Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot
—”Just As I Am” by Charlotte Elliott
y mom and dad would never, and I mean never, miss the broadcast of a Billy Graham Crusade—yes, that’s what he called his travelling evangelical show, despite the historical shame attached to that term—and many times, as a kid and as an adult, I listened to his warnings that Jesus was coming soon and folks had better get saved or else hell awaited.
The strains of “Just As I Am,” that beautifully written old hymn, still bounce around in my head, as does the sight of all those scared sinners ambling down to meet Jesus, or, more realistically, to meet the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Of course, my Democratic parents probably didn’t know much, if anything, about Billy Graham’s politics. He is said to have admitted to being a “lifelong Democrat,” but I have found exactly no evidence to back that up and much to contradict it.
But he did say in 1980:
The clergy ought to stay out of politics and let the laymen handle it…My candidate is Jesus Christ.
Well, by the time 2000 rolled around, Graham was flirting around with another candidate, George W. Bush, who didn’t much resemble Jesus in any way I could see, but nevertheless had Graham’s sly endorsement.
Now we hear that the old evangelical preacher has embraced another Republican candidate, one who apparently does resemble Jesus, at least GOP Jesus, the savior of Holy Vulture Capitalism, the kind who feasts on working-class carcasses.
It appears that Billy Graham has had a come-to-Mitt moment.
And his endorsement of Romney—his open-mouthed evangelical kiss—comes despite the fact that Billy Graham used to want us to believe that Mormons, just like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Scientologists, are not Christians:
Scrubbed away. Gone. Forgettaboutit. Nothing to see here.
Without any hesitation or ambiguity, when I was a conservative evangelical Christian, and studying to be a minister of that brand of gospel, I was taught that Mormonism was most definitely a cult, just as Billy Graham claimed. There simply wasn’t any question about it, and given the doctrines that conservative evangelicals hold, including those related to the nature of God, Jesus, and man, and the central role the Bible plays in defining Christianity for them, it is impossible to believe that one can be a practicing, true-believing Mormon and also be a Christian in the evangelical sense.
And if Mitt Romney is anything, we definitely know he is a practicing, true-believing Mormon.
But politics, particularly in the age of Obama, makes people do strange things, like betraying the rudiments of their rudimentary faith in order to make sure the White’s House is safe and secure once again, even if it means putting a cultist in charge. Strange things like scrubbing away a doctrinal dispute that was once so important that eternal salvation depended on knowing that Mormonism would lead you straight to hell because it was a cult.
All of this strange and disgusting stuff leaves me with one positive benefit. Should an enterprising evangelical ever come to my door again, offering me a chance to meet Jesus, or confront me on the street with a pamphlet or a Bible, telling me I will suffer eternal damnation unless I repent, I will ask one simple question:
Did you vote for Mitt Romney?
Yes? Then go straight to hell you pious fraud.
The Erstwhile Conservative: A Blog of Repentance 
Yellow Dog
/ October 22, 2012Religion…not to be confused with God….should be abolished in America. It has caused more harm than good. I rather put up with a drug dealer neighbor as some preacher.
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ansonburlingame
/ October 22, 2012My how times change.
I was born and raised in a “southern town”, a town dominated by Southern Baptists. It was impossible to win any public office in my local area and almost impossible to win a state wide election in KY. unless one ran on a Dem ticket. And you can bet your bippy that most folks in that area worshipped Billy Graham in the 1950’s. I suspect many still do today as well.
Remember about a year ago when this blog attempted to link Romney to the KKK??
Now he wants to do so with Graham. I wonder how much “distance” there is today between the two, Graham and fanatical racists? Not much if you agree with this blog, in my view.
As well, I am STILL waiting for a defense of Obama’s foreign policies herein of late. It is THE topic tonight. I do give credit to Donna Brazil in her column in this mornings Globe, however, to ATTEMPT to make such a defense.
Here is the REAL question on foreign policy for voters and as stated by Brazil. “Thanks to Obama’s foreign policy, which has strengthened this mation and made if far more secure than at any time since 9/11, ……..”
If you believe that, then I have a bridge in mind for you to purchase, a very “strategic” bridge!!!
Anson
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King Beauregard
/ October 22, 2012“Remember about a year ago when this blog attempted to link Romney to the KKK??”
No, but I remember when this blog said that any attempts to link Romney to the KKK were wrong. And I also remember you and Geoff repeatedly lying on the matter, trying to change what Duane said.
I’m sure you consider yourself a decent person — then again, so does every single human being on earth, so there’s nothing special about that. The thing about GENUINELY decent people is, they don’t turn to lies as soon as they become more convenient than the truth.
What I’m saying is, you’re a rotten person simply by virtue of being a liar. You could be a rotten person on several other fronts too, but I don’t need to go any further.
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thgeneralist
/ October 22, 2012Sweet Jesus, Duane! That was powerful. In the mid-70’s, when I was a M.Div. student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (once the “best seminary in the world” according to Christianity Today — now a hull and a joke, led by Captain Cracker, himself: Paige Patterson, the world’s nastiest Southern Baptist), a movie (made by former Mormons) circulated among moderate, liberal, and conservative evangelicals (the term “evangelical” was less polarized once upon a time) regarding the amazing weirdness and remarkable un-Christian-ness of Mormonism. These are strange bed-fellows, indeed. But we should keep it all in perspective: Franklin Graham endorsed another Christian giant, Donald Trump, for president. Sheldon Adelson’s corrupt empire of gambling and prostitution is funding fundamentalist Tea Party candidates. Paul Ryan barged into a soup kitchen for an unauthorized photo-op, helping to defund their program — and the Press is largely silent. God have mercy on us.
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Jim Wheeler
/ October 22, 2012I have to believe that the aging Billy Graham is making his endorsement of the Mormon candidate completely bereft of any rationality. If Mitt Romney’s candidacy is successful the United States will be entering an amalgamation of religion, business and government unprecedented in history.
It’s just amazing how successful businesses can be when they are allowed to be both secret and untaxed. The following is from a recent Bloomberg Business Week article on the LDS Church:
The whole article can be found at this LINK and is a real eye-opener. I highly recommend it.
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Treeske
/ October 23, 2012Jim, so true. As I have mentioned before, the immense power and economic wealth accrued by the LDS Community (cult) in such a short time is mind-boggling. To top it off the biggest spy center in the world is being built in the desert outside Salt lake city and BYU has been designated an elite cyber security institution. Read here:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865558270/BYU-named-elite-cyber-security-institution.html
And some say Mormonism: a non-issue!
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Jim Wheeler
/ October 23, 2012@ Treeske,
Your link to BYU’s role in cyber security gives me the bureaucratic shivers. Only a towering heap of bureaucracy like the DHS could come up with a squishy moniker like “Information Assurance Education”. I think this shows that Mormon Inc. has roots firmly planted in Top Secret America. Predictable.
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Treeske
/ October 23, 2012Jim, Exactly!
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William Malan
/ October 22, 2012You are doing a great job Randy. The comments, ex. Anson, are quite apropos, and thoughtful.
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ansonburlingame
/ October 22, 2012Ignoring again, the slurs (I suppose the all knowing “King” is speaking from his throne above), I am compelled to ask Jim where the all highlighted in black phrase came from. Are those his words and opinion (I see no quotes around the phrase) or did it come from somewhere else?
I also wonder if that phrase warning of unprecedented events in America if Romney is elected is the consensus view on this blog. For sure I disagree, but Jim would already know that before he posted it. I am just curious about others herein just to again see how “nuts” you all might be!!
Just to be sure you understand the question, here is the quote from what Jim wrote: “the United States will be entering an amalgamation of religion, business and government unprecedented in history”. Unfortunately it did not copy to the all black highlight that I see above!!
Anson
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King Beauregard
/ October 22, 2012Let me be more direct: you are a liar. A habitual liar, hoping you can get the lie to replace the truth through sheer repetition. And I am calling you on it, because that is the correct recourse with liars.
You are trying to dismiss it as a “slur”, but let’s revisit the heart of it: back when people on various sites across the Internet were trying to associate Romney with the KKK, Duane said they were wrong to do so. But that wasn’t the sound bite you wanted to pin on Duane, so you have claimed over and over that Duane said the exact opposite of what he actually said. You lied, you continued to lie, and I am not slurring you in any fashion; I am simply telling the truth about you.
Here is the original article:
Notice in particular the comments. If Duane was not explicit enough for your tastes in the original article, he was more than explicit in the discussion that ensued, that he doesn’t believe Romney knowingly used a KKK slogan.
You were there, Anson. You know what really happened. You keep trying to tell a different version of it that runs counter to what was actually said. That is called “lying”.
Nobody likes being called a liar. Decent people keep from being called liars simply by not lying. If I am calling you a liar, it’s because you are one; if you don’t like being called a liar, quit lying.
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thgeneralist
/ October 22, 2012Remember in all those terrible-but-true teen movies where the rich “popular” crowd is constantly tormenting, bullying, lying to, and exploiting the rest of the school — and getting away with it because average people seem to like being abused by the rich for some reason? And then one kid: sometimes a nerd, sometimes a new kid, sometimes one just tired of the abuse, stands up against the abusers and finally everyone figures out how they’re being screwed and lied to and they all sort of figure it out at once (except for the kids who are by now completely corrupted by their pandering service to their dark, rich lords) and they throw off the yoke of bondage and corruption. And truth and justice win out. Remember those movies? This election and this particular blog is that movie. Duane has called out the hypocrisy. Anson has sold his sole to the popular rich quarterback who cheats on tests, shakes down poor kids for their lunch money, and snorts cocaine before the big game. King has had enough and has called him out in the middle of the gym just prior to his stealing the virginity of the sweetest girl in school on prom nite. Wake up, Anson. Repent. This is a one-time chance to reclaim your integrity and your self-esteem.
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King Beauregard
/ October 22, 2012Five bucks says he doesn’t.
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Treeske
/ October 23, 2012thegeneralist: Brilliant!
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Jim Wheeler
/ October 22, 2012@ Anson,
1. The highlighted words are my own opinion.
2. My opinion is based on the Bloomberg Business Week article and on other, corroborating, evidence I have read in the free press. (Did you read the article? I suspect you didn’t because it lays the case out in stark terms.)
3. If you didn’t read the linked article, allow me to highlight one particular factoid: The LDS Church is often the recipient of gifts of stock which, after being kept by the Church for years can, under the present tax laws be sold with no capital gains tax being due. That is just one of many pragmatic advantages the LDS Church is leveraging in the new amalgamation I perceive.
4. When you said “Unfortunately it did not copy to the all black highlight that I see above!!”, I have no idea what you might be talking about.
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thgeneralist
/ October 22, 2012Yeah. i know. None of the storm troopers in Star Wars ever repented, either.
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thgeneralist
/ October 23, 2012http://www.parkromney.com offers some serious insight to this ongoing discussion. Disconcerting insight.
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R. Duane Graham
/ October 24, 2012Which topic link?
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Juan Don
/ October 23, 2012KB,
Your five bucks is secure. Anson will do what he does best and ignore the comment, only to emerge again with more poorly worded Fox News regurgitations, clumsy false analogy discombobulations and grammatically gamy salad spins based on subjective, personal experience bias. That’s what concern trolls do.
On the plus side, Anson unwittingly exposes the moral and intellectual vacuousness of 21st century Republican Party politics. Wading through the barbed wire of words he strings together in order to refashion Mitt Romney into a “great leader” is entertainment akin to watching a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. And reading the comments from one of his two Obama-hating confederates, an anonymous degenerate who believes white liberal racists only vote for Obama because he’s black(?) gives me hope that the twisted remains of a once viable political party will eventually be replaced by reality-based conservatives, as the current yahoos appear unable to avoid participation in circular firing squads.
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R. Duane Graham
/ October 24, 2012Juan,
So far, you are right, my friend. Nothing forthcoming from the “I’m Not You, Sure Are” host.
And this is priceless:
God, I love that.
Duane
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Juan Don
/ October 24, 2012RDG,
I have no doubt that Anson will eventually belly flop back into your blog. I shudder to think that his internet experience is limited to bemoaning “liberal jerks” over at Knucklehead’s Korner. But he will always have an anonymous degenerate to dump perversions-as-political commentary into his cracked pot. That might be enough to provide him with a modicum of sleazy, scatological conversation.
Should our local Tripod of Truth awake of find their despised incompetent African Socialist/Marxist Kenyan Mau Mau (possibly Muslim and/or Black Liberation quasi-Christian boogie man win reelection, I’m positive that both Knucklehead’s Korner and I’m not Sure Why I’m Holding this Rake? will become bathetic pits of despair for a few days before rants against RINO Romney portend yet another round of real American purity purges.
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