Loren Adams

America’s Cult Is Killing It

By Loren Adams - 19 April 2009

Fanatical religion is killing America. Trendy evangelical doctrines incubated since the 1960s have captured nearly 100 million adherents, and naturally these 100 million play a key role in elections despite their figurehead fading from the scene temporarily (GW Bush).

This is first in a series of articles written about fanatical religion in America and its devastating effect. Consider America as a giant Jonestown and the 100 million disciples as devoid of sound reason as the 900 partaking of the 1978 tainted Kool-Aid. A mass cult has gripped the nation and choking it to suicide.

The national false cult is self-righteous in nature and uses its pious stance as leverage against whomever it classifies “anti-God.” Thus, wedge issues are created and used to divide and conquer; war is waged against whomever they label ‘enemy.”  They demonize opponents to eliminate, and they now have the power to eliminate since they’re 100 million strong.

Pharisees were the self-appointed designees to pick up stones to take life from a prostitute. Had she committed adultery and fornication? Sure. Duh. That's how prostitutes make a living. The point is -- the self-righteous crowd was the first to pick up stones. But guess what? The very ones picking up stones were the ones who inserted their little self-righteous dicks in her. Yeah, you read correctly. That’s how the righteous crowd knew the unrighteous; they were “heavily involved” in the said illicit behavior, sort of “undercover” agents.

Jesus stopped the Pharisees in their tracks with these words: "He that is without sin cast the first stone." Of course, all of them like alley cats had snuck around on their wives for a little "extracurricular" at evening on the streets. That's the way the self-righteous behave: sin on the sly. One by one, the Pharisees dropped their stones and faded into the night.... until no one was left except Jesus and the prostitute. Jesus turned to her and said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

Republicans demand others tow the line for Jesus and worship America’s “Judeo-Christian” heritage, a form of “Christian idolatry.” Republicans are the first to pick up stones to throw at "liberals" which are painted with the broad stroke without ever knowing what “liberals” stand for.

The drive for censorship is fueled by guilt. Those most prone to criticize carry the most baggage.

Fundamentalists only see in solid black and white, no variations of hue. There’s no truth but the absolute to the narrow-minded. Yet the guilty are more prone to condemn than the just. Look at the record.

It's ZERO TOLERANCE with the so-called conservative crowd...."Three strikes you're out!" Mitigating circumstances are dismissed; there is only room for black and white.

A famous televangelist in Baton Rouge preached strongly against all forms of sexual promiscuity and profanity. In fact, he made his living railing against sins of the flesh and the mouth. Followers felt so holy. They lifted their hands in praise, "Thank God! I'm not a sinner like the rest." And, man, was the evangelist a good speaker, vocalist and musician.  I used to attend his crusades and revivals, bought his recordings, and listened faithfully to his radio and TV broadcasts. He was the Elvis of the evangelical world. Jerry Lee Lewis is his first cousin; they were raised together in a little Louisiana town.

It started in 1986 (before the PTL scandal broke in 1987) when Jimmy Swaggart went after Rev. Marvin Gorman, pastor of the 2,000-member First Assembly of God in New Orleans. There was a "professional rivalry" going on between Swaggart and Gorman, so Jimmy hired a private investigator to follow Marvin around to dig up dirt. Bingo! The PI followed Gorman's trail to Tennessee and caught him taking "ministerial engagements" with his Memphis mistress.  And Swaggart had his "evidence" which he turned over to the Assemblies of God presbyters -- who summarily defrocked Gorman. Gorman was flying the church's plane to Memphis during the week between church meetings and rendezvousing with a highly-paid mistress. Swaggart had the videotape and Gorman was out of business.

End of story? No. Swaggart was after all kinds of "sinners" -- to cover up his own. He next went after Karl Strader of Lakeland, Florida -- another big-time pastor -- for heresy (teaching doctrine contrary to the denomination's established creed). Swaggart was scoring points all over the place, yes he was.   Such a "righteous" man, stomping out wickedness in the name of Jesus and showing how moral he was.

Next were Jim & Tammy Bakker at PTL.  Jimmy Swaggart went after him big time, coveted his PTL facilities and large ministerial base. So, he dug up the Jessica Hahn scandal, how Bakker was paying Jessica (the former church secretary from Long Island) hush money for years -- hundreds of thousands $$$ coming out of donations to pay Jessica not to reveal how Jim & Jessica had a tryst at a Clearwater hotel 7 years prior.

And Jimmy looked so RIGHTEOUS to his followers after that. Such a "man of God." He joined forces with Jerry Falwell to dismantle PTL with the intent to cannibalize the network and incorporate much of it into their own in Baton Rouge and Lynchburg. Remember?

Well, as it turned out, Jimmy had been seeing prostitutes for YEARS. The harder he preached against sexual sin, the more sexual sin he committed behind the scenes; even hired couples to perform sexual intercourse in front of him while he videoed the scenes and pleasurized himself.

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/televangelists/jimmy-swaggart/

And then he got caught and had his cry-cry spell on TV. Who can forget? His church forgave him, naturally, but then he got caught with another prostitute in California. That pretty well did him in, but he still has a church and following despite the hypocrisy. The "sheep" always forgive their own but never forgive outsiders -- even if falsely accused.

Yes, I remember well..... I was deeply involved in the same church and knew these people first-hand. I saw much more than what I can write about in this online article, but will attempt to write more about “America’s Cult” in the next few releases. I traveled the nation for years in a well-known professional gospel group and met most of these people.

As religion goes, so goes politics, so goes the nation.  Bush, elevated on his high-horse of family values and moral clarity, was a fake. The records show what he did in Arlington, Texas, what he did with the Bin Ladens 1977-1992, what he did with Harken stock, what he did in Iraq, what he did to deregulate America into Depression, and what he did to America in the name of God. In fact, he invoked the name of “God” to gain power while living a lie.

http://alaric3rh.home.sprynet.com/science/bceo.html

The self-righteous Bill Bennett made it his mission to condemn the "liberals" for immorality and dragging the nation down. What happened to him? It was discovered Bennett gambled $8 million of his family's fortune and hired prostitutes on a regular basis in Las Vegas and California.  So much for his "morality."

Newt Gingrich is another piece. Such an upstanding citizen of righteousness. Newt divorced his first wife while she was on her cancer deathbed, hired prostitutes and was unfaithful to his first, second and third wives. Bless him.  He was so quick to condemn Democrats to hell for unrighteousness, still does. And now he’s grooming himself for another run.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/05/13_Gingrich.html

And let's not forget one of the strangest twists to Republican righteousness – Jeff Gannon, who was hired by the party as a plant among the White House Press Corps to toss softball questions to the then President Bush the 43rd -- all the while doubling as a male prostitute -- complete with male porn websites.  According to Secret Service log-in records, he was admitted to the White House hundreds of times outside Press Corps scheduled events. How "righteous" can they get?

http://bushstole04.com/bushfascism/gannon-gate.htm

Well, Rev. Ted Haggard made routine trips to Bush’s White House to have devotional meetings with George. Haggard was President of the National Association of Evangelicals. All the while he was soliciting male prostitutes and doing drugs. Now, who condemned gays the most? Who was in Bush’s inner-circle and lambasted Democrats and liberals loudest?

Republicans are Pharisees -- quick to pick up stones but never abiding by their own rules. A double standard they enforce, hypocrisy par.

So, all these upstanding Republican models should come as no surprise. We know how it works. If character issues are their focus, you can be sure they’re the weakness.  My mom's preacher in the 30s used to preach against the sin of tobacco every Sunday; all the while sneaking outback to puff cigarettes behind the sanctuary. Mom caught him.

In the next issues, I will be writing about mega-church pastors, the preachers’ helicopter trend, and the robbing of America. I will relate some personal experiences that may surprise some.

"Judge not lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"  (Jesus Christ -- Matthew 7:1-3)

"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts."-- Luke 20:46

"And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you." -- Matt. 6:5-6

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."-- Matthew 7:15

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."--II Corinthians 11:13-15 TPJmagazine

print     email article