Crystal Cathedral Shattered: The Schullers Throw Too Many Stones At Each Other!

Will The Plug Be Pulled On The Hour Of Power?

(By GILLIAN FLACCUS
The Associated Press
GARDEN GROVE)

Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble.

His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades.

The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County property to pay off debt. Revenue dropped by nearly $5 million last year, according to a recent letter from the elder Schuller to elite donors. In the letter, Schuller Sr. implored the Eagle's Club members who supply 30 percent of the church's revenue for donations and hinted that the show might go off the air without their support.

Maybe Schuller Jr. should:

1. Wear a Hawaiian shirt ala Rick Warren.

2. Hold "empowerment" seances.

3. Get a bid on the Crystal Cathedral by Swarovski.

4. Stop squabbling with his dad. He probably has more money.

And Schuller's stance on gay marriage? Rather different than the usual Christofascist homophobia:

And I feel that heterosexual marriage is the more excellent way, and it surely is approved holy by the Holy Bible, and it holds so many more possibilities, the possibilities of having children of both the mother and father, the male and the female. I think it's all very important...

Schuller was considered rather heretical in his theology because he was more like Peale and "positive thinking." And he wasn't as much fire and brimstone as many would have wanted. Rick Warren might have agreed on some things, but definitely not on others.

Quote from Schuller, Sr.:

If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.

Trouble in Mormonland: "Whatever It Takes" Finally Backfires!

The Mormons Are Following the Teachings of Rick Warren:

"Whatever It Takes"

(From San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 31, 2009)

Mormon Church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Friday reported nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

The report, filed with the secretary of state's office, listed a variety of California travel expenses for high-ranking members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and included $20,575 for use of facilities and equipment at the church's Salt Lake City headquarters and a $96,849 charge for "compensated staff time" for church employees who worked on matters pertaining to Prop. 8.

"This is exactly what we were talking about when we filed the suit," said Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate, which opposed the same-sex marriage ban. "They spent money on the campaign and were supposed to report it."

Pay Back Time!:

If you recall, the Yes On Prop 8 (Protect Marriage) people sent letters to the top donors of No On 8 Marriage Equality) and threatened to publish their names if "in kind" donations were not made to them. Now the threat of their extortion - expose to harassment - is the reason they do not want their own list of donors made public. AAAWW! TOO BAD! Now they're afraid to list their donors for the same reason:

(Sacramento, California) A federal judge - U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. - denied a request Thursday to keep secret the names of donors to California’s anti-gay marriage initiative, saying the public had a right to know who gave money to state ballot measures.

“If there ever needs to be sunshine on a political issue, it is with a ballot measure,” England said. He said many campaign committees have vague names that obscure their intent, and the public would have no way of knowing who was behind the campaigns unless they could see who was giving money.

Could the Mormon Church lose its tax-exempt status? It could, it should, but it won't. We all know that. What it loses this time is its credibility.

...and a smidgen of righteousness.

Thank you, God!

The Sins of Rick Warren: #4 - Heil! Christofascists!

What Rick Warren Sees From The Pulpit...
You Don't Want To Know!

Christofascism allows Christians, or disposes them, to impose themselves upon other religions, upon other cultures, and upon political parties which do not march under the banner of the final, normative, victorious Christ.

(From Huffington Post, by Bruce Wilson, Jan. 15, 2009)

During his Anaheim stadium speech Warren, sometimes called 'pastor Rick' talked about a number of visions and communications he had received from God. By calling on his church members to follow Jesus with the fanatical dedication with which the Nazis, or Hitler Youth, gave to Adolf Hitler, Rick Warren appeared to be in effect asking his Saddleback members to be fanatically dedicated to Warren's own leadership, given his role in divining God's intent for the Saddleback church flock. During his speech, Rick Warren also explained that God had personally instructed him to seek, for the good of the world, more influence, power and fame.

This one speech, given in 2007, should have had people running towards the exits with lightening speed. Instead, it kept them in their seats enthralled.

Frightening.

"What kind of spiritual awakening would we see?" The kind of awakening that Pastor Rick wants us to see: total, mindless adherence to him and his form of Christianity.

"Whatever it takes" This alone is chilling.

"Whatever it takes": even discrimination; even violence; even war; even death. O.K.,the image to the right is extreme, but "whatever it takes" to get the point across that in Warren's world, "forced conversions" are not discounted. Remember Ann Coulter(geist)'s dictate: "We ought to kill all their leaders and turn them into Christians."

Is Rick Warren a Reconstructionist? Maybe.

In a Reconstructionist's world there is obedience to the Bible as well as:

• Death penalty for abortionists, gays and disobedient women.
• Shunning of liberal democracy as a product of anti-Christian Enlightenment
• Public schools being abandoned for home schools.
• "Biblical" slavery for non-Christian prisoners, captives in war, and, in some cases, disobedient women.
• Swearing that the Bible is the ultimate test of scientific truth.

(wikipedia)

Christofascism: a concept in Christian theology first mentioned by Dorothee Sölle, a socially-engaged theologian and writer, in her book Beyond Mere Obedience: Reflections on a Christian Ethic for the Future in 1970. To Dorothee Sölle, Christofascism was caused by the embracing of authoritarian theology by the Christian church. It is an arrogant, totalitarian, imperialistic attitude, characteristic of the church in Germany under Nazism, that she believed to be alive and well in the theological scene of the late 20th and turn of the 21st century.

The Sins Of Rick Warren: #3 Homosexuality Disproves Darwin!

Or Should That Be "Evolution Disproves Homosexuality?"
Can Rick Warren Have It Both Ways?

Rick Warren has to decide which he hates more: homosexuality or evolution. He relies on the lame arguments of websites like Renew America and it's "creator" Alan Keyes.

September 8, 2005
Charles Darwin disagrees with homosexuality
By Nathan Tabor

Under Darwin's process of natural selection, all "beings" — as opposed to the outmoded religious idea of "creatures" — are continually adapting to their natural environment in order to have a better chance of surviving. ... the strongest and most improved survive long enough to mate. Their offspring inherit their genes, and thus the species improves from one generation to the next.

Of course, the Hawaiian-shirted Warren approves of this generalization of Darwin's findings. If he didn't, he would be ostracized from the Southern Baptist Convention sooner than you can say "species." Notice how the author of the piece immediately tells us that science doesn't pay any attention to religion, therefore, religion should never pay any attention to science.

Now according to the great one, represented by the author, Nathan Tabor and literalists like Warren, the rest of the premise goes thusly: Darwin's evolution depends entirely on adaptation via procreation. Gays cannot procreate, therefore they are not part of evolution. Forget that "it's in the genes" stuff. And so...

Not only are homosexuals seemingly blind to their moral conflict with Christianity, they are also blind to their natural conflict with our modern secular god, Science, particularly as espoused by the disciples of Charles Darwin, the prophet of evolution.

Got that? Again, I think Warren wants it both ways: no such thing as evolution and no such thing as a genetic link to homosexuality. "It's a choice."

Right. In Warren's convoluted world (albeit absolute, therefore absolutely convoluted) things mean what he wants them to mean even if they're contradictory.

This is yet again an example of Warren's modus operandi: pick whatever suits your own philosophies best: evolution has been studied by greater minds that Rick Warren's (Gasp!) and has found anomalies to natural selection, but the basic principle is still very strong. A combination of genetics, biochemistry, and neurology can result in homosexuality. The "god of science" cannot be ruled out.

So what is Rick Warren's sin here? The sin of hypocrisy? Actually I think it's the larger sin of hubris: Warren is so enamored of himself that he doesn't think anyone will notice that he picks and chooses from everything that gives him an advantage (that includes translations of the Bible).

And for the people who actually agree with Warren, the above article (in full length here) is a hodgepodge of falsities and fantasies:

(From Ex-Gay Watch - Mike Airhart)

• ostracized Dr. Paul Cameron’s claims that gay men tend to die by age 42 [totally untrue]
  
• rightist hate groups’ myth that gay rights advocates say their lifestyle is genetically determined and claim they have no choice over their behavior;
• the myth that “most homosexuals reject God,” [too many go to church in spite of what the church thinks about them!]
  
• scientifically illiterate distortions of the theory of evolution. [As well as anthropology, history, and archeology]

And remember: when Feb. 12th rolls around (the 200th birth date of Darwin), Rick Warren will celebrate with a sermon about how Adam and Eve and even Jesus, cavorted with dinosaurs but not homosexuals.

Just a thought.

Bigots and Battles: What Gets You Scrapped From Your Ministry?

(From USA Today, Cathy Lynn Grossman)

So you'd think that sexual misconduct, gay or straight, is the downfall of the righteous -- or at least one of the top reasons pastors lose their posts.

Nope. According to 10 years of surveys among pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention, the nations' largest Protestant denomination, sexual misconduct was not at the top of the list in 2006, the last time the survey was done. (Maybe it's creeped up since then.)

The big buggabo: Folks just can't get along. It's far more likely that feuding among the staff and clergy is what drives pastors out.

The top five reasons, pastors leave, resign or just plain get the boot:

• Control issues (who’s going to run the church)
• Poor people skills
• Churches’ resistance to change
• Pastor’s leadership style being too strong
• Churches already in conflict when the pastor arrived.

Moving up the list, however were: Administrative incompetence (No. 8); Sexual misconduct (No. 9). Ethical misconduct such as mismanaged monies, dishonesty, etc. (No. 11) and "disagreement over doctrine" (No. 12).

Now we know what is REALLY on the mind of those sinister pastors: they're fascists who want the staff to tow the line and not change anything. Sound like anyone we know? O.K., so Pope Benedict isn't a Southern Baptist, but he certainly wants everyone to goose-step through his tenure. Problem is: the Catholic Church can't get rid of him.

"Disagreement over doctrine" is a poor 12th. Nice to know that religious principles come last. So what if the pastor teaches that Jesus rode an SUV into Jerusalem. He's a damned good administrator (and an even better kisser!).

Trouble in Limbaughland! ...or How NOT To Hate The President

With A Salary of $33 Million Last Year,
Rush Limbaugh Should Be Able to Take It On The Chins!

Rush Limbaugh is getting some flack. That's not unusual, but the flack is now coming from Republicans as well as Democrats. The problem? His comments about President Obama.

Moderate Republicans are ashamed:

(from Think Progress)

Some Republicans are even saying that Limbaugh is a negative influence on the party. Speaking to the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, former McCain adviser John Weaver called Limbaugh one of “the most controversial voices on the extreme right,” adding that it is dangerous if he is perceived to “speak for all members of the center/right movement.”

Limbaugh has called the President "Halfrican American". He also brazenly stated on his show that he hoped Obama would fail because it would ultimately be better for the United States.

"...the country is being forced to “bend over, grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whichever” because Obama’s “father was black, because this is the first black president.”

Of course, President Obama couldn't resist a very pithy response to Limbaugh's crudities:

In a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties last week, President Obama told the GOP members that “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” As expected, Limbaugh responded to the presidential mention of his name with his usual bluster, stating, “I think Obama wants me to fail.”

Of course, Rush does have his staunch supporters, like Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) on Norah O'Donnell's MSNBC program:

PENCE: I don’t believe Rush Limbaugh has a racist bone in his body. If you’re suggesting that his statement had a racist element in it, I commend you to a greater understanding of the positions he’s taken. He’s a man about opportunity of all Americans, regardless of race, creed, or color. That’s why he’s so admired and appreciated across America.

I can imagine people across the country laughing at that one, especially the phrase "admired and appreciated." And anyone who thinks Limbaugh isn't racist, hasn't been listening to Limbaugh much!

Here are some choice quotes of Rush Limbaugh:

• Words do not kill.
• Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.
• They're 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?
• Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?
• I'm going to tell you, what's good for al-Qaeda is good for the Democratic Party in this country today.
• (Abu Ghraib): This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation.
  
• This is really shameless of Michael J Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting.
• Compassion is no substitute for justice.
• The dream end of this [of Operation Chaos] is that this keeps up to the Convention, and that we have a recreation of Chicago 1968 with burning cars, protests, fire, and literal riots and all of that, that is the objective here."

Rep Alan Grayson (D-Fla) had this to say about Limbaugh:

He actually was more lucid when he was a drug addict. If America ever did 1% of what he wanted us to do, then we’d all need pain killers.”

OMG! I just had the most horrible thought: what if...Rush Limbaugh married Ann Coulter? Imagine the offspring!?! Would God look down upon us and say "That's it, the last straw. This whole mankind/earth thing has been a dismal failure."

Just a thought.

Bush's Crimes: Are We For Accountability Or Not?

(From Jason Leopold, OpEd News)

As President Barack Obama reverses some of ex-President George W. Bush's most controversial "war on terror" policies, a consensus seems to be building among Democratic congressional leaders that further investigations are needed into Bush's use of torture and other potential crimes.

We're crossing our fingers.


We can't fault Barack Obama for trying to concentrate on the future, but we also have to agree that, as Nancy Pelosi stated to Chris Wallace of Fox News, "the past is prologue." We are doomed to repeat this sordid piece of American history if we do not learn from it. Republicans would rather have us all become revisionists.

President Obama has been elected, in part, to do damage control. However, the country needs to know just how much damage has been done. Gitmo brutalities aside, people need to know all of the Who What When Where and Hows of the Bush administration - the most secretive in U.S. history. Cheney and Rove have stated that history will be much kinder to the Bush cabal than we think. How long do we have to wait for that judgment? While Cheney, Rove, Bush et al sit back, comforted by their own words, the country will be asking "Who put us here?"

We really need to know.

Obama's aides have indicated that there soon may be a "public airing" of secret Justice Department legal opinions and other documents that provided the underpinning for the Bush administration's brutal interrogation policies.

So, Mr. President, as much as you may not want to enforce it, you have a mandate from the people: investigate NOW.