{"id":15570,"date":"2012-01-25T01:24:34","date_gmt":"2012-01-25T04:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=15570"},"modified":"2015-06-27T19:14:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-27T22:14:13","slug":"atheist-rock-beyond-belief-books-its-own-franklin-grahams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/25\/atheist-rock-beyond-belief-books-its-own-franklin-grahams\/","title":{"rendered":"Atheist Rock Beyond Belief Books its own Franklin Grahams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week’s speculation that the atheist Rock Beyond Belief would likely face more struggles<\/a> against US Army restrictions inspired an amazing onslaught of vitriol from the MRFF and its supporters.\u00a0 That the publicity-hungry event scheduled for the end of March might have another brouhaha in its future seemed\u00a0to strike a chord.<\/p>\n

The MRFF’s Chris Rodda didn’t mince words [formatting original]:<\/p>\n

THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSH–<\/strong>…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Strong words for something she supposedly considered so trivial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is possible Rodda really is <\/em>as ignorant as she’s implying, despite the fact her role as Michael Weinstein’s research assistant should have informed her of what\u00a0problems may yet\u00a0be experienced by Rock Beyond Belief.<\/p>\n

Last year Rock Beyond Belief organizers obtained copies of documents from Rock the Fort<\/a> through the Freedom of Information Act<\/a>.\u00a0 Though the information has always been in public view, ChristianFighterPilot.com is currently the only site to\u00a0highlight this fact from the Rock the Fort After Action Report<\/a>:<\/p>\n

“The bands and speakers stayed within the parameters that we gave them as directed by LTG Helmick<\/strong><\/em>, \u201cin other words keep it low key…share encouraging music and a gospel message with no statements that are critical of other religions<\/em><\/strong>.” [emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The three-star General at Fort Bragg directed the “bands and speakers” to stay “within certain parameters,” which included “no statements critical of other religions.”<\/p>\n

Reached for comment, Fort Bragg had this response:<\/p>\n

The sponsors of Rock Beyond Belief are undertaking this event as a private organization and will be held to the same standards as all private organization <\/em><\/strong>events on the installation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like Rock the Fort, then, Rock Beyond Belief must also adhere to “certain parameters.”\u00a0 Is Chris Rodda really prepared to say no “bands or speakers” in the atheist event will be “critical of other religions?”<\/p>\n

Given their lineup and its history, that’s hard to imagine.<\/p>\n

Richard Dawkins, Rock Beyond Belief’s headliner, is known worldwide for criticizing religions, which is apparently prohibited while he’s at Fort Bragg:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.\u201d
\n\u2015 Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMany of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where’s the harm? September 11th changed all that.\u201d
\n\u2015 Richard Dawkins<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWhen one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.\u201d
\n\u2015 Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cScience flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.\u201d
\n\u2015 Richard Dawkins<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Richard Dawkins has even said calling a child a Christian because its parents are Christian is “child abuse<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Other speakers are little different:<\/p>\n

Without The Law of Moses would we all be wandering around like little gods, stealing, raping, and spilling blood whenever our vanity was offended?
\n— Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?
\n— Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even Michael Weinstein is currently in the lineup, despite the fact he’s railed for years about conspiracy theories of evangelical Christians trying to take over America and institute a second Holocaust<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Plan A, evangelical Christians with a smile on their face will ask you to please, please, please accept their biblical worldview of Jesus. The problem with that is, inevitably, Plan A morphs into Plan B. They stop asking so nicely, and then you have the Holocaust, the pogroms, the Inquisition\u2026<\/p>\n

This country is going through \u2014 right now \u2014 a transition from A to B.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(As a self-described “secular Jew who prays,” Weinstein may be the odd man out in\u00a0the group of atheists.\u00a0 Of course, there’s no requirement that all Rock Beyond Belief’s acts be non-believers.\u00a0 Lead organizer Justin Griffith even once\u00a0toyed with the idea of inviting a speaker from ChristianFighterPilot.com.\u00a0 That <\/em>would have been interesting.)<\/p>\n

Rock Beyond Belief’s\u00a0lead-in musical act, the “glam goth” group Aiden, is more boldly anti-religion (with catchy lyrics like “Your Jesus is a f—ing c–nt”), and is a topic unto itself<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The concern from last week, then, remains:\u00a0 Given their lineup and their history,<\/p>\n

it is inconceivable how it is even possible for them to both follow military restrictions and still have their event as they\u2019ve planned it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If Justin Griffith and his supporters\u00a0haven’t considered this question yet, then, as predicted last week, there are some serious issues for them to overcome.\u00a0\u00a0Their past reactions to the Army’s treatment of their\u00a0event\u00a0indicate the Army’s reminder of these restrictions may not\u00a0go over well.<\/p>\n

It would be easy to argue these atheist speakers and “singers” could just tone down their vitriol toward people of faith and simply “celebrate reason” for a day.\u00a0 Ignoring the fact Richard Dawkins’ celebrity status is built upon his criticism of religion, a planned change in tone\u00a0actually sounds reasonable…but that’s not the position\u00a0Rock Beyond Belief supporters took when the shoe was on the other foot.<\/p>\n

Remember Franklin Graham<\/a>?\u00a0\u00a0The MRFF, with which Griffith is associated,\u00a0has expressed pride for getting Franklin Graham “disinvited<\/a>” from a military event because of what they called his prior “Islamophobia.”\u00a0 Quoth Weinstein<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Franklin Graham is an Islamophobe, an anti-Muslim bigot and an international representative of the scourge of fundamentalist Christian supremacy and exceptionalism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To Weinstein, Graham’s “anti-Islamic bigotry” was enough to disqualify him from speaking, by invitation of chaplains, at a voluntary National Day of Prayer event attended by a willing audience.<\/p>\n

It had nothing to do with\u00a0what\u00a0Graham\u00a0planned <\/em>to say, but\u00a0allegedly\u00a0his prior <\/em>speech about Islam.\u00a0 Justin Griffith characterized this as Graham being “banned” from a US military base.<\/p>\n

Franklin Graham was also marginally associated with Rock the Fort via the Billy Graham Evangelical Association.\u00a0 As a result, Griffith repeatedly harped on the fact none of his<\/em> acts had been “banned”<\/a> from a military base.\u00a0 Griffith said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Franklin Graham…co-sponsored (along with Fort Bragg) the Rock the Fort event. He has previously been banned from official Army events before, and it makes me wonder why his organization was given so much support. In comparison, nobody on our lineup, or on the Rock Beyond Belief staff has been disinvited from an Army event before.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Franklin Graham has already been banned from some government functions, by the Army itself. Senior Army officials pointed to controversial and offensive statements Graham made about Muslims and their religion<\/em><\/strong>: \u201cIslam is a wicked and evil religion\u201d. Statements such as these enrage the Arabic world, who are super sensitive towards any appearance of a \u2018new crusade\u2019. It is unthinkable that our government would want to associate with a man who says such things… [emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Griffith appears to miss is that he has booked his own “Franklin Graham” several times over.\u00a0 His acts and speakers have made egregiously denigrating comments toward religion — including beliefs held by fellow soldiers at Fort Bragg.<\/p>\n

Should not “senior Army officials” also<\/em> take issue with the “controversial and offensive statements” made by the acts Griffith has booked for Rock Beyond Belief?\u00a0 Is it also “unthinkable that our government would want to associate” with groups who will entertain US soldiers with songs about burning synagogues and calling Jesus a “c–nt?”<\/a><\/p>\n

After all, the military previously said<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking of [Franklin] Graham\u2019s past comments, [Army spokesman Col Tom] Collins said, \u201cArmy leadership became aware of the issue and immediately recognized it was problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added,\u00a0 \u201cThis Army honors all faiths and tries to inculcate our soldiers and work force with an appreciation of all faiths and his past comments just were not appropriate for this venue<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d [emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are\u00a0the “past comments” of Rock Beyond Belief speakers and musical acts “appropriate” for a public event at Fort Bragg?<\/p>\n

Critics have been quick to call Franklin Graham a “bigot,” including Justin Griffith’s legal advocate, Michael Weinstein<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0The acts booked for Rock Beyond Belief seem to be “exhibiting intolerance and animosity toward those of differing beliefs” — and yet no one criticizes their<\/em> presence in a military venue.\u00a0 If they’re intellectually consistent, even Weinstein and Rock Beyond Belief atheists should concede some of their booked acts reek of anti-religious — sometimes specifically anti-Christian — bigotry. Is that not equally disqualifying?<\/p>\n

Griffith is right:\u00a0 None of his acts have been banned.\u00a0 Maybe,\u00a0if the US military is to treat groups equally, they should<\/em> be.<\/p>\n

According to Griffith, Graham was banned for allegedly doing what his <\/em>acts have done.\u00a0 In addition,\u00a0the Christian event this emulates was specifically directed <\/em>by the Army not to denigrate other faiths — yet that appears to be precisely what Rock Beyond Belief plans <\/em>to do.\u00a0 Their only “out” is if they claim the restriction on denigration was unique to Rock the Fort and is not a normal policy levied on private organizations.\u00a0 If that’s the case, though, they’ll be admitting Christian events have more restrictions put on them than atheist ones.\u00a0 That’s not exactly the equal treatment they claim they’re seeking.<\/p>\n

Contrary to some cries of persecution, “non-religious” concerts, speeches, and other events occur on military facilities with regularity.\u00a0 Rock Beyond Belief should <\/em>be no different.\u00a0 In that regard, the only drama surrounding Rock Beyond Belief is manufactured.\u00a0 The Army said months ago they could hold their “festival,” and they should <\/em>be able to hold their event, if they can meet the same restrictions as every other group the Army allows to use its facilities.\u00a0 Of course, by at least one atheist’s characterization, some of the booked acts should probably be “banned.”<\/p>\n

But\u00a0if their acts are <\/em>banned, will Rock Beyond Belief still happen on March 31st?<\/p>\n

Therein lies the question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week’s speculation that the atheist Rock Beyond Belief would likely face more struggles against US Army restrictions inspired an amazing onslaught of vitriol from the MRFF and its supporters.\u00a0 That the publicity-hungry event scheduled for the end of March might have another brouhaha in its future seemed\u00a0to strike a chord. The MRFF’s Chris Rodda didn’t mince words [formatting original]: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2802,88,20,1009,175,96,2801,2160,1023,1025,406,44,39,1055,85,2,5218,7,17,10,171,1521,1126,1056,421],"class_list":["post-15570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-government-and-religion","tag-aiden","tag-army","tag-atheism","tag-bigot","tag-chris-rodda","tag-christian","tag-dan-barker","tag-foia","tag-fort-bragg","tag-frank-helmick","tag-franklin-graham","tag-islam","tag-jewish","tag-justin-griffith","tag-mikey-weinstein","tag-military","tag-military-religious-freedom-foundation","tag-mrff","tag-religious-expression","tag-religion","tag-religious-freedom","tag-richard-dawkins","tag-rock-beyond-belief","tag-rock-the-fort","tag-tom-collins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15570\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}