Will Glenn Beck's Creepy "Black Robe Regiment" Use Churches to Sway Voters?

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.alternet.org/news/148049/will_glenn_beck%27s_creepy_%22black_robe_regiment%22_use_churches_to_sway_voters

Though Beck keeps insisting that his "Black Robe Regiment" won't be about endorsements, two members say their mission is to return to their churches and boost voter involvement.

Glenn Beck's newly created Black Robe Regiment -- which he has said would be apolitical -- apparently has a clear political direction, according to two of its members.

Dr. Richard Lee of the First Redeemer Church in Atlanta, Ga., and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, both said part of the group's mission is to return to their places of worship and boost voter involvement.

"We know the people of America are good, morale, decent people," Lee told me Tuesday. "If they look within their own hearts, they will vote the proper way and allow themselves to stand up at the voting polls."

Beck has repeatedly insisted that the new group and his recent rally would be apolitical.

On his radio show Monday, Beck discussed the first meeting to create the new group. He said: "I had a couple people that had helped put this together, and some of them had been involved in the Christian Coalition. And when I first called them and talked to them, I said, 'Look, I know you were involved in the Christian Coalition, but this isn't Christian, this has to be everybody, and it cannot ever be made about politics. If it's about politics, it's worthless.' And all of them said the same thing: 'Amen.' "

On Monday's edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Beck added: "If my church started to preach who to vote for, oh, the Republicans are better than the Democrats or vice versa, I would also leave my church on that."

But Lee said a mission of the Black Robe Regiment, a group of religious leaders that Beck announced on Saturday, is to get church members to use their voting rights and become involved: "It is to encourage our congregations to become involved in the process of restoring honor around the world and at home by being involved in the exercise of maintaining good will, including voting."

He added: "Voting is the voice of America. The public square happens in a voting booth -- America is changed one vote at a time."


More at the link ---

[redwitch]

1. The Black Robe Regiment.

That doesn't sound ominous or anything.

[DBoon]

4. Yeah, it certainly doesn't sound like some organization of thugs from mid 20th century Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackshirts

[foxfeet]

2. Good grief. Where's the Order of the Phoenix when we need 'em?

[Initech]

3. This is dangerous. Very fucking dangerous.

[applegrove]

5. It is almost as if someone told beck last week that he helped teabaggers to escape

from their religious masters since the last election cycle and now he has to help re-engage his followers with their churches for the election. Cause how else are they going to be reminded to vote gays and abortion if the religious right isn't there to direct the flock. Why they might even vote independant rather than strictly GOP. Then the dems would win.

Beck was just plain creepy in his speech in front of the lincoln memorial with its sudden religious overtones. Someone got to beck and told him to help trap the escaping teabaggers (escaping from the gop that is). Religion is the tool.

[Hugabear]

6. Black robes, huh? What happened, did his white robes get all dirty?

Yeah, a bunch of racist bigots wearing robes...that's not fucking scary.

[Rex]

7. So Becks new disciples are called the 'black robe regiment'?

Marvelous, stupendous! Just when I think the RWing CANNOT get anymore pathetic and worthless...they go and prove me wrong!

Excellent, we break at dawn!

BLACK ROBES! Huah!

I wonder if they will soon become the Blackwater Disciples?

Becks Eraserheads.