How would you feel if you knew that your elected representatives belonged to a secret religious cult that praised the likes of Hitler, Pol Pot, Papa “Doc” Duvalier, Mao, and other despots. According to this insider, these politicians make up as much as 30% of our elected officals of mostly Republican and a handful of Democrats. They feel they are chosen by God to be our leaders, and because of this all their transgressions from simple adulterous behavior to the toppling and ruin of foreign governments are forgiven and protected by the Family.
In a new August 17, 2009 Maddow Show segment, Rachel Maddow and Jeff Sharlet discuss, among many new revelations, the disturbing fact that the “Christian Embassy” scandal, propelled by a complaint to the Department of Defense from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, was investigated by a Pentagon Inspector General who is in fact a Family member.
The Family, also known as “The Fellowship”, is a secretive fundamentalist Washington DC ministry which runs the National Prayer Breakfast and Bible study groups attended by numerous US Senators and Congress members, wields global influence, and celebrates the leadership lessons of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao.
Over the course of the summer of 2009, Washington’s Family-run “C Street House” has become notorious as a string of sex scandals have engulfed national GOP political figures who live at, have lived at, or attended Bible study classes at the secretive former convent turned church-cum cheap-rent high end boarding house: Senator John Ensign, former Congressman Charles “Chip” Pickering, and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.
By far the story has been driven, first, by Jeff Sharlet, who wrote the 2008 book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at The Heart Of American Power, which followed Sharlet’s 2003 Harper’s expose Jesus Plus Nothing. But MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who has pursued breaking new aspects of the festering scandal with a long-term dedication only rarely seen in mainstream media news coverage, has played an invaluable role in giving the mafia-like “Family” widespread public exposure.
Maddow’s willingness to cover the story of The Family and the C Street House in an ongoing manner, week to week over the summer, implicitly indicts much of mainstream news coverage as suffering from collective attention-deficit disorder; given the level of international, geopolitical influence The Family apparently wields, its members’ penchant for describing their group as a Christian “mafia”, and in light of Family head Doug Coe’s zest for celebrating useful leadership lessons Coe says can be gleaned from studying Lenin’s Bolsheviks, Mao’s Red Guard willing to chop off their own parents’ heads for the good of the revolutionary state, and Hitler’s Nazis, it’s nothing less than astonishing and appalling that most of mainstream news media has neglected for so long to dig further into revelations seeded in Jeff Sharlet’s The Family book, which came out early in 2008.
You can see a list of members here, and act appropriately when it’s time to vote.
Papa
I always laugh at Christians that follow the Old Testament instead of the New when it comes to how they want to live their lives (and other’s). They only seem to hear what they want from Christ.
#114
Your habit of sophomoric responses truly is old.
Yes, Pascal proposed his wager as a means of justifying faith even when logic and reason argued against it. However, Pascal’s logic was flawed which was the point.
>> chrisw10 said, on August 25th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
>> Hang on… hang on. You mean there are a bunch of Christian fundamentalist wackos
The Family is not a wing of Christian fundamentalism. That’s what makes this connection with the famous Bible Belt Christian so odd.
>> Alfred1 said, on August 26th, 2009 at 3:09 am
>> I follow Christ’s teaching in all things
So, I assume you are a pacifist.
loving your enemies and all.
I, personally, don’t claim to successfully follow all of Christ’s teachings and I’ve never met a Christian who did.
Greg, there is no real proof that Jesus actually existed.
#121 Those are closeted Jews
#123 Christ wasn’t a pacifist…in fact, He is a manly God of War…but there is a time for everything…and His time had not yet come…
2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
(Isa 34:2-3 KJV)
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
(Rev 6:15-17 KJV)
#117, Alphie,
Its ironic, this man who fought Christ for much of his life, would justify his life, by claiming to have followed Christ.
And how ironic that you, someone who claims to have accepted Jesus into his heart, still has so much hate inside him. And yet you don’t care. You continue to spew your vile hatred to all as if this is what Jesus wanted you to do.
You aren’t on the list. Trust me. If ‘god’ is going to chose you, you will have to clean up your act.
*
Nor are you a Liebertarian. How can you be? You want to claim sovereignty over a woman’s body. You want to put religion in schools. You want several other government functions imposed upon people. These are counter to Liebertarian ideals.
*
Years ago, during an acid induced experience, a friend talked to ‘god’. We supplied several Valium and talked him down. Later he made many claims about that experience and wanted to join a monastery. But then he took some more acid and talked to his goldfish for a few hours and we never heard about ‘god’ again.
#124, Mr. Improbus.
Greg, there is no real proof that Jesus actually existed.
Very true. Nor is there real proof that any other number of things happened. But there is evidence that a man named Jesus did indeed walk the earth. And as with most historical happenings, evidence counts for something, even if it has an asterisk beside it.
It was quite common in those ignorant times that when a young girl became pregnant that it was “god’s will’ or ‘divinely implanted’. In such cases the young girl would be married off to an older man searching for a wife he couldn’t attain through love or was widowed. That clearly explains Mary’s marriage to Joseph.
It is quite probable that many called Jesus a carpenter because Joseph was a carpenter and sons followed in their father’s footsteps. Yet there is evidence that Jesus ever practiced carpentry or had any skill at it.
It is assumed (suggested), with very little evidence, that on attaining adulthood he traveled to India where he was influenced by Persian, Indian, and Chinese philosophies. He brought these philosophies back to Palestine and tried to convert others to his way of thinking.
Many of the “miracles” he supposedly did could have been mere applications of medical treatment he learned during his travels. The record is too incomplete to “really” know.
I do believe there was someone named Jesus. It is also believed that Jesus was a philosopher who preached peace only to die a violent death.
#126, Alphie, the Budding Nazi Statist,
#123 Christ wasn’t a pacifist…in fact, He is a manly God of War…
Now you are delusional. Please post something attributed to Jesus that suggests he was anything other than a pacifist.
Maybe to you “turn the other cheek” means let them know you are two faced.
@Mr. Fusion
But there is evidence that a man named Jesus did indeed walk the earth.
What evidence, pray tell (pardon the pun), would that be? The Gospels? Bzzzzt. Those were written about a generation after the supposed death of Jesus. There is no first hand account of him that I am aware of. Real historical figures leave a document trail … even in the bronze age.
#130, Mr. Improbus,
I understand your point. The issue is that there IS evidence there was a man named Jesus. There is also evidence there was a man named Moses too. Both are only mentioned in the bible. That though, is a written record even if based upon secand hand stories.
I am not suggesting that either character lived up to their reputation. Most historians will take that evidence on face value with the caveat that it is weak. It doesn’t take much imagination to see that such a man as Jesus applying Indian medical arts could cure a leper or bring an apparently dead man back to life. Such a reputation would quickly lead to this healer curing the blind and impotent.
I believe Alfred1 and pedro are lovers.
Alphie, the Budding Nazi Statist,
Most sociologist would agree that the message Jesus taught is more akin to Karl Marx than George Bush or Lyndon LaRouche.
Honestly though, if Jesus were to return to earth tonight, who do you think he would want to take back with him?
The man who is trying to feed the hungry and see that they have medical care
or
the man who wants these people to beg for scraps as they slowly succumb to their illness.
Do you think Jesus would want to give ever lasting life to someone who delights at torturing others, guilty or innocent
or
those who condemn such cruel treatment of their fellow man.
Would Jesus embrace the man who doesn’t believe in a ‘god’ but leads a good life of doing what he can to help others
or
the man who screams out bible passages and claims ‘god’ loves him as he spreads his hate and filth onto others.
You decide.
#129 — Mr. Fusion said
… “Now you are delusional. Please post something attributed to Jesus that suggests he was anything other than a pacifist.”….
Ask and ye shall receive!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2022:36&version=NIV
#114 & #129 share a premise, that Jesus is not the God of war seen in the Old Testament…that is incorrect, Jesus Christ is God incarnate, YHWH the LORD GOD of Israel…God the the Eternal Son, the only begotten of the Father:
Yes, God the Father has a Son:
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell? (Pro 30:4 KJV)
YHWH is One YHWH, in Hebrew, One is plural, hence “Let US create man in OUR Image.”
In the One infinite ocean of essence that is God, in which all things subsist and has its being, are three Persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and these three are YHWH, the LORD of Hosts.
There is no confusion in the Persons, and no distinctions in the Essence…The Father is not the Son, and neither are the Holy Spirit…and the Essence of God does not have parts, it is equally that of the Father, and that of the Son, and that of the Holy Spirit.
God the Son took upon himself the form of a servant, He added to Himself the form of man, and was born of a virgin…fully man and fully God, simultaneously, albeit His being God was veiled from us:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Phi 2:6-11 KJV)
KURIOS “Lord” in verse 11, is an allusion to this verse:
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
(Isa 45:21-23 KJV)
Jesus = YHWH our Saviour, He is the LORD YHWH of the Old Testament…as the “WORD of God” (Jn 1:1; cp Ge 3:8) He is the Verbal revelation of God to finite creatures…it is He whom the angels see in Heaven…and it is He whom we saw on earth:
KJV 1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
(1Jo 1:1-4 KJV)
Therefore, Jesus Christ, YHWH the Eternal Son of the YHWH the Father, is a manly God of war…and what you have not heard, I now reveal to you…
He won’t be coming as a suffering servant…nor as the baby Jesus…:
2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
(Isa 34:2-5 KJV)
#135 In other words, the classic Nicene Trinitarian Formula, One God in whom subsists Three Persons:
NAS Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
(Mat 28:19 NAS)
Sigh
I recent watched “The God that wasn’t there” which on the whole was very average. However, the creator did make one excellent point. The people that initiated and justified the Inquisition and the hatred of Jews were absolutely right as is Alfred1 here if you interpret the Bible literally, as Alfred1 clearly does. Christians are supposed to hate Jews because they effectively murdered their deity on Earth.
The more you know about what is actually in the Bible and how people interpret it, the scarier they become. Lamb of God my ass.
#138 The flaw in your Alfred1 bashing is I cited Jewish books throughout, which the Bible is, OT & NT…including the Talmud…approvingly, thankful to the Jews for being the channel through which the oracles of God are known:
KJV Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid:
(Rom 3:1-4 KJV)
And Christ, His disciples, were Jews and in fact, being a Christian, makes me a Jew on the inside:
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
(Rom 2:28-29 KJV)
Hence, I do study the Talmud, I consider it part of my heritage as a Jew on the inside…
But scripture alone is the Word of God, everything else, context.
Blows your good ship lollipop right out of the water…
Those running in terror from Christ, the LION of the Tribe of Judah, Shiloh, to whom obedience of the peoples belong, are the unrighteous, of all races…
14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD, wherein the mighty man crieth bitterly.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of the horn and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.
17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy; for He will make and end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the earth.
(Zep 1:14-18 JPS)
Alphie, the Budding Nazi Statist,
First, you are overdue on your meds.
Second, you didn’t answer my #133. I think you didn’t answer it is because you realize you just ain’t goin’ to heaven.
You remind me of this woman. Give her any math problem and she has no problem. Put the same problem into word form and she has no clue.
You can spout passages all day long to sooth your own conscience. Yet you don’t understand what the bible in general, and Jesus in particular, has to say.
You somehow think when Jesus said to turn your other cheek means to be violent and warlike. Your comprehension of a lamb laying with a lion is a symbol of war. And the story of the “Good Samaritan” is, well, what a sucker, should have liberated any other belongings.
No heaven for you. Eternity in Hell with Boss Limpdick, Sean Hannity, Dick Cheney, and Adolph Hitler. I bet that makes your day. Oopps, makes your eternity.
Enjoy