There has been much ado about an alleged ‘War against Christians’ as some of America’s most famous and deceptive Evangelical Preachers attempt to mask their assault on America – and now the rest of the world. As unbelievable as it may sound, in this author’s opinion, the concept of “Nazism” is being embraced in the United States, not so cleverly disguised as “Christianity,” and the trend appears to be growing exponentially – with consequences that are affecting the entire world. This article from the Daily KOS – and the implications thereof, are perhaps the most troubling I have yet to witness:

Mega-church minister linked to paramilitary video game

by jhutson

Mon May 29, 2006 at 05:33:30 PM PDT

Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission – both a religious mission and a military mission — to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state – especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is “to conduct physical and spiritual warfare”; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.

The game, slated for release by October 2006 in advance of the Christmas shopping rush, has been previewed at video game exhibitions, and reviewed by major newspapers and magazines. But until now, no fan or critic has pointed out the controversial game’s connection to Mr. Warren or his dominionist agenda.

Time magazine has described Mr. Warren as one of the nation’s most influential Evangelical Christian leaders. He describes himself as a “stealth evangelist” and describes his training programs as “a stealth movement, that’s flying beneath the radar, that’s changing literally hundreds, even thousands of churches around the world.” He claims that he has sold tens of millions of copies of The Purpose Driven Life by developing a worldwide network of pastors.

The international director of Mr. Warren’s Purpose Driven Church, Mark Carver, is a former investment banker who serves on the Advisory Board of the corporation created in October 2001 to develop and market this game. The creators plan to market their game using the same network marketing techniques that Mr. Warren used to turn The Purpose Driven Life into a commercial success. For example, they plan to distribute their merchandise through pastoral networks, especially mega-churches.

This game immerses children in present-day New York City — 500 square blocks, stretching from Wall Street to Chinatown, Greenwich Village, the United Nations headquarters, and Harlem. The game rewards children for how effectively they role play the killing of those who resist becoming a born again Christian. The game also offers players the opportunity to switch sides and fight for the army of the AntiChrist, releasing cloven-hoofed demons who feast on conservative Christians and their panicked proselytes (who taste a lot like Christian).

Is this paramilitary mission simulator for children anything other than prejudice and bigotry using religion as an organizing tool to get people in a violent frame of mind? The dialogue includes people saying, “Praise the Lord,” as they blow infidels away. Link

When you finish reading this article – I hope you are struck with the same outrage that I, and thousands of Americans are expressing as they learn of this “game” that will serve to indoctrinate their youth, somehow circumventing God’s commandment of “Thou shall not Kill.” We all know that in self-defense and other extenuating circumstances it is necessary to take another’s life for self-preservation or the defense of your family; however, this game teaches that if you can’t convert them – then death is a necessary and justified consequence of refusing to accept their version of the gospel.

Time has dubbed Mr. Warren “America’s minister.” But Mr. Warren says that his agenda stretches far beyond America, and far beyond traditional ministry. He sees himself as the CEO of a global marketing enterprise, and as the Commander in Chief of a stealth army of one billion Christian foot soldiers.

The Director of the Peace Corps, Gaddi Vasquez, read a message of support from President George W. Bush. Then Mr. Warren called on his flock to support a $40 million capital campaign to expand missionary training facilities at Saddleback’s 120-acre campus in Lake Forest, California. He pledged participants to achieve a purpose-driven ministry overseas. His dominionist theology is apparent in this ministry. A key aspect of dominionist thought is a conviction that the Scripture gives the church a mandate to take dominion over this world socially and culturally before the return of Jesus Christ.

As I read the above passages from the same article, I felt the chill of Nazism again sprouting its ugly head – this time in the continental United States. The word “Nazism” has been used in abundance lately in describing the Bush administration, and until I read the above article, I have wondered how true and serious those claims were – but not any more! Nazi Germany targeted Jews, the disabled, and anyone else they believed unfit for the new Germany. Rick Warren and the Left Behind crew are not quite as choosy as the first Nazi’s were, as they target ANYONE, regardless of race, to be murdered if they don’t accept their version of the gospel – and take-up arms against those infidels that disregard their teachings. They specifically state that “to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state – especially moderate, mainstream Christians.”(No, they didn’t name Mormon’s specifically, but the Mormon Church is looked upon by right-wing Christians as a “cult,” so it would seem to me they will also be in the “kill zone…”)

The most fascinating aspect of the “Left Behind” game is that is does not follow the fictional account of the Book of Revelations as portrayed by the left behind series; rather it is a distortion and subliminal message to all those who will play – and that message is one of hate and death. I specifically remember that Captain Rayford Steele, Chloe, Cameron “Buck” Williams and other members of the Tribulation force were in battle against the Antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia. They were usually in a defensive mode – and at no time did they murder anyone that would not accept their beliefs. In fact, in the conclusion of the series during the last battle, there were still several thousands of “unbelievers” in the enclave they were still attempting to convert even while the battle was raging on¦

Further, how many of you remember the constant assault by Evangelical and conservative members of Christian groups that have opposed violence in video games, claiming they send the wrong message to our youth and condone violence? This game is rated PG for teens 13 and older – and violence is dominant and pervasive in the game. Without saying so, this “game” suggests that murder is OK – just as long as it is in the name of Christ, and you made an attempt to convert them to Christianity. Killing the “infidels” is the game’s ultimate message – and I fail to see the difference between this radicalization of Christianity and radical Islam, as the message is the same but only in a different language.

In summation, I consider Rick Warren to be a menace to the United States and to the world in general. No religion, Christian, Muslim, Catholic, or otherwise is above the basic laws of humanity – and to introduce a game that condones killing innocent people smacks of Nazism and hypocrisy – and makes a mockery of true Christianity. And yes Mr. Warren, I believe that you are a hypocrite, a power-hungry warmonger, and even worse is that you fleece your membership with a vision of the world that resembles what the Tribulation Force was fighting, and you do it under the guise of fighting for God – when it appears that you are gearing-up to do exactly what the Antichrist (if you believe the myth) was portrayed as accomplishing in the Left Behind series. If you really believe what you’re preaching, I have some very sad news for you – as I am sure that if the Antichrist is real, you will surely be one of those who are “Left Behind.”

UPDATE:

Left Behind: Eternal Forces comes out some time this year, and there aren’t a lot of details, but here’s the basic premise as I was able to infer from the website:

• The rapture has happened, so all the Christians are gone
• A bunch of people realize the error of their ways, and immediately become Christians after the rapture
• For some reason, it becomes necessary to blast the unrepentant to bits and hasten the destruction of the world
• Guns. Lots of guns.

Newsweek corroborates:

The game revolves around New Yorkers who are “left behind” after the rapture. Players scour the streets for converts, training them into a work force to feed, shelter and join a paramilitary resistance against the growing forces of the Antichrist.

Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon, whose company went public in February, says the game’s Christian themes will grab the audience that didn’t mind gore in “The Passion of the Christ.” “We’ve thought through how the Christian right and the liberal left will slam us,- says Lyndon. “But megachurches are very likely to embrace this game.” Though it will be marketed directly to congregations, Forces will also have a secular ad campaign in gaming magazines. link

Violent secular video games are bad enough. There are some really good WWII sims out there that make you appreciate how terrible war is, and the gore factor is top-notch, but more and more evidence is mounting that these games have a detrimental effect on the minds of some people.

The idea of religious video games that celebrate the death and eternal destruction of non-adherents – worse yet, that makes their annhiliation the primary task of the Christian community - raises my abhorrence for the Left Behind phenomenon to a level of utter disgust that I previously reserved only for racism and genocide.

Left Behind is to Christianity what terrorism is to Islam. Both are narcissistic and destructive distortions of otherwise (mostly) benign religions. Believing in hell or something like it does not require us to take pleasure or desire to participate in the destruction of others. If God wants to kill certain people at a certain point in history, that;s his business. And he can certainly do it himself. He doesn’t need any help from a bunch of self-righteous, overcaffeinated adolescents with bad theology in one pocket and ammo in the other. MORE

CLARIFICATION: This article has received a lot of attention, and it was my purpose to “unmask” Rick Warren and warn the public of his ulterior motives. In no way am I attempting to bash real Christians, only those who are using religion and the Bible as a means to accomplish their hidden goals. There are several “Mega-Churches” out there who are in cahoots with Mr. Warren, also attempting to “fly under the radar,- and unfortunately they are snaring real Christians in their trap – converting them from a solid belief in Christ and an adherence to Christian ideals to their brand of Christianity. To these people I say beware – and I suggest reading another article with a huge amount of reference material that will clarify the matter even more, and has received even more attention than this publication:

The Myth/Reality of Antichrist – and the danger to America!