I know I’m way late with this, but I must have missed it on my travels last month. The “Gadflyer”:http://www.gadflyer.com brings me “the story”:http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=131 that the Rev Sun Myung Moon had himself “crowned Emporer of the United States”:http://www.gorenfeld.net/blog/2004/05/im-and-i-approve-this-messiah.html and “declared the Messiah”:http://www.jonsullivan.com/DiaryDetail.php?pg=1337&mat=ddef at a ceremony in the “Dirksen Senate Office Building”:http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/32914 in “the presence”:http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004_03_28_atrios_archive.html#108067610445417648 and with the “enthusiastic participation”:http://www.gorenfeld.net/blog/2004/05/im-and-i-approve-this-messiah.html of a bipartisan contingent of Members of Congress. No, really. Did this even make the newspapers?
{ 21 comments }
Factory 06.13.04 at 2:07 am
OMG LOL!
Erm, of course, there is always the possibility that it’s faked.
william 06.13.04 at 2:08 am
The only mention I can find on Google News is an online chat with the Washington Post gossip columnist, which is amazing. If it happened in Britain the press would be all over it.
Keith 06.13.04 at 2:16 am
That’s just silly. We all know that Joshua Norton is the only real emperor the US will ever have!
Andrew Case 06.13.04 at 2:43 am
The coolest thing about this is that Moon is only missing a single element in order to fit the fundevangelist definition of the antichrist. He’s not Jewish. Everything else fits fairly well. If he suffers a head wound but survives, I’m converting just to be on the safe side.
The end times are upon us. Repent, or be Damned!
Kidding aside, I’m f*cking terrified of the people who are running this country.
One other thing – I don’t think he was crowned Emperor of the US. He was crowned Messiah of all mankind. Did I mention that I’m f*cking terrified?
Kieran Healy 06.13.04 at 2:57 am
I don’t think he was crowned Emperor of the US. He was crowned Messiah of all mankind.
Oh OK, I feel much better now. On the other hand, given the reading of the U.S. constitution that prevails inside the White House and the Pentagon maybe Moon feels that there’s no need to be declared Emperor if he could just get himself elected President instead.
Jason Kuznicki 06.13.04 at 3:22 am
It’s not even clear to me that he was crowned Messiah in so many words. Watching the video leaves it a bit doubtful:
http://iifwp.org/media/media_crownofpeace.php
The video pretty consistently called it the “Crown of Peace Ceremony,” and while it did make some overblown religious claims (“An announcement to God was read aloud…”), still, I can’t get either “Messiah” or “Emperor” out of the video.
The stuff about purges larger than those of the communists, though–That makes me nervous:
http://www.gorenfeld.net/blog/2004/01/moon-calls-for-gays-to-be-eliminated.html
IXLNXS 06.13.04 at 3:22 am
The anti christ does not have to be Jewish.
He is supposed to descend from the Roman Emperor.
Doesn’t say which one, but hey, God always liked to keep people guessing.
chun the unavoidable 06.13.04 at 3:46 am
I read a story about this in the Washington Times, but it didn’t seem particularly newsworthy.
q 06.13.04 at 5:28 am
“the fundevangelist definition of the antichrist” – can you give a link to this definition?
ArC 06.13.04 at 6:17 am
Chun, do you have a link for that?
pepi 06.13.04 at 7:33 am
I’m not shocked anymore. It’s just that no one believes this kind of stuff unless it’s been on the tv news. And even if it was, then it’d only be a colourful thing to make jokes about.
schwa 06.13.04 at 10:17 am
Chun’s being smugly ironic. Moon owns the Washington Times, which has a rich and proud history of printing unabashed dingbat rightwinger spin and calling it reportage.
Andrew Case 06.13.04 at 2:14 pm
“the fundevangelist definition of the antichrist†– can you give a link to this definition?
The one I was brought up with is the Jerry Falwell version, which claims that the antichrist will have all of the characteristics of the Messiah but will seek temporal power. He will suffer a head wound which ought to kill him but won’t (I think this part is common to people who take Revelation literally). Other people claim that he is the Pope. I used a quick and dirty shorthand that doesn’t do justice to the huge range of endtime scenarios.
So the good news is, Moon may only be missing the head wound in order to qualify. :-)
If you dig around on the net a bit you’ll find some interesting stuff on this. Here are a couple of starting points:
http://www.lcg.org/files/booklets/atc/default.htm A serious church page.
http://www.dccsa.com/greatjoy/whoisthe.htm These guys think it’s Prince Charles
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/9941/index.html A historical overview of failed endtime prophecies (a really fun page)
There is a general agreement among fundamentalists in the USA that the antichrist will seek temporal power and will seek to unify all the nations under his leadership. Other than that there’s fairly wide disagreement on details (other than the head wound, which may be interpreted metaphorically). Moon can certainly be made to fit, as can the Pope, Khofi Anan, George Soros, Osama Bin Laden, yada yada yada. It’s in the best interest of the left to convince religious conservatives that it’s really Moon. Spread the meme.
Ophelia Benson 06.13.04 at 8:54 pm
Whaaaaaaaaat?
[mutters] This isn’t a hospital, it’s an insane asylum.
John G 06.14.04 at 7:13 am
Hi — the reason it’s clear he was crowned Messiah is that Moon, on the basis that he is the Messiah, is going around crowning himself in vast cult ceremonies every few months. This one just happened to involve the U.S. government.
While no Congressman explicitly stated he was the Messiah, the rabbi does, and then Moon gets up there and says he is, after the crowning is all over with.
Thanks for linking to this important story on corruption in the Capitol.
Jason Kuznicki 06.14.04 at 12:57 pm
But this is a far cry from saying he’s been declared the Emperor of the United States.
John G 06.14.04 at 3:49 pm
Yes, “Emperor” is just a reference to Joshua Norton. But this isn’t an Elks Club thing, this is a guy who is focused on amassing political power and believes he and Bush should take over the world together. I’m not making this up.
anonymous 06.14.04 at 5:49 pm
Kieran that should be “emperor” not “emporer.”
d. mason 06.14.04 at 11:17 pm
I actually prefer “emporer” in this particular instance. Dunno why.
Jim 06.16.04 at 6:40 am
Jim Jones was also a Messiah
Susie 06.17.04 at 8:55 pm
I’d like to see an actual article or copy of a speech made by Moon or Bush that he wants Bush to help him take over the world. I support Bush 100% on most things, but this is over the edge. If there is actual proof of this, I’d like to see it. Thanks.
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