Paranoia, Guns, & Christian Fundamentalist Groups In SA

Recently while looking over the postings on the links page of a group affiliated to a larger local anti-gay hate group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christianview/links), I found the following items:

"! A great site about Survival Survivalism Homesteading plus Firearms A website with a huge amount of info about wilderness survival, survival Training, survival skills, homesteading, preparedness, survival Navigation, survival First aid, self defense, survival books, survival guides, survivalism, firearms, handguns, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, military manuals, us army manuals, navy manuals, marine manuals, survival books, survival manuals, survivalist, survival Navigation, survival First aid, Army Survival Manual, survival Shelter, survival retreat, Survival priorities, Other survival skills, desert survival, Natural disaster survival, tornadoe survival, Hunting, Bushcraft, underground shelters, Survival knife, storing food, fallout shelters, survivalists, Civil Defense, nuclear war survival, nuclear survival, terrorist attacks survival, Bug Out Bag, BOB, survival Training, sere, patriots, sere manual, military guides, backpacking, camping, combat, disaster, emergency, emergency kits, http://www.survivalebooks.com/

! A very nice Survival plus gun forum called survivalismforum.com They have neat info about how to get concealed weapons licenses permits CCW survival gun info survival retreats how to's wilderness survival wilderness skills survivalist info survivalism info homesteading info gold mining gold prospecting military manuals gun manuals survival manuals and army field manuals army technical manuals."

Surprisingly both items were posted by a woman - and a straight (presumably) Christian fundamentalist! Now I have to ask myself: Is somebody expecting a war?

 

Should we?

This is South Africa - a country where many of the most vocal people who fight for gun ownership rights also fight against equality for gay and transgender citizens. 

 

Now I don't know about you, but that certainly looks like food for thought to me. Yummy.

I can grasp the need for some groups of people to stand with their backs toward each other in order to have the dutch courage to face the world around them, and even to arm themselves for various reasons - but what I really find puzzling is that these posts were found on a Christian fundamentalist group wall! What happened to 'turn the other cheek' or 'love thy neighbor'? While I realize that many people hate gay and transgender people, and while the above postings were not directly related to the topic of gay or trans people - they were posted on a site replete with topics unique to religious fundamentalists - their obsession with abortion, prostitution, whether or not Christmas is still relevant, the shocking decline in public morality (tsk, tsk) - and homosexual perverts 'recruiting' in "our schools", "threatening Christianity", "the church" and "the family". I still find this connection - and their reasoning skills rather puzzling.

This clearly ties in with certain similar groups in the USA - bigot and fruitcake central as far as the religious right wing is concerned - where even wingnut groups like the KKK and American Socialist Workers (Nazi) Party consider themselves "Christian". Like their persistent and ubiquitous intolerance of diversity, I just find the Christian fundamentalist obsession with firearms and survivalist training and the obvious "persecution complex" a curious contradiction - and a manifestation of their inherent paranoia. It makes me wonder what - or WHO they are so frightened of?

The fact that most of these groups are based in Cape Town and KZN, but predominantly in Cape Town, also makes me wonder about a few things. Perhaps it is something in the water?

I mean, they only think they are being persecuted - while we actually are being persecuted - and you don't see gay people rushing off to buy guns and get military training and equipment down at the local surplus store? Quite a difference.

Let's look at an example from our own religious radical right wing in SA, Charl van Wyk of Christian Action Network, Africa Christian Action, Frontline Fellowship, In Touch Missions International, Gun Owners Of SA, Christian Liberty Books... hang on a second - Gun Owners... - what?

Let's look a little deeper: Charl van Wyk is the author of a book on religion, guns, religion, more guns, the use of guns to defend religion, and the use of guns justified by religion. He is one of the founders of the Gun Owners Association of SA (GOSA). More than just talking about God and the use of guns, Mr van Wyk has done both. Twice. 

 

Several years ago he just happened to be in a church that was attacked by APLA "terrorists". 11 were killed, 58 wounded in the attack - and that was just the church-goers. Apparently only one terrorist was wounded by him with a .38 Special revolver - affectionately referred to on van Wyk's sites as a "snubby". 

 

More recently (2009) he was involved in a public shoot-out with would-be hijackers in a city street, this time not actually hitting anything, but none the less inspiring more fan mail and perhaps a few more radio spots on a fundamentalist radio station. In Oct 2004, Charl Van Wyk became one of the founding members of Gun Owners of South Africa, (GOSA), an online civilian gun rights ownership group, which is also involved in Public demonstrations against the Firearms Control Act. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James_Church_massacre)

Let's analyze this information:

What kind of a Christian minister - even a so-called "missionary" takes a gun with him TO church - and even INTO church? 

 

Especially in a large city like Cape Town which is, as unlikely a target for political unrest as you might expect - at any rate far from a likely terrorist strike? I mean, what are the odds of one man taking a gun with him into church - and that very same church getting attacked by three men with automatic weapons and hand grenades? Add to that the likelihood that the same man would happen to be a victim of a second similar violent incident and again save the day to be hailed as a "Christian missionary hero"? 

 

I you're thinking 'pretty darn small', then we're on the same page. As the old saying goes, 'if it looks too good to be true, it probably is'.

 

It would seem this sort of thing 'just happens' around Mr van Wyk.

There are names for people followed by such bad luck - in the army they get called 'f***ing bullet magnets' by whatever is left of their platoons - I wouldn't much want to be around him, no sir.

Following these events of 1993, in 2004, he went on to became one of the founding members of Gun Owners of South Africa (GOSA), and to promote a pro-gun lobby while also being high up in a local religious fundamentalist organization which punts "pro-life" and is exceedingly outspoken in its opposition of abortion, and that other bugbear and favorite pew-filler of religious fundamentalists - gay rights.

On his website (http://www.charlvanwyk.info) where he heavily promotes his own heroic action in the attack on his church - and his book, which is naturally also based on his heroic deeds at said tragic event. The site also details his involvement with various international groups - mostly American - including Gun Owners of America and the local anti-gay and anti-abortion group Christian Action Network - of which he is the number two man after Peter Hammond - the second great example of right wing fundamentalist bigotry and hypocrisy I will focus on in a minute. 

 

He is listed as a "missionary" for a US group "In Touch Missions International" which has 'missions' in SA (and surprise, surprise, Uganda) and which also seems to support another Affiliate of the CAN in KZN called Kwasazibuntu Mission. But that isn't strange, you often find these organizations have so many lines of interlinked support drawn between them, back and forth, that it looks like a spider-web that could blot out the sun, and if you try to follow them all, you begin to wonder how far and how deep it all goes, and run the risk of sounding like a raving conspiracy theorist.

Charl van Wyk also advertises his services as a public speaker and his frequent tours of the USA - and his weekly radio talk show called "Salt & Light" on a CAN affiliated "Christian" radio station every Tuesday, never stopping to think that "salt and light" actually have no basis in Christianity at all, but have their roots in various forms of mysticism and traditions of European witchcraft. I admit I've never listened to that show myself, and don't know what his usual topics are - but I can venture an educated guess. And before anyone tells me Mr van Wyk isn't actually listed as being part of Christian Action Network, let me point out that he is listed as Assistant Director of Frontline Fellowship, Director of Africa Christian Action, and that both groups form part of the umbrella organization called Christian Action Network, which is run by his boss over at Frontline Fellowship, Peter Hammond.

Peter Hammond, in turn, was the co-author of "the Pink Agenda" in 2001, and his ACA affiliate pushed his American "Homosexual Agenda" clone here in SA, attempting to spread a book filled with propaganda that was so full of hatred and lies about gay and transgender people, while claiming it to be "fact", that it still drips venom to this day.

Africa Christian Action was the group that tried to market it - and still does, from the only online sales point that will sell it - their own website. They brag that proceeds of sales of this book go towards so-called "ex-gay" ministries which resort to actual torture and obsolete and dangerous psychological practice which was already obsolete 40 years ago - in order to supposedly turn gay people "straight" - or punish them for being born gay in the first place. How noble of them. 

 

Mr Hammond has also dis-graced the steps of Parliament on numerous occasions to oppose gay and trans civil rights - calling them "privileges for perverts" and deploring South Africa's failure to declare homosexuality a criminal offence as it is in the rest of Africa. (I presume this man has full knowledge of the extent to which such inhuman laws are enforced in countries such as Uganda, and I suspect that entire home-brewed terrorist organization of probably having at least one or two irons in that fire. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9030.html)

More about "the Pink Agenda":

http://www.christianaction.org.za/newsletter_uca/uca_2002-ed1_pinkagenda.htm "It would be a scandalous irony if all types of obscenity are protected, but genuine research and academic endeavour is censored. Pray that we will be able to continue to distribute the book widely and get the truth about the radical homosexual agenda out." Co-author, Dr. Peter Hammond.

Hark at him: "genuine research and academic endeavour" indeed! This said by the co-author about a piece of propagandistic crap written by himself and another whack-job homophobic bigot at the same group, using reference material sourced from right wing "authorities" on homosexuality such as "The Pink Swastika" and disgraced former US psychologist Paul Cameron who advocated for the extermination of gay people in the same pattern as his Nazi mentors - http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,020.htm

Peter Hammond, a "reverend", is apparently not above violence himself, having a reputation for having served the SA Army in cross-border covert operations for the then Apartheid government, and who has appeared in the news several times as being suspected of and even arrested by various embattled African countries for "smuggling arms" while on "ministry missions" for God and the so-called "persecuted Church". 

 

In fact Hammond even credits himself with helping to set up the fundamentalist Christian government of Zambia. Considering the right wing's ambitions of late, I can't say I really doubt this - after all it seems he and his organization have been getting increasingly involved in politics in South Africa - and most of the religious political parties (who also hate gay people, like, a lot) have been bragging of their intentions to rub out that pesky little line that separates church and state so they can tackle that little issue head-on. 

 

A few years ago Hammond was plastered across the papers, not for his usual brand of hysterical crying "wolf" about the "pink agenda", but this time for taking one of his offspring out to "harmlessly paintball" young children trick-or-treating in Cape Town one All Hallows Eve - which one article claims he described as a "joke".

 

According to this article: 

 

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20051130104827297C942563 several children were lured to his car and shot at extreme close range.

"It was meant to be a joke: nobody was meant to get hurt," He said. 

 

A joke?! What sort of cretin would think that shooting at a child would be funny? Worse yet, what sort of monster would think a CHILD shooting at another child was funny?

 

I have an idea this guy probably knows full-well how much a direct hit with a paintball at can hurt - especially if the target's not wearing protective clothing or a face mask - and the kids on the receiving end sure as hell weren't laughing.

"I laid down a few ground rules: we were just going for teenagers, no kids." He said.

 

Yes, I'm sure that would make it a slightly less insane thing to do. Er. Not.

"We feel terrible that anyone got hurt, but it really was an accident" He said.

 

Oh. Right. Some 'accident'.

There is some discrepancy as to who exactly was the trigger man, but according to the victims, the man laughed at them before driving away. One child was injured after being shot in the face at point blank range. With a paintball gun. The child was lucky they weren't  seriously hurt or even blinded.

How deranged and cruel must someone be to aim a weapon - and make no mistake a paintball gun is a weapon that can deliver serious physical injury under various conditions - at a child?! Unprovoked, and in a public street?!

The fact that Hammond had a background in military weapons training (as I have) and still indulged in this insane, ill-conceived and outright evil enterprise, only makes it so much worse!

 

Hammond was arrested and charged with assault soon after being traced by detectives and so it was that he and his controversial brand of "Christianity" that wouldn't be out of place in a compound in Waco, Texas, made the news once again. 

 

After this, it seems he earned the nickname "the paintball pastor" in subsequent articles, and has generally kept a low profile since the assault charge. The case has been postponed several times since then. Some kind of agreement must have been reached, most likely involving a "settlement", because the case seems to have completely disappeared form the radar after 2006 without any mention of an outcome or conviction. In fact, it's hard to even find the newspaper articles mentioning it anymore.

However, if we look at the sort of upbringing Hammond provides to his own children (and promotes for other Christian parents) - glimpses of which are visible through his and his wife's outrageous statements in to the press and in articles on their network of websites - I wonder how the hell people like this are allowed anywhere near children. Anyone's.

"Boys need to play with toy weapons to learn how to be "aggressive and adventurous", according to Lenora Hammond, wife of paintball-evangelist Peter Hammond. (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=qw1133527684249B215)

"Men who follow Jesus Christ the dragon-slayer, must themselves become lesser dragon-slayers. And this is why it is absolutely essential for boys to play with wooden swords and plastic guns," she writes in an article on Hammond's Frontline Fellowship website www.frontline.org.za."

"We want to instill in them a hatred for evil and to have a deep desire to fight it. They are learning what a weapon feels like in their hands."

Terrific parenting tips, for sure. I wonder what sort of message that brings home to a young child? When you don't agree with somebody else, hate them - and even if they aren't doing you any harm, go out and shoot them. Just to teach them a lesson. And when daddy is caught doing bad things, blame it on the kids because they're under age - or call it an accident - but ultimately, lies and violence are the way to go. Model citizen.

Hammond claims that it was his children, and not him, but does accept responsibility. Which isn't quite the same as admitting to squeezing the trigger himself, though, is it? Even though he admitted the whole, reckless, irresponsible, infantile, petty, rotten, twisted and downright EVIL idea was his in the first place.

Does he also accept responsibility for the damage he and his wife have done to their OWN children, their view of God, grace and love, and his disgusting example as an "evangelist"? No, of course not. He's ruining them with his hare-brained fanaticism and thinks he's doing the right thing. Give him some time to put a spin on it, and he will probably blame it all on the "pink agenda", It's all the gay's fault, just like everything else.

In recent months, CAN and Hammond (along with long time associate Erroll Naidoo of His People Church, Morningstar International and the Family Policy Institute) have been pushing the religious right fundamentalist political parties in SA to unite into a kind of "Republican Party" for South Africa, gay rights remaining their prime target and rallying call. Late last year such an attempt failed dismally because the leadership of the CDA and ACDP each wanted the limelight for themselves and could not agree on names, representation in Parliament and a logo for their super-alliance of evil and then started slinging mud at each other about trivial matters such as who broke away from whom over discipline issues and what-not, and formed their own splinter party.

 

Just a thought, but does Naidoo realize that "morningstar" is a direct reference to the Christian construct or identity of "Satan"? That's right, Morningstar International is literally named after the god, Lucifer. Gosh, isn't that awkward? How about that? But I digress...

Mr Naidoo has recently even been bragging that he was invited to have dinner with Bishop/Dr/whatever Mvume Dandala - called leader of the new kid on the block party - COPE, although what this bodes as far as changes in the political landscape and the potential radicalization of COPE, only God knows. COPE meanwhile appears to be suffering heavy financial losses and even its members are now streaming back to their parent organization, the ANC, in what I think is a master-stroke of psy-ops. Even COPE's MP's and high level members are resigning to "cross the floor" where the money is. 

All I can say is that if the little religious right wing alliance or merger of ACDP and numerous other small parties materializes - and if they align with a larger party such as COPE, then the run-up to 2014 will be very, very interesting indeed - and we do know that the ancient Chinese meant that saying "may you live in interesting times" as a curse, don't we?

As far as all this is concerned, van Wyk certainly cannot claim innocence here, he tends to move in these circles after all, and he has a prominent position in their network. As a man standing in the shadow of Peter Hammond since about 1991, he cannot deny seeing what is in that shadow - he would know. Firstly, as a number two in such an organization, he cannot plead ignorance of the activities or policies of his group or groups. And secondly, he is also the manager of Christian Liberty Books, the online outlet for Hammond's "the Pink Agenda" - and also the man who defended its publication under that stale old "freedom of religion" bastion of the religious right. 

 

(http://www.cft.org.za/articles/attack_on_religious_freedom_.htm). 

 

Ironically, there you will also find comments by Phillip Rosenthal, leader of a subgroup of the CAN, Christian View Network - on whose site I found the postings re military training and hardware I listed above. As a footnote, Christian Action Networks website includes a sub-site called "Firearm News" which promotes GOSA (http://www.christianaction.org.za/firearmnews/index.htm)... interesting? I think so. You should too.

In articles displayed on van Wyk's site, (here for example: http://www.charlvanwyk.info/news2008.html) he clearly shows a bias against the pink community by siding with government officials complaining that they have to perform "homosexual" marriages.

In articles posted around the web, on mostly Christian fundamentalist sites, he has turned into a real folk hero, our Mr van Wyk. Christian Newswire (http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/168163108.html) and Gun Owners Of America aren't shy in calling this man "a hero". Some articles even use the bible as justification to carry guns - which, given the way America worships at the altar of the gun and ignores pleas to institute some form of commonsense gun control in the face increasing mass shootings by right wing domestic terrorist lunatics (who also funnily enough, closely resemble the following of GOSA in a lot of aspects) is not very surprising to me. 

 

Some of the topics below as listed on the GOoA site indicate the paranoia and 'isms' with which they view the world - remember - this is an American site, not from somewhere in the middle of Iraq, where such a view could be explained away by cultural differences or 'unique circumstances'.

"No Guns For Negroes; Knife control needed at Virginia Tech; More Gun Control Introduced in Congress; Mitigating Mumbai and the importance of 'Active Shooter'; The Gun Grabbing Veil has been Lifted; Big Brother's new target: Tracking of all firearms; ALERT! Sotomayor Ruled Against Gun Rights!; Congress' Plan Would Let AG 'Ban Guns at Will'; Who Will Defend You?; Guns stop crime; More gun shows = fewer murders; Ammunition Ban And Registration Proposal Getting Fresh Look (Updated); Gun Control, Terrorism, and Mumbai; Self Defense over the Next Four Years; Good News: Social Conservatism is Alive and Well; Charl van Wyk was armed when terrorists attacked his church; Where the blame should really lie; Debunking the "90 percent of guns used in Mexican crimes are American" lie; Armed Citizen servers his follow man; LIBERTY ALERT! Inside Info on Gun Witch Hunt; Protect your guns, they will protect you"

Holy crap! Reading that was enough to make my eyes bleed!

You would think the way these folks carry on, that they have a higher crime rate over there than we do in SA - and do they? No? Or do they have a tendency to exaggerate in comparison to a country like SA where crime has become a de-facto feature of daily life and we have become somewhat desensitized to it? Hmm... interesting point to ponder.

 

Try this on for size:

http://www.realclearreligion.com/index_files/ed2d682942555ec782a3af6eaa6c2076-76.html 

 

Here a religious group sings van Wyk's praises for defending faith against "Marxist-Leninism". Huh? I have to wonder what they are putting in their corn flakes. Are these guys living in the past, or what? Marxist-Leninism IE communism - the once be-all and end-all of the liberation theologians - who used religion in an US v/s THEM scenario. Now they are spinning stories of "the persecuted church" and "persecuted Christians" around the world in Christian-majority countries order to encourage and develop a corral or "laager" mentality while using the high crime rate in SA as an excuse to do it.

To me it seems that these groups are encouraging people to arm themselves with a dual purpose. Yes, it is good for people to be able to defend themselves if criminals attack them or their loved ones with knives, firearms, isn't it? But it seems their devout praise and encouragement of these acts of 'self-defence' reveal a more sinister purpose. 

 

The religious right has few real enemies, but many imaginary ones it has dreamed up and put to use as scapegoats to enforce the paranoia it uses as a glue to hold itself together - and to win new converts to its "cause".  

 

They call themselves "Christian soldiers" and their devotion to their faith a "war", drawn lines in the sand and identified enemies everywhere around them. And what's so bizarre and makes it so much worse, is that they really are arming themselves to the teeth. It is frightening stuff.

Take a good long look at these radical fundamentalist groups and I guarantee you will find mention of their perceived "enemies" and "threats" somewhere. 

 

You will see among them people of other religions - i.e. "Muslim extremists"; liberal political bodies which "threaten western or 'Christian' civilization" by working for human rights and equality for all - or basically anything which could be construed as 'liberal' at all; atheists (who do not believe in any god or religion) whom they ignorantly view as 'devil worshipers' and agents of evil; secular government - which separates religion from state and they call "secular humanist" and consider a religion; ideologies such as communism and secular democracy; and last but certainly not least - the so-called "homosexual lobby" - which often is included along with pedophiles, rapists, 'abortionists' and murderers in groups described as "criminals".

While some of these people may call Mr van Wyk a 'hero' for his intervention in a church shooting half a world away from everything they've ever known, I strongly disagree. 

 

Americans speak about the mythical "good guy with a gun" scenario, but I don't perceive Mr van Wyk as a good guy at all - in my view, he represents the total, polar opposite to me - a bad, dangerous man who worships at the idol of fear, hate, hysteria and violence, and who has dedicated his entire being to facilitating the rise of religious extremist fascism as a desirable new world order. 

 

To be blunt, I think anyone so invested in an organization which regularly leads the charge in various campaigns of social terror waged against GLBT people (and ought to be designated a terrorist group in its own right) is no better in my view than the terrorists he shot at.

 

Last year in the US, an airline pilot managed to put his disabled aircraft down safely in a much publicized emergency river landing without the loss of a single life, and stayed on board the aircraft as it sank into the river to ensure everyone got off before disembarking. Has he set up a self-promoting website to glorify his actions (and extraordinarily bad aim and poor choice in firearms)? Was he religious? I can't find any mention of any of those details anywhere. Has anyone seen him in follow-up newspaper articles since the event? Does he travel the world giving talks about himself, or his bravery, or the importance of landing planes in rivers, or his own undeniably heroic actions? No? I can't even remember his name. That to me is a true hero.

Yes, Mr van Wyk seems to have quite a hero image thing going for himself. He travels the world spreading the word of his heroic exploits, singing his own praises, collecting awards and accolades from the right wingers, religious extremists, and gun-obsessed 'homesteaders' who feed at his trough - while spreading the word of God as he sees it - Christ wielding a sword, gospel and guns - with a bible in one hand and a "snubby" .38 Special in the other. Hasn't anybody told mister 'Rambo' that 'real' men carry a Glock? Or a bazooka? Perhaps he should sling a 'fifty cal 'chopper' over one shoulder while he is at it, just so people get the message he conveys - he is at war.

Here at home he battles the gay civil rights movement, secular democracy, atheism, freedom of religion and gun control - spreading his sage wisdom on the subject in articles where he and his group call the banning of pseudo-scientific propaganda to incite hatred against the pink community 'violations of religious freedom', combats hate-speech legislation as 'censorship of the church' while insisting on censorship on the gay rights lobby - and even argues that global school massacres can be countered or prevented by arming the teaching staff - effectively turning schools into armed camps - clearly a very healthy environment for raising paranoid young people in. I wonder why he hasn't suggested arming the student body as well (yet)? 

 

As can be seen from these fundamentalist leaders ideas of how young Christians should be raised, this should be right up their alley. What would be next? Gun-toting preachers? Why not? After all, he is one.

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