Extreme Christian Fundamentalists and Christian Zionists are working, wishing, and praying for Armageddon as indicated in Sarah Posner's article below. They are making an impact on U.S. policy and calling for a U.S.- Israeli war on Iran to speed the process of warmaking, and ultimately, the Biblically prophesied Armageddon. The true believers are not worried but look forward to Armageddon, as they believe they will be 'raptured' directly to heaven while the unbelieving rest of humanity suffer the fires of hell for eternity.

The tendency of most normal rational people and the majority of Christians is to laugh and dismiss such obvious insanity.

However Bush admits to being a 'born again' fundamentalist Christian who consults with, and gets messages from God.

The religiously deluded Pastor John Hagee who very successfully spreads the 'End Times' 'Armageddon by war with Iran' message has regular visits with George Bush. Whereas 'End Times' people may be a minority in the U.S. they are a powerful wealthy and dedicated minority with friends in high places. They are working hard and continuously for what they believe in - their 'End-Times-Armageddon-soon' beliefs. Bush listens to them, but not to the wise informed and expert counsel of those who do not agree with his agenda. But Bush is the most powerful man in history with a huge nuclear, chemical and biological warfare arsenal at his finger tips with which he can kill all life on the planet many times over. Do people really trust this man to use his power wisely? Very few dare or care to oppose him. He has already killed over 250,000 Iraqis and wounded many more in his illegal war based on deceit. He continues his insane bombing and D.U. weapons campaign, multiplying his many war crimes for no legitimate reason. Many claim he is insane, deluded, uninformed, very limited, and lacking many of the important qualities one would expect of a President of the U.S.A.

It's useful to contrast this dedicated utterly convinced deluded minority group with the mainstream majority who are busy with their normal lives and do not wish to be bothered with the religious 'crazies'.

But the religious 'crazies' are winning the battle of minds that leads to irrational, senseless wars. It is time for normal people to examine their priorities - and their real values - and devote more time to saving the world from the many growing threats that threaten everyone. There may not be that much time left for effective political action.

The 'End Times' believers' philosophy happens to coincide with the Neoconservative war agenda, the interests of the arms trade and military-industrial complex and with the policies of Israel and the very powerful American Israeli lobby. They all want war with Iran for various reasons - the majority because the Bushcons have been conducting a demonization campaign against Iran, creating a series of lies similar to those used to deceive the public and get their support for a war with Iraq. Just as Hitler deceived the Germans and burned down the Reichstag, blaming terrorists, to get their support for various wars leading up to World War II, so the Bushcons are successfully deceiving their fellow Americans to get their support for a series of wars in the middle east.

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Lobbying for Armageddon

By Sarah Posner, AlterNet, August 3, 2006

In a perfect world, a reporter at last week's press conference with George Bush and Tony Blair would have asked Bush, in the presence of his principal European ally, if he believes the European Union is the Antichrist.

Although it sounds like the kind of Pat Robertson lunacy that makes even the wingnuts run for the nearest exit, it's a question Bush should be forced to answer. Bush and other leading Republicans have lined up behind a growing movement of Christian Zionists for whom a European Antichrist figures prominently in an end-times scenario. So they should be forced to explain to the rest of us why they're courting the votes of people who believe our allies are evil incarnate. Could it be that the central requirement for their breathlessly anticipated Armageddon -- that the United States confront Iran -- happens to dovetail so nicely with the neoconservative war agenda?

At the center of it all is Pastor John Hagee, a popular televangelist who leads the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. While Hagee has long prophesized about the end times, he ratcheted up his rhetoric this year with the publication of his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," in which he argues that a confrontation with Iran is a necessary precondition for Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. In the best-selling book, Hagee insists that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West. Shortly after the book's publication, he launched Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which, as the Christian version of the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he said would cause "a political earthquake."

At CUFI's kick-off banquet at the Washington Hilton, attended by over 3,500 members, Republican support for both Hagee's effort and his drumbeat for war with Iran were on full view. Republican National Committee Chair Ken Mehlman told the group that "no regime is more central to the global jihad" than Iran. Just two days before, Newt Gingrich and John McCain made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows to sound the same message, leading Benny Elon, a member of the Israeli Knesset, to comment to the Jerusalem Post that their remarks originated with Hagee. Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback also addressed the group, and Bush sent words of support to the gathering. Republicans, and even some Democrats, spoke at CUFI events to show their "support for Israel." But while public and media attention was on the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Hagee's focus continued to be on Iran.

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