Could Michele Bachmann’s Beliefs Increase Nuclear Risk?

[bananas]

http://nuclearrisk.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/could-michele-bachmann%E2%80%99s-beliefs-increase-nuclear-risk/

Could Michele Bachmann’s Beliefs Increase Nuclear Risk?
Posted on August 14, 2011 by Nuclear Risk

Yesterday’s reports that Michele Bachmann won the Iowa Republican straw poll raise a largely-overlooked, potential nuclear risk: What if a president welcomed nuclear Armageddon as part of God’s plan to bring about the Second Coming of Christ? Of course, I do not know all of Bachmann’s beliefs, and certainly not all Christians who believe the battle of Armageddon is a necessary precursor to the Second Coming would welcome nuclear war. But some fundamentalist beliefs have the potential to increase the risk of a nuclear disaster and deserve greater attention. Here is some of the evidence that leads me to that conclusion:

Slate has an audio recording of a 2008 Bachmann sermon that includes language strongly reminiscent of dangerous, Christian End Times beliefs: “the harvest is at hand. … and I thank you, O God, that you are literally right now by faith you are lighting a fire – a fire of the Gospel – that would sweep this city, but even more so that it would sweep Minnesota, and that Minnesota would just become a burning incense, a sweet smelling incense of praise and sacrifice into your Kingdom.”

<snip>

[liberal N proud]

1. These wackos who think that starting Armageddon will bring Christ sooner

may just find themselves left out.

They should know from reading their good book that Christ will come in his own time, meaning we (humans) cannot expedite his return.

[ashling]

4. Fundamentalists keep two sets of books

:rofl: like Saint Al Capone

[newfie11]

2. Yes!

cause it was meant to be ya know

:sarcasm:

[Kolesar]

3. Televangelist "Garner Ted" Armstrong used to deliver these TV sermons about Hiroshima

He described burned up people and a blasted city in gruesome detail. I was nine years old and could not figure out what was his goddamned point. I was not from a biblical background, though.

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. this is actually the mainstream belief among right-wing fundamentalist

To be fair it should be said that it is not necessarily the belief of most Evangelicals or even many fundamentalist. But among the kind of belief system advocated by the likes of Pat Robertson or the late Jerry Falwell and certainly the leadership of the vast majority of the so-called Christian right - this is indeed their mainstream belief.

Essentially they believe that the end of times will be centered around the issue of Jerusalem culminating in the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque and the rebuilding of the Temple of David - along with the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity. The mainstream eschatological belief is that America and Israel must intentionally provoke a catastrophic world war against the Arab and Islamic world to insure that the Al Aqsa Mosque is destroyed and the temple is rebuilt - this they believe will somehow result in the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity and enable the return of Jesus Christ.

Again let me point out that most Evangelicals and even many fundamentalist do not share this belief and its accompanying agenda. In fact Rick Warren would be an example of a prominent fundamentalist leader who does not hold to such an extreme belief in this regard. But most leaders of the so-called Christian Right most certainly do.