I was raised Christian and have seen this US-style evangelical ‘freedom at any costs’ mentality infect well-meaning people in NZ. How anyone can read the bible and decide Jesus would be about personal ‘freedom’ at the expense of others (to the point of tolerating white supremacy) is absolutely beyond me - complete cognitive dissonance. And so deeply culty. This piece on Voices for Freedom indicates it too is just an actual Scientology-style cult/MLM at its core https://twitter.com/conehell/status/1496282562150674432?s=21.
I have spoken many times here (thanks for listening fellow worms) about my radicalised antivax, VFF supporting mother. You guessed it, she is absolutely a fundy, and has bounced around numerous fringe Protestant groups for years. I think the link between doomsday catastrophizing and being antivax cannot be understated. She sees everything as a ‘sign’ that the world will soon end, but also since her core beliefs are inherently unprovable, her ability to think critically is practically non-existent. Everything comes back to ‘god’s plan’ and there is no trust in any government, the media or any experts because everyone is stupid and only *she* is in possession of the truth.
Maybe a slight tangent, sorry! But your mention of the New Conservatives got me. I’m becoming increasingly fascinated/baffled by Chantelle Baker and her followers. Her videos started out predictable enough but lately she seems to have seamlessly pivoted to shilling her father Leighton Baker (maybe NZ’s biggest failure of a politician? Had we not also been blessed by Colin Craig) as “the person NZ needs” etc. Her followers, many of whom are instantly ready to believe in whatever random conspiracy theory she chucks out have jumped on board calling him a great leader etc.
What’s my point? I’m not sure - I think I am just bemused/sad at how a group of people can be so taken in. These are people who seem to immediately disbelieve anything the government/mainstream media says, but when an “independent” news source starts promoting a figurehead they just follow along without asking any questions about potential ulterior motives.
Really important to have this out there. The veneer of decency is deceptive and completely ignored when the line about "only a few bad eggs" is trotted out. The danger is insidious not overt, which makes it worse
I tend to lump the alt right racists and the pentecostal churchy types all in together - with the straight up alt right racists at least being at least a bit more honest than the churchy types when it comes to their intent and agenda. The churchy types are just straight out manipulative a**holes, well aware of what they are doing in using their 'flock' in pursuit of their nasty hidden agenda, much the same as the alt rights'. Have heard this b-s rhetoric so often from religions that i makes me wonder why ANYONE in their right mind (i.e. not pentecostal or down any rabbit holes) in this country could possible vote for a conservative right wing government knowing that this kind of mindset supports it. Beggars belief. Sick and twisted shite of the highest order.
That quote “I am the gate for the sheep” gave me a moment of mirth. Funny how all the conspiracy theorists like to say the non conspiracy theorists are the sheep!!
Also I have gone down the Heavens Cult Porirua rabbit hole before - just tucked away innocently in amongst the shops. At least they’re not disguising their true nature there. It’s really just plastered out there for all to see.
Final observation: Peter Mortlock’s sunglasses. Is he styling himself after Eli Gemstone? Where the fuck do you even get sunglasses like that in NZ? The man is a walking caricature.
Feb 23, 2022·edited Feb 23, 2022Liked by David Farrier
Dominionists remind me of the ground work that Martin Luther laid for the German people culturally, as in teaching vile hatred for its own Jewish Citizens and their persecution in his time as virtue.
It was no surprise what was done to them eventually as there was a perpetual culture of the Church teaching superiority of self, hate of the other.
When comfort from faith leads to deluded action from a place of absolute certainty, superiority it's something else.
These elements in our N.Z society at glance seem like low level grifters looking for more followers and revenue. But believing they are destined to rule over us, and are networked to their U.S Mega Movements, l am concerned still.
I have zero time for religion of any sort. They are all as bonkers as each other but some are the most bonkers. Your mate Peter Perreaux made some damn good stereo gear back in the day: https://perreaux.com/about . He should have stuck to that though there is something almost cult-y about the audiophile community - or parts of it - as well (DAMHIK).
Firstly, I enjoyed Constantine so how dare you. Though it might join the ranks of movies I shouldn't rewatch like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Boston Legal, The Blindside, and Rush Hour.
Secondly, I think there has been a steady disconnect growing between conservative Christianity and the rest of society for a long time. I'm reminded of that graph in The Social Experiment, I think, where it showed how social media polarizes left and right so that there is barely any overlap. There are a large number of things which have changed which can and have polarized both conservative blinkered Christians and other Christians who slowly feel like their line in the sand is being crossed. I'm trying to make it mildly chronological and I'll make mistakes and ignore racism as a conservative value for now... but it kinda mighta started with, separation of church and state, losing "values" in media, with porn legalization and kissing on tv, with abortion, then moving onto LGBTQI+ rights, marriage, drug legalization, euthanasia, etc. These things can all offend Mortlock types, and lead them to mistrust anything that a supportive wokey leftish government run-by-a-woman-even does.
They're blinded, they can't separate their issues from reality because all their other rage and angst blinds them from engaging critically. They can't even see that our religion calls for us to take care of each other and have been sucked into the selfish MY RIGHTS screeeee sort of mentality.
I was raised a Catholic in an arch-Catholic country, yet even tho it was forced down our throats by the school, our families & even the state (church taxes!), very few of my compatriots were strong believers. The Church is waning hard in Austria - in a good part because of the unbelievable child abuse / coverups by Austrian Bishops & Cardinals close to the two previous popes!
That said, I was stunned to find out how many of my super cool, creative, solid AF Kiwi friends had been captured by Christian cults (never the Catholics it seems, here) in their youths. It’s almost like a rite of passage to have gone through some super weird culty shit in your awkward teen years, to come out a better human leaving all that crap behind you… mind you, I’ve also heard horrific stories of abuse & this is largely Pākeha friends. But I know few who haven’t at least been at the edge of something like the Churches you describe here in their teens - prolly around the late 90s / early 2000s. Any Kiwis here have similar experiences?
I was raised Christian and have seen this US-style evangelical ‘freedom at any costs’ mentality infect well-meaning people in NZ. How anyone can read the bible and decide Jesus would be about personal ‘freedom’ at the expense of others (to the point of tolerating white supremacy) is absolutely beyond me - complete cognitive dissonance. And so deeply culty. This piece on Voices for Freedom indicates it too is just an actual Scientology-style cult/MLM at its core https://twitter.com/conehell/status/1496282562150674432?s=21.
I encourage City Impact Church to reflect on the "My Body My Choice" t-shirts and signs outside parliament
I have spoken many times here (thanks for listening fellow worms) about my radicalised antivax, VFF supporting mother. You guessed it, she is absolutely a fundy, and has bounced around numerous fringe Protestant groups for years. I think the link between doomsday catastrophizing and being antivax cannot be understated. She sees everything as a ‘sign’ that the world will soon end, but also since her core beliefs are inherently unprovable, her ability to think critically is practically non-existent. Everything comes back to ‘god’s plan’ and there is no trust in any government, the media or any experts because everyone is stupid and only *she* is in possession of the truth.
Maybe a slight tangent, sorry! But your mention of the New Conservatives got me. I’m becoming increasingly fascinated/baffled by Chantelle Baker and her followers. Her videos started out predictable enough but lately she seems to have seamlessly pivoted to shilling her father Leighton Baker (maybe NZ’s biggest failure of a politician? Had we not also been blessed by Colin Craig) as “the person NZ needs” etc. Her followers, many of whom are instantly ready to believe in whatever random conspiracy theory she chucks out have jumped on board calling him a great leader etc.
What’s my point? I’m not sure - I think I am just bemused/sad at how a group of people can be so taken in. These are people who seem to immediately disbelieve anything the government/mainstream media says, but when an “independent” news source starts promoting a figurehead they just follow along without asking any questions about potential ulterior motives.
Really important to have this out there. The veneer of decency is deceptive and completely ignored when the line about "only a few bad eggs" is trotted out. The danger is insidious not overt, which makes it worse
I tend to lump the alt right racists and the pentecostal churchy types all in together - with the straight up alt right racists at least being at least a bit more honest than the churchy types when it comes to their intent and agenda. The churchy types are just straight out manipulative a**holes, well aware of what they are doing in using their 'flock' in pursuit of their nasty hidden agenda, much the same as the alt rights'. Have heard this b-s rhetoric so often from religions that i makes me wonder why ANYONE in their right mind (i.e. not pentecostal or down any rabbit holes) in this country could possible vote for a conservative right wing government knowing that this kind of mindset supports it. Beggars belief. Sick and twisted shite of the highest order.
That quote “I am the gate for the sheep” gave me a moment of mirth. Funny how all the conspiracy theorists like to say the non conspiracy theorists are the sheep!!
Also I have gone down the Heavens Cult Porirua rabbit hole before - just tucked away innocently in amongst the shops. At least they’re not disguising their true nature there. It’s really just plastered out there for all to see.
Final observation: Peter Mortlock’s sunglasses. Is he styling himself after Eli Gemstone? Where the fuck do you even get sunglasses like that in NZ? The man is a walking caricature.
I just put my little thoughts into a song
"Pull your trousers up, your nARSEcisim's showing
Your third eye is a brown eye
Your temple's portaloo
Lets hear your spirits talking
I hear they speak in dungs
Opinions are like arseholes
Reckons rhymes with rectums
You just see connections
I just see the full of your moon"
https://mrsterileassembly.bandcamp.com/album/speaking-in-dungs
What is John Lithgow doing at the Wellington occupation and why is he wearing those ugly glasses?
Dominionists remind me of the ground work that Martin Luther laid for the German people culturally, as in teaching vile hatred for its own Jewish Citizens and their persecution in his time as virtue.
It was no surprise what was done to them eventually as there was a perpetual culture of the Church teaching superiority of self, hate of the other.
When comfort from faith leads to deluded action from a place of absolute certainty, superiority it's something else.
These elements in our N.Z society at glance seem like low level grifters looking for more followers and revenue. But believing they are destined to rule over us, and are networked to their U.S Mega Movements, l am concerned still.
Once again painful article David for our times.
I wish I had the chutzpah to lie on my CV like Peter Perreaux does.
I have zero time for religion of any sort. They are all as bonkers as each other but some are the most bonkers. Your mate Peter Perreaux made some damn good stereo gear back in the day: https://perreaux.com/about . He should have stuck to that though there is something almost cult-y about the audiophile community - or parts of it - as well (DAMHIK).
Firstly, I enjoyed Constantine so how dare you. Though it might join the ranks of movies I shouldn't rewatch like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Boston Legal, The Blindside, and Rush Hour.
Secondly, I think there has been a steady disconnect growing between conservative Christianity and the rest of society for a long time. I'm reminded of that graph in The Social Experiment, I think, where it showed how social media polarizes left and right so that there is barely any overlap. There are a large number of things which have changed which can and have polarized both conservative blinkered Christians and other Christians who slowly feel like their line in the sand is being crossed. I'm trying to make it mildly chronological and I'll make mistakes and ignore racism as a conservative value for now... but it kinda mighta started with, separation of church and state, losing "values" in media, with porn legalization and kissing on tv, with abortion, then moving onto LGBTQI+ rights, marriage, drug legalization, euthanasia, etc. These things can all offend Mortlock types, and lead them to mistrust anything that a supportive wokey leftish government run-by-a-woman-even does.
They're blinded, they can't separate their issues from reality because all their other rage and angst blinds them from engaging critically. They can't even see that our religion calls for us to take care of each other and have been sucked into the selfish MY RIGHTS screeeee sort of mentality.
Thirdly, I'm rambling and will stop.
I was raised a Catholic in an arch-Catholic country, yet even tho it was forced down our throats by the school, our families & even the state (church taxes!), very few of my compatriots were strong believers. The Church is waning hard in Austria - in a good part because of the unbelievable child abuse / coverups by Austrian Bishops & Cardinals close to the two previous popes!
That said, I was stunned to find out how many of my super cool, creative, solid AF Kiwi friends had been captured by Christian cults (never the Catholics it seems, here) in their youths. It’s almost like a rite of passage to have gone through some super weird culty shit in your awkward teen years, to come out a better human leaving all that crap behind you… mind you, I’ve also heard horrific stories of abuse & this is largely Pākeha friends. But I know few who haven’t at least been at the edge of something like the Churches you describe here in their teens - prolly around the late 90s / early 2000s. Any Kiwis here have similar experiences?
1989 had some great acid huh?