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America is diverse as hell, and an extremely dynamic society (which is =
one of the things Europeans love about the U.S.) with very divergent =
viewpoints: this is democracy.  And despite the campaigns of =
conservatives, Walmart has now authorized the sale of the "morning after =
pill" at all of its pharmacies.  Its really misnamed totally as the =
"abortion" pill--in fact, it works by preventing the embedding of =
fertilized eggs to the uterine wall.  Gay marriages are a reality in =
numerous states that have exercised their state powers. =20

The sky is not falling, Jamie-boy....the U.S. is as it always has been, =
filled with many different viewpoinst that are battled out through many =
avenues.

I think one of the most inspiring things I have seen over the past year =
was an interview with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Sutter.  The gravity =
and intelligence that this man exudes in his comprehension of the =
supreme importance of the role of justices was phenomenal and inspiring. =
 It is an understanding shared equally by all of the justices on the =
court, regardless of their personal prediliections, and made me feel =
proud to know that democracy is not only alive and well at the highest =
levels, but understood in its most dynamic paradoxes within western =
institutions.



  "K James" <Jame@spam.com> wrote in message =
news:CbOdnSaPQ6EweIvZ4p2dnA@sysmatrix.net...
  The Brutal Christ of the Armageddonites=20
  Religious fanaticism in American foreign policy=20
  by Jon Basil Utley=20
  February 24, 2006=20
  Most Americans don't comprehend how our nation's foreign policy is =
affected by a small minority of religious fundamentalists. This Vanity =
Fair piece on the best-selling "Left Behind" novels provides a glimpse =
into their worldview:

  "Far from being a Prince of Peace, the Christ depicted in the 'Left =
Behind' series is a vengeful Messiah - so vengeful that the death and =
destruction he causes to unconverted Jews, to secularists, to anyone who =
is not born again, is far, far greater than the crimes committed by the =
most brutal dictators in human history. When He arrives on the scene in =
Glorious Appearing, Christ merely has to speak and 'men and women, =
soldiers and horses, seemed to explode where they stood. It was as if =
the very words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to =
burst through their veins and skin.' Soon, [Tim] LaHaye and [Jerry] =
Jenkins write, tens of thousands of foot soldiers for the Antichrist are =
dying in the goriest manner imaginable, their internal organs oozing =
out, 'their blood pooling and rising in the unforgiving brightness of =
the glory of Christ.'

  "After the initial bloodletting, Nicolae Carpathia gathers his =
still-vast army, covering hundreds of square miles, and prepares for the =
conflict at Megiddo. As the battle for Armageddon is about to start, =
Rayford Steele climbs atop his Hummer to watch Christ harvest the grapes =
of wrath. Steele looks at the hordes of soldiers assembled by the =
Antichrist, and 'tens of thousands burst open at the words of Jesus.' =
They scream in pain and die before hitting the ground, their blood =
pouring forth. Soon, a massive river of blood is flowing throughout the =
Holy Land."

  The "Left Behind" series is also very politically current, with its =
focus on Israel, the United Nations representing evil world government, =
and Iraq playing a key role for the Antichrist. In the words of Melani =
McAlister, these novels show vividly how "the conservative obsession =
with biblical prophecy is increasingly shaping our secular reality." I =
once tried to read one of the books and opened a page where giant =
grasshoppers (locusts, in Biblical terms) were stripping the flesh from =
live sinners, post-Rapture. I got bored and concluded that the books =
were horror stories for Christians who would have felt guilty reading =
stories about blood and gore if they were not "religious." (I did, =
however, see the movie Left Behind, based on the first book.)=20

  The foundation for Armageddon beliefs is the Book of Revelation in the =
Bible. Revelation has a controversial history: Martin Luther doubted its =
canonical status and included it only as an appendix to his translation =
of the Bible. In addition to their focus on Revelation, American =
fundamentalists of the "dispensationalist" variety stress the vengeful =
God of the Old Testament. They believe that nearly all of humanity =
(including Jews who don't convert) will be "left behind" to die horrible =
deaths, after which Christ will establish a thousand-year reign of =
paradise on earth.=20

  Arab, Egyptian, Armenian, and other Middle Eastern Christians =
interfere with their thesis, so the Armageddonites try to hide their =
existence. Pat Robertson's 700 Club, for instance, refused to show a =
segment about Christian Arabs. Jerry Falwell's tours of Israel purposely =
avoid them, according to Grace Halsell, who traveled with Falwell's =
group and wrote several books about the Armageddon lobby. And far from =
merely believing in an apocalypse at a time of God's choosing, the =
dispensationalists work to "hurry up God" by opposing any peace efforts =
in the Middle East. In March 2004, after being bombarded with letters =
protesting President Bush's "roadmap for peace," the White House held a =
special meeting with leading Christian fundamentalists to explain that =
removing Israeli settlements from Gaza would not interfere with God's =
plans for Armageddon (because Gaza has no sites of Biblical =
significance).

  A major reason the Armageddonites have become so powerful is that most =
journalists can't comprehend that millions of Americans could really =
want, in this day and age, their God to destroy most of the human race, =
much less that they are donating millions to promote it (subsidizing =
settlements on the West Bank and paying for Russian Jews to immigrate to =
Israel in order to fulfill prophecies faster). Nor do most Americans =
know that Armageddonites are in the highest levels of government. But it =
was erstwhile House Majority Leader Tom DeLay who argued that the Iraq =
war should be supported because it is a precursor to the second coming =
of Christ. He also tried to undermine the Bush "roadmap for peace" when =
he visited Israel.=20

  The Armageddonites have also backed brutal tactics in pursuit of their =
favored policies. Lt. General William G. "Jerry" Boykin is deputy =
undersecretary of defense for intelligence and was heavily involved in =
the torture scandals. Christian Zionist Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma =
was the only senator to publicly condone torture of prisoners of war. =
Other torture-supporting politicians were almost all from insular, =
religious red states with little knowledge of or concern for the outside =
world. Almost none of the leading fundamentalists outside of government =
have condemned torture (with the notable exception of Chuck Colson of =
Prison Fellowship).

  The aforementioned Vanity Fair article explains the fundamentalists' =
chief motivation: vengeance.

  "As befits the manifesto of a counterculture, the 'Left Behind' series =
is a revenge fantasy, in which right-wing Christians win out over the =
rational, scientific, modern, post-Enlightenment world. The books =
represent the apotheosis of a culture that is waging war against =
liberals, gays, Muslims, Arabs, the UN, and 'militant secularists' of =
all stripes - whom it accuses of destroying Christian America, murdering =
millions of unborn children, assaulting the Christian family by =
promoting promiscuity and homosexuality, and driving Christ out of the =
public square."=20

  This is how the dispensationalist ideology, dreamed up in the mid-19th =
century in the poor hills of Scotland and dispersed to the backwoods of =
Virginia and the deserts of Texas and Oklahoma, became a major factor in =
American foreign policy. (For another interesting analysis of pop =
apocalypticism, see this piece by Gene Lyons.)

  A few educated evangelicals, however, are now questioning where their =
brethren are trying to take America. In January, the New York Times =
carried a piece by Charles Marsh, a self-declared evangelical, about how =
many ministers agitated for war on Iraq, even telling their =
congregations that it would help expedite biblical prophecy. =
Eighty-seven percent of white evangelical Christians supported the =
attack, and some even linked Saddam Hussein with wicked King =
Nebuchadnezzar of Biblical fame. Marsh:

  "Recently, I took a few days to reread the war sermons delivered by =
influential evangelical ministers during the lead up to the Iraq war. =
That period, from the fall of 2002 through the spring of 2003, is not =
one I will remember fondly. Many of the most respected voices in =
American evangelical circles blessed the president's war plans, even =
when doing so required them to recast Christian doctrine.

  "Charles Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, whose =
weekly sermons are seen by millions of television viewers, led the =
charge with particular fervor. 'We should offer to serve the war effort =
in any way possible,' said Mr. Stanley, a former president of the =
Southern Baptist Convention. 'God battles with people who oppose him, =
who fight against him and his followers.' .=20

  "Tim LaHaye, the co-author of the hugely popular 'Left Behind' series, =
spoke of Iraq as 'a focal point of end-time events,' whose special role =
in the earth's final days will become clear after invasion, conquest, =
and reconstruction. For his part, Jerry Falwell boasted that 'God is =
pro-war' in the title of an essay he wrote in 2004."

  The common theme is that America must do God's work, which is surely =
the sin of pride for real Christians. One of the "Left Behind" =
characters muses about how the few survivors in America after Christ's =
bloody return could "start rebuilding the country as, finally for real, =
a Christian nation." Their desire to violently reshape society brings us =
full circle back to Stalin, Pol Pot, and other secular horsemen of the =
apocalypse.

  Marsh concludes,

  "What will it take for evangelicals in the United States to recognize =
our mistaken loyalty? We have increasingly isolated ourselves from the =
shared faith of the global Church, and there is no denying that our =
Faustian bargain for access and power has undermined the credibility of =
our moral and evangelistic witness in the world. The Hebrew prophets =
might call us to repentance, but repentance is a tough demand for a =
people utterly convinced of their righteousness."

  Many influential evangelicals reject the Armageddon agenda. For =
example, Tim Wildmon's American Family Association's magazine, in its =
review of a movie about the Crusades, Kingdom of Heaven, notes "the =
futility of Christian efforts to build the kingdom of heaven here on =
earth."

  "Such a 'war of the cross' should strike Christians as a contradiction =
in terms. A literal war in the name of Jesus - a 'Christian war' - is an =
oxymoron, like 'hateful Christian.' Jesus said that His kingdom was not =
of this world, otherwise His followers would draw swords to defend Him - =
and presumably the kingdom itself (John 18:36)."

  The large World magazine doesn't promote the "Left Behind" mentality, =
and non-evangelical leaders of the religious Right also disagree with =
dispensationalism. One of the first critics to write about the =
phenomenon was Gary North.=20

  The Armageddonites, despite their self-proclaimed goodness, are a =
brutal, ignorant, and vengeful people. They have also become a major =
force dragging America to the abyss of endless war, a domestic police =
state (they care little for constitutional freedoms), financial ruin, =
and the enmity of the world.

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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>America is diverse as hell, and an extremely dynamic =
society=20
(which is one of the things Europeans love about the U.S.) with very =
divergent=20
viewpoints: this is democracy.&nbsp; And despite the campaigns of =
conservatives,=20
Walmart has now authorized the sale of the "morning after pill" at all =
of its=20
pharmacies.&nbsp; Its really misnamed totally as the "abortion" pill--in =
fact,=20
it works by preventing the embedding of fertilized eggs to the uterine=20
wall.&nbsp; Gay marriages are a reality in numerous states that have =
exercised=20
their state powers.&nbsp; </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>The sky is not falling, Jamie-boy....the U.S. is as =
it always=20
has been, filled with many different viewpoinst that are battled out =
through=20
many avenues.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>I think one of the most inspiring things I have seen =
over the=20
past year was an interview with Supreme Court Justice Stephen =
Sutter.&nbsp; The=20
gravity and intelligence that this man exudes in his comprehension of =
the=20
supreme importance of the role of justices was phenomenal and =
inspiring.&nbsp;=20
It is an understanding shared equally by all of the justices on the =
court,=20
regardless of their personal prediliections, and made me feel proud to =
know that=20
democracy is not only alive and well at the highest levels, but =
understood in=20
its most dynamic paradoxes within western institutions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV>"K James" &lt;<A =
href=3D"mailto:Jame@spam.com">Jame@spam.com</A>&gt; wrote=20
  in message <A=20
  =
href=3D"news:CbOdnSaPQ6EweIvZ4p2dnA@sysmatrix.net">news:CbOdnSaPQ6EweIvZ4=
p2dnA@sysmatrix.net</A>...</DIV><FONT=20
  face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2>
  <DIV>The Brutal Christ of the Armageddonites <BR><SPAN=20
  class=3Dcolumntexthead>Religious fanaticism in American foreign policy =

  </SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3Dcolumntexthead></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD =
class=3Dshowauthor>by=20
  Jon Basil Utley</TD> </DIV>
  <DIV>February 24, 2006 =
</TR><TR><TD><!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--></DI=
V>
  <DIV id=3Dcolumntext>
  <P><FONT size=3D7><B>M</B></FONT>ost Americans don't comprehend how =
our nation's=20
  foreign policy is affected by a small minority of religious =
fundamentalists.=20
  <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary/content/printables/051128roc=
o02?print=3Dtrue">This=20
  <I>Vanity Fair</I> piece</A> on the best-selling "Left Behind" novels =
provides=20
  a glimpse into their worldview:</P>
  <P><I>"Far from being a Prince of Peace, the Christ depicted in the =
'Left=20
  Behind' series is a vengeful Messiah =96 so vengeful that the death =
and=20
  destruction he causes to unconverted Jews, to secularists, to anyone =
who is=20
  not born again, is far, far greater than the crimes committed by the =
most=20
  brutal dictators in human history. When He arrives on the scene in=20
  </I>Glorious Appearing<I>, Christ merely has to speak and 'men and =
women,=20
  soldiers and horses, seemed to explode where they stood. It was as if =
the very=20
  words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to burst =
through=20
  their veins and skin.' Soon, [Tim] LaHaye and [Jerry] Jenkins write, =
tens of=20
  thousands of foot soldiers for the Antichrist are dying in the goriest =
manner=20
  imaginable, their internal organs oozing out, 'their blood pooling and =
rising=20
  in the unforgiving brightness of the glory of Christ.'</I></P>
  <P><I>"After the initial bloodletting, Nicolae Carpathia gathers his=20
  still-vast army, covering hundreds of square miles, and prepares for =
the=20
  conflict at Megiddo. As the battle for Armageddon is about to start, =
Rayford=20
  Steele climbs atop his Hummer to watch Christ harvest the grapes of =
wrath.=20
  Steele looks at the hordes of soldiers assembled by the Antichrist, =
and 'tens=20
  of thousands burst open at the words of Jesus.' They scream in pain =
and die=20
  before hitting the ground, their blood pouring forth. Soon, a massive =
river of=20
  blood is flowing throughout the Holy Land."</I></P>
  <P>The "Left Behind" series is also very politically current, with its =
focus=20
  on Israel, the United Nations representing evil world government, and =
Iraq=20
  playing a key role for the Antichrist. In the words of Melani =
McAlister, these=20
  novels show vividly how "<A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=3D20030922&amp;s=3Dmcal=
ister">the=20
  conservative obsession with biblical prophecy is increasingly shaping =
our=20
  secular reality</A>." I once tried to read one of the books and opened =
a page=20
  where giant grasshoppers (locusts, in Biblical terms) were stripping =
the flesh=20
  from live sinners, post-Rapture. I got bored and concluded that the =
books were=20
  horror stories for Christians who would have felt guilty reading =
stories about=20
  blood and gore if they were not "religious." (I did, however, see the =
movie <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190524/"><I>Left Behind</I></A>, =
based on=20
  the first book.) </P>
  <P>The foundation for Armageddon beliefs is the <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=3D73&amp;chapter=3D1=
&amp;version=3D9">Book=20
  of Revelation</A> in the Bible. Revelation has a controversial =
history: <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanat=
ion/martinluther.html">Martin=20
  Luther</A> doubted its canonical status and included it only as an =
appendix to=20
  his translation of the Bible. In addition to their focus on =
Revelation,=20
  American fundamentalists of the "<A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanat=
ion/martinluther.html">dispensationalist</A>"=20
  variety stress the vengeful God of the Old Testament. They believe =
that nearly=20
  all of humanity (including Jews who don't convert) will be "left =
behind" to=20
  die horrible deaths, after which Christ will establish a thousand-year =
reign=20
  of paradise on earth. </P>
  <P>Arab, Egyptian, Armenian, and other Middle Eastern Christians =
interfere=20
  with their thesis, so the Armageddonites try to hide their existence. =
Pat=20
  Robertson's <I>700 Club</I>, for instance,<I> </I><A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.alhewar.org/gabriel_habib_What_About_Arab_Christians.h=
tm">refused=20
  to show a segment</A> about Christian Arabs. Jerry Falwell's tours of =
Israel=20
  purposely avoid them, <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.middleeastbooks.com/html/books/halsell-f.html">accordi=
ng to=20
  Grace Halsell</A>, who traveled with Falwell's group and wrote several =
books=20
  about the Armageddon lobby. And far from merely believing in an =
apocalypse at=20
  a time of God's choosing, the dispensationalists work to "hurry up =
God" by=20
  opposing any peace efforts in the Middle East. In March 2004, after =
being=20
  bombarded with letters protesting President Bush's "roadmap for =
peace," the=20
  White House held a <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0420,perlstein,53582,1.html">spe=
cial=20
  meeting</A> with leading Christian fundamentalists to explain that =
removing=20
  Israeli settlements from Gaza would not interfere with God's plans for =

  Armageddon (because Gaza has no sites of Biblical significance).</P>
  <P>A major reason the Armageddonites have become so powerful is that =
most=20
  journalists can't comprehend that millions of Americans could really =
want, in=20
  this day and age, their God to destroy most of the human race, much =
less that=20
  they are <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2002/07/10/=
MN17001.DTL">donating=20
  millions</A> to promote it (subsidizing settlements on the West Bank =
and=20
  paying for Russian Jews to immigrate to Israel in order to fulfill =
prophecies=20
  faster). Nor do most Americans know that Armageddonites are in the =
highest=20
  levels of government. But it was erstwhile House Majority Leader <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.harpers.org/ExcerptTheChristianParadox.html">Tom =
DeLay</A>=20
  who argued that the Iraq war should be supported because it is a =
precursor to=20
  the second coming of Christ. He also tried to undermine the Bush =
"roadmap for=20
  peace" when he visited Israel. </P>
  <P>The Armageddonites have also backed brutal tactics in pursuit of =
their=20
  favored policies. <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.beliefnet.com/story/146/story_14608_1.html">Lt. =
General=20
  William G. "Jerry" Boykin</A> is deputy undersecretary of defense for=20
  intelligence and was heavily involved in the torture scandals. =
Christian=20
  Zionist <A href=3D"http://www.alternet.org/story/12909/">Sen. James =
Inhofe</A>=20
  of Oklahoma was the only senator to <A=20
  href=3D"http://southerncrossreview.org/35/sontag.htm">publicly condone =

  torture</A> of prisoners of war. Other torture-supporting politicians =
were=20
  almost all <A href=3D"http://www.stopthetorture.org/shame/">from =
insular,=20
  religious red states</A> with little knowledge of or concern for the =
outside=20
  world. Almost none of the leading fundamentalists outside of =
government have=20
  condemned torture (with the notable exception of Chuck Colson of <A=20
  href=3D"http://tinyurl.com/gsqbf">Prison Fellowship</A>).</P>
  <P>The aforementioned <I>Vanity Fair</I> article explains the =
fundamentalists'=20
  chief motivation: vengeance.</P>
  <P><I>"As befits the manifesto of a counterculture, the 'Left Behind' =
series=20
  is a revenge fantasy, in which right-wing Christians win out over the=20
  rational, scientific, modern, post-Enlightenment world. The books =
represent=20
  the apotheosis of a culture that is waging war against liberals, gays, =

  Muslims, Arabs, the UN, and 'militant secularists' of all stripes =96 =
whom it=20
  accuses of destroying Christian America, murdering millions of unborn=20
  children, assaulting the Christian family by promoting promiscuity and =

  homosexuality, and driving Christ out of the public square." </I></P>
  <P>This is how the dispensationalist ideology, dreamed up in the =
mid-19th=20
  century in the poor hills of Scotland and dispersed to the backwoods =
of=20
  Virginia and the deserts of Texas and Oklahoma, became a major factor =
in=20
  American foreign policy. (For another interesting analysis of pop=20
  apocalypticism, see <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.harpers.org/TheApocalypseWillBeTelevised.html">this =
piece by=20
  Gene Lyons.</A>)</P>
  <P>A few educated evangelicals, however, are now questioning where =
their=20
  brethren are trying to take America. In January, the <I>New York =
Times</I>=20
  carried <A =
href=3D"http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/nyt032.html">a=20
  piece by Charles Marsh</A>, a self-declared evangelical, about how =
many=20
  ministers agitated for war on Iraq, even telling their congregations =
that it=20
  would help expedite biblical prophecy. Eighty-seven percent of white=20
  evangelical Christians supported the attack, and some even linked =
Saddam=20
  Hussein with wicked <A=20
  =
href=3D"http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/nebuchadnezzar.html">K=
ing=20
  Nebuchadnezzar</A> of Biblical fame. Marsh:</P>
  <P><I>"Recently, I took a few days to reread the war sermons delivered =
by=20
  influential evangelical ministers during the lead up to the Iraq war. =
That=20
  period, from the fall of 2002 through the spring of 2003, is not one I =
will=20
  remember fondly. Many of the most respected voices in American =
evangelical=20
  circles blessed the president's war plans, even when doing so required =
them to=20
  recast Christian doctrine.</I></P>
  <P><I>"Charles Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, =
whose=20
  weekly sermons are seen by millions of television viewers, led the =
charge with=20
  particular fervor. 'We should offer to serve the war effort in any way =

  possible,' said Mr. Stanley, a former president of the Southern =
Baptist=20
  Convention. 'God battles with people who oppose him, who fight against =
him and=20
  his followers.' =85 </I></P>
  <P><I>"Tim LaHaye, the co-author of the hugely popular 'Left Behind' =
series,=20
  spoke of Iraq as 'a focal point of end-time events,' whose special =
role in the=20
  earth's final days will become clear after invasion, conquest, and=20
  reconstruction. For his part, Jerry Falwell boasted that 'God is =
pro-war' in=20
  the title of an essay he wrote in 2004."</I></P>
  <P>The common theme is that America must do God's work, which is =
surely the=20
  sin of pride for real Christians. One of the "Left Behind" characters =
muses=20
  about how the few survivors in America after Christ's bloody return =
could=20
  "start rebuilding the country as, finally for real, a Christian =
nation." Their=20
  desire to violently reshape society brings us full circle back to =
Stalin, Pol=20
  Pot, and other secular horsemen of the apocalypse.</P>
  <P>Marsh concludes,</P>
  <P><I>"What will it take for evangelicals in the United States to =
recognize=20
  our mistaken loyalty? We have increasingly isolated ourselves from the =
shared=20
  faith of the global Church, and there is no denying that our Faustian =
bargain=20
  for access and power has undermined the credibility of our moral and=20
  evangelistic witness in the world. The Hebrew prophets might call us =
to=20
  repentance, but repentance is a tough demand for a people utterly =
convinced of=20
  their righteousness."</I></P>
  <P>Many influential evangelicals reject the Armageddon agenda. For =
example,=20
  Tim Wildmon's American Family Association's magazine, in its review of =
a movie=20
  about the Crusades, <I>Kingdom of Heaven,</I> <A=20
  href=3D"http://afajournal.org/2005/june/605KOH.asp">notes</A> "the =
futility of=20
  Christian efforts to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth."</P>
  <P><I>"Such a 'war of the cross' should strike Christians as a =
contradiction=20
  in terms. A literal war in the name of Jesus =96 a 'Christian war' =96 =
is an=20
  oxymoron, like 'hateful Christian.' Jesus said that His kingdom was =
not of=20
  this world, otherwise His followers would draw swords to defend Him =
=96 and=20
  presumably the kingdom itself (John 18:36)."</I></P>
  <P>The large <A href=3D"http://www.worldmag.com/"><I>World</I> =
magazine</A>=20
  doesn't promote the "Left Behind" mentality, and non-evangelical =
leaders of=20
  the religious Right also disagree with dispensationalism. One of the =
first=20
  critics to write about the phenomenon was <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north188.html">Gary =
North</A>. </P>
  <P>The Armageddonites, despite their self-proclaimed goodness, are a =
brutal,=20
  ignorant, and vengeful people. They have also become a major force =
dragging=20
  America to the abyss of endless war, a domestic police state (they =
care little=20
  for constitutional freedoms), financial ruin, and the enmity of the=20
  =
world.</P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><!--endclickprintinclude--></TD></TR></FONT>=
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