Is this really what you want to put out as news? Whether or not Obama is the Antichrist?
Look, you guys did a fabulous job covering the campaigns. Your inside look into what went on was compelling and award winning journalism.
Then you print this garbage. I realize that this is “Belief Watch”, a regular column on religion and faith in America, but this kind of pandering bullshit is what legitimizes these people and their beliefs. These folks should be laughed at, long, loudly and in public. Not given a platform to espouse the tinfoil hat realm of Christianity as if it were as valid as say, a “Faith vs. Works” argument.
Sigh.
I don’t want it surpressed, I just don’t want it treated as if it were anything other that the delusional rantings of conspiriacy theorist, or the fanning of the flames by pastors and televagalists to pull in more money from the flock.
Look, anyone who refers to Victoria Jackson ans anything other than looney tunes is not doing the hard work of journalism.
One of the indications, cited by the article, is that the Illinois Lottery came up with 6-6-6. On November 5th, the day after the election. It has also come up on the following dates:
I know that quote, but it’s not talking about “the Antichrist” as most people think of him. It’s using the word antichrist to refer to all unbelievers or unbelief in general. What people think of as “the Antichrist” is a very tenuous combination of that quote and either of the two Beasts from Revelation, even though as far as I know there isn’t any good reason to think they’re referring to the same creature. Also, the Beasts in Revelation are described as having horns, and making miracles, etc.
This is really a private obsession of mine, and I guess I can’t expect some random columnist to address it, but it just annoys me to hear people talk about “the Antichrist” as if it were a well-established idea when it’s really quite a tenuous interpolation.
I rather liked the description of the Rapture as “a huge upward whoosh”. It made me think that the columnist might not take these Rapturists seriously.
The occasion for one of my favourite American politics stories. I understand that at the Republican convention in New York, retailers were selling buttons that said “GOP: God’s Own Party.”
Know what “God’s Own Party” is in Arabic? Hizba-llâh.
Well, it is more, because it’s part of what the story is really about: Apocalyptic fever among American evangelicals and fundies, which is too big a phenomenon to ignore. Whether it’s really on an uptick because of Obama is debatable, but it’s certain he’s starting to play a role in the popular End Times narrative, and that’s an important thing to know even if it doesn’t get him assassinated. IOW, it’s all perfectly legitimate news.
