Anyone here going to Glenn Becks 8/28??

[gabelpa]

This whole cult of character, on both sides, is getting out of hand.

[Mahonri]

This whole cult of character, on both sides, is getting out of hand.

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[FunkyTown]

I listened to the speech. It was pretty long on platitudes but short on specifics.

I'm curious what the tea parties hope to attain. Political movements aren't based on buzzwords. There are usually specifics about what must be done to succeed in a movement: The American revolution preached secession from the Monarchy, the Communist revolution preached revolution, the Christian movement after His death preached joining the Christian church.

While I applaud much of his platitudes, I wonder what he actually expects people to do. What... specifically needs to change and how would he change it?

[gabelpa]

I listened to the speech. It was pretty long on platitudes but short on specifics.

I'm curious what the tea parties hope to attain. Political movements aren't based on buzzwords. There are usually specifics about what must be done to succeed in a movement: The American revolution preached secession from the Monarchy, the Communist revolution preached revolution, the Christian movement after His death preached joining the Christian church.

While I applaud much of his platitudes, I wonder what he actually expects people to do. What... specifically needs to change and how would he change it?

This is the cult of character of which I speak. If he ousts Obama at the next election, what will we be left with? What are his politics? What are his goals?

The billionaire Koch brothers’ war against Obama : The New Yorker

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

Good reads, and provides the kind of counterpoint that anyone who gives a serious mind to politics must consider.

[Wingnut]

While the speech is moving over the Internet, the 'spirit' of the speech 'in person was phenomenal.

We met a number of good folks on the Metro, traveling from the Marriott in Bethesda to the event.

One devout Catholic couple from Philadelphia were a good example of the some 650,000 who attended. She came from Polish decent, her mother was a Nazi concentration camp survivor, he was Cuban and their family were late 50's refugees from Cuba to the United States. Both had become citizens the way folks should become citizens. Both came from backgrounds of oppression and lack of freedom. Her words to all of us were these, "I believe that Glenn Beck was sent from God and that he is literally a "modern day prophet". I smiled. I told them that Glenn Beck would tell you that he is NOT a modern day prophet, but he could tell you where to find one. She looked puzzled. I then told her about the blue book in the night stand back at the Marriott. I quoted verses from Moroni chapter 7 to her. She said, "You sound just like him". I said, no, we simply preach God's word, be it in the New Testament in John or Corinthians or Moroni. It started a great gospel conversation.

I can only imagine how many thousands of others felt the same as she did.

Many thousands didn't make it to the rally... they were turned away at distant Metro sites because the Metro had become overwhelmed. Lines at 9AM in Virginia were over an hour long just to get onto the Metro. The same was true for the Red line both from Rockville and also in the northeast....otherwise there may have been over a million people there.

There were no signs, there was no hate. There was only love, and love of God, love of country and love of Glenn Beck that brought all of us together.

Captain Moroni held up the Title of Liberty. Glenn Beck is holding out Faith, Hope and Charity.

Glenn taught thousands at the beginning of the rally about the ancestors of the Native Americans who believed in Christ. He taught of Moses. He taught about the blessings of paying tithing. It was truly worth the while to be there and see the FAITH and patriotism of true Americans who want to keep our freedoms and not have them taken away by evil doers and modern day Gadiantons who would tax us and our children because they would spend our birthright.

Truly amazing, the hour long speech by Glenn only gives a small bit of the flavor of the event.

We met people from all over the country, Minnesota, Alaska, Oregon, California, fellow Arizonans, Texans, folks from Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Mass., Connecticut... I imagine folks from all 50 states were there. There was old and young there. There were folks of every race.

8.28 will not soon be forgotten.

M

Good job on the missionary work, but this whole thing just makes me groan. It's uncomfortable and creepy. It makes his followers sound like mindless zombies.

[FunkyTown]

Good job on the missionary work, but this whole thing just makes me groan. It's uncomfortable and creepy. It makes his followers sound like mindless zombies.

I would say his followers are frustrated and angry people who have found their voice in Glenn Beck.

Unfortunately, Glenn seems to be fanning the fires of rage without offering a clear alternative. I'm not really seeing solutions from him.

I suspect based on what I've seen that the Tea Parties will either die out or someone will give the Tea Parties a voice and a reason for existing. Once specifics are decided on, then we'll know whether the Tea Parties are a great idea or something really scary.

When George Bush was re-elected, the Canadian Immigration website crashed because so many people wanted to move to Canada. Now that Obama's in, another group feels like its voice isn't being heard. I'm uncertain what the answer is, but at least we know how they feel.

[TL10]

While the speech is moving over the Internet, the 'spirit' of the speech 'in person was phenomenal.

We met a number of good folks on the Metro, traveling from the Marriott in Bethesda to the event.

One devout Catholic couple from Philadelphia were a good example of the some 650,000 who attended. She came from Polish decent, her mother was a Nazi concentration camp survivor, he was Cuban and their family were late 50's refugees from Cuba to the United States. Both had become citizens the way folks should become citizens. Both came from backgrounds of oppression and lack of freedom. Her words to all of us were these, "I believe that Glenn Beck was sent from God and that he is literally a "modern day prophet". I smiled. I told them that Glenn Beck would tell you that he is NOT a modern day prophet, but he could tell you where to find one. She looked puzzled. I then told her about the blue book in the night stand back at the Marriott. I quoted verses from Moroni chapter 7 to her. She said, "You sound just like him". I said, no, we simply preach God's word, be it in the New Testament in John or Corinthians or Moroni. It started a great gospel conversation.

I can only imagine how many thousands of others felt the same as she did.

Many thousands didn't make it to the rally... they were turned away at distant Metro sites because the Metro had become overwhelmed. Lines at 9AM in Virginia were over an hour long just to get onto the Metro. The same was true for the Red line both from Rockville and also in the northeast....otherwise there may have been over a million people there.

There were no signs, there was no hate. There was only love, and love of God, love of country and love of Glenn Beck that brought all of us together.

Captain Moroni held up the Title of Liberty. Glenn Beck is holding out Faith, Hope and Charity.

Glenn taught thousands at the beginning of the rally about the ancestors of the Native Americans who believed in Christ. He taught of Moses. He taught about the blessings of paying tithing. It was truly worth the while to be there and see the FAITH and patriotism of true Americans who want to keep our freedoms and not have them taken away by evil doers and modern day Gadiantons who would tax us and our children because they would spend our birthright.

Truly amazing, the hour long speech by Glenn only gives a small bit of the flavor of the event.

We met people from all over the country, Minnesota, Alaska, Oregon, California, fellow Arizonans, Texans, folks from Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Mass., Connecticut... I imagine folks from all 50 states were there. There was old and young there. There were folks of every race.

8.28 will not soon be forgotten.

M

You know, having for a slight distaste for Beck, it sounded like he actually handled things well. Though I'm not going to be a supporter anytime soon, it was nice to hear that Beck kept things serious and at a respectable tone. But Wingnut did creep me out with this point:

Good job on the missionary work, but this whole thing just makes me groan. It's uncomfortable and creepy. It makes his followers sound like mindless zombies.

I don't want to sound like a fradiy cat, but she is right.

[UrbanFool]

It's not like he's running for president. The whole thing was about God and love, not politics.

[Wingnut]

It's not like he's running for president.

Yet.

[prisonchaplain]

Good job on the missionary work, but this whole thing just makes me groan. It's uncomfortable and creepy. It makes his followers sound like mindless zombies.

I wasn't there and haven't followed the string closely. However, the reviews did mention religious overtones, and Beck's new internet blog site displays pictures of a good number of clergy (protestant, catholic and Jewish) on the platform. The "creepy" feel you sense may be due to some strong preconceptions about the politics.

11 years earlier there was a similar rally put on by Promise Keepers. Speakers included a broad spectrum of mostly evangelical leaders from many ethnicities and traditions. The core of the rally was a call to repentence on the part of Christian men for not living up to godly standards for fathers, husbands, and men of the church.

Yet feminists condemned the rally before it ever began. Many pro-choice and GLTB folk also dismissed it as right-wing religious/political triumphalism. During a particularly odd (for the critics) moment in the rally--when the participants were prostrate on the ground, during prayers of repentence, a reporter asked a spokewoman for the Lesbian Avengers what she thought of what she was seeing. Clearly frustrated at having no right-wing sound bite to condemn, all she could profer was "Isn't it pathetic to see a bunch of grown men groveling in the dirt?"

Glen Beck has some strong religious convictions, and those who follow his political commentary often do too. Critics ought to perhaps try a little less hard to look for hidden messages in every utterance Beck makes, and simply ignore him when he is innocuous. That they can't speaks more to their agenda than his.

[Wingnut]

The "creepy" feel you sense may be due to some strong preconceptions about the politics.

The creepy feeling is the idea that people think of him as a "modern-day prophet" (direct quote from the people Mahonri conversed with). I know who the modern-day prophet is, and it's extremely unsettling to me that someone with such a large following as Beck is viewed as such, because he does political commentary.

[prisonchaplain]

Keep in mind that for most Protestants the role of prophet could be fulfilled by anyone with a timely message that seems right on track with God's thinking. In pentecostal and charismatic circles (and a good number of Catholics are charismatic) we often speak of ministers and leaders "operating in the prophetic." It simply means that they have a knack for sensing especially appropriate and timely spiritual trends and happenings. Larry Burkett, a Christian financial analyst predicted our current financial crisis more than 10 years before it hit. We would say he proved prophetic. So, perhaps the creepiness index can be dropped a bit?

[UrbanFool]

Yet.

I like Glenn Beck and still can't imagine him running for president.

[Wingnut]

Keep in mind that for most Protestants the role of prophet could be fulfilled by anyone with a timely message that seems right on track with God's thinking. In pentecostal and charismatic circles (and a good number of Catholics are charismatic) we often speak of ministers and leaders "operating in the prophetic." It simply means that they have a knack for sensing especially appropriate and timely spiritual trends and happenings. Larry Burkett, a Christian financial analyst predicted our current financial crisis more than 10 years before it hit. We would say he proved prophetic. So, perhaps the creepiness index can be dropped a bit?

I appreciate the additional insight, but it still makes me uncomfortable. If that makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry.

[prisonchaplain]

I appreciate the additional insight, but it still makes me uncomfortable. If that makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry.

It's okay...comfort is rather overrated.

[Mahonri]

If you listened to the speech and didn't get specifics, then you didn't really listen.

It had NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS.. it's only the mindless zombies that think that it did!

It had NOTHING TO DO WITH OBAMA. Glenn Beck will NOT run for president! (But if he did, I'd vote for him. )

We know who the people were who were creeped out by Captain Moroni too and they weren't followers of God. Captain Moroni WAS POLITICAL and he WAS RELIGIOUS ... you can be both.

Beck offers a solution OVER and OVER again... it is: TURN TO GOD!!!

Those who have a problem with Beck, obviously have more of problem than being 'creeped".

Edited August 31, 2010 by Mahonri

[Saguaro]

If you listened to the speech and didn't get specifics, then you didn't really listen.

Beck offers a solution OVER and OVER again... it is: TURN TO GOD!!!

I still don't see any specifics, while turning to God is a nice ideal it offers no practical solutions. God is not going to come down and fix our country. Beck repeatedly tells us what's wrong with our country but if he really wanted to do something about he would run for office, but I don't think he will.

[MarginOfError]

If you listened to the speech and didn't get specifics, then you didn't really listen.

It had NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS.. it's only the mindless zombies that think that it did!

It had NOTHING TO DO WITH OBAMA. Glenn Beck will NOT run for president! (But if he did, I'd vote for him. )

We know who the people were who were creeped out by Captain Moroni too and they weren't followers of God. Captain Moroni WAS POLITICAL and he WAS RELIGIOUS ... you can be both.

Beck offers a solution OVER and OVER again... it is: TURN TO GOD!!!

Those who have a problem with Beck, obviously have more of problem than being 'creeped".

Thank you for illustrating what it is about Beck's followers that bothers me so much.

"If you don't agree with me/him, then you've got a problem."

Zombies, indeeed.

[MarginOfError]

I still don't see any specifics, while turning to God is a nice ideal it offers no practical solutions. God is not going to come down and fix our country. Beck repeatedly tells us what's wrong with our country but if he really wanted to do something about he would run for office, but I don't think he will.

He'd be a disaster if he did...he'd spend all his time researching his conspiracy theories instead of, you know, doing what he was elected to do. It would be fun to see a chalk board in the Oval Office though. His presidential addresses would get great ratings for that alone.

[skippy740]

Some of you are wondering what the 'specifics' are when it comes to Glenn Beck's message. Without even READING it, I can tell you.

1. Turning back to God - to know that we come from a God who loves us and wants what's best for us.

2. If we follow God's commandments, we will be blessed - individually and collectively.

3. With a better sense of self, we can help heal others.

4. When we can take better care of ourselves, we will quit looking for a Government to "bail us out" what we have refused to do for ourselves. We will seek for the answers to our problems with our God and not our Government.

5. As we improve in our own self-improvement and self-awareness of how we can take better care of ourselves, we will, by nature not look for answers in government that we can do for ourselves. This will cause the change in our nation that we need.

6. We will not be voting as victims to see what we can get out of our government, but as strong citizens helping to shape the destination of our country.

I still remember some you-tube videos back during the 2008 Presidential election - where people were saying "Obama will make sure my mortgage gets paid and gas in my car!" If you believed that, I have a bridge I can sell you too.

People who know how to take care of themselves and rely upon God DON'T look towards anyone else for their financial salvation. They don't need food-stamps, welfare or anything else to get by.

We have a nation that has become spiritually, financially and morally dependant upon the Government - and THAT is why we need to turn to God.

BTW, I've only heard Glenn Beck's show ONE time, but I did see his conversion presentation on DVD. This is also the message of The Book of Mormon.

Bottom line: Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you lose a Democrat voter! :)

Edited August 31, 2010 by skippy740

[prisonchaplain]

Beck is smart like Limbaugh is smart. Both realize that if you can win the hearts of 30%, you can build a powerful mega-radio show, garner millions in salary, and carry tremendous political influence. On the other hand, enter politics and your 30% won't even win you a school board primary...

[skippy740]

Okay, I've now watched a few minutes of the "Restoring Honor" rally.

Here's the problem: it sounds more like a Disneyland production.

The prayers, while the words sound good, sounded like men who wanted to hear themselves speak, instead of a plea to our God to help us.

Right message - wrong way to deliver it. Well, maybe to us Latter Day Saints. After all, our meetings are long and boring! :)

[Vanhin]

I like Glenn Beck. I agree with him on many issues, and I'm glad there is a voice like his out there today. I'm glad he is a Latter-day Saint. I think he is doing what Church leaders have encouraged all of us to do, and that is be involved. He just happens to have a job where he is heard by many people.

He's not "the prophet", but like many other people in history LDS and non-LDS alike, who have proven pivotal, I think Glenn Beck is an important player in matters concerning our country. I believe he is just as susceptible to inspiration as our founders were, or any of the noble civil rights leaders and individuals of the past.

I think he represents many people who are like me, or who feel the way I do about things, and he gives us a voice. Though I consider myself an outspoken person, when my opinion is asked, but I don't really take to the streets and make a big deal out of it. We're not generally the "activist" types. So, for many involved, this is a new process - yet they have conducted themselves peacefully at every turn.

I would like to consider the issues that people have with Glenn Beck, but I have yet to even see anything except ridicule and personal attacks against him. What does he say that you disagree with? Let's just talk about it.

On the issues, I think if you disagree with Glenn Beck, you are most likely disagreeing also with W. Cleon Skousen and Ezra Taft Benson (among others) who hold the same views about the direction our nation has been taking. Those are among the many who have greatly influenced Glenn Beck's views.

Regards,

Vanhin

[Matthew0059]

I still don't see any specifics, while turning to God is a nice ideal it offers no practical solutions. God is not going to come down and fix our country. Beck repeatedly tells us what's wrong with our country but if he really wanted to do something about he would run for office, but I don't think he will.

One of the Founders (I think it was Franklin or Madison?) said there were two types of people needed to run a country: those who formulate and institute good policy, and those who can translate that good policy and make it palatable to the 'masses'. Beck himself said that he's "not a thinker", and I agree- everything he gets he gets from reading the books written by historians and thinkers. His 'job', as he sees it, is to help one certain group of Americans learn and understand the principles of freedom adhered to by the Founders.

[Vanhin]

Okay, I've now watched a few minutes of the "Restoring Honor" rally.

Here's the problem: it sounds more like a Disneyland production.

The prayers, while the words sound good, sounded like men who wanted to hear themselves speak, instead of a plea to our God to help us.

Right message - wrong way to deliver it. Well, maybe to us Latter Day Saints. After all, our meetings are long and boring! :)

Yeah, to us displays of religion so openly are borderline priestcraft, but I think to much of his audience, that is the preferred delivery method.

I personally think he should stick with politics and keep the religious sermons to a minimum - not that he should be afraid to speak about his faith or anything. But then again, I think he is making the point that faith and religion in our daily lives should not always have to be on the back burner, and that it does need to be a part of our system of values as Americans.

Regards,

Vanhin