. "

While well intentioned, Tutu's solution is in fact a half baked potato. If in fact there is a two state solution, what would happen to those Jews who want to live on the Palestinian side of the border? What about the Palestinians who now call Israel home? Are they supposed to reciprocate refugees? Clearly this is not tenable. Especially since both sides share the same cities as "home."

The obvious solution is to create a United States of Israel-Palestine. A two state solution just gives Armageddonists a target for destruction. A one state solution is civilized. A two state solution is a throw back to the dark ages.

The most powerful message Tutu had to deliver was to the Jewish conscience:

Be not opposed to the God whose Spirit, when it anoints you, makes you concerned for the poor. This is your calling. If you disobey that calling, if you do not heed it, then as sure as anything one day you will come a cropper. You will probably not succumb to an outside assault militarily. With the unquestioning support of the United States of America, you are probably impregnable. But you who are called are they who are called, asked to deal with the oppressed, the weak, the despised, compassionately, caringly, remembering what happened to you in Egypt and, much more recently, in Germany. Remember and act appropriately. If you reject your calling, you may survive for a long time, but you will find it is all corrosive inside, and one day, one day, you will implode.
[source]

Rapture Prank

2007-11-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

This girl is scared out of her mind when she thinks she has just been left behind.

A person who believes there will be no peace till after the rapture is pessimistic about peace in the middle east. Such a person will dismiss Annapolis as a non-starter. Here's what CUFI's newsletter had to say about this confrence:

So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent.” ‘Therefore thus says the LORD: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'" Zechariah 1:14-17

As the Annapolis Summit begins let us remember what the Lord says of His beloved Jerusalem. Let us who love Zion and who have taken a stand with her in this day of trouble intercede on her behalf. May those who defend her be as bold as a lion for the Lord will sustain them and they will be exalted above all nations. May those leaders and nations who come against her with “evil intent” be brought to confusion and may they be mocked and humiliated before their peers.

Thank you for your faithful prayers for Israel, her people and especially the city of Jerusalem.

Did you catch that? Hagee calls this day of peace talks a day of trouble. If you follow his other lectures, his angle is straight from the pessimistic dispensationalist play-book. The Jews will be attacked by their neighbors. Just before things get too bad, Jesus comes back to Rapture Hagee and like minded believers. Then those left behind are to suffer; Israel's neighbors will be destroyed of course; along with two-thirds of Israel. The rest will convert to Christianity and only then will there be peace.

The other day, I overheard an Armageddonist discussing a Hamas spokesman's statement "We don't want to push Israel into the sea." Reflexively, this Armageddonist dismissed this as a joke. Might it have something to do with his skewed vision of prophesy which informs him to just wait for Armageddon so that a lasting peace can be achieved? Draw you own conclusions.

Rabbi in Mosque discussing Zionism

2007-11-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't the beginning of a joke; it's a series of 6 videos on youtube. Here's part one:

The Fall of the House of Bush

2007-11-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

A brand new book by Craig Unger, The Fall of the House of Bush, sheds light on how Rapturist ideology is influential in undermining the America's national security.

The most terrifying news to emerge from the book is Unger's contention that the Cheney gang will do whatever it takes to crown their triumph in Iraq with something even lovelier: an additional war with Iran. It's the latest reminder that neither the Democrats nor the Washington press corps has ever come close to fighting this fire with the flood that will be necessary to extinguish it. Remember: The most energetic part of this coalition is praying for the apocalypse. Will enough of us reality-based types ever come together to defeat them?
-source

Jewish Voices Struggle with Armageddonism's Rough Edges

2007-11-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

This article about Christian Zionism is a window into how a Jewish conscience struggles with the ramifications of Armageddonism, and somehow casts a blind eye to its evils and concludes that this theology is harmless.

I also found this other article on Christian Action for Israel website; again also speaking about Christian Zionism from a Jewish perspective. It would be interesting to read commentary on the topic from a Palestinian/Muslim perspective as well.

My own observation is that these Jewish voices are averting their eyes from a reality that the support they get from the Armageddonist ranks is ultimately bad for Israel not just on some philosophical grounds. But because it opposes any peace which does not march through the shadow of the valley of death - Armageddon.

David Brog, for instance, avoids talking about Armageddon by focusing on the narrow question of whether Rapture based theologians support Israel to convert them:

Evangelicals who support Israel most certainly do want to convert people. Evangelicals who don’t support Israel also want to convert people. The mission of sharing the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ is central to being an evangelical. But it is important to note that this is not about converting just the Jews — Christians want to share their faith with Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and their Christian friends and neighbors who have yet to be born again. The important question is this: Is evangelical support for Israel merely a tool in the effort to convert the Jews? Is this merely some scheme to soften the Jews up so that they can better sell Jesus to them? And the answer to this question is absolutely not. If anything, the opposite it true.

Of course they don't want you to convert because if you convert now, then who will remain to fight and die in the battle of Armageddon?

The anytime rapture theologians have been saying for a long time now that they expect Armageddon to happen within their life time. They are tired of waiting and are not content to sit by and let prophesy fulfill itself.

Their game is now to play up fears and engage in pre-emptive strikes which will fulfill prophesy. After all, the Russian-Persian alliance that is supposed to attack Israel is taking too long to form. Fifty years is a long time.

So the game is now to raise phantoms such as "Iran wants to wipe out Jews" - a false allegation, even though it reverberates in the media. People hear what they want to hear. Cursory research indicates this statement is taken out of context and the intended message was to promote a true - one man one vote type democracy which would do away with the current system of occupier/occupied reality of Israel.

To conclude, Rapturists' goal is to put Jews in a state of panic and encourage them to view their neighbors as new Hitlers in the hope that they would lash out and begin the "inevitable" battle of Armageddon. They may be acting out of sincerity, but it is misdirected sincerity.

For Rapturists, the Middle East is not Foriegn; It's Personal

2007-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

For 85% of the US electorate, the Middle East is a foreign issue, and therefore of secondary interest when they enter the polling booth. For 15% of the electorate, the Middle East is not just a domestic matter, it's a personal one: if the president fails to start a conflagration there, his core voters don't get to sit at the right hand of God. Bush, in other words, stands to lose fewer votes by encouraging Israeli aggression than he stands to lose by restraining it. He would be mad to listen to these people. He would also be mad not to.

-The Guardian Unlimited

It's the Rapture Stupid: Explaining the Robertson-Giuliani Alliance

2007-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

According to Pat Robertson, the reason he supports pat has more to do with fighting Islamic extremism than any domestic policy.

We all know that when it comes to foreign policy, that Pat Robertson's only concern is to follow current events and point out where, how, and when end time prophesies are being fulfilled.

Clearly, Giuliani's view of Israel's future falls in line with that of Robertson. Which is why nothing else matters when it comes to whom Pat Robertson will support. In Robertson's view, peace is bad for Israel. The future is in the apocalypse. Any talk of peace by the surrounding countries is pure propaganda.

The only road-map to peace Robertson condones is one that passes through the Rapture and the Apocalypse. And so when Robertson talks about the Islamic Terrorist blood lust, his world-view is informed by a blood lust of his own. His own blood lust makes him blind to non-violent solutions to world problems. To Robertson, any calls for a the peaceful coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis is tantamount to treason against God.

And so Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani shows that nothing is as great a sin as betraying the path to peace through the Rapture. This issue is greater than abortion and gay marriage combined.

This rapturist theology is what binds Rudy and Pat. This is the theology Pat Robertson preaches day in and day out. Public officials cannot pronounce their allegiance to the rapture because America will vote it down at the polls. This allegiance is implied to the faithful when the candidate simply stands in friendship with the spokesmen for Armageddon.

Destruction of Iran is on "todo list" of Armageddon Hawks

2007-10-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Praise the lord! Now that prophesy regarding the destruction of Babylon is fulfilled; Next is the destruction of Persia.

The ratcheting up of rhetoric against Iran comes on the heals of high level officials in the US meeting with extremist religious leaders who promote World War III: Tim Lahaye, Pat Robertson et al.

The group which organized the meeting, "Council for National Policy" was founded by non other than the author of the Left Behind Series. It's not surprising for this rapture Guru to promote attacking Iran with the Rapture as THE exit strategy. This meeting was supposed to be a secret. The irony of it all; A government for the people and by the people, making decisions concerning national policy behind closed doors.

The news blackout wasn't absolute. Among the outlets which covered this story are the fake news show The Daily Show and The Salt Lake Tribune - the comments are worth a read.

The 2002 calendar year Form 990 return filed with the IRS lists the board of Directors as:

Donald Paul Hodel President (former Secretary of Energy and former president of the Christian Coalition)
Attorney General John Ashcroft (former member)
Tommy Thompson, Health and Human Services Secretary (former member)
Oliver North
Tom DeLay
Trent Lott
Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Brainwashed by Armageddonists

2007-10-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

After much analysis of the wasteland of "expert pundits." I find it necessary to also focus on a those who have been brainwashed by armageddonist propaganda. This would include people who do not believe in the rapture.

They make strange bedfellows with those who do hold on to this extremist belief system.

The reason being: Armageddonists are so good at marketing secular arguments for their religious beliefs.

The rapture as an exit strategy

2007-10-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

This bumper sticker pretty much explains the exit strategy espoused by many around us. They have the courage to subject our sons to battle for this agenda. Yet are too cowardly to come right out and say it.

Muslims Spokesman Commenting on Current Affairs

2007-10-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a commentary by Yasir Qadhi on current affairs:

In stark contrast to John Hagee's message of "them against us", and "they don't want to live, they want to die", listen to Yasir address the issue of terrorism.

If you listen closely, you will hear him pointing out that terrorism is the misdirected rage of a small group of Muslims to global political realities. I would argue that this political reality is the Agenda of armageddon based theology which seeks to hasten the second coming through the fulfillment of weird interpretations of bible prophesy.

Armageddonist propagandists have bloody hands when it comes to popularizing this global political reality which Qadhi alludes to. Proponents of Armageddonism, such as Hagee drape themselves in American and Israeli flags to cover up their barbaric goal of hastening Armageddon against Israel, destroying the middle east, and dismantling America's secular democracy so that the reign of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may replace it.

It may well be that America's perceived best friend may be its worst enemy.

Armageddonism's vicious in logic

2007-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

"[The Pre-Trib Rapture] is built on a postulate, vicious in logic, violent in exegesis, contrary to experience, repudiated by the early Church, contradicted by the testimony of eighteen hundred years...and condemned by all the standard scholars of every age."
- Nathaniel West (1826-1906), The Apostle Paul and the "Any Moment" Theory, p. 30.

Dick Cheney Meets With Evangelical Group

2007-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

What were they doing? My guess: Synchronizing watches for the big day of left behind-ness.

The Elephant in the Room Nobody Talks About

2007-10-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

A November 2006 article in the National Catholic Reporter, titled Christian Zionists rally in San Antonio notes:

“The dangers of Christian Zionism haven’t been talked about,” said Art Preisinger, a retired Lutheran minister and history professor attending the celebration at Cornerstone Church.

Elesi Nagalu, 41, said that Israel “belongs to the Jewish people. They [Palestinians] might have property deeds, but property deeds don’t mean anything to me.”

This pretty much sums up the Support Israel to speed up the second coming movement John Hagee, Pat Robertson, and other alarmist and armageddonist sinister ministers are teaching their flock.

As of late, their latest project which I call make our weird interpretation of prophesy come true so we can tell our congregation we were right all along, involved picking a fight with Iran.

For several weeks before the vote in the senate, CUFI newsletters have been urging everyone on their mailing list to please call or write the white house urging that Iran should be designated as a terrorist nation.

And this week, they celebrated their victory. Apparently Armageddon hawks got enough senators to believe them to walk in line with their prophetic visions. Epso facto: Iran is on the way to being destroyed. Just as the preacher man predicted. Yaaaaaay.

Armageddon Satire

2007-09-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

For a bit of light humor, you may want to read this satire about Armageddonists by Terry Jones. It begins with "Those of us who support Armageddon have naturally been greatly cheered by way the US president has embraced our cause."

However, what you will find is that comments on this article have managed to attract both supporters and detractors of this movement. Reading the comments is an educational experience.

Armageddonism and AIPAC

2007-09-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

John Hagee's stated desire is to see Israel engage in an apocalyptic nuclear war with Iran. And before that, he was for war with Iraq for the same reasons. He is not a flip flopper. The logic to the madness is consistent.

AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, applauds this. It appears that AIPAC members are promoted to positions of leadership due to their allegiance to this Armageddonist vision.

It is possible for individual members to dissent, as Abe Foxman once did. He quickly found himself isolated and ridiculed by the Armageddon crowd when he proclaimed that they essentially they pose the greatest existential threat to Israel.

He only redeemed himself after joining the ranks of the Armageddon crowd and singing the tune of lets attack Iran for the sake of peace.

What I am saying is that AIPAC members are victims of psychological manipulation by Armageddon hawks such as Hagee, Pat Robertson, and other talking heads who get goose-bumps just thinking of the coming of the glory of Armageddon.

September 15th

2007-09-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

There is a Sept. 15 Protest in Washington DC. I have to comment on the reaction of Armageddonists to this event shortly. I will do the research so you don't have to.

ISRAELI JETS FIRED ON BY SYRIAN FORCES

2007-09-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

ISRAELI JETS FIRED ON BY SYRIAN FORCES. One has to wonder at the extacy Armageddon hawks must feel at this news. Especially since the Iran nuclear threat appears to be a much repeated topic among this group, just as the WMD issue had been in the case of Iraq.

Hagee vs. Carter

2007-09-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

The main force behind supporting Israel according to carter: "Well, there’s an inherent commitment in America, which I share as a Christian, of a deep commitment to make sure that Israel is safe and that Israel is free and that they can seek for peace. So there's a strong inclination for all of us to support Israel's continued existence in peace. And that is added onto by the very effective work of the American Israeli group called AIPAC"
-Carter

Note that AIPAC is just the icing on the cake. AIPAC's leverage comes from exploiting this vast reservoir of the need to see a resurrected Isreael which to many on the religious right and left consider to be the precursor to the second coming.

The fact is though that Carter is a conditional supporter of Israel. That is a giant blemish to Armageddon hawks such as Hagee. Which is why he calls Carter "Israel's Enemy in America."

Jimmy Carter failed to rise to the occasion and criticize Hagee on his theology of bloody destruction.

I'm not sure if this is Carter's way of giving the other cheak, but it seems like he isn't answering Hagee's accusation. I would advise Carter to read this article. Here's an extract:

This pressure for warlike behavior comes from two types of end-time Christians. The "dispensationalists" insist that true believers will be "raptured" into heaven just before a catastrophic war between "left behind" believers and the forces of the Antichrist. "Dominionist" end-timers presuppose that the United States, as a Christian nation, will act as a special representative of God in the final battles. The Dominionists forge on toward the construction, or "reconstruction," of an American theocracy to fulfill God's end-time plan. The two brands cross over and blend. Collectively, they call themselves Christian Zionists to affirm their support of Israel's control over the holy lands.

As war cries from Islamic terrorists and end-time Christians create a danger for ever-expanding religious battles in the Middle East, a small cadre of Christian Jewish and Muslim leaders has become alarmed.

Osama bin SHUT UP

2007-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how bin Laden and/or fake Laden manages to pop up around election time to play the role of political pundit. I think the entire world pretty much needs to hear nothing from Osama and company.

I looked up Osama bin SHUT UP and found the article below of interest:

[Armageddonism?] Spying? Torture? Illegal airstrikes? SHUT UP and hate Bin Laden. This was the theme on prison planet.

Hagee Sells Iran Nuclear Threat to Fox News

2007-09-08T11:10:00.001-07:00

Listen the Armageddon salesman do his thing.

Armageddonism, Daniel Pipes, and his "Analysis"

2007-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

How does Armageddonism affect his analysis of middle east affairs?

There are one of three possibilities:

Either he ignores Armageddonism all-together because he does not know about them; which makes him a pawn in the hands of Armageddonists.
Or he knows of them and allows himself to be used by them; which means they turned him into a survivalist (with their constant talk of everyone is trying to exterminate Jews).
Or he knows of them and attempts to use them for his own ends; in which case it is a case of "the means justify the ends."

Reality is probably somewhere between options 2 and 3. He is likely both a survivalist and attempts to use Armageddonists for his own purposes. Either way, he becomes complicit in their war-mongering and agitation for Armageddon, though he does not himself believe in Armageddon.

Many are Ashamed of Hagee and CUFI

2007-09-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

"I just don't like playing Christians/Jew vs the Arab world, it's racist and I'm ashamed that John Hagee would do this stuff" said a critic of HAGEE.

Watch the video to find out why

In the video Hagee attempts to brainwash his audience: "They want to die, they don't want to live... They want to die, the don't want to live."

It appears that for Hagee, if Armageddon comes tomorrow, that's one day too late.

Time and again, as I listen to Hagee, he reminds me of Jim Carry - the karate instruction as in this video:

He draws up a picture of Muslims who should behave according to the specific formula he imagines. Hagee is unable to imagine that a Muslim can be non-violent, just as Jim Carrey is unable to imagine an attacker who bends his elbows.

Armageddonists Believe Nuclear War is Pre-Ordained

2007-09-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

Apparently, military psychologists have been thinking about the threat of Nuclear War provoked by Armageddonists.

Millions of Americans, primarily premillennialist fundamentalist Christians, believe that God has foreordained a global nuclear war as the precursor to the Second Coming of Christ.
- The Journal of Humanistic Psychology

Therefore, they recommend that psychologists "should be engaged in screening out personnel who are convinced that a nuclear attack against Russia would accord with God's will."

Should this policy not be extended to all personnel involved with middle east policy making? Consider the ramifications of Armageddonists empowered to either support peace in the middle east or war. Would they not opt for war every time because they believe that war is the precursor to the second coming?

13 year old pleads for her generation in front of UN

2007-09-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

"Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to share."

These are the little children we need to plan a safer tomorrow for. One where Armageddon is not instigated.

AIPAC and CUFI; What unites them?

2007-08-31T11:46:00.001-07:00

I often wondered how it is possible for AIPAC (a Jewish organization) to be in league with CUFI (an Armageddonist organization).

This is a good topic for a PHD dissertation or for a couple of books.

Your initial reaction would likely be "It's terrorism stupid." But that's hard to buy, especially given the fact that Armageddonists have been talking about restoring Jews to Israel (as a practical matter rather than wishful thinking) before Jews dreamt of doing so. Plus if you look at a book such as "The Zionism of God" by Claude Duvernoy, there are passages claiming that Jews were persecuted across Europe because God wanted them to relocate to Israel. And that if they were not persecuted, they would get too comfortable in their new Babylons. And then he adds an ominous note: "as is the case in America". As if he another round of persecutions in America is needed to motivate Jews to move out of America and settle in Israel. (so that they will throw a bigger welcome party for the Second Coming?)

So why is AIPAC joining hands with CUFI? That's the million dollar question. Here's an attempt to explain the linkage:

At present, Jewish Zionists believe they are using the gullible Christian Zionist. While the Christian Zionist believes he is using the Jew as a tool for fulfilling prophesy; ever instilling in him the threat of annihilation and subjecting him to psychological operations to make him spurn any peace deal with Palestinians. Ever pushing him to attack the enemies whose destruction should (according to their extremist interpretations) usher in the return of the Lord and Savior to rule over the earth for a thousand years.

Rapture: The End Times Error that Leaves the Bible Behind

2007-08-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

This book by David B. Currie demonstrates that alternate readings of prophesy are available and that God's plan for the future of the world doesn't have to be as filled with darkness and disaster as Hagee, Pat Robertson, and Fox News would have us believe.

CUFI in Damage Control Mode

2007-08-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

CNN's recent "God's Christian Warriors" put CUFI in damage control mode. They felt that CUFI's message was put across well, except they didn't like being featured in the same venue as "God's Muslim Warriors." CUFI's response in the words of David Brog:

Judaism and Christianity have utterly rejected terror as a tactic. As a result, deaths from terrorism in the name of these two great faiths remain as rare as fatalities on roller coaster rides-- too numerous, but hardly a threat to civilization as we know it.
The contrast with Islamic terror could not be more stark. To cite just one statistic, in the month of July an average of over 110 Iraqis were killed each day in suicide bombings and other acts of Islamic terror. Thus Islamic terror claims more victims in one country in one day than Jewish and Christian terror have claimed worldwide in the course of the past 15 years.

What CUFI doesn't want you to know is that its members were the most pro-war group and played a pivotal role in manipulating politicians into starting the war on Iraq and are currently doing their best to fulfill their interpretation of prophesy which demands that Iran must also be destroyed.

In this sense, CUFI not only promotes a certain perverted world-view, but plays a pivotal role in making it come true. And certainly CUFI's conscience is not bothered by the likelihood of the carnage its brand of "God sponsored" war mongering has caused and will continue to cause if left unchecked.

Seeing world-events through Armageddon Tinted Glasses

2007-08-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here's what John Van Impe, whose website describes him as "the man known as the 'Walking Bible' and one of the world's foremost prophetic scholars," just look at the supposedly inspired armageddon tinted world-view he promotes to his audience:

Armageddon coalition forming

Syria, Iran and Turkey - three nations depicted in the Bible as forming an endtimes coalition against Israel - have put differences aside to establish themselves as a major regional power center, according to Intelligence Digest.
The prestigious journal warns that if Syria's President Hafez Assad can manage to bring Iraq into this coalition - with or without Saddam Hussein - western influence in the region will be thoroughly undermined. (Ezekiel 38:5)

If this doesn't get you trigger happy to get Armageddon started already, get a load of the answer to this question and answer by Van Imp:

Q: all your studies of the Bible is there any mention of where the United States will be before and after the Rapture? I have head a few pastors say there is no mention of it and some say we won’t be around.
- Kim Peterson

a: The United States will very definitely be around; you can find that in Jeremiah chapters 50 & 51 and Revelation chapter 18.

But, remember when Russia makes that move there are some nations that object and that’s Ezekiel 38:13 “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof…” Look up Sheba in your dictionaries – its Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and they are going to go along with the American nations because Tarshsih there is Great Briton. The symbol for America is the great eagle, but the symbol for Britain in the great lion – and there is Tarshish with all her young lions – the English speaking nations of the world which of course takes in America, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, etc. So yes they will be here.

But there will be mass confusion in America because when the Rapture takes place this is the greatest Christian nation on the earth right now and when the Rapture happens there will be millions taken and there will be mass confusion here in this country.

Terror In Jesus’ Name

2007-08-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

This important expose was written by Yoginder Sikand, a journalist from India. He has a Master’s Degree in sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and a Ph.D in history from the University of London. He concludes:

Christian Zionism is hardly unique in its use of religion for such blatantly political ends, but given the immense clout enjoyed by its advocates today, especially in America, it is a much more menacing threat to world peace than is sometimes imagined and cannot be simply dismissed as the ravings of lunatics on the fringe.
- Terror In Jesus’ Name

Who would you want to stand with at Armageddon?

2007-08-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

One need only look at the way Jesse Helms described Bolton, "the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon, or what the Bible describes as the final battle between good andevil", to see that Bolton was being sold by the religious connotations of the act. Bolton was a political way of saying "Screw the U.N., we stand with the Christians".

References

CNN's God Warrior Specials

2007-08-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

CNN has a special report out called "God's Warriors" - which seeks to chronicle religious extremism among adherents to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

While well intentioned, it is unfortunate that Christine Amanpoure even bothers to highlight the abortion clinic violence as a form of Christian extremism. This sounds like the answer presidential candidates would give when asked what is your worst shortcoming.

Armageddonists would stand up and say that their worst shortfall is "we love babies so much, that some in our ranks get out of control and attack clinics that do abortion." At the same time they advocate the destruction whole societies including babies in order to hasten the second coming of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

It must be too hot of a topic to highlight the intense desire to destroy Iran among Armageddonists based on false secular pretenses just as they got us into the Iraq debacle under false pretences.

In order to do the subject any justice, Christine should have included in her report people with the following opinion:

God has decreed that this present evil age shall pass away in a flame of fire, death, and judgment. No amount of peace talks, goodwill conferences, or think tanks will be able to change that. -Dennis Pollock, Nuclear Weapons in the End Times

Friends Of Israel and AIPAC Envision "Israel's Final Holocaust" and "Jew Toast"

2007-08-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

I found this article by Bruce Wilson with the above title which began with the following words:

In previous installments of an ongoing series, I've examined the beliefs of Pastor John Hagee, founder of "Christians United For Israel", an ostensibly pro-Israel lobby whose members seek to trigger a Mideast conflict they hope will spiral into a devastating world war that will cause Global mass death and the death of 2/3 of Jews in Israel.
-read more...

Previous installments in an ongoing series, by several authors, on John Hagee and Christian Zionism:

AIPAC Event Helps Mainstream Allegations Of "Satanic Liberal Jewish Conspiracy"

Donohue Softpeddles Hagee's Catholic Bashing

"Be Jewish In Five Easy Days", The Twelve Tribes Of Hagee

Holocaust For Zion : CUFI's Christian Zionism Made Simple

GOP House Minority Whip Roy Blunt To Help Nuclear War Advocate

What Secret "Other Matters" Did McCain Discuss With "Apocalypse Now" Hagee ?

recent stories from other authors:

Max Blumenthal : AIPAC Cheers an Anti-Semitic Holocaust Revisionist (and Abe Foxman Approves)

Sarah Posner: The Goy Who Cried Wolf: The Israel lobby gives America's leading Christian right warmonger a warm welcome

Armageddonism's Effect on Mass Media

2007-08-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Iranian response to the wild myth that Ahmadinejad said he wants to wipe Israel off the map have been ignored by the media.

Here's why I think that happened:

The belief system of Armageddonists is vindicated only if Israel has an enemy bent on destroying it.
The media wants to give people what they want to hear and therefore ignores what challenges popular opinion because it will be perceived as propaganda.

Ask not why they hate us; Ask why we hate them

2007-08-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

If everyone were to focus on the log in their own eye, there would be no need to reach out to "help" remove the splinter from our neighbor's eye.

discuss.

What if we poke their eye attempting to remove the splinter? What if they poke our eye?

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

discuss.

CUFI hosts a who's who banquet of Armageddonists

2007-07-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

John Hagee, founder of Christians United for [Armageddon in] Israel (CUFI), an astounding group of heads of state, senators, and other leaders gather to pay homage to the theological cancer eating away at America's civilized foundations.

Watch The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour by Max Blumenthal.

So who is tossing their weight behind the destructive Armageddonist theology?

Senator John McCain, Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Newt Gingrich, Ambassador Dore Gold, Senator Joe Lieberman
- [McCain Openly Courts Hagee]

Netanyahu's Pack of Wolves Example

2007-07-06T17:18:00.001-07:00

As I sat there listening to Netanyahu speaking on the same platform as John Hagee, the Armageddonist extremist, I began reflecting on Netanyahu's pack of wolves example. It goes something like this:

Palestinians are like a pack of wolves chasing a pick up truck with sheep on it. Everytime Israel makes a concession, it's like the shepherd throwing a sheep to the wolves. As soon as they eat it up , they start chasing the truck again. What the shepherd needs to do is take that shot gun and get rid of the wolves.

From the context you can read all sorts of things including the following:

The Palestinians are the pack of wolves: there is nothing you can do to satisfy them except kill them.
The sheep represent Israel: The innocent party in need of protection.
The driver is Israel's shepherd: A role proudly adopted by Armageddonists.

Someone needs to tell the sheep that the shepherd one day plans to slaughter them. More precisely, as a Jewish man, Netanyahu must be aware of John Hagee's belief that the destruction of Jewish society is part of what must happen when Jesus returns. To the Palestinians, this is a clear signal that at least some segment of Israeli society sees the desire of Palestinians to have their own state as an insatiable appetite for territory. What can be done about this? If Palestinians request half the Gaza strip to ease these concerns, even that would be considered as just the first bite out of Isreal; to be followed by endless bites. This view is also held by Armageddonists. For this reason, the only way forward for Palestinians is to demand equality under the existing Israeli state, rather than reaching for an independent state which is held before them like mirage of water in front of a thirsty desert traveler.

Palestinian Christian Resonse to Armageddonism

2007-07-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

I found this article to be of interest. Here's an excerpt:

Describing the Evangelical Zionist's immoral and heretical interpretation of biblical prophetic and apocalyptic texts, Rev. Michael Prior concludes that the god of such revelation is a "militaristic and xenophobic genocidist..."

Apocalyptic Genocide is exactly what John Nelson Darby had in mind when he began preaching in the 1800s that Jews should be restored to Jerusalem. At that time, he was rebuffed by Jewish leaders since they lead prosperous lives in Europe. But after the mayhem and panic caused by the the Nazi crimes, Jews were more willing to take up the offer and join hands with Armageddonists to embark on the Zionist experiment.

This is why Ronald Reagan said, "We may be the generation that sees Armageddon"

This is why the little boy in the Jesus Camp documentary says, "I believe my generation is key to Jesus coming back"

Armageddonists - similar to Hitler's 3rd Reich

2007-07-01T00:48:00.001-07:00

Christian Zionists (Armageddonists), despite all their professed love for Israel, share a central theme in common with Hitler's 3rd Reich: that a point in time exists when the role of Jews in History will end.

Because Nazi Germany believed that point had passed, they attempted to wipe out Jews through genocide; Armageddonists, on the other hand, disagree only about when the role of Jews in history will end. Not if, but when it will happen. They believe that there is one more mission for Jews: to fight the battle of Armageddon in order to fulfill their extremist interpretation of prophesy which once fulfilled leads to the return of Jesus Christ.

The role of Palesinians and Arabs in the region is to be destroyed completely in the battle of Armageddon so that God's glory may be known. At this point also, the role of Jews in history ends and they must accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or die. This is why Armageddonists write books such as "Countdown Jerusalem." The countdown to the end of the role of Jews in History.

If they were to whisper advice into Hitler's ear, it would be "Not yet, now is not the time."

Therefore, it is time for everyone living in Israel to talk about living together in a United State of Israel-Palestine, rather than playing along with the Armageddonist game of let's talk peace and do war till Jesus Christ comes back to sort out the situation.

Famous Armageddonist: Lord Balfour & Woodrow Wilson

2007-06-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

“After the Reformation, there was a small group of Christians who began to read the Bible much more literally. They were opposed to making it abstract. So when they read the word Israel, this meant a real biological people, the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If Israel means the Jews, the Bible is a Zionist document because the Bible says the Jews will inherit the land of Israel.

Accordingto Brog, the rejection of replacement theology meant that in order for a Christian to do God’s will on earth, he must bless the Jewish people.

“Now, what was always a minority group in Europe, became a majority group in America. The dominant strain of Christianity in America today is still evangelical,” emphasized Brog.

Evangelusm’s historical impact

In his book, Brog writes of three world leaders who, because of their belief in the Jewish biblical right to the land of Israel, expedited the establishment of the State of Israel: Lord Balfour, Woodrow Wilson, and Harry Truman. While a big supporter of Israel, it is unclear if Truman was an evangelical (of the Armageddonist brand).

Source: A blessing or a curse? American evangelists explained. A conversation with David Brog, a Rabbi who is executive director of Christians United For Israel, an evangelical Christian lobby group lead by popular Pastor John Hagee, demystifies intentions, beliefs of 'Zionist Christians' and their support for Israel David Brog

Book About Christian Zionism

2007-06-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the comments on the book, "Christian Zionism: Road-Map to Armageddon?, wherein a reviewer writes:

"In fact, as Sizer (the author) shows, the existence of the state of Israel today would be unthinkable without the inspiration and support of Christian Zionists in Britain and America."

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 4 (The Political Implications of Christian Zionism):

The Chosen People: Supporting Israeli Colonialism
Restorationism: Facilitating Aliyah from Russia and Eastern Europe
Eretz Israel: Sustaining the West Bank Settlements
Jerusalem: Lobbying for International Recognition
The Temple: Identifying with Religious Zionism
The Future: Opposing Peace and Hastening Armageddon
The Political Implications of Christian Zionism: Conclusions

You can find a full listing of chapters here.

BBC vs. Aljazeera: Coverage of Armageddon

2007-06-04T00:45:00.000-07:00

Search for 'Armageddon' on BBC and the search produced no hits (as of 6/4/2007). Looks like a well respected news organization is envolved in self sensorship. However, the same word on Aljazeera gave the following results:

Was the Iraq war religiously motivated?

Although several reasons have been given for the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, debate still rages over whether ideological or religious concerns were the real motives.

Evangelist warns Bush over Jerusalem

American television evangelist Pat Robertson has warned President George Bush that he will risk losing Christian support if he stops backing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Against Israel against God

The alliance between US Christian Zionists, Israel and its US supporters has had very negative consequences for the Palestinians.

Comedy Break

2007-06-01T12:48:00.001-07:00

"The Landlord", watch it if you need to relax.

Restorationism

2007-05-31T14:26:00.001-07:00

Not just another ism; it's the why of what has been happening. Here are a couple of references to get you caught up on this phenomenon:

Definition on Wikipedia
What Oren’s account of Restorationism tells us is that the American attachment to Israel is more embedded in our DNA then we realize

Attitude of Jews Oblivious to Armageddonism

2007-05-30T12:41:00.001-07:00

I found this article to be profound in its insight into the reality of relations between Israelis and Palestinians living in the camps. Note that this speech comes to you from Tel Aviv.

The fact that there are Jews who have the freedom to say these things while the same views cannot be articulated by mainstream presidential candidates in the USA is testament to the influence of Armageddonist clout here.

All is not lost yet. You can make a difference. You can help to be part of the new generation of hope which has the audacity to talk-back to the doom-and-gloomers.

Barack Obama Bitten by Armageddon Bug?

2007-05-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

It seams that for all his good intentions, Barak Obama is suffering from the effects of the Armageddon bug. While trying to reach-out for the Evengelical vote, he was poisoned by their world view and is now grapling to make sense of the world as seen through their point of view.

Here's how you know Obama has bought into the Armageddonist Hype: when instead of tempering the call to violence coming from the Pat Robertsons and Hagees of the world he joins the choir and sings along. Here are a few google hits from today when searching Obama Iraq:

Obama would consider missile strikes on Iran Chicago Tribune ... US Senate candidate Barack Obama suggested Friday that the United States one day might have to launch surgical missile strikes into Iran and Pakistan to ...www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0409250111sep25,1,4555304.story - Similar pages
Democrats and Iran: Look Who Supports Bush's Next War - by Joshua ... Recently, the Democratic Party's rising "progressive" star Barack Obama said he would favor "surgical" missile strikes against Iran. ...www.antiwar.com/frank/?articleid=4521 - 41k - May 29, 2007 - Cached - Similar pages
Democratic keynote speaker Barack Obama calls for missile strikes ... Obama told the Tribune, “[T]he big question is going to be, if Iran is resistant to these pressures, including economic sanctions, which I hope will be ...www.wsws.org/articles/2004/oct2004/obam-o01.shtml - 15k - Cached - Similar pages

Hagee & Fox News on an Anti-American Rampage

2007-05-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

John Hagee had the audacity to propose a war scenario which is in-line with his Armageddonist Ideology. And what's wrong with FOX NEWS that they let this happen?

Has FOX News exposed itself as the quintissential anti-American news show? Isn't John Hagee really saying "Death to America" by advocating policies which in his belief system should destroy the world in the process of bringing back Jesus.

Armageddonist in Secular Clothing

2007-05-24T10:11:00.001-07:00

What if a congressman or representative were to come out and say, "I only care about national security. And all my decisions are based solely on secular considerations; my religious views have nothing to do with policy making decisions."

Is this person really secular? Or an Armageddonist in secular clothing?

To answer this question you need to address not only how to neutralize national security threats, but also how this threat came to be.

If you think of the national security threat as a flooded swamp. Solving the threat means clearing the swamp. It doesn't make sense to just pump out the water. You need to cut off the various streams which replenish the swamp. If you don't do this, you will end up having to clear the swamp endlessly. Just when you think you are done, here it fills up again.

It is madness to keep doing the same thing, yet expect different results.

This is the example of the policy maker who asserts his/her desire to eliminate national security threats, yet fails to cut off the sources whose sole intent is to exacerbate the threats.

What if a small group of evil people wanting to destroy the middle-east for the purpose of fulfilling Bible-Prophesy in hopes of bringing back Jesus Christ were instrumental in maintaining the blockade over Iraq which resulted in the deaths of something like a million people.

Suppose that the Iraqis did not like that and that certain individuals who sympathized with them were to inflict violent acts toward our country because of it.

There should be no doubt that we must defend ourselves from the threats coming at us. Equaly, we must not give a free pass to those who hide behind a moral agenda in order to direct our foreign policy in ways which seek to fulfill their odd interpretations of prophesy. To them, Armageddon is a mission to be accomplished; not merely prophesy to be observed.

Of course Armageddonists are free to believe as they want. However, it is shameful that secular people tolerate people with such frames of mind to control foreign policy. Suppose that the so called secular leaders knew about these people's goals and desires; yet neither criticized them nor tried to warn of the danger they pose.

Does that not mean that the so called secular leaders are more unpatriotic that the religious zealots who hope to bring about Armageddon; simply because they provide the cover under which Armageddonists will destroy our society from within?

Think about it.

Christopher Hitchens

2007-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

I started reading up on Hitchens after viewing his commentary on the legacy of Jerry Falwell. Somehow he manages to both hate Falwell and support the Iraq war. Any ideas why? From watching the video below, you make your own conclusion:

My conclusions from watching this video:

Hitchen's world-view although purportedly secular, picks up where Armageddonists leave off especialy about the motives of Israel's neighbors.
Adopts the "Conflict of Civilizations" world-view, which itself is a darling book of the Armageddonists. Example "The fascist side of Islam wants to export the fight o where we are so they could win it." He does not consider the ramifications of the Armageddonist agitation as the source of the problem, rather the reaction to it is what he considers the source of the Islamic threat.
Supports a two state solutions; ie separate but equal rather than a one shared state for all.

Jerry Falwell: Dark Legacy

2007-05-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Some people in their rush to scrub clean Falwell's legacy ignore the fact that when all is said and done, Falwell advocated a speedy destruction of the world due to his staunch support for Armageddon. Very disappointing.

Here is Christopher Hitchin's summary of Falwell's legacy:

If only Barack Obama would stand up to this menacing Armageddonism so many evangelicals rally around instead of trying to "reach out" to them. Unless of course by reaching out he means to correct their tendency to support the road to Armageddon. I think this may be the direction he should take, but somehow I imagine it is too hot of a topic to touch even for Obama. To his credit he does mention that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are negative influences on the evangelicals:

"...if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwell's and Pat Robertson's will continue to hold sway." [source]

However he does not, and I believe no politician is able to directly criticize the addiction to Armageddon which these bible thumpers spew from their pulpits.

Winograd Report, Jewish Zionism, & Armageddonism

2007-05-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Winograd Reort exposes a stark difference between the Jewish Zionist vision for Israel and the "Christian Zionist" (Armageddonist) vision for Israel.

The Jewish desire is summed up by the Winograd report which notes "Foreign Ministry not sufficiently included during war in Lebanon." This shows that Israelis would very much like to settle differences without having to unleash the arsenal of weapons Armageddonists have so generously put into their hands.

On the other hand, if you look at what Armageddonist preachers and cheerleaders on the Right Wing are saying, the only problem with the destruction of Lebanon is that it does not go far enough. See this fox news video for how the Armageddonists think:

Armageddonists forgiven because of... Jesus

2007-04-28T21:35:00.001-07:00

Unpatriotic to the Core: John Hagee's Politics

2007-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

In 1998, the official American policy in the middle-east was land for peace. When John Hagee was asked how he felt about his vision for Israel (ie: no land for peace; rather Israelis and Palestinians should annihilate each other in the battle of Armageddon as prophesied so that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may return) differing from U.S. policy, Hagee replied: "I am a Bible scholar and a theologian and from my perspective, the law of God transcends the law of the United States government and the United States State Department. The United States wants Israel to surrender territory for Palestinian promises of peace."

Now how patriotic does that sound?

Why six imams were pulled from US Airways

2007-04-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

The reason six Muslim leaders were pulled from US Airways has to do with suspicions which are mainly fanned not by events at the airport or inside the plane, but rather by rhetoric coming from Armageddonists like televangelist John Hagee, slick Pat Robertson, the esteemed Rep. Virgil Goode, and dittohead Rush Limbaugh.

The chief players however are televangelists who claim to teach people the truth and feed their flock utterly hateful information bordering on the call to genocide on Rawandan radio before the genocide there.

It is highly likely that passengers who believe their Armageddonist teachers' lessons about Muslims will lie in order to thwart the "mandate" of Muslims, which the Armageddonists propound is the destruction of the non-Muslim.

There are many things which passnegers claim they heard from the Imams which are completely out of character for the Imams to say, and the Imams totally reject those allegations as in this article.

Unconscious Agents of Armageddonism

2007-04-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

There are points of convergence and divergence between any two points of view. This applies to Zionism as well. There is the Jewish Zionist block on one hand and the Christian Zionist block. They agree on the present but disagree on the future.

They each want to see a strong Israel, but for different reasons. For Jewish Zionists, it's all about survival, while Christian Zionists are in it for the Second Coming. For them, a strong Israel is but a stepping stone to Armageddon; which is why "Armageddonist" is a more fitting name for people who hold such an ideology than "Christian Zionist".

The question which poses itself is: which one is using which? Is Jewish Zionism stronger than Christian Zionism so that it can steer it? or is it the other way around and Jewish Zionism is stronger so that it controls Christian Zionism?

From my research, I have concluded that Christian Zionism sawed the seeds of Jewish Zionism and nurtured it till it became a reality. So if this analysis is correct, then Jewish Zionists are acting unwittingly in the service of Christian Zionists.

Palestinians too, by supporting the notion of a separate but equal entity for themselves are aiding the Armageddonist plot. The more conflict Armageddoinsts see, the greater their satisfaction at the unfolding events and the higher their hope for a quick rapture (after a satisfying bout of Armageddon - aka battle for Jerusalem).

By being opposed to supporting a unification plan within Israel, Palestinians are doing themselves a disservice, and their people a disservice since they cannot hope to provide the most basic function of governments: that of providing security for their subjects. In light of this fact, by insisting on getting independence, they get sovereignty over nothing.

Armageddonists are busy lobbying to make sure that there is no such thing as a viable peace plan. As a Rabbi once said, "They are not interested in bringing the two parties to the negotiating table" (or something along those lines), which means they are more interested to see these two sides fight it outside, somewhere around the the area east, west, north, and south of the valley of Armageddon.

Therefore, anyone who contributes to the fulfillment of the Armageddonist goal of further mayhem stands accused of aiding this heresy, either intentionally or accidentally. Either way, the result is disastrous.

Overcoming Zionism: A book Armageddonists dare not touch

2007-04-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is a book which Armageddonists would never in a million years endorse because they are not interested in peace, reconciliation, or progress. Rather, they are entirely motivated by their desire to see the world end as soon as possible in a war which should wipe out large parts of the Jewish and Arab worlds followed by the second coming of the "Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," as they say.

Joel Kovel, being a conscious Jew - one who knows the desires of Armageddonists and how they set up Israel to be their Jesus bait - in writing this book which in essence short circuits all the investment of armament and ill-will Armageddonists have spent so far by promoting a paradigm shift from an Armageddon based peace plan to a democratic and unity peace plan. It is indeed a bold thing to say, there are not two sides to this conflict, only one.

Joel Kovel argues that the inner contradictions of Zionism have led Israel to a 'state-sponsored racism' fully as incorrigible as that of apartheid South Africa and deserving of the same resolution. Only a path toward a single-state secular democracy can provide the justice essential to healing the wounds of the Middle East [more...].

Times's Baghdad bureau chief pessimistic about Iraq plan

2007-04-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Times's Baghdad bureau chief, John F. Burns, appeared on The Charlie Rose Show to discuss the situation in Iraq.

The Maliki Government is unable to rise above the urge for revenge. - John F. Burns

Bush, God, and the Media

2007-03-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

While Christian conservatives and hard-line neo-conservatives may see the developments after Sept. 11, 2001 in a positive light (after all, one might say that God and the United States have been given a larger piece of the planet with which to work), all Americans should be leery of any government that merges religiosity into political ends.[full article]

Armageddonists Discussing Islam

2007-03-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

It's so lovely to see Armageddonists discussing Islam in such a way as to justify their intended goal of destroying the middle-east in order to bring about the second coming of Jesus Christ.

There will be 1000s of arguments to justify why we must (MUST MUST MUST) destroy Muslims. That is the reason they make these arguments (under the guise of standing up for our values).

One only look at the last 50 years. The absence of actual invasions of Europian countries by Muslims is the reason why they resort to trying to pull arguments from any period in time, pulling out the worst anicdotal evidence, shouting the world is about to crack unless we realize what a danger Muslims are to us.

After watching this clip, the point you should walk away with is that you have to make the connection between their motivation for seeking to prime their audience for war with Muslims and their sick belief in the inevitability of the battle of Armageddon and the tribulations which must afflict the world as part of the series of events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

Israel, Islam and Armageddon According to Armageddonists

2007-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Armageddonists are all around us

2007-03-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Seemingly normal people who believe in the Armageddon - AKA the destruction of Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Lebanon, Syria, Kush (Somalia or Sudan, Pat Robertson isn't sure).

The American Muslim

2007-03-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

This site has a series of responses to the Armageddonists' accusations against Muslims and Islam.

Fascist leader Hagee depicts Muslims as rabid killers & Jews as Christ killers

2007-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

John Hagee, the megachurch pastor who is the current face of Christian Zionism in the United States, depicted Jews as Christ killers in a recent interview. Hagee also stated that Muslims have a "mandate" to kill Christians and Jews and that God caused Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans to prevent a scheduled gay parade. [more]

Preaching to the quire

2007-03-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Armageddonists expressing the reasons why Muslims must be destroyed. Very interesting hate filled speaches. It would be nice to see a segment by segment response video posted by a Muslim scholar of note.

Armageddonism & the Justification of Spilling Muslim Blood

2007-03-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Armageddonists draw up arguments in such a way as to make the slaughter of millions of Muslims be an act of self-defence.

It's not unusual for a people who have confused the finite with the infinite - when they equate the created Jesus with the uncreated God; It is not unusual for such a people to blur the line between a possibility which has come to be and a possibility which has not come to be.

It isn't enough for them to misinterpret their own scriptures, but they also delve pretending to understand Muslim scripture, and under the guise of scholarship spread within their ranks the most dishonest interpretation of texts and are content to preach "the barbarians are at the gates and we must kill them or they will kill us" (Rev. John Hagee).

Olberman Mentions "Irrational Right"

2007-03-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

In this video, Kieth Olberman mentions the Armageddonists whom he calls the "Irrational Right" as responsible for current Iraq Policy.

Connecting the Dots: Armageddonism and Policy

2007-03-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

While researching Armageddon on google, I came across: BUSH WATCH...EVANGELIST BUSH

. It lists many of the reasons why the sway of Armageddonist evangelicals is bad for peace and democracy in America and specifically for Israel and Palestine.

ZIONISM - THE REAL ENEMY OF JEWS

2007-03-04T03:10:00.000-08:00

Alan Hart, author of "ZIONISM: THE REAL ENEMY OF THE JEWS", talks about the Armageddon based Christian support for Israel and notes that they are "classic Jew haters" who only support Israel for the purpose of bringing about Armageddon. However he claims that Jews are using Armageddonists to further their goals.

The problem with this analysis is it's like blaming the roosters for getting into a cock-fight. Niether the Jews nor the Palestinians set up the fight. Britain, after WWII was tremendously thirsty for peace. Armageddonism (premillinialism) was popular among the Empire's elite because it was a road-map to bringing back Jesus. And today, if you tune into the popular preachers, Armageddon based prophesy is what they preach.

If anything, Armageddonists used the Jews to further their ends. So Jews are twice victims: They were victimized by Hitler and by the Armageddonists who see them as a tool to bring about the Armageddon.

What's the solution then? It is to break the link. Just as Baath party members were banned from participating in the government; Armageddonists should be distanced from the levers of power; otherwise, they will wreck any democracy they touch.

Who is John Nelson Darby?

2007-03-02T01:09:00.000-08:00


	John Nelson Darby

British minister John Nelson Darby begins preaching in America. He would create an ingenious theology known as premillennial dispensationalism, which remains the dominant eschatological system in Christianity today. "Dispensationalism" refers to Darby's belief that human history can be divided into a series of epochs, or dispensations, in which God has dealt with humanity in different ways. Darby teaches that biblical prophecy refers to the past and future periods, but is silent on the present "Church Age," which began with Christ's crucifixion. By asserting that God's prophetic clock had temporarily stopped ticking, this "Great Parenthesis" ingeniously preserves prophecy while avoiding the risks of date-setting.

One of the most enduring elements of Darby's system is the Rapture, in which true believers in Christ would travel instantly to heaven, where they would watch the terrible seven-year Tribulation unfold on earth, killing all but a righteous few. His emphasis on the Jews' return to Palestine and his strong reliance on scripture over church authority have also won favor with fundamentalists. [source]

The Link: John Nelson Darby and Winston Churchill

2007-02-28T00:50:00.000-08:00

I researched whether John Darby ever met Winston Churchill. Apparently not. It seems though that at least one student of Darby ministered to Churchill. John Nelson Darby died about 1880. Winston Churchill was born in 1874, which meant he was too young to have learned from Darby directly. Here's the evidence tying Churchill to Darby's associate- Robert Chapman (1803-1902 Churchill was 28 in 1902). Consider the following two points:

John Nelson Darby said of Robert Chapman: "He lives what I teach."¹
As a young man, Winston Churchill was taken to visit him¹

----------------------
References

Robert Chapman's Biography
Google search for further research ("winston churchill" "Nelson darby")

Winston Chuchill's Armageddonism

2007-02-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

I always thought of Winston Churchill as a man of peace. When I read his visions of war in the middle east, I found myself having to read and re-read his words to make sure I didn't misread it. It leaves no doubt in my mind of the influence of Armageddonism on Churchill's mindset. What did Winston Churchill say that raises this irksome cloud over his head? Robert Fisk, a british journalist, delved into history and here's what he found reading Winston Churchill:

I’m going to read you a very brief paragraph by Winston Churchill, not about the Battle of Britain. It is Churchill prophesying the future from 1937, eleven years before the Nakba. This is Winston Churchill writing in a totally forgotten essay.
He reflected upon the future and wrote of the impossibility of a partitioned Palestine. And he talked of how, I quote -- this is Winston Churchill in 1937 --“The wealthy, crowded, progressive Jewish state” -- see, it doesn’t exist yet, but he’s already getting it right --“lies in the plains and on the sea coast of Palestine. Around it, in the hills and the uplands, stretching far and wide into the illimitable deserts, the warlike Arabs of Syria of Transjordania, of Arabia, backed by the armed forces of Iraq, offer the ceaseless menace of war. To maintain itself,” -- 1937, remember, -- “To maintain itself, the Jewish state will have to be armed to the teeth and must bring in every able-bodied man to strengthen its army. But how long will this process be allowed to continue by the great Arab populations in Iraq and Palestine? Can it be expected that the Arabs would stand by impassively and watch the building up, with Jewish world capital and resources, of a Jewish army, equipped with the most deadly weapons of war until it was strong enough not to be afraid of them? And if ever the Jewish army reached that point, who can be sure,” Churchill asked, “that, cramped within their narrow limits, they would not plunge out into the new undeveloped lands that lay around them?”
“Ouch,” I said when I read that. 1937.
-Robert Fisk [Sources: Pacific Views, Democracy Now]

The question that must be answered now is: what ideology did Churchill subscribe to which made him such a supporter of conflict? The bitter answer is that he was most likely influenced by the teachings of John Nelson Darby - the father of modern day premillenial dispensationalism (AKA Armageddonism).

Armageddonism, Big Money, and Policy Formulation

2007-02-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

When analyzing middle east events and ideas, some notable scholars such as Noam Chomsky place a great emphasis on Oil as the driving engine. Their theme follows the logic of:

We are interested in the middle-east because of energy concerns.
Politicians are corrupted by oil money.

This however is only a partial answer since it does not address the question of why it is that Armageddonist preachers who don't see a penny from oil still support the policies pushed by those who stand to profit from oil. This is where it helps to look at the links between Armageddonism, Money, and Policy Formulation. The Tom Delay scandal as an example of how things work: If you've followed the delay scandal... the politicians were using the religious leadership to influence the public into supporting a position which the politicians were getting big bucks for in return.

In the Delay scandal, the entities behind the big bucks were Indian Casinos. In the Middle East, those entities are big oil companies with the largest profit margin in the history of the world.

In the Delay scandal, religious leaders told their congregants to oppose casinos from being built as a moral obligation. While in the middle east, religious leaders beat the war drums claiming Armageddon is a birth-pang which will result in peace for the world through the second coming of Jesus Christ.

GodAssault: Armageddonism's Ultimate Aim

2007-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

An up and coming journalist to watch out for is Lisa Lambert, who wrote a piece entitled GodAssault: Morality as the Ultimate Game which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle's Insight section. In it, she mentions the following about that the Armageddonists' end-game being a blood-bath:

If you read the Book of Revelation as the physical, material truth, then you come to see God's game as one played in a swirling, planet-devouring vortex of blood and violence.

and before this she writes that the same people who believed in such things were also responsible for electing the delivering the presidency to Bush:

As it happened, those "nuts" won the election for the president. Ill-prepared newscasters promptly relabeled them "moral voters," showing how little they understood about the new religion practiced in Calvary Chapel.

And she argues that these people are only interested in Bush because he was a candidates "who laced his speeches with secret signals to fellow worshipers and considered praying his most important action before starting an unjust war." As a group, the one word which accurately describes their belief system is Armageddonism. Their ultimate hope is for Armageddon to happen within their life-time.

NY Times Reporter Equates Armageddonism w/Anti-semitism

2007-02-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

New York Times reporter Chris Hedges equates the arguments of Armageddonists with Hitler's anti-semitism:

"They don't commit crimes; they have things inherently built into their character. I mean, it's very much like anti-Semitism. And the only way to get rid of it is to eradicate it, because to be a Jew, to be a Serb, to be a Muslim is to have these qualities that destroy our civilization, and we must, therefore, destroy them." [continue reading this articl e...]

Take this analysis, and listen to John Hagee, pastor of a San Antonio Mega-church, as he tells his audience "either we kill them (Muslims) or they kill us." The violence he beckons his followers to is chilling. The fact that other leaders don't denounce his statements is the real danger.

Chris Hedges on Armageddonism

2007-02-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

On the Colbert Report, Chris Hedges talks about his book, "American Fascists, The Christian Right & the War on America."

So how does this topic fit into the United States of Israel-Palestine theme of this site?

If peace is a building; Armageddonism is a wrecking ball.

Muslim Response to Armageddonism

2007-02-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

Dr. Safar Al-Hawali, a muslim scholar, responds to Armageddonism in an article titled, "False Massiahs." It begins with the following words:

America, as Edward Said says, is more occupied with religion than any other nation, and in America there is a totally mad fundamentalist current that seeks to hasten the second-coming of Christ, and who are prepared to do the stupidest thing in the world in order to achieve it. (read on...)

You can't fix the problem unless you study it. So long as the next round of presidential candidates abstain from addressing the tide of Armageddonist activism within the power structure, the war drums will continue to be sounded louder and louder.

Carter Critical of Armaggedon Based Politics

2007-01-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Carter is thoroughly unimpressed by their juvial anticipation of war. And equally by their overt efforts to escalate the end time events as they see them:

"Carter has clear suggestions to evangelical Christians both in America and Britain about how to get things back on track. "First of all," he says, "it would be a commitment to the principles that Christ espoused. We worship Him as the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Pre-emptive War. And I have noticed that many leading Christians - I presume many of them call themselves evangelicals - have been among the most militant and warlike members of our society. Even before President Bush decided to invade Iraq, he had strong and public support [for attacking Iraq] from a number of more conservative Christians." -source

David Duke's Interview on CNN

2007-01-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

Iran Conf. Holocaust : Duke i.a. Zionism Uploaded by maphia
David Dukes' mistake is to ignore the Armageddonites and view Jews as the primary motive force behind Christian Zionism. As you will see over and over in this blog, Armageddonites are more pro war than the most hawkish Jewish Politicians.

Gershom Gorenberg on Christian Zionism

2007-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

Commenting on the implications of Apocalypse theology to Jews. [click here to listen to segment]

“They are expecting war and conflict… and they’re seeing this as something positive. Everything leading to peace in the middle east, they see as an illusion.”

What about the instiga-terrorists?

2007-01-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

San Antonio Mega-Church Pastor John Hagee puts it on the line -- brainwashing his flock: either we kill them or they kill us! And then he goes on to say that All Palestinians were happy that 911 happened. And then mocks Arafat's blood giving as worthless. And then Netanyahu follows that up with a speach explaining that Palestinians never existed!
Listen to John Hagee, the Sinister Minister, on NPR on Sep, 2006

Artist Draws Picture of American Fundamentalists

2007-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

"I painted this because I got really pissed off. And the angrier I got, the more I read about these folks and the more I researched this before I actually began painting it, and saw how connected so many of these people were, and how just because all of the guys in that corner had a lot of money, and they were putting it in to start cable networks for these guys, and research foundations so they could have titles in their names for all the guys in the center." -Joel Pelletier

"In American politics, people like Tom DeLay, the Majority leader in the House, has stated, "Only Christianity offers a way to live in response to the realities that we find in the world - only Christianity." And the result is, if you add his power in the House to the money behind that power, and you add to that Tim LaHaye, who is the coauthor of the apocalyptic "Left Behind" novels, and Congressman Dick Army and Howard Phillips and Ralph Reed and Jesse Helms, all of whom belong to a group of Fundamentalist Christians that bring George W. Bush in as a speaker. And you bring these two delusional mythologies together - the Right Wing NeoCons following the delusion of Strauss, and the Right Wing Christian Zionists following the delusions of the interpretations of the Book of Revelation, and you find an incredible solid base of power in the administration that is currently in office in Washington DC." -Willian Cook more... (click here to see the art-work)

Hagee's Obsession with Israel's Destruction

2006-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

If you look at the main menu of Hagee's website, you'll find the peculiar placement of "Supporting Israel" in the main menu. Is this genuine love for Israel or is it a yearning for Armageddon trying to mask itself as pure Love? Hagee is meticulous in avoiding reference to Armageddon or his faith in Israel's role in the return of Jesus Christ.

You need only look in the store where to find this item which shows the apocalypse mentality which motivates this man

Prophecy and the Middle East

2006-12-16T02:24:00.000-08:00

This piece is for historical reference into the current situation:

First and foremost, Reagan was a firm adherent to Biblical prophecy; specifically, he believed that the end of the world -- the Battle of Armageddon -- was close at hand. As you know, the fundamentalists just love that eschatalogical stuff.

While he was running for office in 1980, candidate Reagan announced during an interview with televangelist Jim Bakker that "We may be the generation that sees Armageddon." But that certainly wasn't the first time. At a 1971 banquet for California state senator James Mills, then-Governor Reagan broke it all down for the honoree during the dessert course:

"In the 38th chapter of Ezekiel, it says that the land of Israel will come under attack by the armies of the ungodly nations, and it says that Libya will be among them. Do you understand the significance of that? Libya has now gone Communist, and that's a sign that the day of Armageddon isn't far off.

"Biblical scholars have been saying for generations that Gog must be Russia. What other powerful nation is to the north of Israel? None. But it didn't seem to make sense before the Russian revolution, when Russia was a Christian country. Now it does, now that Russia has become communistic and atheistic, now that Russia has set itself against God. Now it fits the description of Gog perfectly.

"For the first time ever, everything is in place for the battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. It can't be too long now. Ezekiel says that fire and brimstone will be rained upon the enemies of God's people. That must mean that they will be destroyed by nuclear weapons."

Source: rotten.com (and now all those wierd foreign policy decisions make sense)

10 Questions Rumsfeld's replacement should have been asked

2006-12-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Do you believe that dispensationalist end-time philosophy is promoted by the domestic religious forces?
Do you believe that dispensationalist end-time philosophy is for peace in the middle east?
Do you believe that domestic religious forces are for peace?
Do you believe these organizations are promoting a faith based middle east foreign policy?
Do you believe these organizations should have access to people in power?
Who do you believe poses a greater threat to national security: the policies promoted by these organizations or Al-Qaida?
Do you believe these organizations formed the backbone of our policies in Israel promoting the destruction of Palestinian society and creating an aparthied society there?
Do you believe these organizations wish to involve our nation in a new war against Iran?
Do you believe that distancing these organizations from the centers of power will help to balance our international policies?
How do you plan on distancing these organizations from the circles of influence on the domestic front?

Antichrist politics

2006-12-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

This 2005 story on Salon.com is a powerful analysis of the logic animating the US domestic religious forces

The current administration in the United States is packed with people who are literal Bible believers and who see in Israel a specific role in the end times." The most visible believers, says Berlet, are Attorney General John Ashcroft, Armey and Delay. My argument is that you don't have to say, 'I am a dispensationalist' to be a person influenced by these apocalyptic metaphors. The more you're embedded in a Christian fundamentalist culture, the more you're going to be influenced by these ideas even if you claim you aren't.

About us

2006-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Many people take a glance at this site, and their first reaction is to take offense and point out that this site is not focusing enough on terrorism.

The fact of the matter is, this site vehemently opposes terrorism. We actually propose an alternate solution, instead of just complaining about problems.

Unlike many who uphold apocalypticism as a mandate to live by, we do not believe the rapture is an exit strategy.

This blog is powered by the dream of a brighter future where our foreign policy is based on what is best for our national interests. The exit strategy we propose is a United State of Israel-Palestine. This is the alternative to what many theologians propose when it comes to endorsing immeasurable suffering in the name of fulfilling bible prophesy.

Our aim is to temper faith with reason, not to attack it. It is not to persecute the religious, but to detract those who would use it to mismanage our nation into yet more blunders. This is the hight of patriotism, the peak of decency, and the noble intent of our founding fathers when they separated church from state.

Israel, Palestine, and the Evangelicals

2006-12-06T09:13:00.000-08:00