Warren says dedicate yourself to Christ like Nazis dedicated themselves to Hitler

[cynatnite]

Bruce Wilson has uncovered audio of a speech Rick Warren delivered in 2005 to thirty thousand Saddleback Church members who had gathered in the Anaheim Angels sports stadium to celebrate the church's 25th anniversary, during which he implored his followers to dedicate themselves to Christ and create a movement akin to the Hitler Youth, the Bolshevik Revolutionaries, and the Chinese Red Guard:

"In 1939, in a stadium much like this, in Munich Germany, they packed it out with young men and women in brown shirts, for a fanatical man standing behind a podium named Adolf Hitler, the personification of evil.

And in that stadium, those in brown shirts formed with their bodies a sign that said, in the whole stadium, "Hitler, we are yours."

And they nearly took the world.

Lenin once said, "give me 100 committed, totally committed men and I'll change the world." And, he nearly did.

A few years ago, they took the sayings of Chairman Mao, in China, put them in a little red book, and a group of young people committed them to memory and put it in their minds and they took that nation, the largest nation in the world by storm because they committed to memory the sayings of the Chairman Mao.

When I hear those kinds of stories, I think 'what would happen if American Christians, if world Christians, if just the Christians in this stadium, followers of Christ, would say 'Jesus, we are yours' ?

What kind of spiritual awakening would we have? "

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/rick-warrens-army

[YOY]

1. Even if his heart was in the right place (it's not). Funny thing is...they'd really be saying:

"Pastor XXX, we are yours." Jesus can't speak for himself here. He's either dead or not into communicating in any demonstrative way these days.

[Chulanowa]

2. So... in this analogy....

Warren is putting Jesus up there with Hitler, Lenin, and Mao?

Let me guess - people cheered?

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. And Christians are the mindless zombies wholely devoted to such evil men

Yeah, that is Warren's analogy.

[peacetalksforall]

3. I am no supporter, defender of Warren. I am an accuser. However, I think

your subject line leads a person scanning to believe the rest of the sentence will be that he wants followers to be like Hitler - to follow him. The story subject says Christ.

I'm in a position where I can't believe in a church set up around Christ or Warren.

But, I do think the subject line misleads.

[cynatnite]

4. Good point...I changed it. n/t

[MineralMan]

5. Not really...

Warren is saying that he wants his followers to be like the Hitler Youth, blindly following a leader, no matter what is asked of them. That's the Hitler Youth meme he's trying to inculcate in his congregation.

We should be afraid. We should be very afraid.

[peacetalksforall]

23. Agree, we can believe the obvious words and the sub-message.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. I am not at all surprised such an analogy would spring to his mind

The syllogism he himself is using is: Jesus = the world's most feared, hated and evil men; Christians = mindless zombies who have devoted their bodies and souls to helping the world's most feared, hated and evil men conquer what they can and destroy the rest.

What more can be said?

[MineralMan]

9. Dominionists are the scariest people in America

today. We all need to watch out for them, and counter their message whenever possible. I don't worry about many people, but I worry about dominionist leaders. If there is ever a violent revolutionary effort in this country again, it will come from their direction.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Keep in mind: One of the most powerful, influential and richest Dominionist in America is...

Erik Prince, founder and sole owner of Blackwater Worldwide, the largest private militia on the planet.

Be afraid.

[leftstreet]

14. I didn't know his father helped start the Family Research Council

:puke:

Thanks for the link. I'd never thought to wiki this creep.

[TechBear_Seattle]

15. Yup

He plays a prominent role in the "future history" I've written for a science fiction series I have been working on. In about 20 years, several states western states seceed from the Union and form the Republic of Pacifica. As things heat up into a second Civil War, Blackwater steps in and effectively assumes control of Congress. Ever read "A Handmaid's Tale"?

[leftstreet]

22. I like the Republic of Pacifica part

:D

That sounds like a fascinating story!

(Yeah, Handmaid's Tale was creepy.)

[TechBear_Seattle]

29. I will probably have to rewrite that part a bit

The last straw was the ratification of two amendments to the Constitution in 2021, prohibiting abortion and specifically declaring that prayer in public schools and government functions cannot be construed as "establishment." In January 2024, people from around the country met in Eugene, Oregon to discuss the ever increasing conservatism of US culture. Between February and May of 2028, organizational efforts started at the Eugene Convention resulted in three groups of states declaring themselves independent: the American Federation (Massachussets, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York), the Republic of Pacifica (Washington, Idaho, Oregon and the northern half of California, renamed Jefferson) and the Sovereignty of Hawai'i (which joined Pacifica in 2031.)

Because of the US military occupation of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, there were no federal troops to enforce union. The White House (which had been in Republican hands since 2000) nationalized Blackwater and sent them to quell the uprisings in the American Federation. Despite rigid control of the media, news of atrocities committed by Blackwater in the Federation began to swing popular sentiment in favor of allowing the secession to stand. The 2030 elections see half of the House of Representatives and nearly all of the Senators up for reelection replaced with candidates that had publicly expressed anger at the White House's handling of the civil war.

On January 6, 2031, a large missile, claimed by Blackwater investigators to have been launched by Federation insurgents, hit the Capitol Building during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress. The President suspended the Constitution "for the duration," nationalized the country's police forces and placed them under Blackwater control. Blackwater was then commissioned to keep the peace and enforce the law. Quelling internal dissent took most of their energy, and Pacifica and the Federation remained sovereign and have been since.

For the next century and a half, the United States is converted into a theocracy after the Dominionist model. Several other states slipped away: Alaska, California and Nevada seceed and joined Pacifica, and Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Pennsylvania joining the American Federation. In 2150, Pacifica, the Federation, Canada, Mexico and Belize create the North American Union, modeled after the European Union. (The United States had been invited, but had adamantly refused to participate.) By 2200, the US' enforced self-isolation began to break down, and in 2219 the US was admitted to the NAU. To this day (2328), the United States remains significantly poorer and less well educated than the rest of the NAU.

[MineralMan]

16. Indeed. Blackwater is the military arm of the

dominionist movement...no question about it. Blackwater is the perfect thing to bring up when people poo-poo the impact of dominionism. Heavily armed and mobile worldwide, Blackwater could easily engage in serious actions if they wanted to, here in the USA or outside the country.

Under the Obama administration and with this Congress, this group should be the focus of some serious inquiries. This is what the private militia movement of the past only dreamed of being.

I am very concerned.

[GodlessBiker]

8. This is shocking. He could have used Gandhi as an example. He chose not to.

That says it all to me.

[TechBear_Seattle]

26. Gandhi was a heathen

(Never mind that Lenin and Mao were avowed atheists who led political movements that blamed many of the great evils of the world on men just like Warren.)

[daninthemoon]

10. guys like warren use Christ as the power behind their own throne. warren

encourages his followers to accept that he speaks for Christ, so by this sermon, I see a direct line of thought that he would like an army of followers as devoted to himself as those example he mentioned were devoted to their leaders.

[leftstreet]

11. K&R

[ezgoingrl]

13. What in the name of

all that's holy is he thinking?? Invoking any image or personification of Nazi Germany is way over the line, doesn't matter what point he is trying to make. Moron. :wtf:

EDIT: clarity...I forgot "Nazi Germany" the first time.

[StreetKnowledge]

17. Shut the fuck up, Rick Warren

Barack, why did you choose this dickhead? :eyes:

[BrotherBuzz]

18. Perhaps Warren should study up on Karl Barth and the Barmen Declaration

The Barmen Declaration or The Theological Declaration of Barmen 1934 is a statement of the Confessing Church opposing the Nazi-supported "German-Christian" movement. The "German Christians" who were hostile to the Confessing Church combined extreme nationalism with anti-Semitism. The Barmen Declaration specifically rejects the subordination of the church to the state. Rather, the Declaration states that the church "is solely Christ's property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance."

The Barmen Declaration can be viewed as a cautionary document for us today as the Religious Right becomes more and more indistinguishable from the Republican Party. It's also interesting to note the Confessing Church includes the Reformed Church in Germany, one of the predecessor denominations of the United Church of Christ which includes Barack Obama as a member.

[Bucky]

19. Actually Christians did have a time with lots of dedicated followers: the Crusades

Also, the Inquisition. Fanatics are dangerous, even committed fanatics. What a contrast with the real Jesus, who taught people only to love, pay their taxes, and reflect on the teachings of the profits.

[nichomachus]

27. One of the reason for the Crusades

was that after the Viking threats ended, there were a lot of knights and other warriors hanging around Europe with nothing to do. Unlike the romantic legends about knights, they were pretty much thugs (think Blackwater), and were a threat to the public order -- and to the ruling class. So the rulers of Europe came up with the idea of the Crusades to get these violent thugs out of their hair.

[Bake]

20. Holy freakin' crap, that is some SCARY sh*t!!

Bake

[peacetalksforall]

25. Scary and he gets away with it with his charities. Amazingly fast flare-ups

occur with people if you can't believe in Warrne. Even Dems. I have experience here.

It's always fascinating - with every new rising star who I think of as a cultist, there are thousands who follow. The ratio is disproportionate.

[Rebubula]

21. Geez

What a moran....

[AndrewP]

24. I can't help but laugh

It's not funny. Not one bit.

But it's so incredibly stupid, and the mainstream media won't touch this with nearly as much attention as it deserves.

I've just gotten to the point where I'm not shocked by much that these Evangelical types do.

[Froward69]

28. Like I said in that other post

This just proves how Rickey wants fundies to be fanatical... not just believers but fanatical.

it is Just a matter of time till they start strapping bombs to themselves to get the point across.

:nuke: there goes one... :nuke: and another :nuke: and another


so on and so on