Glen Beck is an Idiot...

[Nick]

Well sure He is.  How else could the 10% flow of money continue for the Lord?

[screwtape]

Hatred and bigotry have a remarkable ability to self-resurrect...

Krugman and others believe there is a correlation bewteen right wing extremism and bad economic times.  When times are bad, people tend to turn to fascists for comfort.  Weird, huh?

[Whateverman]

Hatred and bigotry have a remarkable ability to self-resurrect...

Krugman and others believe there is a correlation bewteen right wing extremism and bad economic times.  When times are bad, people tend to turn to fascists for comfort.  Weird, huh?

Weird but (sadly) not that unexpected...

[Positiveaob]

"Bottom line," said Fischer, "Jesus...had capitalism in his DNA."

Brings up an interesting biblical fallacy.  How could Jesus have had DNA?  Where would his Y chromosome have come from?  Of course, understandable in biblical times when they had no clue what DNA was, but pretty silly now to think a man could be born with strictly his mother's DNA.  At best, he would have been a woman with Turners syndrome (google it).

Speaking of which, did he have sexual organs?  He would have known he would never need them. For hat matter, why would he not have just sort of, I don't know, appeared, fully grown on earth and done his thing, rather than going through the whole process of being born and waiting 30 years?

It never fails to amaze me that people still believe this nonsense in the 21st century.

[jedweber]

How could Jesus have had DNA?  Where would his Y chromosome have come from? 

Fundies think that God designed DNA anyway, so it's not much of a stretch for them to imagine that God divinely contributed male genetic material to Jesus:

Here's a fundie apologist who tries to explain:

God chose to implant in Mary’s virgin ovum a Y chromosome, which He created at conception all by Himself.  In so doing God the Father bypassed whatever defective genetic weakness would have been passed on through the Adamic (male) heredity genes (i.e. – alleles). 
...
When the ground was cursed because of Adam’s willful act of disobedience, the male Y chromosome was negatively impacted.  The male gene no longer held its prominence in the genetic structure and it became a meager 1/3 the size of the female X chromosome. 
...
Defective DNA was the result of Adam’s transgression after he disobeyed God’s commandment not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  God warned Adam that if he partook of the forbidden knowledge in that very “day” he would surely, “die.”  So it happened that when Adam sinned his physical body DID experience a mutation because his male mitochondria DNA structure was altered, making it impossible for him to pass his “life” genes on to his offspring thru conception.
...
Like all humans, at conception, Jesus inherited the mitochondrial DNA of his mother Mary.  Unlike any other human conceived Jesus also received the male mitochondria during the insemination of Mary’s ova.  God the Father insured the male mitochondria would be stored in the HEAD of the unique sperm cell He created in Mary’s fallopian tubes.

The combination of both male and female mitochondria during conception would supply Jesus with a sense of “life” within that enhanced the connection between his human spirit and his human flesh.  Having both sets of mitochondrial DNA made Jesus a complete human being, not lacking anything the first Adam had before he sinned.
...
http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/QA_DNA.htm

It's easy to come up with explanations when you're just making sh*t up.

[SherB]

The lengths to which they'll go to keep their dream alive... I wonder who thought up that whole DNA explanation? Did God put the information in his head? Did his mother drop him on his head? That's a more likely explanation. I know some fundies, though, and they come up with the weirdest shit to 'scientifically explain' the crap in the bible. On the jesus thing, though, I thought I read somewhere that you could clone a woman and make either a male or female clone. Or maybe it was if you cloned a man, you could still only make women, which wouldn't explain anything. Maybe jesus really wasn't a man at all, but a transgender and had female genitalia. After all, to the best of our knowledge, nobody ever saw him undressed and he didn't do the nasty with anybody. That would be a great rumor to get going in a fundie church, anyway! 

[Positiveaob]

God chose to implant in Mary’s virgin ovum a Y chromosome, which He created at conception all by Himself.  In so doing God the Father bypassed whatever defective genetic weakness would have been passed on through the Adamic (male) heredity genes (i.e. – alleles). 
...http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/QA_DNA.htm

Holy crap that website is hilarious!  Your excerpt doesnt even do it full justice.  What a mind-blowingly cockamamie explanation about DNA, mitochondria, and Jesus.  And I love the final line:

Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do so courteously & respectfully.  1 Peter 3:15

[PingTheServer]

How can someone like this seriously have his own tv show let alone millions of followers who watch him religiously!? He's at it again with his stupidity but at least there's one church that reconizes this.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/12/beck.boycott/index.html?hpt=C1

Sometimes I wonder if he actually believes anything he says, or if he thinks it out beforehand at all.  Part of me thinks that he says most of what he does for sensationalism and ratings.  Nobody can be that ignorant and illogical.  What is scary is that he has an audience.

[SherB]

How can someone like this seriously have his own tv show let alone millions of followers who watch him religiously!? He's at it again with his stupidity but at least there's one church that reconizes this.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/12/beck.boycott/index.html?hpt=C1

Sometimes I wonder if he actually believes anything he says, or if he thinks it out beforehand at all.  Part of me thinks that he says most of what he does for sensationalism and ratings.  Nobody can be that ignorant and illogical.  What is scary is that he has an audience.

He admits openly that he does it for the ratings and money, and that he has contempt for his followers. I'll find the link to the interview as soon as I have a minute. But you're right, it's his audience that is truly scary.

[jedweber]

Beck has been bringing on evangelical "scholars" recently to push revisionist history about America being founded as a Christian nation.

Here's a good example of the lies they spread and how they fall apart under examination:

No, Mr. Beck, Jefferson Did Not Date His Documents "In the Year of Our Lord Christ"
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/23/878589/-No,-Mr.-Beck,-Jefferson-Did-Not-Date-His-Documents-In-the-Year-of-Our-Lord-Christ-

Here are similar debunkings of two earlier claims made on Beck's show:

   

No, Mr. Beck, Congress Did Not Print a Bible for the Use of Schools
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/no-mr-beck-congress-did-n_b_598698.html

No, Mr. Beck, John Adams Did Not Think Governments Must Be Administered by the Holy Ghost
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/no-mr-beck-john-adams-did_b_608570.html

[jedweber]

Here's a great graphic which explains the workings of the "Goldline" scam Beck pushes on his viewers:

Fool's Gold: Inside the Glenn Beck Goldline Scheme
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/07/glenn-beck-goldline/

Click here for large version:

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/GoldlineGlennBeck4.jpg

[Nick]

It does not matter what proof you put up...true Beck believers will follow him to the ends of the Earth, get scammed, and love it.

[jedweber]

Glenn has now realized that the roots of Obama's ideas go further back than Karl Marx -- in fact, they go all the way back to Satan!

Glenn Beck's final swan dive off the deep end: President Obama reminds him of Lucifer
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-becks-final-swan-dive-deep-end

[Nick]

What insight this man has.  Why has the mainstreamed media not picked up on this connection?  Thank God for Glenn Beck and his fight to save us from this evil plot against everything this country stands for.  I pray for that man every day.  My first child will be named Glenn or Glennda.  Get off the couch and stop watching American Idle.  It is time to stand up and be counted.  Im making my way to Washington DC 8-28-10 to support this great man in his quest to become richer.

[kebib]

Glen Beck Imaginary (Godlike) Facts:
1) Glen Beck is God!
2) Glen Beck taught brazilian jiu jitsu to Chuck Norris !
3) Glen Beck is genghis khan
4)Glen Beck is Mel Gibson!
5)Glen Beck is Mr. Ol' Jim Crow
--Kebib :
 "An Atheist Still,Thank God ! "

[sammylama]

Glenn has now realized that the roots of Obama's ideas go further back than Karl Marx -- in fact, they go all the way back to Satan!

Glenn Beck's final swan dive off the deep end: President Obama reminds him of Lucifer
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-becks-final-swan-dive-deep-end

Beck is just a Grade A prick.  No talent.  Even Fox should be ashamed of this clown.

[Emily]

Glenn Beck deserves a sledge hammer to the face.

[Bereft_of_Faith]

The USA might be better off if Glen Beck, Rush et al would just drop off the face of the earth, however, I fear that there are more manipulative, hate-mongering liars just waiting to take their places.

When will this country stand up in unison and call them out for what they are?  When will the bigots and fearful that support them be decried?  The media tolerates them, even encourages them in their behavior, without censure.  How did we come to this time when we are powerless to stop fools from ruining the nation?

or in other words... 'hey, Glen Beck?  Don't get me started on Glen Beck!'

[Nam]

I heard on the news the other day that Glen Beck has ties to http://stormfront.org -- so, he's not only an idiot but a racist one at that.

-Nam

[jedweber]

^ What kind of ties? Much as I can't stand him, I find that charge hard to believe. If he's guilty of racism, it's much more subtle. You could accuse him of hyping up stories involving black people in an inflammatory way (the New Black Panthers, Van Jones, ACORN, etc.) but I can't imagine him cozying up to straight-out white supremacists like the people at Stormfront.

He makes a great point of denouncing racism on his show, I think he's sincere in believing that he's not racist.

[Nam]

^ What kind of ties? Much as I can't stand him, I find that charge hard to believe. If he's guilty of racism, it's much more subtle.

I saw it I believe on the Rachel Maddow show, I think, I wouldn't quote me on that.  But she (or someone else) was pointing out a website or person that Glen Beck had ties to who was a member of http://stormfront.org and that he advocated what he stood for, and his rhetoric, and all that.

He makes a great point of denouncing racism on his show, I think he's sincere in believing that he's not racist.

What he believes is irrelevant to how he portrays himself to everyone else.  Even if I didn't see/hear that on the news, I still contend he's a racist.  This is what racist's today do, at least the "smart" ones.  They always make it seem as if they aren't the racist but everyone else is, especially those they are adamently against.

-Nam

[Nick]

Call me nuts but today I caught part of Glen Beck's program.  He was making the case that America had an advanced civilization in Ohio and elsewhere in America long ago with large complex cities.  Then he tied it to Old Hebrew writings found in earth mounds in the America.  Without saying it he was trying to make the point that this might be the lost tribe of Israel like the Mormons like to say.  Being a Mormon himself I was wondering when he would start pushing Mormon beliefs.  I guess it is here even if he does it kind  of under the table.

[DVZ3]

^^^ Is he really a mormon???  My step dad always refferred to him as a christian....

[Nam]

^^^ Is he really a mormon???  My step dad always refferred to him as a christian....

A Mormon is a Christian.

-Nam

[DVZ3]

^^^ Maybe so, but certainly a different subset of christianity right?

[Nam]

^^^ Maybe so, but certainly a different subset of christianity right?

There are over 18,000 sects of Christianity.  Mormonism is one of them.  Catholics are one. Baptists are one.  etc., etc., etc.,  And most to all of them say that they are the only "real" and "true" Christians all the rest are fake.

-Nam

[DVZ3]

^^^ Ok, I guess I just showed my ignorance on Mormom's... Thanks for the clarification Nam.

[jedweber]

^ No, you raised a valid point. Most Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox at least recognize each others' "Christianity," even if they think their own version is the most "correct." (There are some exceptions, like the fundies who think the Catholic church is Satanic, but they're pretty much on the fringes.)

Mormons are quite different, because they alone among the major sects have added a whole new set of scriptures which they place on an equal footing (or actually a superior footing) to the Bible. I would still consider them Christian, since that's how they see themselves, but their new scriptures and elevation of Joseph Smith to the status of prophet - and source of divine revelation - does set them apart in the eyes of most other Christians.

[screwtape]

I don't consider them to be xians.  If I did, I would have to consider xians to be jews and muslims to be xians or jews also.  Mormons and xians use the holy books of the root religions from which they originated, but they added a lot to it.  In my opinion, that makes them a distinct and categorically different cult.