I don't know about you, but I'm inspired. It makes you wonder why the John Birch society is so greatly maligned, is it because they were Tea Party before Tea Party was cool?
Update: Obligatory Video
Friday, June 11, 2010
Why the John Birch Society Has Been Discredited
Here is the much maligned Robert Welch, president of the John Birch Society in 1958 1974. Please watch this video and ask yourself, what part do you disagree with?
I don't know about you, but I'm inspired. It makes you wonder why the John Birch society is so greatly maligned, is it because they were Tea Party before Tea Party was cool?
Update: Obligatory Video
I don't know about you, but I'm inspired. It makes you wonder why the John Birch society is so greatly maligned, is it because they were Tea Party before Tea Party was cool?
Update: Obligatory Video
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In answer to your question regarding why the JBS has been discredited, check out the FBI files on the JBS (link below). They reveal why J. Edgar Hoover and senior FBI officials concluded that the JBS was "extremist", "irrational", "irresponsible".
ReplyDeletehttp://ernie1241.googlepages.com/jbs-1
Also -- giants within the postwar conservative movement arrived at the same conclusion. See:
http://ernie1241.googlepages.com/jbs-4
More info: ernie1241@aol.com
Thanks for the info, Ernie, I will definitely check that out. I'm just saying, that was a great speech, no matter what anyone says.
ReplyDeleteI have read through your FBI vs. JBS paper, and can see how the far-out "The Private Letter" would besmirch the organization.
ReplyDeleteHowever, JBS's claims that the communists (a better term for today would be collectivists) were infiltrating the church was right on. If you read Love Letter to America, ex-KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov admits that there were operatives working in National Council of Churches. It was during this time that the social gospel replaced the real Gospel. Hillary Clinton described herself as a Goldwater Conservative prior to being in her Methodist Youth Group, whose leader was sympathetic to the leftist principles of collectivism.
I began my foray into researching these issues why looking into the history of American education. What you find is foundations started by corporations that write national policy. This started before and at the time Soviet Revolution, so I would not classify these people as commies in the '50s sense of the word, but they definitely had a central-control mentality. Here's a great quote from Whittaker Chambers:
“You don’t understand the class structure of American society,” said Smetana, “or you would not ask such a question. In the United States, the working class are Democrats. The middle class are Republicans. The upper class are Communists.”
— Whittaker Chambers, The Witness, pg. 616
Republican Mother: Your conclusion about infiltration of our clergy and religious institutions was NOT shared by the FBI, In a 1961 speech, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Domestic Intelligence Division stated:
ReplyDelete“We have seen why and how communists have made continuous and persistent efforts over the years to penetrate American churches and to exploit American clergymen. But to stop here would result in conveying a totally erroneous impression as to the extent of communist infiltration of the clergy. To give an objective appraisal, it is essential to point out that the apogee of communist activity, penetration, and influence among clergymen and churches in the United States coincides with the zenith of the numerical strength, activity, and influence of the American communist movement generally. This peak was reached in the late 1930’s and during and just after World War II. It was in 1944 that the Communist Party USA boasted of a top membership of 80,000 plus an extensive communist front apparatus.”
“Since the late 1940’s, communist influence within the churches and among the clergy has waned along with the diminution of the Party’s membership, activity, and influence on the American scene. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Communist Party USA has achieved any substantial success in exerting domination, control, or influence over America’s clergymen or religious bodies and institutions on a national scale. The fact of the matter is that no substantial number of clergymen have been closely identified with the Communist Party over the years.”
“According to estimates, there are 300,000 ordained clergymen in the United States, the great majority of whom are Protestant. When this large figure is compared with the total number of clergymen who have had communist affiliations, joined communist fronts, engaged in communist activities, supported communist causes, signed communist documents, or otherwise---wittingly or unwittingly—aided and abetted the communist movement during the past four decades, the proportion is actually exceedingly small. Moreover, many of the most active, most vocal, and most publicized of these clergymen who have worked so diligently on behalf of communism do not have or never have had their own churches or congregations. Of those who did have, many were removed when their procommunist backgrounds and connections became known.”
“To recapitulate, it can be stated factually and without equivocation that any allegation is false which holds that there has been and is, on a national scale, an extensive or substantial communist infiltration of the American clergy, in particular the Protestant clergy. This statement applied with equal force to the Methodists as it does to other religious denominations.”
In 1963, J. Edgar Hoover made the following observations about this issue:
ReplyDelete"There can be no doubt, of course, that the communists' aim is to penetrate and control all mass-type organizations of our society, including our churches. Their efforts in this regard have been thwarted by our internal security program...Regrettably, numerous charges have been made concerning the extent and success of communist influence among our Nation's religious leaders and institutions. Actually, the Communist Party USA has had no appreciable success in influencing, controlling, or dominating America's clergymen or religious organizations. These facts, based on our investigative results in the internal security field, have been the basis of the FBI's stand on this subject when it arises." [HQ 100-403529-432, July 19, 1963 Hoover letter in response to an inquiry on the subject]
Ernie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the work you have done in this area. But I am now wondering why I should take the FBI's word for it? I realize the FBI had more credibility then it does in a post 9/11 world. I am trying to reconcile that with Yuri Bezmenov's account that there were communists operatives in the National Council of Churches which can be found in my post "Religion and Politicization."
It only takes a few to start the "change agent" process. Once begun the "changed" begin espousing the values of those original agents.
As a Christian, I look back at what used to be denominations who were bold for Christ, and have attended their churches. I find that Christ as Savior is not boldly preached, but secondary to "social justice". I concede that the Communist Party USA may not have been involved, but something happened here in a short amount of time. It happened to mainline churches faster than more fundamental churches. I believe the Birch Society made some mistakes in conveying their ideas, many of which may have been erroneous, but I definitely see some nefarious influences on the Mainline churches of today - boldly supporting abortion, homosexuality, no hell, no judgment. The Wesley brothers would be horrified at what passes for a Methodist church today.
Let me be clear, I am not blaming the state of the mainline church on "communists", but on the sin of the people not to recoil at apostate teachings. But I do believe that they were "helped along" as ex-Soviet spies say.
The main person behind all this is the old Devil himself whose days are numbered.
Thanks so much for discussing these issues with me Ernie!