
Seven days before America elects a new leadership team, Newsweek is making a last-ditch attempt to portray GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin as a religious nut.
In her article "Jesus and Witches," Newsweek Religion Editor Lisa Miller suggests Palin believes in witchcraft, thinks the world is coming to a fiery end in her lifetime, and may have a "special sense of destiny" fueled by her "apocalyptic theology" and Alaskan "Last Frontier identity." Miller even hints Palin may be anti-Semitic.
The ominous subhead reads: "Video clips of Sarah Palin attending Alaska church services have raised questions about her views on Christianity and government." Miller raises those questions, but she never answers them. If you go to the story expecting to find fresh information about Palin's theological views and how she might apply them to public policy, you'll be badly disappointed.
Instead, Miller leads off by rehashing a 2005 video clip, long circulated on YouTube, of Palin being prayed over by her former pastor and a pastor from Kenya. Miller describes Kenyan preacher Thomas Muthee as, ‘a Pentecostal powerhouse who has a reputation for being able to cast out demons and witches through prayer." Muthee "urges the congregation to pray for Palin's success" in her political endeavors, and follows with a blessing: "In the name of Jesus. Every form of witchcraft is what you rebuke." Ipso facto, Palin must believe some of her neighbors ride broomsticks under the full moon.
Miller is fully aware of the impression that the video leaves with some viewers: "Left-wing observers cite the clip as evidence that Palin is a right-wing Christian nut who believes in witches and exorcisms and, most probably, in crazy end-times scenarios."
Miller cites a Pew study which claims that, "a third of American evangelicals believe the world will end in their lifetime." She then provides only the flimsiest evidence that Palin agrees: "According to a September piece on Salon.com, Palin told a political opponent in Wasilla she believes the same." This is thirdhand, through two hostile sources.
Rather than go straight to Palin and ask what she believes, Miller prefers to speculate about Palin's end-time beliefs by discussing her "religious milieu":
"Though we may never know what Palin really believes about God, we do know a lot about the religious milieu in which she lives... This worldview can best be summed up as ‘very conservative Christian plus Alaska.'"
According to Miller, "In a Pentecostal worldview, God talks directly to the righteous and the righteous talk to God." Pentecostals "...believe the world will end in a fiery battle sooner rather than later; that the forces of good (that is, Christians) will win," and "Christians are taught to think of themselves as soldiers in the cosmic battle between good and evil." For their part, Alaskans "see their wilderness as a refuge from the evil and corruption of the world."
Miller builds up to a frightening warning: "An apocalyptic theology combined with a Last Frontier identity can give evangelicals like Palin a special sense of destiny." And what might that destiny entail? Among other things, a vague threat against Israel: "Some Jews are suspicious about how Christians with end-times theology view Israel-and with good reason; certain fringe Christian sects hold that Jews deserve God's punishment for denying the divinity of Jesus."
Miller quickly acknowledges that "Palin has strongly and repeatedly articulated her support for Israel." She offers this caveat, however, in an article whose principal message is that Palin's churches are rather fringy, and she follows it immediately with a "but":
But among the most controversial YouTube clips is one of David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, preaching at the Wasilla Bible Church on the same day Palin was there for her new baby Trig's dedication ceremony. Brickner preached that terrorism in Israel was God's judgment on the Jews for their not believing in Jesus-comments that were roundly denounced by Jewish groups.
As a religion editor, Miller should know that Brickner's view that terrorism is God's judgment on Israel is not a belief accepted widely among evangelical Christians. In any case she should have added that there is no reason to suppose that Palin shares Brickner's perspective.
"Jesus and Witches" may be shoddy journalism, but it appears to be attractive propaganda. The article is currently at the top of Newsweek's "Most Viewed" list.



















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Good Lord!!!!.......
October 29, 2008 - 17:23 ET by BEGRUNTThese people are absolutely UNHINGED!!!!!! If this is what they are resorting to........DESPERATION TIME!!!! So much for that lock on the election Obama losers.
"If a man does his best, what else is there"?
General George S. Patton Jr.
Sigh. Liberals can have
October 29, 2008 - 17:41 ET by dduckw0rthEDIT oops this was meant to be reply to the Article
Sigh. Liberals can have their religions (or lack thereofs), but Palin can't have hers.
To Newsweek and clueless libs,
1. Witchcraft is real, visit Africa. If you dare.
2. After visiting Africa, you will understand the threat. I know Disney makes witches look innocent, but they're not. Nothing of Satan is innocent.
3. And you can then work on understanding that true Christians have protection from witchcraft. I know I know, that's probably a bit much for a liberal to wrap their brain around, but hey, at least I try to help.
4. Does this article signal that it is now safe to ask questions about Obama's religion and past? Oh wait... never mind you cannot question the messiah's muslim err christian faith... that's a Unauthorized Bitter Personal Right-Wing Attack (UBPRWA)
Keep attacking Palin! The more you do, the more people will realize the liberal establishment trembles at the thought of folks like her in the White House, and then they will vote for McCain/Palin.
You're absolutely right
October 29, 2008 - 18:51 ET by Gabrielle E1. Witchcraft is real, visit Africa. If you dare.
2. After visiting Africa, you will understand the threat. I know Disney makes witches look innocent, but they're not. Nothing of Satan is innocent.
I've lived in Africa since 2001 and there's a reason why it's called the dark continent.
Over here it's quite common to pray for someone to have protection against witchcraft, especially if they're going into politics.
Withcraft is real in the USA
November 5, 2008 - 20:17 ET by goldenj777I have a relative in the LA area who is a practicing witch. She told me her success stories using both white and black magic. I am a Christian. I stayed with her for over a week once when I was younger while looking for work. One day she got angry with me and said, "ever since you moved in here, none of my witchcraft is working." She said that in the middle of some ritual she was doing.
There could be as many as a million witches/wiccans in the USA. There are many millions more new agers and probably a million or more new age channelers: most all pro-Obama. White and black witchcraft is all evil since they are contacting the same source, fallen cosmic created beings.
Read more about Obama's weird connection to and support from the occult at:
http://dispolitico.w...
What's wrong with Palin praying against this? Japanese politics incorporates bizarre shinto/buddhist rituals where they contact the dead. Hillary Clinton did some type of weird sceance in the white house. Reagan's wife did astrology. Obama's racist black liberation theology is cultish and stranger than anything Palin embraces.
Obama is the one supported by witches and new age occultists including new age channelers, many of them channeling support for Obama. The press should have been all over this and prevented Obama's election. Instead, they focused on attacking and smearing Palin and her orthodox Christianity.
Deja vu all over again
October 29, 2008 - 17:23 ET by tazzDeja vu all over again
Wow talk about last ditch efforts...
October 29, 2008 - 17:25 ET by HeavyChevyNewsweek is going into their "damn the torpedoes" mode to win this election for Obama, Newsweek better hope they succeed because if they don't payback will be a B***h under the McCain/Palin administration.
"9 out of 10 doctors agree that flag burning is the number one killer of liberals."
They're Nuts
October 29, 2008 - 17:31 ET by JillCWActually, they are the purveyors of witchcraft because they are manipulators. Read Romans Ch. 1 starting at verse 18. Read 2Timothy Chapters 3 and 4 to understand what those folks are about. The irony is they and the stupidity they shove down our throats are playing right into God's plan. The problem is, they are pawns for God instead of being players for God. They are the anti-Christs among us as stated in scripture.
The article is currently at
October 29, 2008 - 17:29 ET by Chris NormanThe article is currently at the top of Newsweek's "Most Viewed" list.
Demonstrating that there are still a few nuts out there who drink from Newsweek's foul well. Incredible, absolutely incredible.
McNotObama '08
Just because people are
October 29, 2008 - 19:56 ET by sherylsimsJust because people are viewing (reading) the article doesn't necessarily mean they are agreeing with it. Maybe people are looking it and saying, "OHMYGOSH! Look at how far they have gone now!!"
So, Palin is a
October 29, 2008 - 17:32 ET by NewsbusterbrownSo, Palin is a fundamentalist anti-Semite. Gotcha.
Good luck with this crap, Newsweek.
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Miller cites a Pew study
October 29, 2008 - 17:31 ET by MazziMiller cites a Pew study which claims that, "a third of American evangelicals believe the world will end in their lifetime."
I am not even a Christian, and I wouldn't bet against the world ending in my lifetime if Obama is elected....
"Fool me once - shame on you... fool me twice - shame on me." ~ my Father
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
I agree
October 29, 2008 - 17:33 ET by JillCWIf the "O" is elected, the world will end . . . at least the world as we know it now. Maybe that's not such a bad thing :)
There are a number of ways
October 29, 2008 - 18:36 ET by IamTinmanThere are a number of ways the world could end in my lifetime. Gods will may be one of them but I'd bet on natural disasters, nuclear holocaust, or biological warfare being more likely.
Right up there with the
October 29, 2008 - 18:45 ET by Chris NormanRight up there with the world coming to an end is living in a country I don't recognize any longer.
McNotObama '08
I am a lawyer. I grew up in this kind of church. It's okay!!!!!
October 29, 2008 - 17:35 ET by attorneygirlFolks,
I am a lawyer. I practice employment law. I am a normal Republican who has started my own business and have a happy household.
I grew up in an evangelical household and was a member of a family who went to an Assemblies of God church.
These people are normal! They watch movies (yes, they love the Terminator and Love Story and everything your kids love). They buy flat panel high definition TVs. They buy cars. They read newspapers and books, and believe in America just like the rest of us.
They are us. They are my own background and history. They believe very strongly in the Bible, and in a loving God. They also believe that abortion is destroying a human life. They also pray for each other. And many times, after a service, they will have an alter call (just like Billy Graham has done for years at his many meetings). And at these alter calls, they will pray for folks, And sometimes praying for someone means that you can lay your hands on them. What's wrong with that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
So, there. You've heard it from an insider. Oooohhhhh. Be afraid.
Right.
These are normal people.
There, I've "exposed" what happens in an Assemblies of God church that actually has alter calls.
So much for the absurd press trying to drum up fear.
God save America.
God bless America.
Vote McCain and Palin.
It's the whack liberals and
October 29, 2008 - 17:38 ET by Chris NormanIt's the whack liberals and liberal media who are proving everday that they are small minded and mean-spirited bigots.
McNotObama '08
ATTA GIRL
October 30, 2008 - 13:27 ET by cvgbuckeyeYou go gettum attorneygirl; from a Bible teacher. You are right on; but you don't need me to tell you that.
"If you are ashamed of my Father, I will be ashamed of you"
Attgirl... I Ditto that
October 30, 2008 - 13:40 ET by bigtimerAttgirl...
I Ditto that cvg ...
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Religion editor
October 29, 2008 - 17:47 ET by ReaverI would love to know if this religion editor ever wrote an article on Rev. Wright and if she described him as a radical.
To quote out of context,
October 29, 2008 - 18:16 ET by HockeyKidTo quote out of context, "Ask and ye shall receive." Here it is, from March: a nice, soft-focus look at Trinity UCC:
http://www.newsweek....
No suprises
October 29, 2008 - 18:43 ET by ReaverThank you HockeyKid no suprises here, the contrast was exactly what I expected.
Glad to help. I wonder
October 29, 2008 - 19:40 ET by HockeyKidGlad to help.
I wonder why this "religion editor" fails to mention that Liberation Theology, out of which Black Liberation Theology grew, was a creation of communist leaders in Latin America. It was a "theology" designed to decrease the influence of Catholicism by providing a belief system under which the followers are identified as victims deserving of "liberation" from the opression of their present situation. In reality, there's no God in LT--it was designed specifically to represent God in such a way that the follower was encouraged to design his own god.
This also is clear in the later teachings of James Cone, founder of Black Liberation Theology. Cone teaches his followers to reject any "God" that doesn't comport with their own goals. In other words, God is supposed to follow Cone, not vice versa. Where have you heard of a concept like before?
It's no wonder BLT appeals to BHO--it's very similar to Alinsky's concept of community organization. After all, Alinsky did dedicate "Rules for Radicals" to "the original community organizer", Lucifer.
Dark days, indeed.
Witches
October 29, 2008 - 17:49 ET by cocodrieWitches most certainly do exist, If you don't think so take a little trip to Haiti and witness them first hand. This is a gross misrepresentation of pentecostals and their beliefs. Ms. Miller should read a bible before she writes another article about what it says. She could avoid being so stupid and wrong. But I guess all is fair when the likes of Ms. Miller are out to butcher Sarah Palin.
No, no. Ms. Miller is a
October 29, 2008 - 18:05 ET by HockeyKidNo, no. Ms. Miller is a "religion editor". In libspeak, "editor" means "person with no familiarity about the topic over which they have authority". Thus, since she can't report on religion (knowing nothing about it), she is an editor--as evidenced by her feeble attempt at writing in this specific piece.
Just more of the same.
October 29, 2008 - 18:31 ET by IamTinmanSame stuff, different day! Only the real kool-aid drinkers are paying attention any more.
The MSM
October 29, 2008 - 18:48 ET by iveseenitallI am soooo tired of the MSM. They are like having a child on drugs or one that is insane. What a shame that the "average" American is subjected to this kind of thing. Over the past few years it has gotten worse than even those of us who have been around so long would have believed. It used to be just below the kind of slide the educational establishment has taken in the last few decades. Now it has past even that complete failure. "Journalism" is dead in America. Sad.
Isia,
October 29, 2008 - 19:06 ET by Chris NormanNot to dismiss it with flippancy, but sometimes I feel we're in some kind of really bad horror movie named "Invasion of the Journalism Snatchers" - not that journalism had been all that great in the thirty or so years preceeding, but still...
McNotObama '08
Chris
October 29, 2008 - 19:54 ET by iveseenitallYou are so right. Believe it or not I was just thinking about that movie the other day in relation to what is going on today. I said to my wife that we should be looking for the pods. Sad.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Who you calling Anti-Semitic?
October 29, 2008 - 19:11 ET by Anchor89Miller hints Palin may be Anti-Semetic....
I wonder what Miller would think of Palin if he had a video of her praising a former spokeman for the PLO, she had money illegally pouring into the campaign from Muslims in the Middle East, has gotten the support of Iranian governement spokesmen, had citizens of Gaza cold-calling Americans to tell them to vote for her, and was down in the Israeli polls by 15 points compared to the other party....
No, wait, that's Obama!
For the first time,
October 29, 2008 - 19:19 ET by Chris NormanFor the first time, yesterday, I saw a bumpersticker that read: "A Christian Family for Obama". I thought - Oh, so they must be the "good kind"...
McNotObama '08
must be...
October 29, 2008 - 19:34 ET by MightyMouth..an obamanaut crouching through the Walmart parking lot planting bumper stickers on random vehicles. Check your bumpers and credit card accounts folks!!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Post - Its for Bumperstickers?
October 29, 2008 - 19:43 ET by Chris NormanI've thought about that. "Change an opposition bumpersticker to one you can agree with! Amaze your friends! Confound your enemies! Several to choose from! - #1 seller - 'Another idiot for' - looks great when put to the left of 'Obama '08'!" :)
By the way, it must have just killed those liberal obamanaut ninjas to have to go onto a WalMart parking lot...
McNotObama '08
While I refuse to judge the members of that "family"...
October 29, 2008 - 19:45 ET by Mike Bratton...they'd have to come up with more than a bumper-sticker declaration to demonstrate how any Christian, much less a family purported to be full of them, could support a pseudo-Christian, abortion-favoring socialist like Barack Obama.
If you can put your faith aside to endorse a candidate or a position, you don't have any legitimate Christian faith in the first place.
We're seeing more and more examples in the mainstream press of what's known in Christianity as "spiritual blindness." Obama leads a cult, and Miller has evidently signed up to follow.
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport...
Mike,Out of millions of
October 29, 2008 - 19:56 ET by Chris NormanMike,
Out of millions of Christians, I can believe that there are some who put on the blinders and totally deny what's readily apparent to us. I have relatives, intelligent and educated people, who deny anything negative about what Obama believes or says because they haven't seen it reported in the "Mainstream" media. I suppose it's a reverse take on the old saying "If it's written in the papers, then it must be true".
McNotObama '08
Shocking Discovery: People practice RELIGION in church!
October 29, 2008 - 19:25 ET by Anchor89I know I should be used to this by now, but I am still amazed when a member of the MSM goes deep undercover and sneaks into a church and discovers, much to their shock and horror, that actual religion takes place inside. The MSM breathlessly reports that actual people go inside these places and actually celebrate their beliefs through ritualistic ceremonies!!! And here is the real scoop - Sarah Palin, yeah THAT Sarah Palin, is one of these people!!! You know, the kind that cling to their Bibles and their guns! What's worse, there is absolutely NO evidence that she and her fellow fanatics used this opportunity to declare how much they hated the United States! (Which would have gotten her completely off the hook, like Obama and fanatic Muslims)
I'd love to go to church and
October 29, 2008 - 19:47 ET by HockeyKidI'd love to go to church and the range with the Palins. THAT would be a great weekend!
There are weirder people than Palin taken more seriously
October 29, 2008 - 20:07 ET by nkviking75We have celebrities who believe in reincarnation, we have TV shows with hosts who supposedly communicate with the dead, we have syndicated radio programs like Art Bell that seem to accept anything, and yet Sarah Palin is the weird one. Go figure.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
that's okay newsweek
October 29, 2008 - 20:15 ET by candanceMost of my Pentecostal friends already ignore you, so this won't do much other than stir up the kool aid drinkers.
Yaaawwwwn.
Change is what you're left with when you've spent all your dollars.
oops
October 29, 2008 - 20:15 ET by candancedouble post.
Palin/whatshisname 08
I was warned
October 29, 2008 - 21:12 ET by MeowMeowA very good friend of mine told me tonight that she had news for me -- that Obama was going to win the election. I told her she watched too much MSM.
Republicans need to get out in DROVES the next few days.
God help us all.
Obama: A glittering jewel of colossal ignorance. --RL
»→ MeowMeow
October 29, 2008 - 21:15 ET by Cool ArrowIf Obama wins, it won't be for lack of Republicans voting once.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
"Dewey defeats Truman ! "
October 29, 2008 - 21:18 ET by Free Stinker"Dewey defeats Truman ! " --Chicago Tribune, 1948
Hey Newsweek: The video we
October 29, 2008 - 22:42 ET by TN MomHey Newsweek: The video we all want to see is the LA Times 2003 video of obama praising Rashid Kalidi the PLO Spokesperson, along with obama's buddy TERRORIST Bill Ayers. I wonder why Newsweek doesn't mention obama's very close Anti-Semitic friends??
Jews For Jesus's Brickner's Sermon (for those interested)
October 30, 2008 - 01:14 ET by timrfrench61The "Judgement" "Controversy" section is paragraphs 38 through 40 and begins with
"But what we see in Israel, the conflict that is spilled out throughout
the Middle East, really which is all about Jerusalem, is an ongoing
reflection of the fact that there is judgment..."
http://www.jewsforje...
It was taken out of context and that was blown out of proportion. Standard mediashmear.
Palin, Christianity, and the End Times!
October 30, 2008 - 07:02 ET by GeneralAlI've Had It! Does it ever occur to these investigative reporters to have an honest encounter with the truth? They always report half truths with embellisnment! I'm proud to be an evangelical born again Christian of Baptist pursuasion! Here it is from the horse's mouth! We don't believe in witches in the context of the "enlightened" reporter's story. However, the Bible makes reference to witches as people controlled by the Devil and Demons. Yes, we believe in Demons and being possessed but we don't go around accusing people of being possessed. Generally, our missionaries in third world countries tend to come across this phenomenom. They don't practice exorcism on the people but they do PRAY for their healing! How terrible to want someome to enjoy good health!
Secondly, we do believe that the possibility of the world ending in our lifetime exists. However, we also believe the words of our Lord that say "No man knoweth the hour nor the day. Behold, I cometh as a thief in the night." In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John was inspired by the spirit of God to describe the signs of the end times. One of these signs is the call for the destruction of Israel!
That brings me to my next point. We believe without question God's promise that "He who blesses the Jew I'll bless but he who curses the Jew I'll curse." We support Israel all the way. We pray for her safety and are always behind every effort the USA uses for that cause.
So, call me a religious fanatic, say I'm on the fringe, but at least talk to me directly before you make some stupid report about me!
So a church that Palin no
October 30, 2008 - 09:43 ET by SickofLibsSo a church that Palin no longer is even a member of believes in the Biblical concept of the devil and witchcraft (not the Salem variety).
And Obama's church preached that whitey practiced genocide by planting the Aids virus in the black populace. But that was a non-story to Newsweak.
Sarah Palin and Jews for Jesus
October 30, 2008 - 10:04 ET by msiegerMost blogs and news services have quoted the same one paragraph of the message that David Brickner of Jews for Jesus delivered at Sarah Palin’s church, giving the false impression that he believes that terrorist attacks are God’s judgment on Israel for not believing in Jesus. Please read or listen to the entire message for yourself at www.jewsforjesus.org... so that you can hear Brickner’s remarks in context. Please also take a look at Brickner’s comments concerning his message at Wasilla Bible Church, as well as interviews by Christianity Today and MSNBC with Brickner about this issue, at www.jewsforjesus.org. Among other things, Brickner says, "The comments attributed to me were taken out of context. In retrospect, I can see how my rhetoric might be misunderstood and I truly regret that. Let me be clear. I don’t believe that any one event, whether a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, is a specific fulfillment of or manifestation of a biblical prediction of judgment. I love my Jewish people and the land of Israel. I stand with and support her against all efforts to harm her or her people in any way."
Libs think Christian
October 30, 2008 - 16:04 ET by mattmLibs think Christian beliefs and practices are weird, but they find nothing to worry about with islamic fanatics who use children to deliver bombs, beat and rape their women, and otherwise terrorize the world, and re-coil if anyone dares use Obama's middle name.
Hussein, Hussein, Hussein. http://www.flickr.com/photos/11485030@N07/2291930040/