First up from the God Machine this week is an odd flap about Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee extending Easter wishes to Christians, which ended up bothering a variety of conservative evangelicals.
Late last week, shortly before the holiday, the DNC celebrated Easter with a brief statement from Dean.
“Easter Sunday is a joyful celebration. The holiday represents peace, redemption and renewal, a theme which brings hope to people of all faiths. During this time Christians are called to remember who they are as people of faith, and that even the greatest of evils will not have the last word. It is also a time to reflect upon and be in solidarity with those who are persecuted and suffering among us. We should also use this time to honor those who continue to make incredible sacrifices for us, including our brave men and women in the armed forces serving overseas during this holiday. I would like to wish all those celebrating around the world this Sunday, a joyous Easter.”
Sounds fairly straightforward and innocuous, right? Well, it depends on the audience. Richard Cizik, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, was offended. “This press release, absent any reference to Jesus, without whom the Easter resurrection story is meaningless, is apparently a sad reflection of a ‘lowest common denominator’ religious outreach of the Democratic party,” Cizik said. “Wake up and smell the Easter lillies! This kind of outreach will not pass the smell test of any evangelical.”
Nathan L. Gonzales, a conservative political writer, called the DNC’s well-wishes “astonishing,” adding, “Dean and the DNC simply missed the target this Easter. The press release was astonishing because its sole purpose was to acknowledge a religious holiday, yet it was painfully-worded to avoid being religious.”
Picky, picky. What better way for Christian conservative activists to honor the most holy of Christian holidays than to complain about Howard Dean’s well-wishes. No word from O’Reilly on whether Dean’s gesture is part of the broader War on Easter.
And on a related note about hard-to-please religious activists, the next item from the God Machine deals with a prominent religious right activist opposing former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson’s (R) presidential campaign because, well, he might be the Antichrist.
After Thompson stepped down as Bush’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, he joined the board of directors of VeriChip, a Florida company that manufactures Radio Frequency Identification chips, some of which can be implanted under the skin, which can be used for tracking people and providng emergency information to medical professionals.
Janet Folger, formerly the National Director of the Center for Reclaiming America and current President of a group called Faith 2 Action, believes Thompson’s work with the company is reminiscent of the Book of Revelations.
He wants us all to be “chipped” with Radio Frequency Identification and sits on the board of the VeriChip Corp., a company currently talking to the Pentagon about inserting the grain-sized microchip into American citizens, beginning with our soldiers.
High-tech stuff like that you can find in the book of … Revelation — written 2,000 years ago. Here’s what I remember from Sunday School: In the end times, there’s a one-world government and a good-looking charismatic leader who seems like a really great guy, except for the fact that he happens to be the Antichrist. He talks all about peace and requires that everyone take this mark in order to buy and sell. The upside of taking the mark: you get to buy and sell; the downside: you go to hell forever….
Now, I’m not saying that people who get “chipped” at this stage are taking the Mark of the Beast — that would take a software change. But, I can tell you that I’m not going to let anyone put anything in my hand (or forehead), period. No matter how “logical,” “reasonable” or “practical,” if it’s inserted into the hand (or forehead) to identify, buy or sell, you can say whatever you’d like, but I’m out. I don’t care if it means I can’t buy anymore. I don’t care if it means I can’t fly anymore. I don’t care if it means I die….
If this chip is truly a pre-curser to the Mark of the Beast, it may happen soon anyway, but the way I see it, it doesn’t have to happen “on our watch.” And we don’t have to play a role in expediting it. Just another reason why Tommy Thompson’s not getting my vote.
A couple of things to keep in mind. First, Thompson is conservative on every issue important to the religious right — and far more in line with the movement’s priorities than any of the leading GOP candidates — but apparently, that’s not quite good enough. He might be, you know, evil.
Second, as silly as Folger’s tirade might appear, let’s not forget that she’s a fairly major player in the religious right, not some crackpot mumbling gibberish on a street corner. In the late-90s, Folger became the principal spokesperson for D. James Kennedy’s “Center for Reclaiming America” and his associated “Reclaiming America for Christ” conference. She’s also an ally of Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
And now she’s genuinely worried about Tommy Thomson being the Antichrist. Wow.