Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
That's the actual headline on a Worldnutdaily article, which is really just a written infomercial for a rally organized by one of their columnists, Janet Porter (previously Janet Folger). At the rally they'll be calling on God to save the country:
While the nation is riddled with soaring debt, government expansion, abortion, declining morality and a raging culture war, Christian and Jewish leaders are urging Americans to stop shaking their fists at their television sets and come seek the real solution to today's moral crisis by calling out to God from the nation's capital."May Day: a Cry to God for Our Nation in Distress" will take place May 1 from sunrise to 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
I'm guessing the only Jewish person who will be there is Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the wingnuts' favorite Jew (because he is one of them).
The group will repent for how the nation has turned from God in every area of influence: 1) business 2) government, 3) media, 4) arts and entertainment, 5) education, 6) the family and 7) religion."We're headed for a cliff," explained WND columnist and Faith2Action President Janet Porter, a coordinator of May Day. "Short of calling Congress and waiting for November, this is what to do: Fast and pray for our country in distress. On May Day, the national distress call, we won't be aiming our message at the Washington elite nor at media activists. It's aimed at God."
Porter called on Christians to take part in a 40-day fast prior to the event. She said participants will give up something important to them in the days leading up to May Day.
"We just want God to know we're serious about standing in the gap for America," she said. "We are calling the remnant to come and repent. It's a two-fold plan to not only pray but to proclaim what our founders believed - that we are one nation under God."
Vision America President Dr. Rick Scarborough added, "We need to let God know we're serious about turning back to Him and fasting from something - whether it's television, dessert or food - will provide the breakthrough we desperately need as a nation."
This "we've turned our back on God and he's going to destroy us if we don't repent" meme is not at all new. And where it started is rather ironic given this invocation of the founding fathers. Many preachers at the time the constitution was written made this same claim then in response to the new constitution.
Their argument was that the new constitution would bring down the wrath of God on the nation because it lacked a covenant with God or even any vague statement of reliance upon God, as had been the custom for centuries, and because it allowed non-Christians to hold positions of power.
Isaac Kramnick and Robert Moore document many such instances in their book The Godless Constitution:
So these claims are nothing new. They were originally made by the religious right in the 1780s against the very constitution that the religious right of today claims is an obviously Christian document.
Oh, here's my favorite part:
Porter said Cynthia Dunbar, a lawyer who serves on the Texas State Board of Education, will attend and ask God for forgiveness for how the nation has removed Him from American schools.
Yeah. You know who else we removed from American schools? Huitzilopochtli. You never even hear him mentioned, much less invoked as the fearsome god that he was. You never see it mentioned in textbooks that He demanded human sacrifices in order to keep the world from going dark as the sun was destroyed. No teacher in this country tells students that a portion of them must give their lives to Huitzilopochtli to save the world from his wrath. Maybe we need a rally to get Huitzilopochtli back in the public schools.
Politics
Comments
Well, how do you know God isn't still pissed about being left out of the Constitution? The fact that he's waited 235 years and counting to smite thee? Pah! As the Scriptures say, a thousand years is like a day to the Lord...
Lucky for us Canadians we stuck a token reference to the old guy in the 1982 Constitution! (And promptly thereafter returned to our usual sinful pursuits like socialized medicine, abortion, sleeping in on Sunday....)
Posted by: Eamon Knight | March 19, 2010 12:24 PM
[facepalm]
I have nothing to add. Really, what are we supposed to say to this? I guess we could explain it again, but what's the point?
Posted by: Brain Hertz | March 19, 2010 12:30 PM
And in November they plan to vote for the same corrupt, incompetent, asinine Republicans who played a major role in causing most of the problems they decry (or equally corrupt, incompetent replacements). The reality is they don't care how corrupt you are, don't care about the corporate giveaways, massive deficit spending, unnecessary wars, etc., as long as you hate on teh gay!!! and make sure that women have lots of babies, even if it kills them!
Were I a Christian (or token Jew), I'd be seriously pissed off that these cretins twisted my faith into a political rally.
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 19, 2010 12:35 PM
Dear God, I haven't had an Oreo in forty days, so please, please, please smite all the unbelievers. Hugs and Kisses, Janet.
Posted by: senor | March 19, 2010 12:46 PM
Wait, isn't May Day a commie holiday? The WND must be full of communists!
Posted by: foole | March 19, 2010 12:51 PM
Wait, aren't these people praying for this very thing every Sunday anyway? And sometimes during the week? Plus Seventh-Day Adventists on Saturdays (and Jews?)? Does God ignore them on those days but he won't at this rally?
Posted by: Brett McCoy | March 19, 2010 12:54 PM
"The group will repent for how the nation has turned from God in every area of influence: 1) business 2) government, 3) media, 4) arts and entertainment, 5) education, 6) the family and 7) religion."
Well, to address a couple of these (1 and 6); the Lard did give us a business model that included slavery, a concept that the Retardlicans have been trying to force on us for as long as I can remember.
As for family, Bible-god did bless the union of a man and 700 wives plus 300 concubines, as well as the concept of rape as a means of getting married.
How dare we turn our backs on those blessed Bible-god values?
As for government the scraptures says that leaders are selected by Bible-god, so I guess that means all christianist Obama haters should totally STFU?
Posted by: Fifth Dentist | March 19, 2010 12:55 PM
Christians have been bitching about the same things since Paul wrote his letters 1960 years ago.
You'd think they could come up with something new in all that time.
Posted by: Rob Jase | March 19, 2010 12:57 PM
Scientific evidence hasn't shown any efficacy of prayer for curing disease. Abundant empirical evidence suggests that the prayers of the Jewish peoples have been repeatedly utterly futile on very grand scales. Why would anyone think that prayers to fix the economy or deal with "immorality" would get more attention than prayers against genocide, even in a time and place where dollars seem to be regarded more important than lives.
Posted by: Doug | March 19, 2010 12:59 PM
It just now occurred to me what the end result of Right-wing opposition to fighting AGW is going to be. When the seas rise and hurricanes blow, and most of us are regretting our failure to act in time, the fundies will trumpet that it is all God's wrath. A win-win situation for them.
Posted by: BobApril | March 19, 2010 1:01 PM
I hope it rains.
Posted by: gski | March 19, 2010 1:05 PM
Wait, there's not enough God in religion? who the fuck are they praying to in their churches Bart Simpson?
Secondly, why do people always list "the family" as if it was a shared institution like a government or a church? There are families (plural) each one unique. If your family wants to pray to Odin, tithe to L. Ron Hubbard or refuse to let their gay son in the house then the fact my family doesn't cannot possibly affect you.
Posted by: Matty | March 19, 2010 1:12 PM
It wouldn't be rain, gski. It would be God's tears of joy.
Posted by: Dwimr | March 19, 2010 1:12 PM
Dwimr
Or god's urine of annoyance.
I've a mind to go down, point and laugh but these folks are not sane.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 19, 2010 1:45 PM
Go, Lemmings, Go!
Posted by: Chilidog | March 19, 2010 1:48 PM
I expect the references to family are a lick for the shadowy bunch that maintains the rent-controlled home for wayward politicians.
I mean since this bunch influences policy decisions here and around the world; what self-respecting thumper and jumper wouldn't stroke them?
Posted by: donquijoterocket | March 19, 2010 1:55 PM
Which is why they are holding it at the Lincoln memorial and not in the privacy of their churches.
Posted by: Jojo | March 19, 2010 2:00 PM
I've never been clear on what fasting is supposed to accomplish. It would seem that it does please God, since so many children in the world fast to death every day. Their God-given free will should set an example to people everywhere.
The Bible clearly shows that God is much pleased by killing something and burning it. Surely the event of May 1, from sunrise to 2 p.m. (at which time participants must depart to attend to other pressing matters), would better capture God's attention by filling the air with the fragrance of burning entrails. It would have the beneficial side-effect of preventing the temptation of the will of those children with what otherwise might be food.
Would it be too "meta" to torment a consecrated cracker and then nail it to a board?
Posted by: Doug | March 19, 2010 2:20 PM
Let me get this right, they want to do this on May Day? The Communist (and anarchist holiday? The day with deep roots in Pagan festivals?
Posted by: Chilidog | March 19, 2010 2:48 PM
can there be a mass orgy while listening to heavy metal afterwards?
or during. I'm indifferent
Posted by: VikingMoose | March 19, 2010 2:56 PM
@3:
I always was, back in the day. In fact, the decline of my fundamentalist faith roughly correlates to the rise of the Religious Right south of the border -- and from there it was all downhill to atheism. There's nothing like a little alienation to make you question the basic premises of an ideology.
@18:
If they have a BBQ brunch, would that be close enough? Guess not, if they're still fasting....
Posted by: Eamon Knight | March 19, 2010 2:56 PM
Posted by: Doug Little | March 19, 2010 3:07 PM
Posted by: llewelly | March 19, 2010 3:30 PM
I do so hope local unions, socialists, and anarchists choose to join their event since these kind christians are joining together on a holiday celebrating solidarity LOL
Posted by: MHR | March 19, 2010 3:35 PM
"Maybe we need a rally to get Maybe we need a rally to get Huitzilopochtli back in the public schools.back in the public schools."
The US has soldiers all around the world, as if we were already venerating the Left-Handed Hummingbird. Less Huitzilopochtli and more Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal!!!
Posted by: Prof.Pedant | March 19, 2010 3:39 PM
Well, the prayers certainly didn't work under Bush jr., and he was supposed to be on God's side. I just figured that Bush jr. and the gang of bat shit crazy people he unleashed in the form of wingnuts was the wrath of God. It sure felt like it anyway.
Posted by: Duane | March 19, 2010 3:43 PM
Well, I've no intention of being by the Lincoln, but I'll be up at sunrise in DC doing Morris dances (starting in Takoma Park). If we're lucky, we'll get more headlines than they will, though I don't plan on getting arrested to make that happen...
Posted by: Joe Shelby | March 19, 2010 3:44 PM
Honestly, I don't really have a problem with this.
If the options for we the people are to be perpetually stupid due to religion, scared due to the media, disinterested due to overload or lazy due to personal failings.. Stupid works just as well as the others.
Posted by: Buffoon | March 19, 2010 3:51 PM
hmmm...seems to me they have already given up something-- and for a lot more than 40 days. they have already given up sense and reason. they should pray for god to give it back.
how paradoxical for them!
(lol at god's urine)
Posted by: rob | March 19, 2010 4:05 PM
I'm not sure who this Jefferson person is, but the Enlightenment philosophers who inspired our constitution - Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin - would certainly favor a nation dedicated to the Christian god.
Posted by: Taz | March 19, 2010 4:12 PM
Posted by: Doug Little | March 19, 2010 4:33 PM
I hope they give up oxygen.
Posted by: Dr X | March 19, 2010 4:34 PM
Taz @ 30 - damn that's good.
Posted by: Michael Heath | March 19, 2010 4:34 PM
Hmmm. God's gonna have to decide whether to attend this, or the Kentucky Derby. I'm putting my money on the Derby, and also on Devil May Care (At the rally they'll be calling on God to save the country).
Posted by: jimspice | March 19, 2010 4:54 PM
Sorry -- copy/paste error. Inside the parentheses was supposed to be: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/contenders/devil-may-care
Posted by: jimspice | March 19, 2010 4:56 PM
Whats with the blakc block over Jeffersons first name in the book excerpt, did you use the Texas edition?
Posted by: Matty | March 19, 2010 6:15 PM
Apart from all the inanity, what bugs me the most is this complete all encompassing assumption that when they say God everyone agrees: to what it means, who or what it's referring to, and that it actually exists. At least they could say "my God", or the "Christian God." But without qualification, it could mean just about anything (a lump of coal for example).
Posted by: The Naturalist | March 19, 2010 6:39 PM
#15 @Chilidog ""We're headed for a cliff," explained WND columnist and Faith2Action President Janet Porter,
Go, Lemmings, Go!"
Actually, lemmings are more sensible than these people.
The myth about self-destructing lemmings is as widespread as the one about the water in northern bathtubs always draining in the opposite direction to the water in southern bathtubs. Lemmings will avoid danger (despite the bogus film sequences shot by Disney).
Lemmings and other rodents are quite pragmatic. They do not misuse their brains to produce Orwellian Doublethink, and they do not fast, or practise any other form of self-torment.
Posted by: Birger Johansson | March 19, 2010 6:46 PM
... every area of influence: 1) business 2) government, 3) media, 4) arts and entertainment, 5) education, 6) the family and 7) religion.
Dog-whistle alert: this is a clear signal that the organizers are part of the New Apostolic Reformation, the wannabe theocratic campaign stretching from Rick Warren through Sarah Palin to Ugandan gay-bashers, which aims to take over the (exact same) "Seven Mountains" of society.
A nasty but surprisingly successful bunch - watch out for them!
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | March 19, 2010 6:46 PM
Had I the time, money, and resources I'd move heaven & earth to stage a gay pride parade on the same day and site.
Kooks.
Posted by: CHV | March 19, 2010 7:12 PM
All I know is we better watch it, or the next earthquake will be even more powerful. Maybe this time He won't miss so badly.
Posted by: BaldApe | March 19, 2010 8:18 PM
Pierce #39:
Wow, good catch. I'd never heard of that before, but looking at the list you definitely nailed it.
Posted by: Brain Hertz | March 19, 2010 8:30 PM
I don't understand Porter How can America be "in distress" and heading "for a cliff" and yet be "under god" at the same time (and on a more trivial note, with regards to Scarborough's remarks, since when is "dessert" a separate category from food, lol)?
Posted by: daniel rotter | March 19, 2010 8:52 PM
It's nice to see that Rabbi Yehuda Levin is following his god's commandment to keep the sabbat holy. May first is a Saturday. - Dingo
Posted by: DingoJack | March 19, 2010 9:25 PM
Well, he did Smite the US. But as usual, his aim was off and he hit Chile.
Posted by: Badger3k | March 19, 2010 9:37 PM
They want to cry out to YHWH on Beltaine? Really?
Tards.
Posted by: Seeing Eye Chick | March 19, 2010 10:37 PM
The fact that they have an organization is almost enough for me to throw out the theory of Darwinism. How can people like this ever be considered "the fittest"?
Posted by: Cape May Wedding Photographer | March 19, 2010 11:36 PM
39: (re: photo in link)
Do the arm gestures of the blue shirts remind anyone else of another well-known group? The guy with the mike should be holding it in his left than, though, so he could be doing the "millionen stehen hinter mir" thing with his right.
~~~
Modern digital photo editing must be a great boon compared with the good old days when foam around mouths literally had to be airbrushed off.
Posted by: doug | March 20, 2010 12:29 AM
But it's not natural selection; It's artificial selection. Our culture demands that we select for these idiots, in the same way that past cultures selected for schizo in order to have shamans. TOE still stands.
Posted by: Gyeong Hwa Pak | March 20, 2010 1:03 AM
FTW.
Posted by: how | March 20, 2010 2:02 AM
Thanks Doug Little...
Posted by: AliSi | March 20, 2010 2:58 AM
Maybe we need a rally to get Huitzilopochtli back in the public schools.
I'm in. Counterprotest, here we come. "Keep Our Daughters Pure... So We Can Sacrifice Them" sign also a must.
Posted by: Jeff | March 20, 2010 8:37 AM
High praise to Pierce Butler @39. Yes, Porter does support the NAR, and yes, they are just as nasty as you say. And crazier than you imply. (There was a brief comment in a pdf by Rachael Tabatchnick on the "Transformations" videos that they produce when mentions in passing (page 10) that one of the rallies they held featured a preacher 'known for raising the dead.' Oh, really?)
But their craziness and Folger's doesn't make them harmless. They managed to get the Mussvenis to 'devote Uganda' to their cause -- at which time, according to them, thousands of AIDS patients were instantaneously and miraculously healed. (Been checking the news from Uganda recently?) They are a worldwide group, and theyv ae getting more active here. (The recent "Repent Amarillo" story shows a grouo that uses their techniques, though with slight theological differences.)
Ti get an idea of what they expect, did out that video of Thomas Muthee blessing "Sister Sarah" in Wasilla, and listen to the whole thing, becuase he lays out -- with a dash of anti-semitism -- the whole 7 Mountains idea. (Muthee is a major figure in the Transformations videos, btw, and is not some weird unknown African, he is a mega-church pastor in Africa and the head of a Network with hundreds of churches. We all laughed at the idea of her being blessed by a 'witch hunter' but these people do believe in the real, physical existence of witches, and demons -- and believe that homosexuality is demonic, btw. See Lou Engel of the Call and the Internbational House of Prayer.)
Folger Porter is even more fascinating, and I'm surprised more people didn;t recognize her. If you check out her web page, her column in WorldNutDaily, or her radio program, you'll discover someone who has almosy completed filling in the squares of the 'bingo card of the crazy.' Global Warming Denialism, Obama the Dictatorial Socialist, Suzanne Somers' cancer quackery, NAR, tentherism. She's, afaik, the only person to give a forum -- and she presents guests, she doesn't debate them -- to Jane Burgermeister and her charges -- sorry for the length, they deszerve to be seen in full.
So Folger Porter's just a religious version of Alex Jones? Not quite. As far as I know, even Jones admits he's on the fringes, and few people would risk their reputation by appearing on his show. He certainly never had nine different Republican Congresscritters appearing on his show over a period of nine days. Folger did a couple of weeks ago.
And no 'reputable' political candidate would appoint Jones to a campaign position. Folger Porter was 'Co-Chair of the Values Voter Coalition' for that (supposedly) 'sane Christian,' Mike Huckabee.
It's easy to laugh at these people, and they deserve it, but it's also easy to dismiss them because nobody would take them seriously. That's a mistake.
Posted by: Prup (aka Jim Benton) | March 20, 2010 11:58 AM
Sorry for the many typos, I rushed it -- first comment of the day before trhe caffeine fully kicks in -- because Folger Porter and the NAR are current obsessions with me.
Posted by: Prup (aka Jim Benton) | March 20, 2010 12:13 PM
If you hit Him, let me know. I have a few things I'd like to throw at Him myself . . . .
Posted by: ShadowWalkyr | March 20, 2010 12:14 PM
href="http://www.rationalrevolution.net/images/salute2.jpg" rel="nofollow">The ideal past: as seen by the Religious Right. Apropos of nothing, I just came across it. - Dingo
----
"One country, one language, one flag!"
Posted by: DingoJack | March 21, 2010 8:19 AM
HTML FAIL! Try:
The ideal past: as seen by the Religious Right. Apropos of nothing, I just came across it. - Dingo
----
"One country, one language, one flag!"
Posted by: DingoJack | March 21, 2010 8:21 AM
@ 39 P.R. Buttler
Thanks, I'll be reading up on it.
Is the New Apostolic Reformation connected to the (Rushdoony) Dominionism / Christian Reconstructionism cabal?
When I think about these deranged, dangerous organizations, I wonder how many of the leaders believe in the core concepts and who is in it for the money and power. Its' possible the leaders both believe and are greedy narcissists.
The Republicans did some slick PR in laying the groundwork (or hammering in the wedge) for this religious movement by creating the meme of "us good ol' plain folk" vs "the eastern elite." Palin even adding her twist to it with her: "small town values"; leaving her minions to imagine it's opposite - 'vs big city = no values = elites without morals.' It is not a very big step to move the meme from 'elites with no morals governing' to 'government is run by demons and witches.'
We should not take this movement lightly, time and again its' been shown that large amounts of Americans will believe anything if it is repeated loud and often enough.
Posted by: Pinky | March 21, 2010 7:59 PM
The problem is that God got out of the "nation blessing" business when he sent His Son to die for all mankind. In the OT, he "chose" a people (the Jews) who had to follow his laws a a group (or nation); in the NT, Jesus died and each person must accept his salvation as an individual.
How can people who blather on & on about "accepting Jesus in your heart" get their religion so wrong?
Posted by: Hypatia's Daughter | March 22, 2010 10:20 AM
'Vision America President Dr. Rick Scarborough added, "We need to let God know we're serious about turning back to Him and fasting from something - whether it's television, dessert or food - will provide the breakthrough we desperately need as a nation."'
What does Scarborough have for dessert, if not food? I'm puzzled, and disturbed.
Posted by: clamboy | March 22, 2010 3:39 PM
(Man, I hope this doesn't end up posting twice)
What if they gave a rally and nobody came?
At her May Day 2010 Rally, Janet's hopes and dreams crapped out as only a few hundred people showed up, rather than the thousands planned for. Hell, I've been to weddings bigger than this non-event. With the costs for the thing around $70,000, the speakers' prayers were larded with frequent pleas for donations, despite the fact the the organizers and leaders probably outearned the attendees 4 to 1.
While I desparately wanted to hear today how Janet was going to recover from this fiasco, I was unable to find out. VCY America, the station that originated and helps to broadcast her show, was dropped her from their schedule with the following explanation:
Because of the long standing of Faith2Action on VCY America, which has provided satellite services, air time, production, and line fees without charge, we know there will be many who will question its discontinuance.
VCY has been wrestling for months with the drift of the program toward "dominion theology" and ecumenism.
The following links bring up articles which describe the issues in detail
The Coalescing of the Religious Right with Apostolic Dominionism
May Day Prayers: What Repentance?
This has not been an easy decision, but a line has been crossed that VCY America cannot ignore. Faith2Action has chosen to go in a direction that is not consistent with the biblical position of VCY America.
What this boils down to is that VCY, while still in basic agreement with the core message of Janet's show (VCY still carries the the show of the late D. James Kennedy, whose dominionist tendancies are well documented), threw a theological snit fit over certain of the guests on Janet's show, and their connection to her May Day rally. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, as VCY's founder and operator, Vic Eliason, and his daughter Ingrid Schlueter, the heir apparent, were quite good friends with Janet. Others who broadcast on VCY were also connected to the rally, including VCY board member and Liberty Counsel founder Matt Staver. Bible fight! Bible fight!
All that this shows to me is that God has a fine sense of humor. Janet did indeed cry out to God. God simply replied, "Screw you, honey."
Posted by: General Factotum | May 4, 2010 1:56 AM
For further information, please see
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/vcy-drops-porters-radio-program-over-dominion-theologyday-e_b_561856.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alvin-mcewen/religious-right-head-dema_b_492631.html
Posted by: General Factotum | May 4, 2010 1:59 AM
Oops - wrong link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alvin-mcewen/religious-right-may-day-e_b_561856.html
Posted by: General Factotum | May 4, 2010 2:04 AM
While I desparately wanted to hear today how Janet was going to recover from this fiasco, I was unable to find out. VCY America, the station that originated and helps to broadcast her show, was dropped her from their schedule with the following explanation:
Posted by: video izle | June 26, 2010 4:50 PM
Hmmm. God's gonna have to decide whether to attend this, or the Kentucky Derby. I'm putting my money on the Derby, and also on Devil May Care (At the rally they'll be calling on God to save the country).
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Posted by: herbalife izmir | June 18, 2011 10:11 AM
Thanks, I'll be reading up on it.
Is the New Apostolic Reformation connected to the (Rushdoony) Dominionism / Christian Reconstructionism cabal?
When I think about these deranged, dangerous organizations, I wonder how many of the leaders believe in the core concepts and who is in it for the money and power. Its' possible the leaders both believe and are greedy narcissists.
The Republicans did some slick PR in laying the groundwork (or hammering in the wedge) for this religious movement by creating the meme of "us good ol' plain folk" vs "the eastern elite." Palin even adding her twist to it with her: "small town values"; leaving her minions to imagine it's opposite - 'vs big city = no values = elites without morals.' It is not a very big step to move the meme from 'elites with no morals governing' to 'government is run by demons and witches.'
We should not take this movement lightly, time and again its' been shown that large amounts of Americans will believe anything if it is repeated loud and often enough.
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