Sign of the Beast?

Welcome, Truthseeker, to the weird, wacky world of Wednesday church night! We have some fun stories to kickoff November for you...

It seems Ken Cuccinelli was a bit too kooky even for the Teabaggers to fully embrace. His buddy, Texas Rep. Matt Kraus is one of those crazy Christians that gives otherwise normal Christians the willies. Huffington Post reports on a video of Kraus at a political function in which he discusses the abortion issue:

"Krause and Cuccinelli got into politics so that they could transform America's pluralistic government and society into their version of Biblical Law.

"They are, of course, obsessed by abortion. They don't seem to care much about the babies that are born, because they are happy to cut them off from food stamps and health care and Head Start and school lunches. But they love the pre-born. Note that their next move is to introduce 'beating heart' legislation, and they'll keep thinking of anything they can to keep those abortions from happening. Because they know for absolute sure exactly what God wants and when He wants it.  

"I loved the part of the video where they were talking about 'God's man in the center of God's will is invincible.' Because they clearly know exactly who God is and what God's will is. Yeah, right. Do they know how arrogant that is? The man they claim to follow, a named Jesus of Nazareth, was pretty clear that humans are lousy at knowing what God wants, that humans aren't to judge because that God's job. Or maybe they never bothered to read Job.  

"My favorite part of the video was when Krause and his Christian comrade were talking about pro-choice demonstrators chanting 'Hail Satan.' Hail Satan? You know, I have been going to progressive rallies and events of all kinds, on many different issues, ever since my older brother and sister started taking me to them when I was 12 over 40 years ago. I've seen many more on TV, and heard literally thousands of accounts of them from activists I knew from all over the country. Never once have I heard a call of 'Hail Satan.' Haven't heard the phrase 'let's all worship Beelzebub' either, or 'please Devil come hither.' I have heard the phrase 'well, to give the devil his due' but I'm pretty sure it was a metaphor, and I will admit that in the warm-up music of one rally I did hear the Eagles' Witchy Woman song. But I don't think it actually meant that anyone was worshipping Satan or witches or anything. I feel extremely confident that if anyone was chanting 'Hail Satan' at that rally, it was Christian right wingers who wanted to be able to say they heard someone chanting it.

"Who are people like Krause and Cuccinelli trying to kid? I guess their very frightened followers. But to suggest that your political opposition is made up of evil, devil-worshippers kind of goes against the nature of pluralism and a democratic society, doesn't it?"

Yeah, I've heard some Pete Seeger songs, some anti-war chants, but nothing that approached a call to the Dark Lord at the political rallies I've attended. Fortunately, the voters rejected the Jesus of Richmond.

Then there's the story of the high school cross-country runner who decided she couldn't participate in a key race because she was assigned a satanic number. Yes, that's right. According to LEX 18, NBC's Lexington, Ky., affiliate...

"A high school cross country runner in Kentucky forfeited her chance to qualify for the state meet because she said it would have gone against her Christian beliefs to run with the assigned race number 666.

"Junior Codie Thacker of Whitley County High and her coach, Gina Croley, said they tried to get a different number for the regional meet from three different officials but were denied each time.

"However, a spokesperson for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association told the TV station that it wasn't brought to officials' attention that the request was due to religious beliefs. Had the officials known that, said the spokesperson, they would have changed the number.

"'I didn't want to risk my relationship with God and try to take that number,' Thacker said, adding that she's been training since June for this race. 'I was so nervous, I thought about it all week.'

"Croley said she knew the number would be an issue for Thacker as soon as she drew it.

"'I saw it and I was like, 'Whoa,' Croley said. 'I don't think she will wear that number.'

"Croley was right.

"'I told them to mark out my name because it makes me sick just thinking that my name is associated with that number,' Thacker said."