Religion Round-Up

It's the Day of Our Father, The Lord, paternalists & hierarchy fans, why not look at what up w/ forces of demonic activity. Literally.

Ms. Palin declined an interview, and the McCain campaign did not respond to specific questions about her faith. Thus, it is difficult to say with certainty what she believes. What is known, however, is that Ms. Palin has had long associations with religious leaders who practice a particularly assertive and urgent brand of Pentecostalism known as “spiritual warfare.” Its adherents believe that demonic forces can colonize specific geographic areas and individuals, and that “spiritual warriors” must “battle” them to assert God’s control, using prayer and evangelism. The movement’s fixation on demons, its aggressiveness and its leaders’ claims to exalted spiritual authority have troubled even some Pentecostal Christians.

This may go some distance toward explaining what Gov. Moosemanure of Alaska meant by "pro-AmeriKKKa parts of this great nation." Or whatever she said. We (we're guessing we're part of the "problem" here in sunny, kooky SoCal) are possessed by DEMONS!!! Do not, however, be scared by "spiritual warfare." They don't want to demonize you. It's another biblical code.

“The term ‘spiritual warfare’ sounds scary as all get-out if you’re not biblically literate,” said George Otis Jr., president of the Sentinel Group, in Seattle, which has helped spread the movement by producing video documentaries of spiritual warfare at work. “It’s taken from the sixth chapter of Ephesians, which talks about that the weapons of our warfare are not of this world,” Mr. Otis said. “Which means, we don’t respond with guns or violence. If we’ve got a problem with somebody, we’ll go pray.”

Of course. Prayer is very powerful, too.

Bishop Thomas Muthee, the Kenyan preacher shown on the YouTube video anointing her as she ran for governor, is celebrated internationally as an effective spiritual warrior who led a prayer movement that drove a witch out of his town in Kenya. The removal of the witch, Bishop Muthee says, resulted in a drop in crime, alcoholism and traffic accidents.

You could run a witch out of town w/ prayer. Although we do suspect something occurred on a less spiritual plane in Bishop Muthee's neighborhood. AmeriKKKa prefers to deal w/ its witches, Jews & the like by burning at the stake, if possible, or at the least a good dunking. This may explain some of "First Dude" (WTF?) Todd Palin's Secession Fever. When the shit hits the fan, Alaska will be the place to be! Might as well start breaking relations w/ the lower 48 now.

The second [YouTube vid] showed Ms. Palin at an event in June praising the African preacher’s prayer as “awesome” and “very, very powerful.” She is also seen nodding as her former pastor from Wasilla prays over her and declares that Alaska is “one of the refuge states in the Last Days,” a piece of prophecy popular in some prayer networks that predicts that as the “end times” approach, people will flock to Alaska for its abundant open space and natural resources.

This would be the first time someone so sadly & openly deluded would be so close to the leadership of the "Free World," unless Bushie-Boy is just keeping his eschatological fantasies well hidden. One other similarity w/ Gee Dub:

The governor’s relationships with practitioners of spiritual warfare appear to go back many years. Mary Glazier, an Alaska Native who helped bring together the prayer warrior networks in the state, told a prayer conference in June that Ms. Palin “became a part of our prayer group out in Wasilla” when she was 24, and that “God began to speak” to her about entering politics.

God on your side. Jesus Crap, we thought we were finished, but there's even more on the hierarchical front. Plenty o' patriarchiality as well. Many of these religio-cash cow operations are handed down, father to first-born son, & it doesn't always work out well. (Richard Roberts ring a bell?) Same w/ Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power," which you may or not watch from the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. (Note the rhyming & alliteration, always a sign of a top-notch outfit that not suckering senile & demented simpletons.) His son (also Robert) has gotten the bum's rush from the head bum.

Robert A. Schuller, known to congregants as Robert II, had been groomed to take over for his father since 1996. He had followed in his father's footsteps almost exactly, attending the same college, Hope College in Holland, Mich. He also founded his own Orange County church, in San Juan Capistrano, before coming to the Crystal Cathedral seven years ago. Like his father, he also writes religious books -- 13 at last count, according to the church's website. In recent months, however, the younger Schuller had disappeared from the television program, replaced by reruns featuring his father.

Bring on the estate tax. And some property tax for this Crystal abomination. And finally, if you like, a peek at Catho-hypocrisy. Nothing new there, but it's recent & relevant.