Sandy Hook
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Religious leaders speak out against Beck
Because they are fundamentalists, certain factions . . . oppose preaching a social gospel that attempts to make a relation between Biblical teachings and social problems. Thus they are often critical of the favored liberal social legislation of the National Council of Churches. . . .
The above paragraph is taken from a section about the John Birch Society in the book, The Far Right by Donald Janson, 1963.
Nearly 50 years later Glenn Beck's rants sound eerily identical to this right-wing extremist group. Goose-stepping along with the JBS, this fountain of lies and distortions "has suggested any church promoting 'social justice' or 'economic justice' was using code words for Nazism and communism."
I beg you look for the words social justice or economic justice on your church Web site," he said. "If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. ... Am I advising people to leave their church? Yes! If they're going to Jeremiah Wright's church, yes!
If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish," he said. "Go alert your bishop and tell them, 'Excuse me, are you down with this whole social justice thing?' If it's my church, I'm alerting the church authorities: 'Excuse me, what's this social justice thing?' And if they say, 'Yeah, we're all in on this social justice thing,' I am in the wrong place.
Later, Beck held up a picture of a swastika and one of a hammer and sickle, declaring again that "social justice" has the same philosophy as the Nazis and communists and that the phrase is a code word for both.
A small group of churches and religious leaders are speaking out against this poor excuse for a human being. Hopefully there will be a louder outcry as congregations gather to worship this weekend.
The strongest voice against Beck so far has been that of the Rev. Jim Wallis, CEO and president of Sojourners and an evangelical leader.
When Glenn Beck is asking Christians to leave their churches, the Catholic Church, the black churches, Hispanic, evangelical, to leave all our churches, I'm saying it's time for Christians to leave the Glenn Beck show," he said. "This offends Christians. This is salt, something at the heart of their faith. It's something many of us have spent our lives trying to do, to practice.
Urging a boycott of Fox and requesting an invitation to appear on Beck's show for a little friendly chit-chat, Wallis said, "What do you say about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., what do you say about Desmond Tutu, about Mother Teresa, what do you say to the reverends and rabbis who gave their lives to social justice because that is their faith?"
The Rev. Canon Peg Chemberlin, president of the National Council of Churches of Christ USA, commented:
It's very disturbing," she added. "He's speaking on behalf of his political views and trying to take out of the biblical text the things that are going to oppose his political views. This is primarily a political motivation. ... It's not that Christians haven't been Nazis and socialists, but we're not talking about political parties here. We're talking about 2,000-year-old gospel.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Beck his family are members, "suggested Beck's comments did not necessarily represent its position." In a kind of wet noodly way, the church issued a statement that read, "Public figures who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints represent their own views and do not speak for the church."
We can hope that just like a pimple, one day Beck will pop open and ooze away.
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Give a fool enough rope, and eventually he'll hang himself.
ReplyDeleteBeck's popularity and his rise in the galaxy of FOX's loud-mouths have gone to his head. Like a drunk who needs more and more alcohol to get high, Beck needs more and more outrageous controversy to keep his audience.
People don't watch this self-identified rodeo clown for information, they watch him to be entertained and to have their feelings of victimhood and paranoia validated.
Beck, apparently, knows nothing about Christianity, even though he was raised a Catholic, and he knows even less about his adopted Mormon faith, since that organization has rejected his crazy-ass rants about social justice and economic justice.
Beck is essentially stupid. Clever? Of course, like a carney barker is clever to get people to give up their money to see what's under the tent.
But he's shown again and again his appalling lack of anything that comes close to intelligence.
I have to say, though, that I enjoyed watching him get pwnd by Massa. LOL!
I didn't catch all of the Massa video, so will try to find it - which should be no problem.
ReplyDeleteIt's not too wise to raise the ire of religious leaders I shouldn't think. One day he'll get his and be replaced with someone equally dumb.
Thanks - I always enjoy your comments.
this latest idiotic scheme can possibly backfire on the moron. His audience is made up of religious fanatics, yes? So who will they listen to, Beck or their church? We soon shall see.
ReplyDeleteSue, I don't think it will be the churches from the righteous right - Baptists, fundamentalists, Robertson, Falwell's son, etc. It'll be the "main stream" religions such as Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Mormons (which, interestingly aren't considered Christian by the righties), Methodists, Episcopalians, Jewish, Muslims, etc. They make a powerful force.
ReplyDeleteIf I was religiously minded myself, I would pray my political adversary would say something that dumb. But I didn't have to pray because Beck IS that dumb.
ReplyDeleteIf Beck thinks his frothing will resonate louder than the words of the church communities that people have invested so much of their lives in... he's got another thing coming.
Not in America, Glenn. That just doesn't fly.
Many will simply say "well if what my church does here is called "social justice"... they hey, yes, that's what I believe in".
Jim Wallis was wonderfully eloquent in what he had to say in that segment.
I love it when the loonies turn on each other :)
ReplyDeleteBeck is just spouting the pseudo-gospel of Supply-side Jesus.
ReplyDeleteIt just amazes me that his ratings are so high and that Fox, as bad it is, keeps him on. I think I just answered my own question!
ReplyDeleteThere is one subject the Holy Bible mentions more than any other. There are more than 700 references to it. That subject is “the poor.” Throughout Jesus’ ministry he not only ministered to the poor, the downtrodden and the unloved, but he admonished his followers to do the same. What Beck and his ilk don’t want their minions to know is: Jesus was a liberal. How else can one interpret The Sermon on the Mount?
ReplyDeleteI am publishing the follwing comment from my friend "Tiny" as there is no selection on your comment form for "Name/URL" comments. Tiny's comment:
ReplyDeleteBeck demonstrates what is termed, in the business, a "dry drunk." Though he may not drink alsohol anymore, he still demonstrates the same behavior. We had someone in the White House, appointed by the supreme court, with the same "dry drunk" behavior. So Shaw hit the nail on the head with that observation. They are still so full of themselves, they see no further than their own wants.
If you listen to those opposed to helping those in need, you will see that we have a large number just like this in both houses in DC. And with the supreme court granting corporations "free money reign" over our election process, it tells me we have a majority of the same personality types on the bench of the highest court of our land. That should be enough to open the eyes of anyone!
Let us hope and pray that we have more Jim Wallis types ban together to smother out the mad rantings of those who are drunk on their own illogical beliefs and power. The Higher Power of the Universe must rule, not the misguided ones.
Tiny
BJ and Tiny:
ReplyDeleteI will have to check my settings and make whatever correction that's needed, provided I can figure it out!
Anyway, I'm really trying to analyze all this beyond the basic "he's an ignorant jerk." That's a given. I agree with everything that's been said but what bothers me most is that he's gone beyond any semblance of "human" decency. This has nothing to do with religion in my opinion. It transcends being a Christian, or Muslim, or Hindu or even an atheist. It's more a matter of simply being a good and decent human being.
On any decent network Beck would have been fired long ago but this is Fox we are talking about and like a maggot on poop Beck has a home.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Beck is dangerous crazy and will continue to broadcast his insanity until he does something Roger Ailes can not ignore.
I agree with Beach. Until the guy sodomizes a stage hand with the camera running he'll have a show.
ReplyDeleteI guess I think it's kind of sad that it takes an insult to most relious concerns to stir up such an outcry. Not to demean religion but there have been many, many other occasions when the public should have risen up and demanded Beck's head. But hey, whatever works.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm really trying to analyze all this beyond the basic "he's an ignorant jerk."
ReplyDeleteCelebrities who get cut off from everyday life and live in a bubble can lose contact with reality.
If his concept of reality consists mostly of listening to propaganda from like-minded people rather than actual experience, and if his ability to differentiate between concepts is very coarse-grained, he might really believe that any kind of charity is indistinguishable from socialism, which in turn is indistinguishable from totalitarianism, and that even churches that do the former must have been subverted in some way. It's takes some factual knowledge to see that this is not accurate. Not much -- no more than people normally pick up just by existing in the world -- but some.
Beck is attempting to hijack and twist the meaning of commonly understood terms. That tactic goes back to Soviet communists of the 1920s and Nazis of the 1930s. It's the flip side of sanitizing expressions, such as "ethnic cleansing" for mass murder.
ReplyDeleteBeck should do a reality check on the sort of intellectually perverse company he keeps. But to be able to do that, he would have to have an intellect. Based on what I've seen of him, he doesn't have one.
At the risk of shameless self promotion one of our brand new contributors made his debut post on Glenn Beck. I am amazed at those on the left who can stomach The Beck. My only exposure to him has been the news clips. I have never watched his show. I don't think I have enough scotch.
ReplyDeleteI read on Media Matters that when Beck accused Obama of being racist, Rupert agreed with him. That says loudly and clearly that Beck isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteI read that piece. I have never seen his show either and don't intend to.
Infidel: I don't think his loss of reality is due to living in a bubble. I think the bubble is in his head and he's certifiably insane.
ReplyDelete