End Times & The Neocons -- Foreign Policy Article

With so many millions, almost half a billion, in America -- thought this article is relevant in a, seemingly, run-up to another war.

www.fpif.org...

Millions of Americans, the richest people in history, have a death wish. They are the new “Armageddonites,” fundamentalist evangelicals who have moved from forecasting Armageddon to actually trying to bring it about.

These Armageddonites believe that they alone will get a quick, free pass when they are “raptured” to paradise, no good deeds necessary, not even a day of judgment. Ironically, they share this utopian fantasy with a group that they often castigate, namely fundamentalist Muslims who believe that dying in battle also means direct access to Heaven.

These end-timers have great influence over the U.S. government’s foreign policy. They are thick with the Republican leadership. At a recent conference in Washington, congressional leader Roy Blunt, for example, has said that their work is "part of God's plan." At the same meeting, where speakers promoted attacking Iran, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay glorified “end times.” Indeed the Bush administration often consults with them on Mideast policies. The organizer of the conference, Rev. John Hagee, is often welcomed at the White House, although his ratings are among the lowest on integrity and transparency by Ministry Watch, which rates religious broadcasters. He raises millions of dollars from his campaign supporting Israeli settlements on the West Bank, including much for himself. Erstwhile presidential candidate Gary Bauer is on his Board of Directors. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson also both expressed strong end-times beliefs.

Conservative Christian writer Gary North estimates the number of Armageddonites at about 20 million. Many of them have an ecstatic belief in the cleansing power of apocalyptic violence. They are among the more than 30% of Americans who believe that the world is soon coming to an end. Armageddonites may be a minority of the evangelicals, but they have vocal leaders and control 2,000 mostly fundamentalist religious radio stations.

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[edit on 30/10/07 by masqua]

Yes, this would explain why things are going to hell in a hand basket. Imagine the surprise when Bush wakes up in Hell instead of Heaven...

No, in all seriousness, I think even the people causing great harm to others are believing they are fighting evil. They are just unable to see the evil in themselfs, so they think its something exterior that can be fought by killing people.


[edit on 30-10-2007 by Copernicus]

Originally posted by Copernicus
No, in all seriousness, I think even the people causing great harm to others are believing they are fighting evil. They are just unable to see the evil in themselfs, so they think its something exterior that can be fought by killing people.

In all seriousness???? They know that they are not fighting evil, they know that they are promoting evil. What they also know is that there are a lot of people in the US who actually believe in all this biblical prophetic rubbish. The fundamentalists - Christian and otherwise are being manipulated and what is more they want to be - because life on earth is too damn hard and too damn miserable that they need to believe in a apocalypse to give their lives meaning. Very sad and the greatest hinderance to the rest of the world who actually want to fight back and make the world a better place.

Sorry rant over, but good is good and evil is evil, you cannot be both. Anyone who uses the ends to justify the means is most definately the latter. Profiteering over corpses and manipulating the ignorant to justify their actions is not in any gray area, it is evil, pure and simple.

Bring out my fascist alter ego and I say stick all the fundamentalist in a room and let them fight it out amongst themselves well away from the rest of us - they are holding back the majority and it is about time people woke up to the problems that they are causing and stopped humouring them.

reply to post by KilgoreTrout


I think that if you ask one of those "evil" people, they dont believe themselfs to be evil. So why are you right and they wrong? You say that anyone who says the end justifies the means is evil, but what about saving the human race by killing a few million people. Is that evil too?

All im saving is... the world is more complicated than dividing people into "evil" and "good". I doubt Bush thinks he is evil, even though I feel he is. So thats just opinions really... not universal facts.


[edit on 30-10-2007 by Copernicus]

I think they know exactly what they're doing -- and the people in the US government are hardly 'religious' people, they seem to like it as a cover for their world takeover plans.

And the worst part is it's racist. Instead of "sharing the oil" in the mid east -- this is what we get -- Christians v Arabs. It's sickening and will continue since there's over a BILLION of each of the people(s).

Originally posted by Copernicus

...what about saving the human race by killing a few million people. Is that evil too?

Yes.

Who gets to decide who stays and who goes? What makes one person better than another? Who is going to volunteer to die? Are you?

Originally posted by Copernicus
All im saving is... the world is more complicated than dividing people into "evil" and "good". I doubt Bush thinks he is evil, even though I feel he is. So thats just opinions really... not universal facts.

Absolutely - but let's leave them to attempt to justify their own actions, don't do it for them.

Originally posted by KilgoreTrout
Who gets to decide who stays and who goes? What makes one person better than another? Who is going to volunteer to die? Are you?

Yes, I would volunteer to save the human race. Absolutely. Wouldnt you?

Originally posted by Copernicus


Yes, I would volunteer to save the human race. Absolutely. Wouldnt you?

Now that would depend on who was doing the asking...