Why aren't we all members of the John Birch Society?

[votefreedomfirst]

Must everything be swayed by the religion on this f*cking forum?

Hey, let's not join the Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership too, because they all must be zionists, even though it's one of the best gun groups in the USA. Hey guys, we shouldn't go to the Rally for the Republic because a lot of the speakers there are Christians. Hey, let's not listen to Ron Paul at all, he's a Christian too!

Once again, people on this board are failing to look at the big picture. Big tent. You can have a belief in God and be very concerned with the way America is. The JBS has been the forefront of the movement against the NAU. To not join because majority of the people there are Christians is idiotic, and honestly, shameful. Best move out of the USA all together - 92% of Americans belief in God or a higher power.

John Birch himself was a Christian missionary who gave his life for the message of freedom and prosperity. If you don't want to model your life after someone like that, regardless of religious affiliation, then you do not belong in this movement. Any organization, regardless of religious affiliation, that is dedicated to the restoration of our Constitution and protecting civil rights is an organization we all should be behind.

You're awfully defensive. No one here was bashing Christians as far as I can tell. The OP asked why some people might be adverse to joining the JBS, and a few non-religious people answered honestly that the overtly religious overtones of the organization would make them uncomfortable.

It's not just that the "majority are Christians". Obviously in the U.S. the majority of people everywhere are Christians. It's that - from the outside at least - JBS doesn't appear particularly welcoming to those who don't subscribe to that particular belief. Maybe I'm wrong...after all I've never been to a meeting. But it seems like the kind of thing where they might open up with a prayer or something which I couldn't personally participate in without feeling incredibly awkard and disingenuous.

 

[Theocrat]

Qft

Must everything be swayed by the religion on this f*cking forum?

Hey, let's not join the Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership too, because they all must be zionists, even though it's one of the best gun groups in the USA. Hey guys, we shouldn't go to the Rally for the Republic because a lot of the speakers there are Christians. Hey, let's not listen to Ron Paul at all, he's a Christian too!

Once again, people on this board are failing to look at the big picture. Big tent. You can have a belief in God and be very concerned with the way America is. The JBS has been the forefront of the movement against the NAU. To not join because majority of the people there are Christians is idiotic, and honestly, shameful. Best move out of the USA all together - 92% of Americans belief in God or a higher power.

John Birch himself was a Christian missionary who gave his life for the message of freedom and prosperity. If you don't want to model your life after someone like that, regardless of religious affiliation, then you do not belong in this movement. Any organization, regardless of religious affiliation, that is dedicated to the restoration of our Constitution and protecting civil rights is an organization we all should be behind.

Great points, give.me.liberty.

 

[spacehabitats]

Thanks!

Must everything be swayed by the religion on this f*cking forum?

Hey, let's not join the Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership too, because they all must be zionists, even though it's one of the best gun groups in the USA. Hey guys, we shouldn't go to the Rally for the Republic because a lot of the speakers there are Christians. Hey, let's not listen to Ron Paul at all, he's a Christian too!

Once again, people on this board are failing to look at the big picture. Big tent. You can have a belief in God and be very concerned with the way America is. The JBS has been the forefront of the movement against the NAU. To not join because majority of the people there are Christians is idiotic, and honestly, shameful. Best move out of the USA all together - 92% of Americans belief in God or a higher power.

John Birch himself was a Christian missionary who gave his life for the message of freedom and prosperity. If you don't want to model your life after someone like that, regardless of religious affiliation, then you do not belong in this movement. Any organization, regardless of religious affiliation, that is dedicated to the restoration of our Constitution and protecting civil rights is an organization we all should be behind.

I also did not want to start a religion vs. atheist smackdown.

So I appreciate those of you that find a perceived religious bias in the JBS offensive.

Thanks for your input.
But I think I would like to hear if their are other criticisms (if any) as to strategies, organizational structure, leadership, etc.

 

[Mahkato]

JBS is a nice org as far as I have seen. They've been fighting this fight a lot longer than most Ron Paul supporters.

 

[spacehabitats]

Wedge issues do hurt.

You're awfully defensive. No one here was bashing Christians as far as I can tell. The OP asked why some people might be adverse to joining the JBS, and a few non-religious people answered honestly that the overtly religious overtones of the organization would make them uncomfortable.

It's not just that the "majority are Christians". Obviously in the U.S. the majority of people everywhere are Christians. It's that - from the outside at least - JBS doesn't appear particularly welcoming to those who don't subscribe to that particular belief. Maybe I'm wrong...after all I've never been to a meeting. But it seems like the kind of thing where they might open up with a prayer or something which I couldn't personally participate in without feeling incredibly awkard and disingenuous.

I agree that perceptions DO count for something.

And we all want and need the biggest tent that we can find that still preserves our core values of liberty.

But we also need an effective organization(s) to channel our energy AGAINST those who would enslave us.

I don't want to dilute our efforts, but the right kind of organization will NOT compete with but compliment the strengths of the Campaign for Liberty.

 

[familydog]

I am not a member. Then again, I'm not a member of any organization. I suppose if I were to start joining organizations, I'd join the JBS.

I'm not going to let one or two things on their agenda deter me from their overall message.

 

[Matt Collins]

My parents who are in their 60's and are devout Christians have told me what the JBS has a very bad stigma attached to their name. In other words, they are perceived as radicals to many and many people associate their group as a racist organization.

The honest truth is that I know many in the JBS and agree with most of what they say and I have not seen any evidence of racism within that organization. However I get the feeling that the organization that exists today is not the same as it was a few decades ago.

 

[Brian Defferding]

Their headquarters is in my hometown, I work and live a mile away from it, and have met a couple members at Ron Paul meetups. They are very nice people.

I came close to joining, but yes it was the religious part that dissuaded me from being a paying member.

HOWEVER, it would be very advisable to agnostics/athiests to join their email list and participate in their little "action" list on their website. Those guys are on top of things, you can send a letter to your Congressman/Senator which they help formulate (you can edit them to how you please), they know what bills are being passed and which ones are on the committee backburner. Because of them, I just sent a letter to my Congressman to co-sponsor Ron Paul's bill to abolish the Federal Reserve.

So, I say join their email list and take part in their action list regardless if you're a Christian or not. They'll help you get proactive.

 

[Nirvikalpa]

I'm a member of their student group on Facebook, so I get a lot of alerts, etc...

Here are the ending statements of the last couple I received:

"So bottom line, 10 states have passed an anti-NAU resolution in one or both houses. This means state legislative bodies in 20% of our states have already gone on record asking Congress to withdraw the United States from the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and to block the development of the NAU.

Please use the pre-written, editable email message at http://www.capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=11495616 to contact your representative and senators in support of HCR 40.

Thanks."

"Obama's Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) could cost U.S. $845 billion. Vote expected soon. Contact your senator at http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=11590351.

See Glenn Beck video about this United Nations-inspired global poverty bill at http://youtube.com/watch?v=NRpV6jiw5XQ."

"Here is a link to Ron Paul's official congressional website where you'll find a brand-new video (at the top right of the page) about today's lopsided House vote on a major housing bill which could end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars.

http://www.house.gov/paul/index.shtml

This 7-minute video is fascinating because it covers several related issues including a $800 billion increase in the national debt limit and the role this housing bill will play in the further devaluation of the dollar. A must for anyone who is concerned about inflation, the Federal Reserve, and their personal economic survival."

They also have a forum: http://www.jbsforum.org/index.php

And they are actively promoting the Liberty Straw Poll.

ALSO, you do not have to be a paying member - they now have a free membership.

 

[spacehabitats]

Thank You!

My parents who are in their 60's and are devout Christians have told me what the JBS has a very bad stigma attached to their name. In other words, they are perceived as radicals to many and many people associate their group as a racist organization.

The honest truth is that I know many in the JBS and agree with most of what they say and I have not seen any evidence of racism within that organization. However I get the feeling that the organization that exists today is not the same as it was a few decades ago.

This is very interesting.

I am also an old fogey (like your folks) and remember going to meetings as a child with my parents.

I don't remember any racism. The worst I can remember are some people getting carried away on tangents like fluoridation that detracted from the main message.

Gee, I don't suppose that would remind anyone of any current groups.

 

[dannno]

I'm a Mormon

Ezra Taft Benson was a hardcore JBS member. You should checkout some of his political speeches from before he became a Prophet of the LDS church. It's a trip.

 

[shocker315]

Seems like a great organization too!

Fabulous statement of principles (Creed of Freedom) too.

Other than competing for my time and money; is there any reason why I shouldn't join both?

You may be interested in this section of Freedom Force as it pertains to the JBS.... If you haven't found it already. Especially the FFI and JBS comparison chart (pdf) at the bottom of the page.

http://www.freedom-force.org/freedomcontent.cfm?fuseaction=questionM06&refpage=membership

 

[StudentForPaul08]

A few things:

I did not say or think because they lean christian that means it is offensive to me. I just do not agree with it. And i have the right as an individual to choose what and what not to join based on a groups overall picture.

This isn't about religion vs. non-religion, it is about my opinion and right not to join a specific group based on their religious overtones. I don't take it offensive nor do i think less of their efforts for it, i just feel it is not for me.

Easy as that.

Oh and not joining them for this reason is not why there hasn't been a 'revolution' already.

 

[spacehabitats]

Thanks for the info.

I'm a member of their student group on Facebook, so I get a lot of alerts, etc...

Here are the ending statements of the last couple I received:

"So bottom line, 10 states have passed an anti-NAU resolution in one or both houses. This means state legislative bodies in 20% of our states have already gone on record asking Congress to withdraw the United States from the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and to block the development of the NAU.

Please use the pre-written, editable email message at http://www.capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=11495616 to contact your representative and senators in support of HCR 40.

Thanks."

"Obama's Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) could cost U.S. $845 billion. Vote expected soon. Contact your senator at http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=11590351.

See Glenn Beck video about this United Nations-inspired global poverty bill at http://youtube.com/watch?v=NRpV6jiw5XQ."

"Here is a link to Ron Paul's official congressional website where you'll find a brand-new video (at the top right of the page) about today's lopsided House vote on a major housing bill which could end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars.

http://www.house.gov/paul/index.shtml

This 7-minute video is fascinating because it covers several related issues including a $800 billion increase in the national debt limit and the role this housing bill will play in the further devaluation of the dollar. A must for anyone who is concerned about inflation, the Federal Reserve, and their personal economic survival."

They also have a forum: http://www.jbsforum.org/index.php

And they are actively promoting the Liberty Straw Poll.

ALSO, you do not have to be a paying member - they now have a free membership.

OK, I had better explain a little more.

My father-in-law is Don Fotheringham.

I truly respect this man and his wisdom.

He had worked for the national JBS organization for decades before some type of political squabble caused him and a number of former administrators to resign.

They have started their own organization called the Freedom First Society and written an excellent book, Organize for Victory, that outlines their vision of the globalist Conspiracy and how to combat it.

I KNOW that Don is sincere, intelligent, and inciteful.
I KNOW that he has decades of experience doing what many of us are only starting to do.

I just wish I could KNOW that he has the best organization and strategy.

Thanks to all of those who have tried to help me sort this out.

 

[familydog]

ALSO, you do not have to be a paying member - they now have a free membership.

Nice. I'll look in to joining if this is the case.

 

[Brian Defferding]

A good review of all of JBS's dirty laundry can be read here. It used to be big on conspiracy theories. I prefer a JBS where it's simply a political action organization. Spouting off tinfoil hat material just gives your cause a bad name.

 

[dannno]

A good review of all of JBS's dirty laundry can be read here. It used to be big on conspiracy theories. I prefer a JBS where it's simply a political action organization. Spouting off tinfoil hat material just gives your cause a bad name.

Especially when it's true.

 

[glts]

Years ago when it looked like the JBS was waking too many people up the mainstream media put a kibosh on that and started to demonize a great organization.

 

[DeadtoSin]

I don't know why I'm not a part of the JBS. I'm probably going to join. They seem committed to Liberty, and I am a Christian. Kind of makes sense.

I can understand how some would not want to be in an environment that seemed geared toward Christians.

 

[Truth Warrior]

As I seem to recall, the GOP got really pissed because JBS ( Robert Welch ??? ) called Eisenhower a communist. There were probably some more other reasons besides.