Comments on: Sarah Palin Evangelizes at State Expense

By: A Proven Record of Reform™

A Proven Record of Reform™ — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:39:18 +0000

[...] instead to “speak out” at no cost to taxpayers aside from per diems, airfare, and other expenses: Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI, with a rate [...]

By: Zhubajie

Zhubajie — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:54:48 +0000

“’m not up on the distinction between dominionism and dispensationalism.”

Dispensationalism is about the End of the World, which is supposedly any day now.

Dominionism is about Christians ruling the US or even the world. Think about The Scarlet Letter or the career of Oliver Cromwell, Baptist Dictator.

By: Zhubajie

Zhubajie — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:49:09 +0000

Zhu Bajie is a pseudonym! It’s the name of one of the characters in _Journey to the West_, a well-known folk-tale collection.

As for Dispensationalism, it’s influence is as obvious as snow in Iowa, come January. Read up on Paul Boyer, _When Time Shall Be No More_. Norman Cohn, _The Pursuit of the Millenium_ is the classic on Christian millenialism generally.

Internet is common in China. I came across Tikun Olam while looking for some rational discussion of Israel, 9-11, Iraq, etc.

By: ellen

ellen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:55:58 +0000

Zhu Bajie,
Interesting that you are reading this blog in China. By your name you are Chinese, but you write English like an American.
This is what one web site says about dispensationalism, and I think it is true, “Largely unrecognised and subliminal, it has increasingly shaped the presuppositions of fundamentalist, evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic thinking concerning Israel and Palestine over the past one hundred and fifty years.”
I don’t agree with you that it is failing, and I’m not up on the distinction between dominionism and dispensationalism. But I know that both are closely tied to Christian Zionism, and Christian Zionists have been a huge support – financially and otherwise – to the settlement building.

Israel happily takes their money, not minding that to them, the only good Jew is a dead one or a converted one.

By: Zhubajie

Zhubajie — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:22:19 +0000

Lots of born-agains think they are or ought to be the state religion of the US. There’s a folk belief that only a few decades ago, they WERE the state religion! And everything was ipsy-pipsy, of course. Most don’t blame Jews for the change, but some do. A year or two ago, I had a conversation with an American at a restaurant here in China. He was claiming that Dispensationalism, the familiar the-world-is-ending-soon-and-Israel-is-a-sign theory, was a Zionist plot! As Dispensationalism fails (in spite of Bush’s wars), I would not be surprised if this feeling grows.

Zhu Bajie

By: ellen

ellen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:35:00 +0000

I couldn’t find the link referred to above, but assuming the poster is correct – Richard, you are really getting around!

Great post. And if your readers want more on Palin and her direct link to God, yesterday Amy Goodman interviewed two authors:
Frederick Clarkson, editor of the forthcoming book Dispatches from the Religious Left: The Future of Faith and Politics and author of Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy and
Esther Kaplan, author of With God on Their Side: How Christian Fundamentalists Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush’s White House.

You can listen or read the transcript at:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/9/sarah_palin_and_the_wasila_church

By: Bobbie

Bobbie — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:46:44 +0000

I found your article as a link on the anchorage daily news website concerning an article about the state funding of a trip Gov. Palin made to speak at the Wasilla Assembly of G_d Church. When I first read the article posted on the adn website, it bothered me when the comparison was made concerning Palin’s visit to your temple. Had I not pulled up your link, I would not have been aware of the inaccurate comparison Palin’s aid made.
I wish that a wider audience could read your article