Yeah, you just read that right. Japan, and the world's failure to follow the 10 commandments (which Glenny calls the "10 rules of thumb," clearly without researching the fact that "rule of thumb" is a phrase from the 19th c. that refers to the law that a husband wasn't allowed to beat his wife with something wider than his thumb) have caused earthquakes and a tsunami in Japan. Apparently Glenny never learned about plate tectonics. Or forming logical arguments. He said:
"What God does is God's business, but I'll tell you this...there's a message being sent. And that is, 'Hey you know that stuff we're doing? Not really working out real well. Maybe we should stop doing some of it.' I'm just saying."
He's not the only one spewing this type of garbage. In 2010 his bff Rush Limbaugh blamed the passing of Obama's health care plan for the volcanic eruption in Iceland that resulted in ash wreaking havoc on Europe.
It's not just Fox "News" either. Televangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson famously blamed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on God's rage brought on by several different groups of people:
So feminists, "abortionists," homosexuals, the ACLU and pagans are to blame? Glad we got that cleared up....and I thought it was the airplanes manned by terrorists that hit the towers, and government people not taking the threats from al-Qaeda seriously. How dumb of me.
Ridiculous.
And that wasn't all from Robertson. He also claimed that Hurricane Katrina was caused by legalized abortion, and that the tragedy in Haiti was caused by the Haitian people's "pact with the devil."
This guy still works with the 700 Club show that is perpetually spamming my TV. He was even a Republican nominee for president in 1988. He still campaigns for Conservative Republican candidates today. Separation of Church and State my ass.
But, anyway...
This staggering display of fear mongering, and manipulating religion for control, is almost a right of passage for Fox "News" personalities. You guys have more in common with the Westboro Baptist Church than you'd like to admit. Their line for picketing the funerals of soldiers and others, famously, is that God is angry with America, and so He's allowing people to die in Iraq and Afghanistan. Beck's line is that God is angry that the world isn't following the 10 commandments, so He's allowing people to die in Japan. The only difference is that Beck is picking on people from another country, rather than those from our own.
It's ridiculous to support him but condemn the Westboro Baptist Church. It's also unfair to judge Islam by its extremists, but not do the same to Christianity. It's unfair to only call terrorists, "terrorists," when they believe in a different man in the sky then you do.
Just to call some more attention to this, here's a little something from Twitter (I'm KGrizzle):
TPO_Hisself : Qur'an (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah"
KGrizzle: @TPO_Hisself Deuteronomy 2:25 basically says the same thing.He didn't respond to me. The text I talk about, from Deuteronomy 2:25 in the Bible, says:
"This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you."
How is that any different from what he quoted from the Qur'an? I just don't get it.
Sorry to go off on a religious tangent, but I feel like some things just need to be said. No religion is better than any other. No one can prove their "rightness," because that's the nature of faith. But I don't really want to get into religion here too deeply. Just do whatever you will do and I will tell about it. Oh, I do love Sharon Olds.
Edit 3/18/11: I got a comment on Facebook defending Glenn Beck:
My response:
"Kelsey, what Glenn Beck is refering to is Revelations. That fire and brimstone will rain down on us for all the immoral things that are happening. He's using it as an example. More natural dissasters are happening and they are getting worse and worse.We all know that shifting plates cause earthquakes literally, but he's talking figurativley."
"It didn't sound very figurative to me. I think it's very misguided to manipulate the suffering of a nation for religious purposes, good or bad, figurative or not. Even if we were all "good Christians" earthquakes would happen because the earth shifts. Natural disasters are not necessarily getting worse, but they are getting more frequent, and scientists are looking at natural causes for it. They seem worse because coastal cities are the most densely populated, so when there is a disaster, it causes a lot more damage. I think what Glenn Beck's doing is dangerous. There should be an emphasis on better building codes, maintaining natural barriers, etc, not fire and brimstone. Didn't God say he helps those that help themselves?"If they comment back, I'll post it.
Edit 3/18/11: There were some more comments:
Different person from the first: "Kelsey let it go people can thing and say what feel be a duck let it roll off your back."
Me: "I would...except that people are listening to this maniac and believing him. There are people that would elect him to office. There are segments of this country that take his word as law, as infallible. That's terrifying, so I'm saying what I feel. He can say whatever wants, but I'm going to criticize it when necessary."
Response: "The people listen too think the same way"
I'm not really sure what the last response from them was supposed to mean, but if I figure it out, I'll let you know. Someone also "liked" the first pro-Beck comment that I got, though I think it was one of their friends.
Comments please!!!
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