Bush speaks of his "higher father", and he and the religious right are outspoken in their contempt of Islam and their desire to hurry the "Second Coming" along. Now, compare Bush and the religious right to President Ahmadinejad, and the similarities are striking.
[Via Telegraph Group] But listen carefully to the utterances of Mr Ahmadinejad - recently described by President George W Bush as an "odd man" - and there is another dimension, a religious messianism that, some suspect, is giving the Iranian leader a dangerous sense of divine mission.God, help us all. I'm not a theologian, but from what I've learned over the years I've spent in church, Jesus will come like a thief in the night, unannounced and unexpected. (Matthew 24:42-44) That's what makes these men so dangerous - they're trying to manipulate God for their own purposes.
In November, the country was startled by a video showing Mr Ahmadinejad telling a cleric that he had felt the hand of God entrancing world leaders as he delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly last September. [...]
The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return. [...]
All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour - denied by the government but widely believed - is that Mr Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran.
Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.
He is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.
This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus.
Mr Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable. [...]
The main rift is no longer between "reformists" and "hardliners", but between the clerical establishment and Mr Ahmadinejad's brand of revolutionary populism and superstition.
Its most remarkable manifestation came with Mr Ahmadinejad's international debut, his speech to the United Nations.
World leaders had expected a conciliatory proposal to defuse the nuclear crisis after Teheran had restarted another part of its nuclear programme in August.
Instead, they heard the president speak in apocalyptic terms of Iran struggling against an evil West that sought to promote "state terrorism", impose "the logic of the dark ages" and divide the world into "light and dark countries". [Emphasis mine.]
The speech ended with the messianic appeal to God to "hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace". [...]
9 comments:
I am certainly not a bible scholar either, but I have done some reading on the subject, and I'm not sure that anybody who really believes that we are near the "end times" believes that they can speed up events. I think that if they really had faith, they would only believe that they could be God's willing pawns in His plans. I'm certainly not in any position to judge anybody's faith, not the President's or anybody elses.
Although there about as many interpretations of Revelations as there are people who read it, I haven't heard of any that are consistent with our current events with Iran. Some believe that some time prior to the Second Coming, a group of nations will launch a very large sudden and synchronized attack on Isreal, which will be miraculously swatted out of the sky and never reach its target. Could this attack be from Iran with nuclear weapons? I sure as heck don't know, but if I were in power and wanted to speed up Armageddon, I might be tempted to allow Iran to try it. This isn't consistant with the administration's talk of pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
What I am hoping to convey is that nobody knows what the heck is going to happen before the Second Coming.
On the exact time of Jesus' return the Bible says this: Matthew 24: 36
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
For some to think that they could speed up history is just nuts, and as nutty as I think some in this administration are, I don't really think they are stupid enought to think they could rush God along.
Now having said all of that, do I think that it is dangerous for those in power to believe that the tribulations on Earth don't matter that much, because they get to go to Heaven when it is done?
Hell, yes.
The whole argument reminds me of the time that Justice Scalia remarked that the death penalty was really no big deal to those who believed in life after death. Why be careful here on Earth, after all, all injustices will be corrected in Heaven, right? While I might partially agree with the idea, I'm not willing to suggest we should be writing laws or foreign policy on that premise.
Hizzonah, I agree. I've learned over the years that you don't place cats where they don't want to be placed. And you certainly don't hoodwink god into doing what he doesn't want to do.
But I come from a different perspective. Suppose there is no god. But nutjobs like Bush and Ahmadinejad believe there is, and they also believe they are doing god's work buy pushing us closer to Armageddon.
What then? Boom - with no divine salvation afterward.
What then? Boom - with no divine salvation afterward.
Well, even though I believe in divine salvation, I agree its not wise to play "chicken" with the big guy.
Truth is often stranger than fiction
Another side of the story has it that Armageddon and the Creator are true concepts but the Vatican and Rome recast the original texts to hide the truth. Now scan forward to now, when Armageddon is truly unfolding, yet those who follow ancient Roman lies don't understand that the events symbolically modeled and encrypted by the ancient sages were meant to free humanity from money, religion, and politics.
Even more astounding, the Messiah is a true to life individual who is currently struggling hard to "make the blind see" by "opening their eyes to see the light." Read my FREE EBook to understand the truth...
I always interpreted these passages in the Bible (e.g., Matthew 24: 36 -- "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.") as an admonition to us not to fixate on that day but both to (1) live each day as if it could be the last; and (2) plan for the future as if there would be no end.
That may sound like a contradiction, but think about it. It's a pretty sound design for living.
I worry about this, too. Two sectarian crazies who consider each other enemies with the potential power to annialate each other? Scary.
Same rhetoric -- different leaders. All scary, all the time.
Somebody make it stop --- please.
Just to clarify my earlier comment. I'm not saying Bush and Ahmadinejad are nutjobs because they believe in god. I'm saying they are nutjobs who happen to believe in god.
Lots of thoughtful comments from everyone. We can't know God's nature, but as the Mayor and Abi alluded to, it's not wise to play chicken with the big guy.
Over the years, others have felt they were fulfilling a higher calling, i.e., Jim Jones, Hitler, David Koresh, etc., but they all acted out of depravity. That's what scares me about these men.
Motherlode, I'm familiar with those passage too and I agree they're a sound plan for living our lives. If today were the last day for mankind, we'd be focusing on the condition of our hearts more and worrying about the sins of others less.
Seven Star, thanks for dropping by and leaving a link to your book. I'll be stopping by soon to read and learn your viewpoint. Thanks.
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