Paul's Passing Thoughts

A light version of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria would probably gain little more acceptance than ISIS Lager among most people. Of course, Protestants get a total pass on who they really are while preventing such a pass for other religions. I will give you a thousand bucks for every time you have heard a Protestant say, “Well, not every Buddhist believes what Buddha believed—the fact that he/she is a Buddhist should not automatically disqualify him/her for church membership.” Ya, right. Trust me, I will not be paying.

True, one reason Protestants get a pass on who they really are is because most Protestants don’t even know what a Protestant is. Many people understand Protestantism based on what Protestants tell them which is really, really bad information. In fact, Protestant icons like John MacArthur Jr. don’t even know what a Protestant is. Those of the present-day Neo-Protestant resurgence identify themselves by picking and choosing their identity selectively from Reformation orthodoxy. Yes, yes, the hallowed documents of Reformed orthodoxy; yet, they pick and choose what they want from these documents and pretend the rest is not there. It’s selective proof texting of doctrine and the rewriting of church history.

But when it gets right down to it, tyranny is tyranny. Collectivism is collectivism. And, zero sum life is zero sum life. Indeed, many, many parallels can be drawn between ISIS and Protestantism, but this post is about one. Let’s talk about child brides, arranged marriages, and the idea that the patriarch of a family, viz, the father, retains authority over the children indefinitely based on the 5^th commandment, “Honor your father and Mother.” But of course, per everyday Protestantism, “honor” really means “obey daddy.” Right. In all cases, Webster’s Dictionary is only correct if your local Reformed elder says it is. Always vet the meaning of words with your Reformed philosopher king lest you be brought down to hell.

Here are the facts: the Puritans and all of their wacky superstitions, those of the Patriarchy movement, and many more tyrannical groups, are all part of the Reformed tradition and in most cases good ole’ fashioned Calvinists. One stands dumbfounded in considering how the evangelical industrial complex gets away with picking and choosing how they want to be identified from the same body of Mein Kompf-like documents. Certainly this gargantuan scam depends on the fact that most Protestants have never read the founding documents of the Reformation. Certainly, most Calvinists have never read the Calvin Institutes. And likewise, most Germans never read Mein Kompf. I have continually challenged notable Calvinists to come on our radio program and simply comment on readings from the Calvin Institutes. They won’t do it because they know what is in there is a huuuuge problem, or else they know they have never read it while proclaiming to be an authority on Calvinism which speaks to a dilemma that needs little explanation.

So let’s discuss ISIS stuff like child brides and arranged marriages, and patriarchal authority over emancipated children; also Protestant stuff.

A Christian retreat for Quiverfull fathers to marry off their teen daughters has been cancelled after Raw Story readers expressed concerns that the event constitutes human trafficking and contacted the Salvation Army which owns the campground where that retreat was scheduled to be held in Wichita.

Quiverfull patriarch, Vaughn Ohlman, organized a “Get Them Married” retreat for the purpose of providing a weekend where ultra-conservative Christian fathers could network with like-minded families “(and their unmarried young men and women) who are committed to young, fruitful marriage and to help them overcome the barriers which have kept their children unmarried.”

The Raw Story article sparked outrage among readers and many were moved to action, demanding that authorities be notified in order to protect the children who were slated to be married off young for the purpose of procreating lots of babies for Jesus.

Readers discovered that Camp Hiawatha, where the retreat was planned to be held, is owned by the Salvation Army. I contacted a good friend who is a officer at the Salvation Army’s training school in Chicago, and she responded right away to let me know the Wichita corps has already denied access to Ohlman’s group for what would have amounted to a child trafficking “retreat.”

The Salvation Army responded by denying access to the group which is linked to the Duggar cartel. Also, the Quiverfull group has since cancelled the “retreat.” What is interesting is the group’s defense for what they believe right out of the Calvin Institutes. If you go to their website, and this page here, you find an exhaustive argument for their positions, particularly authority over emancipated children, from the writings of John Calvin and other Reformers.

Just saying, the Patriarchy movement is predominantly Reformed and Calvinistic, but mainline Protestants can distance themselves by labeling fruit from the same tree, “ultra conservative.” Listen, the idea that Protestant denominationalism is divisive is a misconception; it actually puts Protestantism in a position of plausible deniability that prevents them from being accountable for anything. The tree can keep growing bigger and bigger while evil fruit is deemed as, “secondary issues.” While the fundamental principles of tyranny march forward, cover is provided for its unlimited evil fruit via “secondary issues” nomenclature.  Protestant temples teach whatever serves to control the parishioners while answering objections via “Well, not all of the elders agree on that point.”

Again, everything other-than Protestant is not afforded the same standard by any stretch of the imagination. Mainline Protestant icons can support any group that shares their Reformed goal of ruling over the whole world while claiming denominational differences when such groups get caught with both hands in the cookie jar.

This is why Protestantism gets a pass on everything while bemoaning the unfortunate reality of denominationalism which is wholly disingenuous complaint. In this case (and Protestantism has the market cornered on this), every tree is known by its fruit except Protestantism. Yet, its uncanny similarities to other groups who share the same principles of tyranny are undeniable.

That’s because all come from the same tree with roots grounded in social caste and the authority of men rather than truth.

paul