DunneIV has one of the most shocking pieces of news I’ve seen in a while. Seems that a Rochester church is using a real missile as a stage prop in church to talk about spiritual warfare.
You have probably never seen an army missile used in a church service or a pastor dressed in fatigues, but that is exactly what you’ll find Sundays at New Born Fellowship Christian Center in Rochester, where church leaders have decided to conduct a new program called Spiritual Warfare.
Pastor Warren Meeks knows it’s shocking to see a missile inside a church, or to see a house of worship set up like a jungle of war.
[...] The congregation has been encouraged to wear fatigues and uniforms. Assistant Pastor Perdita Meeks said no one has found spiritual warfare to be over the top.
“No negativity,†said Perdita, “in fact, the first week we launched it, the people were so excited…the energy was high…it provides a mindset. It provides unity. It brings us all together on one accord.”
This just makes me want to vomit blood out of every possible orifice in my body.
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17 Comments
i have a friend who is convinced that the spiritual warfare movement is a much bigger danger than people realize
for example, all of these suburban magachurches that get their acolytes drawn into this sort of theological monoculture
supposeldy this is planned - the fact that these megachurches are strategically built to encircle cities like NYC
the plan is to map different places that they see as centers of sin & impudence and then pray for over and against them
encircle the cities and then pray that their residents see the light and turn away from sexual and religious and artistic experimentation and towards the God of the Bible and GWB and the ‘Merican way.
Is it working? I dunno. I never thought the US in 2005 would look even more like the Reagan era than the Reagan era did, if that makes any sense
Cool. Thanks for the link Tim. About five minutes ago I installed the shortstat plugin and was really curious how I got 15 hits in three minutes time. Now I know. I also know it works.
God, WordPress is really quite amazing.
Max, check out this article on megachurches from Harper’s. It’s freakin amazing. They talk about exactly what you’re saying and lot more.
Ye gods!
WE ARE THE BORG! PREPARE TO BE ASSIMILATED!
did you watch the video? too fucking much! people are all getting into it. how many of these same bastards think all muslims are ‘warlike’ because of the concept of jihad?
this is the archon at work right here, folks.
btw, jk– wanted to toss you a link, but your site seems to be intermittent at the moment . . . let me know when it’s fixed and i’ll link to ya in my post.
‘Beneath The Planet Of The Apes’, anyone?
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11577/...y-to-ban-baggy-pants–gold-teeth
I don’t see why people are so upset. What does one expect? The moral relativism that permeates American liberalism has allowed social conservatives to run with the ball and pretty much act like a bunch of crazed lunatics because no one really stands up to them directly.
BTW, I use the word “liberal” in its broadest sense of being open-minded, not necessarily its political sense.
In my experience most supposedly open-minded liberals cringe from discussing religion publicly. The conservative evangelicals don’t. So people who are looking for a church go to the right-wing mega-churches. Also, these mega-churches are very serious about their growth, they are very well-organized and committed.
If pagans, gnostics, unitarians, and others were as focused and committed we would not be in the situation we are in today. Yet try finding some literature on how to grow a pagan/gnostic/unitarian organization and you will usually come up empty handed. In fact a recent magazine had an article about growing a Wiccan group from coven to fellowship to church and one of the co-authors was a Christian! It’s as if these people can’t even find one of their own as an expert.
Honestly, if people who have alternative religious viewpoints are just going to sit at their computers or read books all day - then guess what? The evangelicals are going to continue to grow and dominate this country, not because of some conspiracy by clever pastors and religious right boogeymen, but simply because there is no damn competition in the spiritual playing field. BTW, I am personally very guilty of this because my personality is not all inclined to go out and try to win people over from fundamentalism. I’d much rather sit on my ass and read Tim’s blog.
As for spirtual warfare, I think that is an apt term. That is exactly what man is engaged in whether we like it or not. Always has been, always will be (until the end of times at least) Not everyone is going to sit down around the campfire and sing kumbaya. Sometimes there are bastards you just need to fight head on. I think both Islamic and Christian fundamentalist fall into this category.
I have never had a problem with fundamentalists speaking in warlike terms - I think it is healthy and clarifying. Now one can’t and shouldn’t approach everything in life like a war, but under certain conditions the Gods of War need to be invoked and I think the current spiritual divide in this country definitely demands that. It’s past time to confront fundamentalists head on and point out why they are dead wrong. No more of this “Well, whatever works for you, is OK by me,, crap” That sounds real nice until you realize that what works for them (the fundamentalists) is dominating our politics and culture, corrupting our government, and cracking down on free inquiry.
I would love to see more open-minded churches and institutions confront the problems of fundamentalism. A good step in the right direction was the Church of Christ’s pro-gay ads.
People are thirsting for spirituality in this country but all they are being offered is fundamentalism - I think this is largely because the fundamentalists were very conscious of organizing and institution-building. Anti-fundamentalists need to start focusing on organizing as well. That’s the only way any progress can be made. right now the playing field has been forfeited to the fundies. That’s why they do stuff like this.
Focused on what, Jason? Using emminent domain to plow over homes for “mission bus” parking? Pressuring politicians to demand everyone see it their way? I’m sorry, but putting on jackboots and screeching is NOT “thirsting for spirituality.” iot’s bloodlust, psychosis, mob mentality.
As much as I agree with Haeresis and everybody on this, I can definitely see where Jason’s coming from and it’s an aspect of this I’ve not given much thought to. Or rather not as much as maybe I should. There really is this whole thing in alternative spirituality where organization is sort of anathema beyond just small groups. I mean, I basically think this is great. But of course an enormous well-funded institution is going to just come in and plow this all over. Does that mean we all need to found megachurches? That seems to be an aspect of Jason’s argument. Maybe it’s right. Maybe it’s not. If we made megachurches, what’s the likelihood we’d just start putting missiles in them? It seems pretty great actually, since as you assume social power, you’re going to ally yourself with others with power - ie, Military/Govt etc. Anyway it is a really good question, and I’ll try to come back and develop it more. Thanks Jason and everybody else.
I have never had a problem with fundamentalists speaking in warlike terms - I think it is healthy and clarifying. Now one can’t and shouldn’t approach everything in life like a war, but under certain conditions the Gods of War need to be invoked and I think the current spiritual divide in this country definitely demands that.
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I’ve never had a problem with occultists speaking in warlike terms either
AT least the Evangelicals aren’t living in denial about it
Interesting info about occult warfare here
In a nutshell the Haitians kicked off the Hiatian revolution against the French slavemasters with a ritual invocation to a war god
It appears to have worked, but the Protestants are still pissed about it
The Invisibles were a small group.
Wow, great picture…
Funny thing, too- I’ve been to pentecostal services and to a Pombagira, and I’ll be damned if I can figure out the difference.
that was very disturbing
actually, i tend to think the situation is pretty good, overall. our shit gets sensationalised, but there are more of “us” out in the open at this point in history than ever before.
it’s the american & palestinian muslims and kashmiri muslims and hindus and iraqi mandeans and people who are *actually* restricted from practicing their religions who have it bad at the moment. they’re the ones who are currently being persecuted, most certainly not anyone who can afford to freely post about paganism on tim boucher’s weblog.
really, all you can do is live by example & be good & compassionate to your friends & family members & neighbors. if pagans and gnostics and unitarians (oh my!) want to start getting involved in the realm of politics as some kind of organized body, count me out. i’d prefer to stay transparent to the authorities, as it were.
That “conservative truth” article just goes to show you the dangerous extents true belief can take you. Somebody undertook a story about the “satanism” of Haiti while failing to demonstrate how Haitians are any different than an American who quite possibly lives under a “satanic” regime himself.
Beliefs are beliefs are beliefs. Beliefs within the home territory of an empire ruled by anti-ethical madmen and a perpetual conditioning towards lock-step militarism will take on those aspects as they are assimilated within the going conventional notion of “religion” — especially as illegal actions by the government must be cloaked within it. Just as in Haiti, a Haitian descended from slaves once owned by the business charters of Christian nations, with a bit of distant and ancient African ritualism thrown in will take on the appearance of “satanism” once provoked into a lifestyle of desperation and meaninglessness. There is no “conservative truth” just as there is no Satanic truth. Top down religions, forced chantings, forced pledges, forced divisions between similar people are all cut from the same “satanic” cloth.
If you can see past the idiotic rituals one is forced to do in order to fit in, you find a little person, not much older than the age of eight in there totally under the control (in greater or lesser degrees) of the theater put on by the authorities at hand. Impressionable people don’t walk into a church with a missle on display and walk back out in disgust. They’re impressionable. They stay to hear what it’s all about.
It’s all conditioning after that. And it grows until it destroys itself and everything else of its own inertia or there are enough minds out there to satisfactorily put the stupid idea to rest. Think purple Ore’Ida microwavable french fries.
The question is: How many people are buying this good vs. evil narrative as read by the shining beacons on the dominionist, craven right? We’ll probably get a good idea of how big this is soon. Or how big it isn’t. . .
But in the end, we have little control when all purposes for human behavior fall under the two categories of empire: With or Against.
The empire gets to decide. If missles must be deployed in congregations across the land then so be it. If the whole of Haiti is best understood as under the power of Satan, then that too. So be it. All of it is done in honor and veneration of death. A death the empire shall never suffer.
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