Glenn Beck, Cult Leader

Filed in National by on March 10, 2010

The leaders of cults tend to be charismatic individuals who brainwash their followers. They do this by isolating them from their friends and family so that the members are dependent on the cult leader for their world view. They also make distinctions between “us” and “them,” with “us” as the good guys and “them” as evil forces of darkness. Glenn Beck sounds more like a cult leader with every passing day:

On his radio show yesterday, right-wing host Glenn Beck warned his audience about churches that care about social justice. As the deranged media personality sees it, “social justice” is code for … something nefarious.

“I’m begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them … are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!”

I’m not a theologian, but it’s my understanding that most of the world’s major, monotheistic faith traditions embrace “social justice” as a fundamental pillar. Beck just encouraged a whole lot of people to abandon a whole lot of houses of worship.

So, now he’s telling his worshipers audience to leave their church because it may be doing something nefarious. I can’t wait to see his whiteboard diagram connecting the church with OLIGARHS. I keep wondering when Glenn Beck will go too far and just be too crazy for mainstream television. Now?

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Comments (8)

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  1. V says:

    next it’ll be churches with “social programs” (because obviously they are also marxist nazi operations) so if you church provides discounted childcare, operares a soup kitchen or homeless shelter you better hurry your ass out of there!

  2. Scott P says:

    I’m assuming that for Beck, “social justice” means “help the poor”, which, since he’s not poor, means it has no redeeming value. Much the same way that “civil rights legislation” means “give-away to undeserving black people” in Limbaugh-speak.

  3. Beck grew up so poor that he had to use bread bags for overboots.

    I heard the program in question while I was driving to call. There is nothing said that most Evangelical leaders haven’t said. Liberation Theology is warmed over Marxism not a call to charity. You may disagree with that (I don’t know how since the founders were self declared Marxists.), but your second hand mischaracterizations are getting old. He was quite clear about his support for Church based charity. Your source had to intentionally twist this. Par for the course.

  4. Quoting Beck is twisting his words. OK then.

  5. Von Cracker says:

    beck is a performer whose ego is in overdrive.

    remember, he’s nothing more than a radio shock jock looking for ratings.

    think back 20 years ago when the Greeseman was sooooo cool, talking dirty, making weird noises and such, but now if you listen to those same broadcasts, it’s like “what the fuck was I thinking when I liked that shit?”

    but rubes will be rubes and people will say and do shit for money.

    a cult leader? no, he’s a confidence man. nothing more.

  6. cassandra m says:

    Liberation Theology isn’t exactly the same thing as social justice causes, either. Not to mention that much of the grownup actions of Jesus Christ were largely in the service of social justice. Not much of a surprise that the showily pious amongst us wouldn’t know that.

  7. Von Cracker says:

    but he is a member of a particular cult, not the leader though…

  8. Von Cracker says:

    wait, let me correct that – he’s a member of a sub-cult of a cult.

    there, that’s better.