Was Jesus a Commando?

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Members Of Christian Paramilitary ‘Savior Unit’ Charged For Home Invasion

By Jillian Rayfield | December 9, 2011

Two members of a Christian paramilitary group called “The Savior Unit” were charged with kidnapping and burglary for allegedly conducting a home invasion while clad in ski-masks, military garb and bullet-proof vests.


Michael Shaun Schaffran, 32, and Cody Jacob Rogers, 18, were arrested after allegedly breaking into a home on Tuesday night in Gautier, Mississippi. They were each charged with three counts of kidnapping and burglary of an occupied house, the Sun-Herald reports.

According to police, Schaffran and Rogers dressed up in military gear, ski masks and bullet-proof vests, broke into the house, and attacked the three people who lived there. At the time of the arrest, Schaffran had a knife, though Rogers was unarmed.

Authorities say Schaffran is the “commander” of a paramilitary group of teenagers called “The Savior Unit” or “The Tactical Support Unit,” and Rogers is the “captain.” According to an operations manual allegedly confiscated from Schaffran and Rogers, the goal of the group is to “promote Christ, obtain offenders who are a danger to society, do community service work for churches and halfway houses, and do security for different functions.”

From the Mississippi Press, Captain Kenny McMellon said in a press conference that Schaffran and Rogers led four other teens, ages 16-18, in “training” that took place in the woods, including “hand-to-hand combat, reconnaissance, paramilitary operations and Bible scripture reading.”

Schaffran is from Arizona, where he has felony convictions for theft, forgery and aggravated assault, according to Detective Matt Hoggatt. “So far, it looks like a 32-year-old guy who recruited people half his age for a vigilante group,” he said. “We’re hoping as the investigation progresses, as we uncover more, there will be less to worry about.”

Hoggatt also said there was no clear connection between Schaffran and Rogers and the victims: “Last night, there was no record of any police responses to their house in the past and there is no indication that they were doing anything illegal. So, that’s part of what this investigation is, to determine why they were targeted.”

Schaffran and Rogers are being held on a $225,000 bond.

 

An Atheist Libertarian on God and Government part 2

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.” Sinclair Lewis

One can, without any difficulty, find obtuse statements from various politicians that invoke the name of God. Very often, the substance of these statements endorse a legislative policy and or a military course of action. Said to be mandated by an insubstantial architect is a typical strategy employed to garner support from the body politic, and it has an appreciable success rate. George W. Bush has utilized this very tactic.

“God told me to strike Al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East.”

So here we have an individual that admittedly states that God spoke to him and instructed him to bomb ‘non-Christian’ terrorists. If the average person were to have stated the same, and tried to enact the same, this person would have been jailed and forced to undergo psychiatric therapy. A rational thinking individual could conclude that politicians are exempt from such penalization.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to have Christian militarism to help implement divine policy as well; take for example the Christian Fundamentalist, Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin. A quote from the Los Angeles Times:

“He went on CNN and he laughed at us, and he said, 'They'll never get me because Allah will protect me. Allah will protect me.' Well, you know what? I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."

Then there are these insightful words:

"As a Christian I believe that there is a spiritual war that is continuous as articulated in the Bible. It is not confined to the war of terrorism."

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin

On September 26, 2009, Boykin gave an address at a How to Take Back America Conference in St. Louis, Missouri  - hosted by the Eagle Forum. According to the Canada Free Press, General Boykin asked the audience. "What are you prepared to give up for America? Are you willing to pay the ultimate price?" He followed up with warning, "there is no greater threat to America than Islam.”

 “Here is the way I want to enter the gates of Heaven. I want to come skidding in there on all fours. I want to be slipping and sliding and I want to hit the gates of heaven with a bang. And when I stand up and I stand before Christ, I want there to be blood on my knees and my elbows. I want to be covered with mud. And I want to be standing there with a ragged breast plate of righteousness. And a spear in my hand. And I want to say, "Look at me, Jesus. I've been in the battle. I've been fighting for you." Ladies and gentlemen, put your armor on and get into battle. God bless you.”

When God-inspired politicians and militarists aren’t itching to bomb impecunious and necessitous foreigners, they focus their noisome rhetoric at home. Rick Santorum states it quite succinctly;

“Unlike Islam, where the higher law and the civil law are the same, in our case, we have civil laws. But our civil laws have to comport with the higher law. … As long as abortion is legal—at least according to the Supreme Court—legal in this country, we will never have rest, because that law does not comport with God’s law.”

What other laws are considered by the religious aristos to be contrary to divine law? In a similar vein, what laws must be enacted to facilitate a transformation from secular law and order to a quasi-theocratic model? If God’s laws are to replace society’s laws you will inevitably have the usurpation of individual liberties; "you may not believe in our god, but you damn well will follow his laws. We, the anointed of course, will make sure that said laws are followed or we’ll pray you to jail." How beneficent indeed. Try to imagine what form our country will take if this manifests; we’ll have the egocentric trappings of political power interlocked with archaic religiosity. This form of politico-religious inertia needs to be stifled at all costs. The moral and ethical values within a society can evolve without the injection of pseudo-Christianic virtues. Watch the proceeding video and draw your own conclusion.

We are led to believe, to the point of inculcation, that we are a Judeo-Christian nation. All objective morality is derived from this source. If this true and thus becomes the standard, what are we to expect from individuals that embody this principle? Let me provide for you a few specimens that are a suitable reflection of this moral system.       

Former Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, is a ‘practicing’ Episcopalian that showed us the measure of his faith. Mr. Sanford was found to be having an affair with an Argentinean woman named, Maria Belen Chapur. To his credit, if such can be extended, Sanford stated that he sought counsel from a fanatical religious organization called, The Family (also The Fellowship); apparently it provided little assistance in this matter. One can’t help but remember Sanford’s devotional statement, “It is my personal view that the largest proclamation of one’s faith ought to be in how one lives his life.” Indeed Sir.

Next on our list is John Edwards, former U.S. Senator of North Carolina. Mr. Edwards was indicted on June 3, 2011 by a North Carolina grand jury on six felony charges; four counts of collecting illegal campaign contributions, one count of conspiracy and one count of making false statements. The trial date for this United Methodist is set for January 30, 2012. A man, who opposes gay marriage due to his religion, cheated on his wife – a brave woman that died of metastatic breast cancer in December of 2010. “My faith informs everything I think and do. It’s part of my value system.” Interesting isn’t it, a religious man that wants to preserve the sanctity of marriage, yet he himself is a philanderer.  

      

"I have two grandchildren — Maggie is 11, Robert is 9, I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they're my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists and with no understanding of what it once meant to be an American."

Finally there is Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, and probably the closest representation of politico-religious duplicity. Gingrich, a Roman Catholic, also had extra-marital affairs and has been married three times. His first affair was with Marianne Ginther, and the second was with Callista Bisek – his current wife. What can be considered the vertex of his hypocrisy, Gingrich was leading the Congressional investigation into the allegations that President Bill Clinton lied under oath with regards to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. I guess he forgot the idiom, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Among his other lurid details were his eighty-four ethics charges that were filed against him during his term - Gingrich was ultimately sanctioned $300,000 by the House Ethics Committee.

Electing politicians that believe in god is one of the primary vehicles used to manifest a Judeo-Christian nation. Do you believe that it is even remotely possible that an outspoken atheist could be elected to public office? Pick any position in any field for that matter. It is true that religiously infused policies aren’t necessarily the norm; points, however, can be made to illustrate the attempts to make it so. The collusion between politics and religious institutions are plainly evident. Prayer needs to be brought back in school, intelligent design must be taught, homosexuality is ruining the American family and society – so don’t teach this aberrant behavior in schools, and abortion must be stopped for fear of incurring god’s wrath.

   

Arguments abound whether this country was specially constructed to be a Judeo-Christian Nation; I personally believe that we were not promulgated with such intent. While it is true the Declaration of Independence references “Creator,” “Nature’s God,” and “Divine Providence,” one must specifically understand that said declaration is not a governing mechanism. To extend further, “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” clearly indicates that the Bible’s standard of divine authority is irrelevant with respect to government. What must also be acknowledged is the conspicuous absence of God from the Constitution. Why is that I wonder? From a personal perspective, God is not a necessary utility.

The faithful are vehement about injecting their religiosity within the various macro and microcosms of society. If one will not convert and become a proselyte, you'll be forced to conform by way of legislative mechanisms. Be a heathen if you wish, but you will follow God’s laws one way or another. I recall one conversation with a person that reiterated this very sentiment. How quaint it is to hear the acerbic tone of the faithful. In part 3, I will provide more insight into the American public's perspective to the atheist/secularist view. At the end my elenchus will be provided.

   

 

An Atheist Libertarian on God and Government part 1

It can be argued that some people who create personal websites do so as a means to engage in self-aggrandizement.  I suppose such an argument can be equally applied to mine, although I tend to refer to it as a cathartic mechanism. My blog is designed to discuss atheism, critical thinking, science, secular humanism, and skepticism. I think what distinguishes my position from most of my atheistic brethren is the infusion of libertarian thought within my own stream of intellection. These two components, lack of belief and libertarianism, have assigned me a persona non grata status within my own sphere of professional relationships. Hence my need for the abreaction you see before you. 

The specific tenet of libertarianism, that I feel is congruent to my view, is the non-aggression axiom. This principle, deontological in form, states that utilizing aggression is both unethical and inherently illegitimate. Aggression, as utilized within the preceding reference, is the initiation of physical force against another or another’s property. As libertarian writer David Boaz has stated;

“Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others.”

To extend further;

“Libertarians defend each person's right to life, liberty, and property--rights that people have naturally, before governments are created.”

If I were to add a proviso to the aforesaid statement it would be, “…before governments and religions are created.” It is necessary to have this addition since religion seeks to usurp individual sovereignty and replace it with sanctimonious ideology. Detractors might say that religion does not forcibly restrict an individual’s liberty and certainly respects and observes the equal rights of others. This of course, is a fallacy. One simply has to hear our elected officials refer to god in their speeches, or see its infection within the political process. Proposition 8 (in California) eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry; this, as you know, was heavily backed by the Mormon Church in Utah (a thuggery-based construct to be sure). Mormons (and other denominations) see their religious tenets as a necessary element of socio-political dynamics - after all, they think it’s what’s best for society. 

As we all know theocratic movements are not isolated to Mormonism - other agencies such as Pastor Steven Andrew’s, USA Christian Ministries, illustrate just how important religion is to them within the political spectrum.

“Elect God Fearing Governments (2 Samuel 23:3, Exodus 18:21, Matthew 6:33)

"Obeying God as a nation brings God’s blessings to Americans. 2 Samuel 23:3 says, “‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33 to “… seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [economy] shall be added to you.” Will you seek..”

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”  (Proverbs 29:2)

"Why should the 80 percent Christian majority pay for public schools if Jesus and our Founding Fathers' Christian faith isn't taught? Our Founding Fathers fought for God's unalienable rights of Christian life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom comes from obeying God,” Andrew says. “Let's get active to bring back the Holy Bible and Christian prayer to schools.”

"We cry out to You for the USA to be likeminded, united in You. Jesus said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” We confess the sin of being divided as nation, and we repent."  (Mark 3:24-25)

"We ask You to help the USA remember that the only division is the division You say, which is between the righteous and the wicked and the one who serves You and the one who doesn’t. We pray for “liberals” who are anti-God and anti-USA to be convicted of their sin, and to take up their cross and follow You."

Even the Catholic Church, with all of its antiquated sensibilities, acknowledges the church-state separation while tactfully making the qualification that politics and religion are mutually inclusive. Who else would guide the moral values of the citizenry? I find this to be vulgar and hypocritical; the Church’s history of pedophilia should disallow them from even uttering the words moral authority.

The Mormon Church, Pastor Andrew’s Christian Ministries, as well as the Catholic Church (there are more), are doing their best to utilize the machinations of the state to enforce their artificial prerogative – thereby abrogating individual sovereignty. How does one exercise exclusive authority over one’s mind and body if zealots continue to maintain that a god dictates all of mankind’s rights? Presupposing that god’s purview is absolute, and therefore invalidates secularism, is nothing more than tyranny cloaked in ignorance. Liberty is confined, and defined, by those that believe that they are terrestrial emissaries – working on behalf of a god they’ve never met in person, but nevertheless believe that they have intimate knowledge of his ‘will.’

In part two I will show how politicians express their desire to utilize religion to alter the fabric of this nation.