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eaglesnick · 2 months ago

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“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” - Matthew 7:15-16

GB News is owned by Sir Paul Marshall and investment firm Lagatum

Sir Paul Marshall is known for several controversial incidents. Oxford educated, this privileged individual began his career with Blackrock investment fund before going on to co-found the Marshall Wallace hedge fund company with business partner Ian Wallace.

Marshall is a multi-millionaire and an evangelical Christian. The latter might explain why he is fanatically anti-Muslim, and why he has became embroiled in controversy regarding his liking and retweeting of anti-Muslim tweets

I am fervently against political Islam, not least because many of today’s conflicts and terror attacks involve Islamists either fighting other religions/cultures or killing each other. But I am equally against political Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. I no more want evangelical Christians dictating what I should or should not believe than I want any other religion to tell me how to live my life.

But it is not only Muslims who seem to offend Marshall. One post, retweeted and “liked” by Marshall, referred to people who do not share the same belief in God as the tweeter:

“…the other side is so passionate, so committed to worshipping Satan, evil, homosexuality and corrupting children, that even if god wasn’t real, believing in him to fend these demons off is preferable.” (Reported in Church Times: 25/11/24)

Does Marshall really believe in Satan? Does he really believe homosexuality is the same as worshipping the Devil? Is he truly saying that non-believers, agnostics and atheists are “demons” and hell bent on corrupting children?

These claims would be laughable if the man who jointly owns GB News and the Spectator magazine wasn’t seriously supporting and promoting them.

Ironically, evidence shows that it is Christian institutions that have been one of the worse offenders when it comes to child abuse.

Marshall worships at Holy Trinity Bromton (HTB) a South Kensington church frequently used for worship by fellow multimillionaires. HTB has been described as:

“the home of the evangelistic Alpha course, and a centre of the charismatic church movement.”

Charismatic Christianity places great emphasis on one’s personal experience of God’s presence and power. Despite viewing the Holy Spirit as an active and essential presence in their daily lives this has not protected the Charismatic movement from scandal over the years, often involving prominent church leaders.

One recent example is the case of Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC). Bickle has been accused of sexual misconduct, including allegations of abusing a 14-year-old girl before founding IHOPKC.

Here in England, we discover that Justine Welby, the now disgraced former Archbishop of Canterbury, also a worshipper at HTB.

“He was baptised there, married there and attended consistently until his mid-thirties. Some might say that it still owns him.” (Prospect: May 2024)

Besides HTB, Welby and Marshall have other things in common – questionable business ethics.

Marshall, through his hedge fund, made £19m by shorting the outsourcing company Carillion. Shorting involves borrowing a security, selling it on the open market, and then repurchasing it later at a lower price to return to the lender. Essentially, a short seller is betting that the security price will go down. It is interesting to note that Carillion was chaired by a fellow evangelical Christian at the time of its demise.

Put bluntly, Marshall made millions from Carillon’s collapse while thousands of ordinary workers suddenly found themselves unemployed. Is this really following the Biblical teaching which states in Philippians 2:4:

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Welby also has a dubious business past. While employed as an oil company executive at Elf Aquitaine he was involved in projects in Nigeria. This period has been heavily scrutinized, particularly regarding allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.. In addition, it has been claimed that Welby was one of Alf Aquitaine’s “finance sharks” employed:

“in a morally questionable plan to protect the firms oil interests in Nigeria in the early eighties.” (Mail Online: 10/03/2013)

Just as Welby stated he “had no idea or suspicion” about child abuse or its cover up in the Church of England, so he denies any knowledge of the corruption and human abuse violations by the company he worked for in Nigeria.

GB News lost £42 million in the last financial year. No profit-orientated business would tolerate such losses but GB News does not exist to make a profit. It exists to further Sir Paul Marshall’s particular brand of evangelical Christianity. It’s anti-Muslim, anti-liberal, anti-woke, often hateful propaganda, appeals to the baser instincts within us and it is gaining traction. It had 2.7 million viewers a month year ending May 2023, an increase of 17.8% on the previous year, but how many of these viewers know the true reason for GB News existence? Let this headline remind them:

“Hedge fund manager Paul Marshall is on a God-driven mission to transform the religious fabric of the nation–and he has the money to do it.” (Anglican.ink: The Marshall Plan, 04/04/24)

To my mind, anyone on a “god-driven mission” is only a short step away form religious fanaticism and we all know where that leads.

#uk politics #gb news #paul marshall #justin welby #corruption #millionaires #scandal #child abuse #muslims #homosexual #greed #false profits #religious fanatics

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clandestinewhore · 4 months ago

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𐕣 𐕣 𐕣

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agungrichardelvonscestmavie · 2 years ago

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_"Orang-orangnya Allah yang sejati akan selalu disebut fanatik."_ ~ C. T. Studd

#c.t. studd #gods people #religious fanatics #christian #fanatic #fanatics

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year ago

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The latest episode Honestly features something a little different. It’s a replay of an episode of my friend Sam Harris’s podcast, Making Sense. I wanted to put this episode down the Honestly feed—despite the amount of Israel-related content we have already published—because of the moral confusion plaguing this moment. It’s everywhere: from college campuses to Congress.

Sam, better than almost anyone I know, is able to speak to that confusion, with facts, nuance, and clarity. Read an edited excerpt below, or click to listen to the episode in full. Sam’s words are illuminating and well worth your time. —BW

Link: Podcast audio (1 hour)

By: Sam Harris

Published: Nov 13, 2023

In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack, it’s important to keep in view the bright line that exists between good and a very specific form of evil. It is the evil of bad ideas—ideas so bad that they can make even ordinary human beings impossible to live with.

There’s a piece of audio from October 7 that many people have commented on. It’s a recording of a cell phone call that a member of Hamas made to his family, while he was in the process of massacring innocent men, women, and children. The man is ecstatic, telling his father and mother, and I think brother, that he has just killed ten Jews with his own hands. He had just murdered a husband and wife and was now calling his family from the dead woman’s phone.

Here’s a partial transcript of what he said:

“Hi, Dad—open my ‎WhatsApp now, and you’ll see all those killed. Look how many I killed with my own hands! Your son killed Jews!”

And his dad says, “May God protect you.”

“Dad, I’m talking to you from a Jewish woman’s phone. I killed her, and I killed her husband. I killed ten with my own hands! Dad, ten with my own hands! Dad, open WhatsApp and see how many I killed, Dad. Open the phone, Dad. I’m calling you on WhatsApp. Open the phone, go. Dad, I killed ten. Ten with my own hands. Their blood is on their hands. [I believe that is a reference to the Quran.] Put Mom on.”

And the father says, “Oh, my son. God bless you!”

“I swear, ten with my own hands. Mother, I killed ten with my own hands!”

And his father says, “May God bring you home safely.”

“Dad, go back to WhatsApp now. Dad, I want to do a live broadcast.”

And the mother now says, “I wish I was with you.”

“Mom, your son is a hero!”

And then, apparently talking to his comrades, he yells, “Kill, kill, kill, kill them.”

And then his brother gets on the line, asking where he is. And he tells his brother the name of the town, and then he says “I killed ten! Ten with my own hands! I’m talking to you from a Jew’s phone!”

And the brother says, “You killed ten?”

“Yes, I killed ten. I swear!”

Then he says, “I am the first to enter on the protection and help of Allah! [Surely that’s another scriptural reference.] Hold your head up, father. Hold your head up! See on WhatsApp those that I killed. Open my WhatsApp.”

And his brother says, “Come back. Come back.”

And he says, “What do you mean, come back? There’s no going back. It is either death or victory! My mother gave birth to me for the religion. What’s with you? How would I return? Open WhatsApp. See the dead. Open it.”

And the mother sounds like she is trying to figure out how to open WhatsApp. . .

“Open WhatsApp on your phone and see the dead, how I killed them with my own hands.”

And she says, “Well, promise to come back.”

I don’t speak any Arabic, and it seems to me that not every word in the audio that’s being circulated was translated, but I think we get the gist. When I spoke to Graeme Wood about this, he said that to him, the mother and father sounded more shocked and worried than anything else, which would be understandable. But I would submit to you that this piece of audio is more than just the worst WhatsApp commercial ever conceived. It is a window onto a culture. As I told Graeme, this is not the type of call that would have been placed from Vietnam, by an American who just participated in the My Lai massacre. Nor is it the parental reaction one would expect from an American family, had their beloved son just called them from a killing field. I mean, as terrible as Vietnam was, can you imagine a call back to Nebraska, “Mom, I killed ten with my own hands! I killed a woman and her husband, and I’m calling from the dead woman’s phone. Mom, your son is a hero!” Do you see what a total aberration that would have been, even in extremis?

This call wasn’t a total aberration. This wasn’t Ted Bundy calling his mom. This was an ordinary member of Hamas, a group that might still win an election today, especially in the West Bank, calling an ordinary Palestinian family, and the mere existence of that call, to say nothing of its contents, reveals something about the wider culture among the Palestinians.

It’s important to point out that not only members of Hamas but ordinary Gazans appear to have taken part in the torture and murder of innocent Israelis and the taking of hostages. How many did this? And how many ordinary Gazans were dancing in the streets and spitting on the captured women and girls who were paraded before them after having been raped and tortured? What percentage of Palestinians in Gaza, or the West Bank, many of whom are said to hate Hamas for their corruption and incompetence and brutality, nevertheless support what they did on October 7 with a clear conscience, based on what they believe about Jews and the ethics of jihad? I don’t know, but I’m sure that the answers to these questions would be quite alarming. We’re talking about a culture that teaches Jew hatred and the love of martyrdom in its elementary schools, many of which are funded by the UN.

Of course, all of this horror is compounded by the irony that the Jews who were killed on October 7 were, for the most part, committed liberals and peace activists. Hamas killed the sorts of people who volunteer to drive sick Palestinians into Israel for medical treatments. They murdered the most idealistic people in Israel. They raped, tortured, and killed young people at a trance dance music festival devoted to peace, half of whom were probably on MDMA feeling nothing but love for all humanity when the jihadists arrived. In terms of a cultural and moral distance, it’s like the fucking Vikings showed up at Burning Man and butchered everyone in sight.

Just think about what happened at the Supernova music festival: at least 260 people were murdered in the most sadistically gruesome ways possible. Decapitated, burned alive, blown up with grenades. . . and from the jihadist side, this wasn’t an error. It’s not that if they could have known what was in the hearts of those beautiful young people, they would have thought, “Oh my God, we’re killing the wrong people. These people aren’t our enemies. These people are filled with love and compassion and want nothing more than to live in peace with us.” No, the true horror is that, given what jihadists believe, those were precisely the sorts of people any good Muslim should kill and send to hell where they can be tortured in fire for eternity. From the jihadist point of view, there is no mistake here. And there is no basis for remorse. Please absorb this fact: for the jihadist, all of this sadism—the torture and murder of helpless, terrified people—is an act of worship. This is the sacrament. This isn’t some nauseating departure from the path to God. This isn’t stalled spiritual progress, much less sin. This is what you do for the glory of God. This is what Muhammed himself did.

There is no substitute for understanding what our enemies actually want and believe. I’m pretty sure that many of you reading this aren’t even comfortable with my use of the term enemy, because you don’t want to believe that you have any. I understand that. But you have to understand that the people who butchered over 1,400 innocent men, women, and children in Israel on October 7 were practicing their religion, sincerely. They were being every bit as spiritual, from their point of view, as the trance dancers at the Supernova festival were being from theirs. They were equally devoted to their highest values. Equally uplifted. Ecstatic. Amazed at their good fortune. They wouldn’t want to trade places with anyone. Let this image land in your brain: they were shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) all day long, as they murdered women and children. And these people are now being celebrated the world over by those who understand exactly what they did. Yes, many of those college kids at Harvard and Stanford and Cornell are just idiots who have a lot to learn about the world. But in the Muslim community, and that includes the crowds in London and Sydney and Brooklyn, Hamas is being celebrated by people who understand exactly what motivates them.

Again, watch Hotel Mumbai or read a book about the Islamic State so that you can see jihadism in another context—where literally not one of the variables that people imagine to be important here is present. There are no settlers or blockades or daily humiliations at checkpoints or differing interpretations of history—and yet we have same grotesque distortion of the spiritual impulse, the same otherworldliness framed by murder, the same absolute evil that doesn’t require the presence of evil people, just confused ones—just true believers.

Of course, we can do our best to turn the temperature down now. And we can trust that the news cycle will get captured by another story. We can direct our attention again to Russia, or China, or climate change, or AI alignment, and I will do that on this podcast, but the problem of jihadism and the much wider problem of sympathy for it isn’t going away. And civilized people—non-Muslim and Muslim alike—have to deal with it. As I said in a previous podcast on this topic: we all live in Israel now. It’s just that most of us haven’t realized it yet.

many of those college kids at Harvard and Stanford and Cornell are just idiots who have a lot to learn about the world. But in the Muslim community, and that includes the crowds in London and Sydney and Brooklyn, Hamas is being celebrated by people who understand exactly what motivates them.

This is the nub of the current insanity. This is an extreme Islamification, supremacist movement, and you have stupid idiot kids who have no idea what's going on - many of whom would be murdered in a heartbeat and their bodies dragged behind a motorcycle to the cheers of the faithful - endorsing and enabling it against their own interests because they've succumbed to shallow "social justice" rhetoric, and you have the true believers who do know, and are more than willing to be supported by the useful idiots who will eventually be thrown on the fire.

"Israel is only the first target. The entire planet will be under our law." -- Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas Commander

#Sam Harris #islam #islamic terrorism #moral confusion #jihad #islamic jihad #Hamas #islamic violence #religion #exterminate hamas #islamic fanatics #religious fanatics #useful idiots #religion is a mental illness

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lenbryant · 8 months ago

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(Times repost) What’s Behind the Security Warnings for Pride Events?

Citing the potential for terrorism, the State Department, F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security urged those attending L.G.B.T.Q. events to be vigilant. Here’s what to know.

(As with most horrible things, it's religious fanaticism that's the cause of it.)

This June, as many travelers make plans to attend Pride Month events around the world, including New York City’s giant parade on June 30, security concerns are casting a shadow on celebrations.

A travel advisory issued last week by the State Department advises U.S. citizens overseas to “exercise increased caution” at Pride celebrations, events and places popular with the L.G.B.T.Q. community because of the potential for terrorist attacks or acts of violence.

That advisory follows a joint public service announcement on May 10 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that describes an increased security threat against Pride events in the United States and elsewhere and warns that terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to target the gatherings.

Neither alert mentions any specific threats or locations, nor do they advise against traveling. Here’s what to know.

What prompted the warnings?

The State Department is aware, its alert said, of increased potential for violence inspired by foreign terrorist organizations against the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

The F.B.I. and D.H.S. announcement pointed to a February 2023 anti-L.G.B.T.Q. article circulated online in pro-Islamic State circles. The ISIS messaging also encouraged followers to conduct attacks on “soft targets,” typically public places or events that are easily accessible.

Last June, the announcement said, the Austrian authorities foiled a plot to attack attendees at the Pride parade in Vienna with knives and a vehicle, arresting three people accused of being ISIS sympathizers.

The announcement also cited the eighth anniversary, on June 12, of the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in which an attacker claiming allegiance to ISIS killed 49 people.

The efforts to inspire violence against holiday celebrations, including Pride, are “compounded by the current heightened threat environment in the United States and other Western countries,” the announcement said.

How unusual is this?

Threats made against L.G.B.T.Q. people by terrorist organizations or their sympathizers are not uncommon.

Terrorist organizations can use such threats as a recruitment tool, allowing them to capitalize on shared prejudices, explained Colin P. Clarke, the director of research at the Soufan Group, a New York-based intelligence and security consulting firm.

“It’s another arrow in the quiver, and it allows groups to cast a wider net,” he wrote in an email. “Some potential recruits will be motivated by sectarianism, others by anti-Western propaganda, and yet others are motivated by homophobia. So, if it resonates, terrorist groups will use it as a form of incitement.”

The State Department maintains a web page with information tailored to L.G.B.T.Q. travelers, but a global security alert for Pride events is rare.

“The State Department’s recent worldwide travel advisory specifically targeting the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community is unlike any we’ve seen before, but it also aligns with the escalation of anti-L.G.B.T.Q.+ actions globally,” wrote John Tanzella, the president of IGLTA, an L.G.B.T.Q. travel network, in an email.

What should travelers do to stay safe?

“The first rule is to follow the advice and guidance of the Pride organization: They know their city and they know their event, and they will be working with police to keep you safe,” Steve Taylor, a board member of the European Pride Organizers Association and a leader of Copenhagen Pride, wrote in an email.

“Second, look out for each other,” he added. “Our eyes and ears are what will keep us safe. If something doesn’t look right, say something. And third, stick to the main events and make sure others know where you are going.”

In places like New York City, Pride event organizers are working with law enforcement and private security teams, as well as encouraging people to follow their safety guidance, which includes advice like having a buddy system and reporting any suspicious activity.

“There are bad actors,” said Sandra Perez, executive director of NYC Pride, the organization that sponsors the city’s Pride March, which drew 75,000 participants and about two million spectators last year, according to organizers. “What we know is we can’t allow their threats to kind of dictate our visibility.”

While people should always take safety seriously, she noted, there is also a power in the unity of showing up and celebrating.

When it comes to attendance at the march, Ms. Perez said, “The reality is, rain has sometimes a bigger impact than some of these other threats.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024.

#pride #lgbt #lgbt+#travel warnings #religious fanatics #refrigerator magnet #gay #lesbian #bisexual #transgender #gay pride

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