YaHooka Forums - View Single Post - Christian Extremism and Terrorism In History

DdC · 03-28-2006, 04:43 AM

The BattleCrying game by*Paul Mooney
OPINION March 27, 2006

Thousands of young people came to San Francisco on March 24 and 25 for BattleCry, a national campaign to rally right-wing teens to the banner of the culture war -- literally. Under the symbol of a red flag, they gathered at AT&T Park for two days of Christian rock, multimedia sermons and heavy doses of war rhetoric.

"Are you ready for a battle? Are you ready to go to battle? The enemy has declared war on you guys!"

John Adams: Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of other trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days?

With those words, pastor Ron Luce kicked off an event that critics charge promotes racism, sexism, homophobia and militant fascism to America's youth.
For an organization that rails against violence in movies and video games, BattleCry's own speech and graphics evoke a disturbing image of armed conflict. They talk of war, of revolution, of a generation under attack by sex, drugs and Hollywood, and of building God's army. Fortunately for America, God's army is still in training bras and braces.

The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma.
-- Abraham Lincoln

It's easy to dismiss their warmongering as mere metaphor. The right has been hyping the culture war for decades. However, groups like Theocracy Watch, which monitor the radical religious right, have been watching for warning signs in case the movement ever begins to take its own hype as literally as it does the Bible. Some, like Eric Rudolph, already have.

It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of citizens and one of the noblest characteristics of the late Revolution. The freemen of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this lesson too much ... to forget it
-- James Madison.

Fortunately, no one was passing out the ammo -- or the Kool-Aid -- at the main event Friday night. The kids seemed like typical teenagers, equally interested in each other as what was happening on stage. Most of them were white, with a fair amount of Asians and Latinos, but very few African Americans. Although many were visibly moved by Luce's preaching, the crowd came to life the most during the musical acts. And I have to admit, the performances didn't completely suck.

This would be the best of all possible worlds,
if there were no religion in it.
-- John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson.

It's confession time. I'm no longer a teen. In fact, I'm even past the age where I could play one on TV. But if I'm any judge, it seems like the religious right is getting better at marketing to the youth audience by wrapping its message in pop culture. They've figured out how to speak to kids -- in their own language, with podcasts. Goodbye "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul"; hello www.battlecry.com.
BattleCry takes advantage of the fact that war is "cool." This way, when kids are faced with other cool things -- sex, alcohol, drugs, porn, violent video games, etc. -- they can say no without feeling like complete dorks. BattleCry is not providing an alternative to pop culture so much as its own version of it.

James Madison: What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy.

By choosing war as its brand image, BattleCry simply replaces one group of vices with another. War is a powerful stimulant. It incites our fear and anger. It creates a climate of group-think and an us-vs.-them mentality that is alien to the "love your enemy" philosophy of Christ. Jesus didn't have much to say about sex and drugs, but he had a lot to say about love.

Jesus: "Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness's sake:
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
The Drug War Refugees

For all its talk, BattleCry doesn't seem to be addressing the real violence I remember from my own youth. In school, then as now, most of the beatings were handed out by the jocks. (Could you imagine if BattleCry tried to outlaw football, instead of video games?!) The big guys always pick on the little guys, especially if there's anything different about you -- such as being gay. The handful of video-gamers who have gone postal did so only after finally breaking under the pressure of school bullying.

"A violently active, intrepid, brutal youth that is what I am after...
I will have no intellectual training. Knowledge is ruin for my young men."
Adolf Hitler quoted by John Gunther "The Nation"

It is a central part of all fundamentalist movements to see themselves as victims, even when they behave like bullies. The more rapidly society changes, the more they feel threatened -- and driven to strike back.

In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own.
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1814

The BattleCry Web site says: "Today's teens are being attacked by popular culture like no other generation.. . . In order to defeat our enemy, we must know how it thinks and understand the weapons it uses."

"Parallel to the training of the body a struggle against the poisoning of the soul must begin. Our whole public life today is like a hothouse for sexual ideas and simulations. Just look at the bill of fare served up in our movies, vaudeville and theaters, and you will hardly be able to deny that this is not the right kind of food, particularly for the youth...Theater, art, literature, cinema, press, posters, and window displays must be cleansed of all manifestations of our rotting world and placed in the service of a moral, political, and cultural idea."
Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf", Vol. 1, Chapter 10

To carry out its battle plan, BattleCry has planned rallies for cities all over the country. The goal is to build a cohesive network of fundamentalist church youth groups. What it plans to do with all these kids is unclear, although leadership training and evangelizing seem to be a big part of it.

"It's those Jewish Bastards Out for Legalizing!"
Richard M.Nixon

Ganja & the Bible
Despite common knowledge and widespread scientific support, the federal government has for nearly 30 years kept cannabis in schedule 1 as a deliberate way to deny patients access to medical marijuana. This includes people suffering from asthma, cancer, migraine headache, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, and provides relief for many other conditions. As a result, people at various locations across the USA have had to risk and suffer years in prison for providing medical marijuana to patients as an act of compassion and personal conscience. What would Jesus do? He chose to break the law in order to heal the sick.

I went to the BattleCry rally feeling concerned, but with an open mind. I left feeling scared. BattleCry has close ties to Promise Keepers and other Christian Reconstructionist groups that openly advocate turning America into a theocracy. This could be their way of mentally grooming teens to accept the idea of war. Or it could all fizzle out in a few months. Judging from the empty seats Friday night, less than half of the estimated 25,000 kids showed up.

"It also gives us a very special,
secret pleasure to see how unaware the people around us are
of what is really happening to them. "
Adolf Hitler"

Whether this is just the Lollapalooza of the religious right or the beginning of a militant fascist youth movement remains a mystery.
Paul Mooney lives in San Francisco and is an information architect at PlanetOut, Inc.

(Jesus

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other, and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also."
(Luke 6:27-29)

03-28-2006, 04:43 AM	#37 (permalink)
DdC Decade Yahookan Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: Santa Cruz,CA,USA Posts: 2,088 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 47 Thanked 570 Times in 378 Posts	Hitler Youth on the March The BattleCrying game byPaul Mooney OPINION March 27, 2006 Thousands of young people came to San Francisco on March 24 and 25 for BattleCry, a national campaign to rally right-wing teens to the banner of the culture war -- literally. Under the symbol of a red flag, they gathered at AT&T Park for two days of Christian rock, multimedia sermons and heavy doses of war rhetoric.* "Are you ready for a battle? Are you ready to go to battle? The enemy has declared war on you guys!" John Adams: Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of other trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days? With those words, pastor Ron Luce kicked off an event that critics charge promotes racism, sexism, homophobia and militant fascism to America's youth. For an organization that rails against violence in movies and video games, BattleCry's own speech and graphics evoke a disturbing image of armed conflict. They talk of war, of revolution, of a generation under attack by sex, drugs and Hollywood, and of building God's army. Fortunately for America, God's army is still in training bras and braces. The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma. -- Abraham Lincoln It's easy to dismiss their warmongering as mere metaphor. The right has been hyping the culture war for decades. However, groups like Theocracy Watch, which monitor the radical religious right, have been watching for warning signs in case the movement ever begins to take its own hype as literally as it does the Bible. Some, like Eric Rudolph, already have. It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of citizens and one of the noblest characteristics of the late Revolution. The freemen of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this lesson too much ... to forget it -- James Madison. Fortunately, no one was passing out the ammo -- or the Kool-Aid -- at the main event Friday night. The kids seemed like typical teenagers, equally interested in each other as what was happening on stage. Most of them were white, with a fair amount of Asians and Latinos, but very few African Americans. Although many were visibly moved by Luce's preaching, the crowd came to life the most during the musical acts. And I have to admit, the performances didn't completely suck. This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it. -- John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson. It's confession time. I'm no longer a teen. In fact, I'm even past the age where I could play one on TV. But if I'm any judge, it seems like the religious right is getting better at marketing to the youth audience by wrapping its message in pop culture. They've figured out how to speak to kids -- in their own language, with podcasts. Goodbye "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul"; hello www.battlecry.com. BattleCry takes advantage of the fact that war is "cool." This way, when kids are faced with other cool things -- sex, alcohol, drugs, porn, violent video games, etc. -- they can say no without feeling like complete dorks. BattleCry is not providing an alternative to pop culture so much as its own version of it. James Madison: What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy. By choosing war as its brand image, BattleCry simply replaces one group of vices with another. War is a powerful stimulant. It incites our fear and anger. It creates a climate of group-think and an us-vs.-them mentality that is alien to the "love your enemy" philosophy of Christ. Jesus didn't have much to say about sex and drugs, but he had a lot to say about love. Jesus: "Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness's sake: For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." The Drug War Refugees For all its talk, BattleCry doesn't seem to be addressing the real violence I remember from my own youth. In school, then as now, most of the beatings were handed out by the jocks. (Could you imagine if BattleCry tried to outlaw football, instead of video games?!) The big guys always pick on the little guys, especially if there's anything different about you -- such as being gay. The handful of video-gamers who have gone postal did so only after finally breaking under the pressure of school bullying. "A violently active, intrepid, brutal youth that is what I am after... I will have no intellectual training. Knowledge is ruin for my young men." Adolf Hitler quoted by John Gunther "The Nation" It is a central part of all fundamentalist movements to see themselves as victims, even when they behave like bullies. The more rapidly society changes, the more they feel threatened -- and driven to strike back. In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. -- Thomas Jefferson, 1814 The BattleCry Web site says: "Today's teens are being attacked by popular culture like no other generation.. . . In order to defeat our enemy, we must know how it thinks and understand the weapons it uses." "Parallel to the training of the body a struggle against the poisoning of the soul must begin. Our whole public life today is like a hothouse for sexual ideas and simulations. Just look at the bill of fare served up in our movies, vaudeville and theaters, and you will hardly be able to deny that this is not the right kind of food, particularly for the youth...Theater, art, literature, cinema, press, posters, and window displays must be cleansed of all manifestations of our rotting world and placed in the service of a moral, political, and cultural idea." Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf", Vol. 1, Chapter 10 To carry out its battle plan, BattleCry has planned rallies for cities all over the country. The goal is to build a cohesive network of fundamentalist church youth groups. What it plans to do with all these kids is unclear, although leadership training and evangelizing seem to be a big part of it. "It's those Jewish Bastards Out for Legalizing!" Richard M.Nixon Ganja & the Bible Despite common knowledge and widespread scientific support, the federal government has for nearly 30 years kept cannabis in schedule 1 as a deliberate way to deny patients access to medical marijuana. This includes people suffering from asthma, cancer, migraine headache, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, and provides relief for many other conditions. As a result, people at various locations across the USA have had to risk and suffer years in prison for providing medical marijuana to patients as an act of compassion and personal conscience. What would Jesus do? He chose to break the law in order to heal the sick. I went to the BattleCry rally feeling concerned, but with an open mind. I left feeling scared. BattleCry has close ties to Promise Keepers and other Christian Reconstructionist groups that openly advocate turning America into a theocracy. This could be their way of mentally grooming teens to accept the idea of war. Or it could all fizzle out in a few months. Judging from the empty seats Friday night, less than half of the estimated 25,000 kids showed up. "It also gives us a very special, secret pleasure to see how unaware the people around us are of what is really happening to them. " Adolf Hitler" Whether this is just the Lollapalooza of the religious right or the beginning of a militant fascist youth movement remains a mystery. Paul Mooney lives in San Francisco and is an information architect at PlanetOut, Inc. (Jesus "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other, and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also." (Luke 6:27-29) Last edited by DdC; 03-05-2011 at 12:18 AM.